just bouncing a few ideas around, and while i was thinking it occured to me that the promising crop of young players that we currently possess are being somewhat overlooked.
In defense: Gaby Heinze (28), Rio Ferdinand (27), Wes Brown (nearly 27), Nem Vidic (25) and Mikael Silvestre (29) are all at peak ages. I'd give that crop atleast another 5-6 years, with an extra couple for Vidic. The point is, the likes of Evans and Pique are not going to be getting very far in that pecking order in the next few seasons. Evans has been very impressive for N. Ireland recently and when he returns from loan will be looking to get into the first team picture. Pique has been around here for 2-3 seasons and has gone out on loan ofcourse - but the same thing applies to him - he surely has got to be getting a look in soon.
Then in goals. Foster has made great strides and can look forwards to returning to OT next year and taking VDS' number 1 (or 19) jersey. But no, we sign a Pole in Goal who is actually only a year older than Foster and will himself have designs on being the number 1. Surely the best course of action would have been to sign a reliable number 2 for a season, and then bring back Foster next season?
The news that David Jones looks not to have made the cut at United, is both surprising and disapointing. We'd all heard very good things about him (especially on loan at PNE and Nijmegen), but he didn't even get a look in during preseason and has been completely overlooked for first team positions. This is all the more annoying when we see the perennial underachiever Kieran Richardson regularly make the first team sqaud.
Then there's Rossi. The jewel in the crown of the current crop. But where does he fit in. Not alongside Rooney, with Saha cetainly. But then for this season and then next he'll have to establish himself over both OGS and Smithy!! SAF clearly sees him as backup at the minute as he would not have let him go otherwise. Also, was Newcastle the best place? He's somewhere where there's no stability and mostly always a crisis. Not the best environment for nurturing forwards. He's not had a look in so far, and would've been better off dropping a division or going to a more lowly Premiership team. Then there's the fact that irrespective of what is said, SAF will definetly move for a "Ruud Replacement" eventually, so that further marginalises Rossi.
On the bright side, atleast Martin and Bardsley look as though they could become regulars in years to come. With all the talk of Giggs replacements, maybe the solution could be a little closer to home??
In defense: Gaby Heinze (28), Rio Ferdinand (27), Wes Brown (nearly 27), Nem Vidic (25) and Mikael Silvestre (29) are all at peak ages. I'd give that crop atleast another 5-6 years, with an extra couple for Vidic. The point is, the likes of Evans and Pique are not going to be getting very far in that pecking order in the next few seasons. Evans has been very impressive for N. Ireland recently and when he returns from loan will be looking to get into the first team picture. Pique has been around here for 2-3 seasons and has gone out on loan ofcourse - but the same thing applies to him - he surely has got to be getting a look in soon.
Then in goals. Foster has made great strides and can look forwards to returning to OT next year and taking VDS' number 1 (or 19) jersey. But no, we sign a Pole in Goal who is actually only a year older than Foster and will himself have designs on being the number 1. Surely the best course of action would have been to sign a reliable number 2 for a season, and then bring back Foster next season?
The news that David Jones looks not to have made the cut at United, is both surprising and disapointing. We'd all heard very good things about him (especially on loan at PNE and Nijmegen), but he didn't even get a look in during preseason and has been completely overlooked for first team positions. This is all the more annoying when we see the perennial underachiever Kieran Richardson regularly make the first team sqaud.
Then there's Rossi. The jewel in the crown of the current crop. But where does he fit in. Not alongside Rooney, with Saha cetainly. But then for this season and then next he'll have to establish himself over both OGS and Smithy!! SAF clearly sees him as backup at the minute as he would not have let him go otherwise. Also, was Newcastle the best place? He's somewhere where there's no stability and mostly always a crisis. Not the best environment for nurturing forwards. He's not had a look in so far, and would've been better off dropping a division or going to a more lowly Premiership team. Then there's the fact that irrespective of what is said, SAF will definetly move for a "Ruud Replacement" eventually, so that further marginalises Rossi.
On the bright side, atleast Martin and Bardsley look as though they could become regulars in years to come. With all the talk of Giggs replacements, maybe the solution could be a little closer to home??
