Gareth Bale is...The most expensive player ever?!

sincher

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Knee jerk reactions with the emphasis on jerk. Bale fails to progeress at LB, his prime position as far as his manager is concerned. He's switched to LW has half a dozen decent games and now he's better than Malouda, Arshavin, Riberty et al. Do me a favour.
He's not better than them. He has the advantage over Arshavin though of not hating playing for his club, and the advantage over Riberty of existing.
 

sincher

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Arshavin has shown virtually nothing for you for over a season, and yet he has the talent to be one of the very best players in the league. Whatever the reason, and of course I'm being facetious about that, that has to be disappointing.

Maybe it will change when he gets his shit together, but I'm not holding my breath.
 

GlastonSpur

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Exactly Maicon will eat him for breakfast.
This from the man who predicted that Spurs wouldn't finish top 4, that Arsenal would win the league, that Spurs would be "top-4-ified" by Arsenal when they met last season ... and then capped it off by predicting that Spurs wouldn't reach the group stages of the CL.

You'll forgive me if I treat your latest prediction with all due derision.

Bale is much better than you're prepared to admit, and I very much doubt that anyone will be eating him for breakfast anytime soon.
 

sincher

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What's dangerous about a player like Bale, in a similar way to Beckham and to a lesser extent, Valencia, is that he doesn't always have to beat his man. A lot of the time he can just pick a man out.
 

sincher

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I think Spurs will qualify. They're better than Werder and Twente.

And after that, who knows? It's a cup competition and Spurs can trouble anyone.
 

GlastonSpur

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Every dog has his day but class will out in the end. Enjoy your European aways - judging by the roasting you got by the Young Boys you're going to get reamed by the Big Boys.
I believe the score was 6 - 3 in the end, with an away leg on an awful plastic pitch. Spurs also scored 2 away goals, and ended up scoring 6 goals with no reply over the two games.

How you translate a 6 - 3 aggregate win into a "roasting" is as baffling as your increasingly shortsighted denials concerning all things Spurs.

I agree with you on on thing however, namely that class will out in the end. And that's why every team in our CL group would have preferred to have drawn some other team from Pot 3 instead of Spurs.
 

sincher

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Yeah that could just be a dangerous group - no mugs in it. Downside for Spurs is that they can easily lose points, especially away, and not do enough at home.
 

peterstorey

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I believe the score was 6 - 3 in the end, with an away leg on an awful plastic pitch. Spurs also scored 2 away goals, and ended up scoring 6 goals with no reply over the two games.

How you translate a 6 - 3 aggregate win into a "roasting" is as baffling as your increasingly shortsighted denials concerning all things Spurs.

I agree with you on on thing however, namely that class will out in the end. And that's why every team in our CL group would have preferred to have drawn some other team from Pot 3 instead of Spurs.
YBs had 3 good chances to bury you in Berne and Defoe's handball was pretty convenient. In case you hadn't noticed they are considerably weaker than the 3 sides you'll meet in the group stage. I would say those sides are much happier to be playing Spurs (who they've probably never heard of) than Braga, Spartak, Ajax or Schalke.
 

sincher

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Pete, that's ridiculous. Spurs less feared than Braga?

Braga's best player is probably Quim. Spurs might have more cnuts, but they've got some good players.
 

sincher

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I don't even believe you. I think you know Spurs are better than you're making out.

Similar to some United fans and their attitude to City.
 

GlastonSpur

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YBs had 3 good chances to bury you in Berne and Defoe's handball was pretty convenient. In case you hadn't noticed they are considerably weaker than the 3 sides you'll meet in the group stage. I would say those sides are much happier to be playing Spurs (who they've probably never heard of) than Braga, Spartak, Ajax or Schalke.
Chances shmances .... if you don't take 'em they count for little. Besides, Spurs could have scored at least 6 last night if they'd taken all of them.

Your comments about Braga etc are just further evidence of your blinkered vision. In my view Spurs stand a good chance of making it beyond the group stages .. and I wouldn't put it past them to beat Inter at WHL.
 

SittingBull

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I'd rather play Spurs than Braga who demolished Sevilla the other night. Portuguese teams are no mugs in Europe as you found out a few years back.


Likewise, the consensus here is that most of us would love to play Arsenal each and every round in the Champions League. You do talk a lot of shit about Spurs, despite their obvious improvement. Give credit when due ffs. It's time for you to get off your superiority complex over "perfectionist football", and realised for one moment that your club has lost every tinge of English identity and has recently acquired a perenial bridesmaid reputation, wheres most would give more credit to Spurs for their homegrown development and emerging successes.
 

SittingBull

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Chances shmances .... if you don't take 'em they count for little. Besides, Spurs could have scored at least 6 last night if they'd taken all of them.

Your comments about Braga etc are just further evidence of your blinkered vision. In my view Spurs stand a good chance of making it beyond the group stages .. and I wouldn't put it past them to beat Inter at WHL.


Nah.. you really need to depend on a kind draw though which i don't think Inter, Werder Bremen and FC Twente is . I would think Spurs will be found wanting against the very top class oppositions, even in WHL. It's probably the matches against Twente and Bremen which will decide your progress. My feel is that Spurs will struggle away for all 3 games, and probably draw 2 out of the 3 home games. Experience will be invaluable though.
 

davisjw

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Spurs have some great individual talent mixed with hard workers and is well balanced. I know I'd take Modric, Bale, and Huddlestone if given the chance.

Same with our team - a mix of talent and hard workers. You need your Rooneys and Scholes' but you also need your Fletchers and O'Sheas to make it work. City don't have that commitment which will cost them games.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Spurs have some great individual talent mixed with hard workers and is well balanced. I know I'd take Modric, Bale, and Huddlestone if given the chance.

Same with our team - a mix of talent and hard workers. You need your Rooneys and Scholes' but you also need your Fletchers and O'Sheas to make it work. City don't have that commitment which will cost them games.
De Jong?
Milner?

Add Tevez to that too because he alone is a mix of talent and hard work.
 

Salvation

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Wow. You seem to be implying City have better wingers than "us". How absurd.

The comparison with Spurs' winger is at least debatable but I wouldn't swap, especially with Giggs and Park as back-up.

(using quotes around "us" in view of your recent comments about how you no longer consider yourself a United fan, after 7 or 8 whole years supporting them, through thick and... well... thick)
They have Johnson, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Balotelli and Silva. Wright-Phillips aside, it's right up there.

Only Giggs is better than all of those. Nani may be in due time, but on current levels, you'd pip Johnson to be better. Park's a very good player, underrated by many fans, but as I said he'd much more effective behind the strikers than as a winger.

Spurs' set of Bale, Lennon, Bentley and Kranjcar is easily the most accomplished set of wingers. Set being the important word.
 

Sam.G

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Peter making a fool of himself again :(
Funny to read him and Glaston bickering. Both equally ridiculous in their polarised views but it does make for entertaining browsing.

That said, pete has an ability for common sense which appears beyond Glaston. From the posts I have read of his anyway.

Tough draw for Spurs. They will do well to make it out of that group.
 

Salvation

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What's dangerous about a player like Bale, in a similar way to Beckham and to a lesser extent, Valencia, is that he doesn't always have to beat his man. A lot of the time he can just pick a man out.
Which is the main job of any winger worth his salt.
I'd take beating a man over final ball. Beckham was an exception to that list, his crossing made him an unconventional winger who never looked to beat his man. He had an underrated passing ability too which also didn't strictly make him a winger. For a pure winger, a final delivery can be coached by a good manager, like Giggs with his pinpoint ball in that area of uncertainty between keeper and attacker, or Ronaldo who developed the art of getting that right amount of curl into his cross to trouble defenders.

Re Chief: Valencia, Bale and Johnson on the other hand are wingers. Bale and Johnson are better at dribbling than Valencia. Valencia always looks to cut outside and has less of a goal threat than Bale and Johnson. Johnson is easily the best dribbler among the lot.
 

amolbhatia50k

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I'd take beating a man over final ball. Beckham was an exception to that list, his crossing made him an unconventional winger who never looked to beat his man. He had an underrated passing ability too which also didn't strictly make him a winger. For a pure winger, a final delivery can be coached by a good manager, like Giggs with his pinpoint ball in that area of uncertainty between keeper and attacker, or Ronaldo who developed the art of getting that right amount of curl into his cross to trouble defenders.

Re Chief: Valencia, Bale and Johnson on the other hand are wingers. Bale and Johnson are better at dribbling than Valencia. Valencia always looks to cut outside and has less of a goal threat than Bale and Johnson. Johnson is easily the best dribbler among the lot.
It really doesn't matter what the player is good at (dribbling, crossing). In the end it's about how much you contribute to the team.
 

Pogue Mahone

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They have Johnson, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Balotelli and Silva. Wright-Phillips aside, it's right up there.

Only Giggs is better than all of those. Nani may be in due time, but on current levels, you'd pip Johnson to be better. Park's a very good player, underrated by many fans, but as I said he'd much more effective behind the strikers than as a winger.
For feck's sake, I'm not even gonna begin to unpick so much bullshit :houllier:

Spurs' set of Bale, Lennon, Bentley and Kranjcar is easily the most accomplished set of wingers. Set being the important word.
Bentley's crap. I'd say Spurs come close, overall, but I wouldn't swap our set of wingers for theirs.
 
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...Re Chief: Valencia, Bale and Johnson on the other hand are wingers. Bale and Johnson are better at dribbling than Valencia. Valencia always looks to cut outside and has less of a goal threat than Bale and Johnson. Johnson is easily the best dribbler among the lot.
Valencia is easily the best winger amongst them. For he consistently delivers creativity and width. Which is what a winger is supposed to do above all else.
 

davisjw

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De Jong?
Milner?

Add Tevez to that too because he alone is a mix of talent and hard work.
Forgot about Milner, but their balance is far too focused on extreme attitudes and world class players who'll want to play every game. Our team works well because of the mix of talent and hard workers, both of which accept they won't play every game.

I don't get the feeling City players feel the same way and have the same dedication to the team.
 

Havak

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'Out-and-out winger' is something I don't understand that much in the modern game. Obviously, I understand what it means and the purpose of it, a player who just hugs the touchline all game, beats full-backs, gets crosses in, has the pace and skill to do so. But really, how many players utilise this position now? I'll just use the Premier League as an example as that's what most of us are familiar with:

Bale, Johsnon, Lennon, Nani, Valencia, Wright-Phillips.. I'm already struggling.

Robinho, Malouda, Milner, Giggs, Park, David Silva etc are players that get used in more positions than just the 'out-and-out winger'; such as striker or a more central role - they can do more than that, does that make them better players because they're more versatile? Maybe. Being 'just a winger' might not be enough any more unless you have the goal threat or other attributes that benefit you and the team and be used in a 433.

Just something I thought I'd bring to this discussion.
 

Salvation

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'Out-and-out winger' is something I don't understand that much in the modern game. Obviously, I understand what it means and the purpose of it, a player who just hugs the touchline all game, beats full-backs, gets crosses in, has the pace and skill to do so. But really, how many players utilise this position now? I'll just use the Premier League as an example as that's what most of us are familiar with:

Bale, Johsnon, Lennon, Nani, Valencia, Wright-Phillips.. I'm already struggling.

Robinho, Malouda, Milner, Giggs, Park, David Silva etc are players that get used in more positions than just the 'out-and-out winger'; such as striker or a more central role - they can do more than that, does that make them better players because they're more versatile? Maybe. Being 'just a winger' might not be enough any more unless you have the goal threat or other attributes that benefit you and the team and be used in a 433.

Just something I thought I'd bring to this discussion.
There are more, Young (probably the best out and out winger in the league), Downing, Gutierrez are three immediate others I can think of.

I'd rather have Malouda, who has transitioned really well as an inside forward, than a Valencia. I dunno why Valencia is never used in that inside forward's role. I actually advocated it sometime last season.

We've got two in our squad.
Ah! Each to his own, I guess. As a winger, I'd have Bentley over Park and Valencia.
 

204Red

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I for one would love to see Spurs beat Inter, and see Inter knocked out... that would show that Rafa has once again inherited a decent side and cocked it up royally... (and yes I am aware that the current Inter side is streets ahead of the Liverpool side of 05).

I admit this Rafa hate runs deep, after his "fahcts" attack on Fergie... how dare he.