Gareth Bale is...The most expensive player ever?!
- Thread starter Mickey
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I agree with the rest of your post, couldn't have said it better myself, but do disagree with the bold bit.
Spurs, imo, were playing the best football at the beginning of last season. I loved watching them play, and like you, watched as many of their games as I could. There was a system that was working for them. They were running over teams and racking points by playing some exceptional football. Most of these games, Bale was playing on the left and Luka through the center as the central playmaker. Then I don't know what happened, came the England vacancy and 'Arry kind of lost the plot. He started putting out this unusual formations with Bale roaming all over and they started losing points. Lack of squad depth was another reason but 'Arry's craziness was the main reason they didn't finish 3rd and lost out an CL spot.
When something is working for you. You have a chance to finish 3rd. You stick with it. It was not about trying and finding if Bale can be good in this role, it was about Spurs finishing as high as they could. Isn't it?
Dream on.Spurs challenging for the title will never realistically happen anytime soon and by that time Bale will have left
Indeed, good point. Though I suppose Arry's reasoning was: I'm going to play him there and he's going to be great. Maybe in training he'd been very good, and maybe Redknapp believed that, yes, they were playing great football, but by moving him there, they would be even better. It was an experiment, but I suppose it was based on a real belief he would excel in the position (unless he was just trying something completely random and he'd completely lost the plot). Anyway you look at it, the bottom line is it was a managerial mistake because it tampered with their style of play, minimized Modric's input, and in the long run hampered their challenge for 3rd place (not saying they lost that spot because of Bale, of course, it was a combination of different elements, but that was one of them).
But we have hindsight on our side, and had Bale actually fared well in the position, it would be hailed as a bold and intelligent move. Just wasn't meant to be.
Another thing is, and this is slightly in Redknapp's defence, that as you pointed out, Spurs were playing brilliant football, but quite predictable. Not predictable in the sense that it was boring and you knew where the ball was going to be the next minute (zombie passing), but predictable in the sense you knew how they were going to set up and what to expect of them. Their movement and pace enabled them to thwart most threats, but maybe Redknapp also wanted to add a certain unpredictability to their set up and mix things up to make sure teams couldn't set up in a way to frustrate them during the second part of the season.
Winning and playing well is great, but it's important to remain at least a bit unpredictable for your adversary, with different team lineups (something Fergie excels in I believe, you're never sure what the starting XI will be), different tactics, etc.
Nothing wrong with Harry experimenting with Bale's position, and nothing wrong with AVB further experimenting with him in the future either. Just because you dont excel at something straight away, it doesnt mean it will not come good with a bit of practice. Let's face it, SAF loves a bit of trying people in different positions. Agree with RIP, there is no knowing that Spurs would have held onto third if Bale had played the whole season on the left, that is pure conjecture.
He's quite clearly a more talented player than Valencia, anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. Whether he's as good yet is another story but he's a fair bit younger and barring serious injuries or feck ups he will be a better player.
Redknapp using his time off to smoke weed it seems.
I agree but I don't think he's a major talent in the same bracket as the likes of Giggs, Overmars or Figo in the past. He'll be a good winger but he won't reach the heights of those players. He'd be an improvement over Nani and Valencia but not a big enough one to spend £30m on him, he's just slightly better than both.
Oh no doubt, but he is a talent, and he's also a left footed winger we've lacked for some time. To be honest, if Young was £18m, Bale is worth £30m.Sarni;12377775[B said:
I don't think he's more talented than Nani though
Agreed. People always call him left foot valencia, though there are some similarities, mostly they are very different. He is definitely more of a goal threat(people will now say because valencia is "unselfish"). He is a good crosser and bar something unexpected he should go down as a much better player. Some people like glaston are overrating him though(like some are underrating).
Much better player? That depends. Valencia is at least as fast, has better crosses and usually assists more. Bale scores more goals, but he also misses more than any other player in the PL - at least I read that somewhere.
He is good, but much better than Valencia who was arguably top five player in the PL last season?
I think the posts above yours are suggesting he will become a much better player than Valencia in time. They are saying they are on a similar level now, but Bale is much younger and will improve his game further in coming years.
Valencia had a good season but not even close to top 5 performers.
As for Bale v Valencia. It's pretty close I reckon. IMO Bale just edges it (despite statistics likely to be on the contrary). Plus, Bale is about 4 years younger.
As for Bale v Valencia. It's pretty close I reckon. IMO Bale just edges it (despite statistics likely to be on the contrary). Plus, Bale is about 4 years younger.
Sort your quotes out you 2. That looks shit.
Forget Bale v Valencia, Bale's apparently in the same category as Messi & Ronaldo:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19957299
Bale has the odd flash of "wow" but then goes for long spells where teams find it easy to shut him down........a future in the next re-make of "Planet of the Apes" me thinks rather than any "world class" footballer realisations.....
Redknapp is Glastonspur. And as Claymore said, using his time off to smoke weed.
I'm not saying he's a better player than Valencia right now. He will be though, by the time he's 26.
Valencia wasn't one of the five best players in the PL last season by the way, he only played half of it!
Bale will never be in Ronaldo or Messi's class, he isn't even remotely close to them. If you think that he is or ever can be, chances are you are terribly retarded. Redknapp, to no surprise, definitely thinks that.
The worrying thing is that Harry Redknapp has repeatedly been put in charge of managing top flight football teams, and yet has opinions like this.
It's genuinely scary how stupid people who work for top flight teams often turn out to be when you start hearing their actual opinions.
Ray Wilkins was a respected assistant coach at Chelsea!
Bale is massively overrated in some parts and underrated in others. Any talk of him being anywhere near Messi or Ronaldo is obviously the work of a complete lunatic. His top-level is among the best players in the league (though nothing like the aforementioned two...), but his lack of consistency so far harms him. If he can sort that out, he can become one of the best players in the league, no doubt, but he isn't there yet.
At the moment I'd consider Valencia the better player over a season. Bale has had some standout moments in recent years that overshadow Valencia's best performances, but they're too few and far between. His "usual" level is well below that. It's a bit like Nani at the moment.
Bale can and will improve. He'll become the best left-footed winger in the league soon, the best since Giggs in his prime. Would I want him at United? Absolutely. At the moment though I'd say Valencia is more valuable in a season-long campaign.
At the moment I'd consider Valencia the better player over a season. Bale has had some standout moments in recent years that overshadow Valencia's best performances, but they're too few and far between. His "usual" level is well below that. It's a bit like Nani at the moment.
Bale can and will improve. He'll become the best left-footed winger in the league soon, the best since Giggs in his prime. Would I want him at United? Absolutely. At the moment though I'd say Valencia is more valuable in a season-long campaign.
Well, if he was voted our best player last season, even if he only played half of it, and we finished second, it isn't that much of a leap to think he was amongst the top five, is it? I can think of Van Persie, Hart, Kompany, Toure who performed better than him, but not that many more that pops into my very tired brain.
Just to clarify what I think; I think Valencia and Bale are very similar, and I wouldn't sell Valencia to buy Bale atm. If Bale had been playing for us he would have been crucified for the number of chances that he misses and the blatant stupid choices that he keeps on making, like perpetually shooting when you have three teammates in better positions.
Given a couple of years, however, I can see Bale edging it, but imo he will, as others pointed out, never be a world beater like Ronaldo or Messi. Great player though, and I can see him do well for a side like United.
You're wrong. Bale is:
* Taller than both of them
* Physically stronger than Messi
* More direct than Messi
* Has a better left foot than Ronaldo
* Has scored against all top PL clubs while proving he can cut it in the league
Given the chance to swap Messi or Ronaldo for Bale you'd have to give it a thought.
Bale is a pretty consistent player considering he's at a pretty inconsistent club though, his goals/assists stats in the last few years have been really good. I reckon if he was here he'd have excellent stats, we're a club that thrive on wingers after all.
Just remember, he's on par with them apparently.
Messi - 60 games last season, 73 goals
Ronaldo - 55 games last season, 60 goals
Bale - 42 games last season, 12 goals
They both got more goals than Bale's games and goals combined. Hell, they both nearly achieved double the amount of goals in one season, than Bale has had in his entire career. Now stats aren't everything, of course, and yes it's not only about goals. But how can someone who is a professional manager, think that Bale is even near those two? On every level he isn't, and the most important thing that seperates them from well...everyone else...is the the one thing Bale still struggles with over a season...Consistency. To suggest he is anywhere near as consistent as the above two is mind-blowingly stupid.
Messi - 60 games last season, 73 goals
Ronaldo - 55 games last season, 60 goals
Bale - 42 games last season, 12 goals
They both got more goals than Bale's games and goals combined. Hell, they both nearly achieved double the amount of goals in one season, than Bale has had in his entire career. Now stats aren't everything, of course, and yes it's not only about goals. But how can someone who is a professional manager, think that Bale is even near those two? On every level he isn't, and the most important thing that seperates them from well...everyone else...is the the one thing Bale still struggles with over a season...Consistency. To suggest he is anywhere near as consistent as the above two is mind-blowingly stupid.
Ronaldo would probably give you more goals in 2-3 seasons that Bale would in an entire career. A heigher ceiling? I'm pretty sure that's rubbish.
Whatever you say
Carl is joking, right?
... right?
... right?
It's not about goals and assists, it's about Tottenham Hotspur. You're not a footballer until you've played for them.
Redknapp is after the Mourinhos and Guardiolas of this world. That's how ridiculous it sounds.
You must be kidding? What on earth has Bale shown that Ronaldo hasn't? He's younger, but so what? Ronaldo is at least twice the player Bale is and ever will be, and that is saying a lot because Bale is good.
Edit: ass - white bloody text
To be fair he hasn't actually said they are the same level.
"He's an amazing, amazing talent and he's after the Ronaldos and Messis of this world and he's getting better and better," Redknapp said.
He's basically saying he is getting better and is 'catching up' with them and on their tail. Personally I think his words have been mis-construed as usual by the press, but that's my take.
"He's an amazing, amazing talent and he's after the Ronaldos and Messis of this world and he's getting better and better," Redknapp said.
He's basically saying he is getting better and is 'catching up' with them and on their tail. Personally I think his words have been mis-construed as usual by the press, but that's my take.
Redknapp appears to be saying Bale is in the next tier down from Ronaldo and Messi, Thomas is saying he's on the same level.
The point is that the better he gets the less and less this will happen.
Very few players burst onto the scene at a young age and light up the league week in week out. At times he's unplayable and his performances seem to be getting more consistent.
Physical attributes are key in modern football and on that basis alone he could go a long way. He'll never be a Lionel Messi but put him in a good side and give him plenty of ball and he's got the potential to rip teams to bits.
In general on this thread its clear he's underrated. I maintain, if he was a 23 year old United player people would be beside themselves with excitement a la Cleverly and Welbeck.
I'm not sure the next tier down from being one of the greatest players of all time is being one of the current best players at Tottenham Hotspur.