Gareth Bale

[Red Hand Devil]

I have watched again the supposedly inexcusable array of "sitters" that Bale missed, and am still perplexed about how he can be singled out as responsible for Real Madrid not going through. Extremely harsh treatment.

The first is the kind of header from a distance, angle and poise that if it goes in everyone would probably classify as a great goal, which I presume is indicative of not being that easy.

Then you have one volley from inside the box with two defenders on top of him. Could have put it in, but to demand 100% accuracy from that position is daft. The ball doesn't come that easy, with barely any time or space to prepare the shot and having to hit it with the leg stretched to his side from an unbalanced position.

Then there's the header to Ronaldo's cross. Certainly looks like the easiest chance but still far from a sitter, having to hit it with a defender right on top of him and at probably the maximum height he can jump. To make a headed ball go down you actually need to hit the ball from above it's midline, why do we all assume it was possible in that circumstance?


The rest are dangerous shots from outside the box.


I again think that's as close as a top performance you can hope from a player in a team that loses the game. It doesn't compute well with being the worst player in the pitch. He could have put some of those in in a better day if course, but being several times close to being the man of the match, and giving excellent work-rate and effort is not terrible. It would be if was missing open goals left and right, but none of those really are like that.

Good post man!

Bale's a world-beater - he just happens to be at one of the nastiest clubs on the planet; where fans will tear you a new one if you make a few mistakes & will then make your life a living nightmare on & off the pitch if they lose a game or two. Scumbag fans, that arent worthy of havin brilliant world class footballers at their club..

Real & their local mouthpiece rag, have shafted Bale big time. "Blame the Brit" seems to be the well-worked plan for scape-goating Real's failures this season. When are top players gonna learn & stay clear of that shithole!

 

[Red Hand Devil]

Take away Rooney and replace him with a proper goal scorer and then we're talking.

I still reckon Rooney has it in him to score shitloads - aslong as he's never to play in CM as Carricks understudy ever again..

 

[freshibal]

That header from the Ronaldo cross was awful, but Benzema had the worst fluff out of the whole game. sublime piece of skill to make space and then skies it.

 

[Rake]

He is a great player but worth nowhere near what Real paid for him. If we want to buy him we must prepare at least 80 million and he is not worth that in my eyes. Money better spent on 2 class central midfielders.

 

[stepic]

People seriously suggesting we shouldn't go in for Bale? Consider this, a terrible season for Bale involves him getting 1 less goal and the same number of assists as Hazard in his best season, and in less games. Bale's mix of power and pace is perfect for the Premier League and I've no doubt he'd be fantastic for us if he joined. For all his skill, di Maria is quite light and the physicality of the Premier League seems to have caused him problems, that wouldn't be an issue for Bale. I would worry with regards to potential Bale injuries, as van Gaal doesn't appear to care for individual training regimes which is likely the reason for the ridiculous number of injuries we had this season. Even so, Bale is one of the best players we could possibly sign, and the decision not to, assuming he is genuinely available of course, would be madness imo.

it's weird huh. people don't want Bale in this thread, don't want Ronaldo in the other. who the hell do people actually want then? i guess some 17 year old from serbia who's the next 'wunderkid' -- while we wait 6 years for him to develop and see the likes of Barca, Madrid and Bayern continue to dominate the CL.

 

[stepic]

He is a great player but worth nowhere near what Real paid for him. If we want to buy him we must prepare at least 80 million and he is not worth that in my eyes. Money better spent on 2 class central midfielders.

we can still sign two central midfielders even if we do buy Bale.

 

[RedRover]

I have watched again the supposedly inexcusable array of "sitters" that Bale missed, and am still perplexed about how he can be singled out as responsible for Real Madrid not going through. Extremely harsh treatment.

The first is the kind of header from a distance, angle and poise that if it goes in everyone would probably classify as a great goal, which I presume is indicative of not being that easy.

Then you have one volley from inside the box with two defenders on top of him. Could have put it in, but to demand 100% accuracy from that position is daft. The ball doesn't come that easy, with barely any time or space to prepare the shot and having to hit it with the leg stretched to his side from an unbalanced position.

Then there's the header to Ronaldo's cross. Certainly looks like the easiest chance but still far from a sitter, having to hit it with a defender right on top of him and at probably the maximum height he can jump. To make a headed ball go down you actually need to hit the ball from above it's midline, why do we all assume it was possible in that circumstance?


The rest are dangerous shots from outside the box.


I again think that's as close as a top performance you can hope from a player in a team that loses the game. It doesn't compute well with being the worst player in the pitch. He could have put some of those in in a better day if course, but being several times close to being the man of the match, and giving excellent work-rate and effort is not terrible. It would be if was missing open goals left and right, but none of those really are like that.

Spot on. He didn't have his finest night but he was getting into positions to make things happen. That's what you expect from qualioty players and perhaps if he was bit more confident, he'd have found the net. Meanwhile other top quality players did nothing either and its fair to say Bale was one of their better players on the night. His effort can't be questioned either. He's being made a scapegoat by fans out there and its not at all fair in my opinion.

The irony with a lot of the "Bale-haters" is that they're pointing to poor peformances in recent big games - but conveniently ignoring very impressive peformances last year in equally big (if not bigger) games.

Bizarrely it seems some think you;re only as good as your last season. I wonder if those fans have a real downer on Di Maria now and want to see him sold at the first opportunity because he's been awful for swathes of this season - particularly since Christmas. I'm prepared to give him a chance, because one bad or average season doesnt make you a bad player.

 

[RedorDead21]

we can still sign two central midfielders even if we do buy Bale.

I'm not sure buying 4 mids in one summer in addition to all the other spots we need to fix makes all that much sense from a bedding down perspective but hey ho.....

 

[RedRover]

it's weird huh. people don't want Bale in this thread, don't want Ronaldo in the other. who the hell do people actually want then? i guess some 17 year old from serbia who's the next 'wunderkid' -- while we wait 6 years for him to develop and see the likes of Barca, Madrid and Bayern continue to dominate the CL.

Some people just like to be contrary I think. I suspect 90% of those involved in professional football rate Bale as a top quality player but it seems a lot of fans think otherwise.

Some of the critisim is bizarre. His tecnincal ability is questioned in "tight spaces", but so what if he's not a metronomic passer - that's clearly not his game. Mata can't power past a player at breakneck speed but he doesn't get critisied for that because its not what he does.

Bale is a player with the rare ability to win games on his own - as proven in the PL when his level of performance was up there with any of the best players to grace the league for a couple of seasons. Van Gaal will no doubt recognise what a quality player he is and have ideas as to how incorporate him into a side and get the best out of him.

I personally think not moving for Bale (especially in light of the De Gea situation) could be like when we sold Ronaldo and watched Robben (and to a lesser extent Sneijder given his form for Inter) go elsewhere. It'd be a disaster if a player of his quality and ability to make a difference in the PL went to a rival - especially Chelsea.

 

[RedorDead21]

Some people just like to be contrary I think. I suspect 90% of those involved in professional football rate Bale as a top quality player but it seems a lot of fans think otherwise.

Some of the critisim is bizarre. His tecnincal ability is questioned in "tight spaces", but so what if he's not a metronomic passer - that's clearly not his game. Mata can't power past a player at breakneck speed but he doesn't get critisied for that because its not what he does.

Bale is a player with the rare ability to win games on his own - as proven in the PL when his level of performance was up there with any of the best players to grace the league for a couple of seasons. Van Gaal will no doubt recognise what a quality player he is and have ideas as to how incorporate him into a side and get the best out of him.

I personally think not moving for Bale (especially in light of the De Gea situation) could be like when we sold Ronaldo and watched Robben (and to a lesser extent Sneijder given his form for Inter) go elsewhere. It'd be a disaster if a player of his quality and ability to make a difference in the PL went to a rival - especially Chelsea.

So true. I'm a huge fan. If LVG rated technicality more he'd go for an Isco De Gea swap and then all we'd hear next season is how one paced we are!! Bale is tailor made for OT.

 

[Jaxa]

Just a thought, do you think with our new Adidas Contract starting and Bale being one of there main faces they could potentially help with the Transfer, They obviously know marketing wise having a main figure like Bale to launch there new kits with us will be massive for them, we had it with Rooney and Nike and now we don't really have that main Commercial Superstar.

 

[stepic]

I personally think not moving for Bale (especially in light of the De Gea situation) could be like when we sold Ronaldo and watched Robben (and to a lesser extent Sneijder given his form for Inter) go elsewhere. It'd be a disaster if a player of his quality and ability to make a difference in the PL went to a rival - especially Chelsea.

yep, if Chelsea added a match winner like Bale to its starting 11, then it doesn't matter who we sign this summer, they will win the title next year.

it's easy to dismiss players, but i rarely hear any credible alternatives - same goes for Clyne and RB. as you say, the team can't be completely full of trickery passers - if everyone does the same thing the team becomes one dimensional and easy to work out - which has exactly happened in the last month. Bale offers something different. the number of games he won on his own for Tottenham was unreal - easy to forget just because he's had a relatively tough time of it at Madrid (not the first and won't be the last).

 

[RedorDead21]

yep, if Chelsea added a match winner like Bale to its starting 11, then it doesn't matter who we sign this summer, they will win the title next year.

it's easy to dismiss players, but i rarely hear any credible alternatives - same goes for Clyne and RB. as you say, the team can't be completely full of trickery passers - if everyone does the same thing the team becomes one dimensional and easy to work out - which has exactly happened in the last month. Bale offers something different. the number of games he won on his own for Tottenham was unreal - easy to forget just because he's had a relatively tough time of it at Madrid (not the first and won't be the last).

Real would be mad IMO to sell Bale and keep Ronaldo. I think he would flourish if Ronaldo left. That said I think they'll both stay.

 

[BringNaniBack]

I just see Bale as a United player, the way he plays, the way he acts inside and outside of football. I just get the impression he would suit this club so well. Thats not just because he is a great player because there are many other great players that I don't think would settle in here so well but Bale is just a "United" player.

Im not desperate that we sign him but if we did I think he would be a great success here and if there is any sign Chelsea are going to sign him then we literally have to stop that as I dont think we would have any chance of challenging them for the league if they have Hazard AND Bale.

 

[Sultan]

Bale is at his devastating best when running onto a pass/ball in open space rather than ball at his feet. He just doesn't have the trickery of other wingers. Much like Beckham he'd do a fantastic job on the right flank. He's also just as comfortable on the left wing. As a bonus he also possesses 3 lungs.

I think he'd be an amazing acquisition if United were to pull off the transfer.

 

[marlowe78]

Bale, to me, is the kind of player that United simply have to buy if he is available and interested in coming here. He brings attributes that the squad simply doesn't have and is someone who can change the game by himself. He is a proven star in the PL, we would not be taking as much of a gamble as with DiMaria, who doesn't seem to be adapting to PL at all.

It's a no-brainer for me. Memphis on the left, Bale on the right, switching during the match if needed. Imagine this over Young and a one-footed right winger who only passes backward.

 

[Brophs]

Bale is at his devastating best when running onto a pass/ball in open space rather than ball at his feet. He just doesn't have the trickery of other wingers. Much like Beckham he'd do a fantastic job on the right flank. He's also just as comfortable on the left wing. As a bonus he also possesses 3 lungs.

I think he'd be an amazing acquisition if United were to pull off the transfer.

Aye. We should bite their hand (and another extremity) off if they'd let us have him. He's already proven as one of the top 2 or 3 players in the PL. I have no doubt he'd quickly get back to that level. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if we had to sacrifice ADM for him.

 

[RedorDead21]

Aye. We should bite their hand (and another extremity) off if they'd let us have him. He's already proven as one of the top 2 or 3 players in the PL. I have no doubt he'd quickly get back to that level. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if we had to sacrifice ADM for him.

Easy Tiger. Di Maria is down to play on the left of a midfield 3 for me next season and we'll see the player he was in his final year at Real.
Bale can play left or right of the front 3.

 

[NK86]

Aye. We should bite their hand (and another extremity) off if they'd let us have him. He's already proven as one of the top 2 or 3 players in the PL. I have no doubt he'd quickly get back to that level. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if we had to sacrifice ADM for him.

I think Bale can easily replace ADM. My only worry is if we splunk most of our budget on him then we might just not be able to go after more important areas to cover.

 

[NK86]

Easy Tiger. Di Maria is down to play on the left of a midfield 3 for me next season and we'll see the player he was in his final year at Real.
Bale can play left or right of the front 3.

Doubt LVG will go down the route of so many attacking players. "No balance" is what he will come up with.

 

[RedorDead21]

I think Bale can easily replace ADM. My only worry is if we splunk most of our budget on him then we might just not be able to go after more important areas to cover.

We'd get big money for Mata and a good sum for Fellaini.....if needs must.

 

[NotQuiteManc]

Bale (bad) season vs Hazard (best) season's stats:

Not sure how accurate the stats are but this certainly put things into perspective. A bit the same as people saying Di Maria having bad season but still contributes 4 goals and 10 assists.

 

[Brophs]

Easy Tiger. Di Maria is down to play on the left of a midfield 3 for me next season and we'll see the player he was in his final year at Real.
Bale can play left or right of the front 3.

I'm very easy, er, giraffe.

He's not played left of a three in a long time, at least for any sort of a run of games. Why assume he's going to able to work his way back into a LVG midfield designed to strangle teams through possession.

 

[RedorDead21]

Doubt LVG will go down the route of so many attacking players. "No balance" is what he will come up with.

Plenty of Balance with a Carrick and a box to box player next to Di Maria.

 

[Utd7]

I wonder if this thread will turn into a classic after full on mumpetry this summer? Could see it turning into a mega thread if there's steady rumors.

 

[RedorDead21]

I'm very easy, er, giraffe.

He's not played left of a three in a long time, at least for any sort of a run of games. Why assume he's going to able to work his way back into a LVG midfield designed to strangle teams through possession.

Because there is a good chance thats exactly where LVG planned to play him when making him a PL record signing?

 

[stepic]

I think Bale can easily replace ADM. My only worry is if we splunk most of our budget on him then we might just not be able to go after more important areas to cover.

even if we sign him for say £70m, there would still be £80m or so left to use elsewhere. £30m on Hummels, £20m on Clyne, £30m on someone like Gundogan or Vidal. sorted!

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Bale (bad) season vs Hazard (best) season's stats:

Not sure how accurate the stats are but this certainly put things into perspective. A bit the same as people saying Di Maria having bad season but still contributes 4 goals and 10 assists.

It's worth noting that Bale would have played against absolute cannon fodder for the majority of the La Liga season.

 

[kouroux]

Did Bale lose a little bit of pace/acceleration this season ? I mean he looks bigger and stronger but maybe not as fast ?

 

[Brophs]

Because there is a good chance thats exactly where LVG planned to play him when making him a PL record signing?

And yet quickly abandoned that idea, before playing his best centre forward in midfield because he didn't rate his midfielders? Look, I could be wrong, but I don't think Di Maria is going to be a centre mid for us, based on what's gone on this season.

 

[RedorDead21]

It's worth noting that Bale would have played against absolute cannon fodder for the majority of the La Liga season.

We played like cannon fodder for chunks of this season. We have played against cannon fodder and many of our stars didnt do anything!

 

[NK86]

even if we sign him for say £70m, there would still be £80m or so left to use elsewhere. £30m on Hummels, £20m on Clyne, £30m on someone like Gundogan or Vidal. sorted!

I seriously doubt we will get either Hummels or Vidal for 30 million.

 

[RedorDead21]

And yet quickly abandoned that idea, before playing his best centre forward in midfield because he didn't rate his midfielders? Look, I could be wrong, but I don't think Di Maria is going to be a centre mid for us, based on what's gone on this season.

You are wrong he just needs a box to box midfielder alongside Carrick to prove it

 

[JPRouve]

Because there is a good chance thats exactly where LVG planned to play him when making him a PL record signing?

So he called him a 'winger' by mistake ?

 

[Spiersey]

Bale (bad) season vs Hazard (best) season's stats:

Not sure how accurate the stats are but this certainly put things into perspective. A bit the same as people saying Di Maria having bad season but still contributes 4 goals and 10 assists.

Looks good but now when you look at it more closely. Bale has been shocking for large parts of this season, making little to no effort to get in the box and jogging back often. His touch and control is miles behind anyone else in the Madrid offence. He has scored goals that any half decent player would playing in his position in that team.

Hazard on the other hand, has repeatedly opened up teams when his team is struggling and scored crucial goals.

Would still take bale over hazard, not suited to Madrid though.

 

[SATA]

This will be the Vidal thread this summer

 

[Paolo Di Canio]

If he stops trying to look like Ronaldo and Beckham and gets a proper haircut he can come

 

[RedorDead21]

Looks good but now when you look at it more closely. Bale has been shocking for large parts of this season, making little to no effort to get in the box and jogging back often. His touch and control is miles behind anyone else in the Madrid offence. He has scored goals that any half decent player would playing in his position in that team.

Hazard on the other hand, has repeatedly opened up teams when his team is struggling and scored crucial goals.

Would still take bale over hazard, not suited to Madrid though.

I think its only fair if you compare Bale's season at Spurs to Hazards this season. Take out the goals both scored from pens. Hazard doesnt come close.

 

[El-Manos]

I'd agree with that tbh. I don't think either are ideal though.

Sanchèz should have been our man.

Bale (bad) season vs Hazard (best) season's stats:

Not sure how accurate the stats are but this certainly put things into perspective. A bit the same as people saying Di Maria having bad season but still contributes 4 goals and 10 assists.

Hazard's overall contribution is not to be underestimated. Like has been said before me, he opens up teams and is often the key driver when it comes to creating chances. Has scored some vital goals for Chelsea and has often been the key man. Same can't be said about Bale this season, still a quality player but we shouldn't pay over €50million for him considering we are buying based on reputation rather than current form/quality. If rumours are true, and we are interested, then this is the time for Woody to prove his negotiations skills in the transfer market.

 

[Spiersey]

I think its only fair if you compare Bale's season at Spurs to Hazards this season. Take out the goals both scored from pens. Hazard doesnt come close.

Whilst I agree, taking out goals from pens is harsh given Hazard probably won them all. Bale similar I imagine.