Scott Parker and woody

Boots22 said:

:clap: Top post mate...Pienaar is a quality quality player, I cant believe people on here are against signing him. Evertything that Everton do well goes through him and Baines down their left hand side, them 2 have a great little partnership. I think both he and Parker would improve the squad massively

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Yeah exactly, it really irritates me when people pidgeon hole players (and even managers) into lazy tabloid-driven characterisations and stereotypes without actually looking at a body of evidence with a critical eye as a basis from which to build an opinion.

Anyone who watches Premiership football with an engaged and objective eye can see quite clearly that Parker and Pienaar are amongst the best midfielders in the league and are respectively the mainstays of their sides.

Watching Liverpool last night was very interesting and provided an excellent illustration of the value of a having player such as Pienaar. The contrast between the heavy involvement of Liverpool's wide players and Downing's peripheral contribution seemed to demonstrate the increasing trend towards very compact midfields whose creative players play 'in to out', and the relative demise of the touchline hugging, non-roaming winger. Time and again Maxi in particular came in to receive the ball, and this allowed Liverpool to retain possession much more convincingly and with greater assurance than Villa, who were always looking to work the ball wide to Albrighton and Downing, and as a result saw it intercepted more often than not. The secondary effect of this was that Liverpool were harder to break down as they effectively had two more men in the centre of the park when they needed to harry, despite playing with two strikers.

Contrary to popular belief we have not played very smartly at a lot of points this year and are actually very easy to 'play through' in midfield because of the fact that, with Modric roaming and Bale and Lennon so wide, we often only have one man really in an area of the pitch where other teams have three or sometimes four. This was particularly apparent against Arsenal in the first half, and I am convinced that a model closer to Arsenal's where we are tight in midfield with the full backs (Bale being one of them) providing the width is the way forward. It is notable and illustrative that our best defensive record in recent years came when we had Modric on the left.

To do this though you obviously need the midfielders to be very high energy, and more than anything that is why Kranjcar doesn't really fit into the scheme if Harry sees things as I do, with us playing a sort of 3-4-3 similar to Barca's when we have the ball.

Parker and Pienaar among the best midfielders in the league? The best what? 100?

Oh and mentioning Barcelona, how predictable.

brett.spurs said:

I said nothing about "ever"

You said we're a club loking to win things, well so are Arsenal/Chelsea/Utd/City, but do you see them clamering over eachother other to sign Scott Parker? I'm going to hazard a guess and say no.

Erm the dates of the articles you supplied are completely irrelevant, just going to stop this now if you actually believe that, we wanted to spunk silly money on Downing 5 years ago, does that mean we should do it now?

As misfit has said; Chelsea -> Newcastle -> West Ham, that not tell you something? Didn't get a look in at Chelsea, did nothing of note at Newcastle and only now at West Ham is he starting to "stand out"

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We are going to have to agree to differ but all I will say is that I look forward to him starring for us, which he will undisputably

brett.spurs said:

Parker and Pienaar among the best midfielders in the league? The best what? 100?

Oh and mentioning Barcelona, how predictable.

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You are a wind-up merchant who knows nothing about football and does not even attempt to engage with it and yet at the same time seeing fit to offer your opinions on it.

Good day.

Yes toddle off then, more excellent insight from posters who have watched Barcelona a couple of times.

brett.spurs said:

Yes toddle off then, more excellent insight from posters who have watched Barcelona a couple of times.

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Stop being a twit. He raises valid points. Get off your high horse and acknowledge them, even if you disagree.

And he's acknowledged mine? Pretty sure instead of trying to prove me wrong he decided to insult me instead.

brett.spurs said:

I said nothing about "ever"

You said we're a club loking to win things, well so are Arsenal/Chelsea/Utd/City, but do you see them clamering over eachother other to sign Scott Parker? I'm going to hazard a guess and say no.

Erm the dates of the articles you supplied are completely irrelevant, just going to stop this now if you actually believe that, we wanted to spunk silly money on Downing 5 years ago, does that mean we should do it now?

As misfit has said; Chelsea -> Newcastle -> West Ham, that not tell you something? Didn't get a look in at Chelsea, did nothing of note at Newcastle and only now at West Ham is he starting to "stand out"

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Your last paraphgraph tells me everything, fucking clueless.

brett.spurs said:

And he's acknowledged mine? Pretty sure instead of trying to prove me wrong he decided to insult me instead.

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brett I think the problem is that you haven't actually made any points that can be substantiated. If you don't rate Parker then fine but actually say why you don't and identify what it is that the team needs that he doesn't bring to the table.

matjcole said:

SP stop being a <censor evasion> :wink:

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Well, you've heard the story of the fox and the scorpion crossing the stream? :wink:

A mate of Levy's son confirmed this news....we will sign Parker in January and loan out O'Hara and Bentley paying most of their wages (I dont know if were loaning them to the Spammers, he just said they'd be going out on loan)

I don't get the 'Sandro is a goner if we sign Parker' comments, they are very different players. I see Sandro as our Huddlestone/Palacios backup, whereas Parker is more of a box to box player like Jenas (but more passionate and consistent). We often play Huddlestone/Palacios + Jenas away, and I can definitely see us doing the same with Parker, shifting Modric to left wing and Bale back to left back. At home we might play Parker and Modric in the middle with Huddlestone on the bench in games not suited to him (I'm thinking games against the likes of Blackburn, Stoke, old-style Bolton). Like with Pienaar able to cover both wings + VDV/Modric, Parker would allow us to shuffle the pack far more effectively.

Bayern are in for Parker.

brett.spurs said:

Neither Parker nor Pienaar improve the 1st team, they barely even improve the squad, just spending(wasting) money for the sake of it.

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Agree Pienaar can't see where he'll improve the starting 11 is he any better than Kranjcar? Parker is not better then Huddlestone nor Jenas.

double0 said:

Agree Pienaar can't see where he'll improve the starting 11 is he any better than Kranjcar? Parker is not better then Huddlestone nor Jenas.

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I agree with most of that but Parker is miles ahead of Jenas, could you see Jenas doing the job Parker has done for the hammers?

Darrkespur said:

I don't get the 'Sandro is a goner if we sign Parker' comments, they are very different players. I see Sandro as our Huddlestone/Palacios backup, whereas Parker is more of a box to box player like Jenas (but more passionate and consistent). We often play Huddlestone/Palacios + Jenas away, and I can definitely see us doing the same with Parker, shifting Modric to left wing and Bale back to left back. At home we might play Parker and Modric in the middle with Huddlestone on the bench in games not suited to him (I'm thinking games against the likes of Blackburn, Stoke, old-style Bolton). Like with Pienaar able to cover both wings + VDV/Modric, Parker would allow us to shuffle the pack far more effectively.

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Whatever way you want to dress it up, Sandro is still being pushed down the pecking order.

last nights game showed we need someone like parker in the team. we need someone who can command the midfield area and keep us moving forward. whilst Palacios was able to break up play, we needed someone alsongside him who would keep us going forward.

Parker would be a very good signing.IMO..

He is a little tiger,and more importantly,when he gets it,he gives it to someone with the same colour shirt as his......unlike wilson.

How anyone would doubt him is beyond me....... we need 3 players,Parker,a top CF and a top RB....PLEASE!

unload keane,bentley,pav...and wilson(unless he is willing to stay as cover)

I still find it hard to see Wham selling their best player to us. We may sell them OHara but thats a very different situation

chrisd2k said:

I still find it hard to see Wham selling their best player to us. We may sell them OHara but thats a very different situation

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He'll come to us... as I am sure Levy wont be too enamoured with the thought of having to conduct transfer negotiations in a caravan :grin: