- Jul 21, 2006
- 6,517
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Do we still have the best defensive record in Europe? Not bad since we have such a weak defensive group...
Because the strength of the squad, not just the first team will influence our success, if we can improve our squad options, we will improve our overall strength and chance of finishing higher.
So it's not just about the strength of your first 11, if the players who come in are drastically sub standard you will ultimately suffer. Arsenal's third choice CB is Vermalen right now, Chelsea have Terry, Cahill, Luiz, Ivanovic who can play there, ManU have Ferdinand , Vidic, Smalling, Jones, Evans, ManC have just added Demichalis to their CB back up ranks. Even Liverpool have three better quality CB's than us (and better fb's).
We have the weakest defensive group in the top 6, and upgrading Dawson is vital.
Honestly, BeeCee - if Daws was a sheet of paper you'd rip him into a million pieces and flush him down the toilet!
If/when Kaboul returns, assuming he is near his best, our first two will be pretty strong. If Chiriches is anywhere near as good as some bill him Dawson will soon enough be fourth choice - surely even you can accept that he is a reasonable player to have as 3rd/4th choice?
As said elsewhere, I think you are underestimating our defensive unit (starting with Lloris, and ending in central midfield). Results, goals conceded and clean sheets aren't telling that many lies, surely.
nonsense. apart from Lamela and Soldado, every other player we've ever signed has cost well below £30m, so that notion is a complete fallacy.Totally agree!
Man Utd have always had players like this in their numerous title winning squads. Players that wouldn't really make it at other top clubs but are willing to work hard and make a contribution at a club that they love. Could we get better than Defoe, Lennon or Dawson to sit our bench or even be prepared to sit on our bench? No, not for this side of £30 million at the very least.
People are talking about Chiriches being above Dawson in the pecking order? Or Lennon being on his way out now that we have Lamela and Head down Townsend? Or Defoe being behind the very good but barren Soldado? Put simply, Lennon is a first choice player. Dawson has been a first choice player who has fought his way into the side for his entire career under numerous managers. Defoe is our 5th highest ever goal scorer.
These players will all get plenty of game time this season.
nonsense. apart from Lamela and Soldado, every other player we've ever signed has cost well below £30m, so that notion is a complete fallacy.
by the way, you're seriously kidding yourself if you believe Lennon is first-choice, and Defoe being our 5th top scorer really is meaningless.
Please fucking explain this, how in the name of good fuck is being our 5th all time goal scorer meaningless? Have we really came this far that its all about success right now and nothing else matters? I really hope not.
Improving on players is one thing, fair enough but to say "we're past" players who are still giving good and providing use to the club is just wrong IMO, we're not bloody Real Madrid.
We've improved upon them in a sense of looking at just our starting 11, but I for one am delighted to have players like Defoe and Lennon as options from the bench.
maybe I should've said irrelevant to the argument instead. what does it tell us about him, other than he's been a decent servant for the club (even though I hate that term)? is he anywhere near the best 5 players we've had at the club? nope. best 5 in his position? nope. have his goals led to any sort of success? nope. other than knowing Greaves was our top-scorer, I can't say I was ever aware of the names and numbers on the list either....I'm not trying to belittle him or anything, but I just don't know that this "achievement" is much more than a statistical inevitability.
He'll be in the mix for our player of the season come next May.
There's a precedent to consider here:
Promising young wide forward/winger, leaves a big Italian club to come to North London, has a slow start to his career in England.
Let's face it, if he does as well for us as Thierry Henry did for the Goons he'll be worth every last penny of that transfer fee.
I thought they got Henry from Monaco?
I thought they got Henry from Monaco?
maybe I should've said irrelevant to the argument instead. what does it tell us about him, other than he's been a decent servant for the club (even though I hate that term)? is he anywhere near the best 5 players we've had at the club? nope. best 5 in his position? nope. have his goals led to any sort of success? nope. other than knowing Greaves was our top-scorer, I can't say I was ever aware of the names and numbers on the list either....I'm not trying to belittle him or anything, but I just don't know that this "achievement" is much more than a statistical inevitability.
maybe I should've said irrelevant to the argument instead. what does it tell us about him, other than he's been a decent servant for the club (even though I hate that term)? is he anywhere near the best 5 players we've had at the club? nope. best 5 in his position? nope. have his goals led to any sort of success? nope. other than knowing Greaves was our top-scorer, I can't say I was ever aware of the names and numbers on the list either....I'm not trying to belittle him or anything, but I just don't know that this "achievement" is much more than a statistical inevitability.
Yeah, that's why I only said 'in the mix'... it's highly likely that Dawsy will cast a long diagonal shadow over the others and dive-into the lead come the end of the season and cross the winning line and get the award.Awww TT I thought you would put Daws forward for that award .
No, he had one season at Juve stuck out on the wing before Wenger signed him. I bet someone at Juve is still kicking themselves over that cock up.