Anyone regret the Zamora-Defoe swap now?

[Dan Ashcroft]

In January 2004 we part-exchanged Zamora for Defoe (and paid West Ham £6m).

After watching the performance and goals from Bobby Zamora today I'm starting now to think we've now got the wrong player. While Defoe is exactly the same player we bought 7 years ago, Zamora has really matured and developed into a decent #9.

Now I'm not saying that Defoe didn't have a decent second season for us in 04/05, but at this point in time Zamora is quite a long way ahead as a player and I'd be happy to swap them back. Zamora has also got 3 times more goals than Defoe this seson, in spite of being out injured for 6 months, plus he's an aerial threat, is powerful, can hold the ball up, run beyond defenders and is a decent finisher - all things that Defoe lacks.

I can believe I'm saying this, but after watching his performance today and comparing it to our strikers this season, I long for Zamora back. :-|

 

[brett.spurs]

No, it's taken Zamora 6 years since then to look half decent.

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

No, it's taken Zamora 6 years since then to look half decent.

Yes. But it shows the potential was there, if it had been nurtured better.

Whereas Defoe was already at his peak back when he was at Bournemouth a decade ago.

 

[MattyP]

Yes, I really regret the 20 goals Defoe scored last season to help get us into the champions league.

Zamora is a decent enough striker, but no better than Defoe

 

[Dibby]

Without Defoe, would we be in the CL this season?

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

Yes, I really regret the 20 goals Defoe scored last season to help get us into the champions league.

Zamora is a decent enough striker, but no better than Defoe

The 20 goals he scored mainly in 3 games and nearly all before November. It was Pav finally getting a run in the spring that (from a striking pov) really helped us into the CL last season.

 

[Bill_Oddie]

A moronic man once said: No regrets, they don't work.

So, no. Regret is the wrong word. But Zamora is by far the more effective and impactful Premier League striker in the past 14-16 months. And would suit our current football better.

However, I'd still hope we could attract better than either come summer. Even if it proved expensive.

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

Without Defoe, would we be in the CL this season?

Well we didn't get in on goal difference, so I think we could have coped beating Wigan by 2 or 3 (and similarly not punishing other relegation fodder so heavily, which was Defoe's speciality).

 

[mike_l]

Defoe would score a shitload in the current Fulham team, Zamora in the current Spurs side would be as effective as Crouch IMO, playing for a side at the top of the table is a different kettle of fish to playing for a miid-table/bottom half side.

Average strikers can thrive in sides lower down the league as they get a lot more time and space, the better the side you play for the more the opposition focus on simply stifling your team.

 

[diegooners]

I always liked Zamora. He always had the raw ingredients to become a good number 9 but hasn't ever up till now (since his Brighton days) had the luxury of a settled run in a side to grow. There's no point saying you'd swap them now, so would I as Bobby would fit our team better. But, although I personally would sell him in the summer irrespective of form given the midfield we have and the way we play, I think we were right to do the deal at the time. Defoe has been a good servant to us. Unfortunately he just hasn't becom the world class striker we thought he might when we signed him seven years ago.

 

[Mr Pink]

Yes, I really regret the 20 goals Defoe scored last season to help get us into the champions league.

Zamora is a decent enough striker, but no better than Defoe

Completely different strikers though, obviously.

Zamora looks like everything our strikers arn't at the moment. He looks interested, hungry and driven. A quality big man up top who can do all those things well, holding the ball up and bringing others into the game - and he can finish. He also defends from the front very well, was watching him closely today.

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

Defoe would score a shitload in the current Fulham team, Zamora in the current Spurs side would be as effective as Crouch IMO, playing for a side at the top of the table is a different kettle of fish to playing for a miid-table/bottom half side.

Average strikers can thrive in sides lower down the league as they get a lot more time and space, the better the side you play for the more the opposition focus on simply stifling your team.

Is that why you think Defoe has been especially shite for the last 18 months then? Because we've become a top side and he's still an average striker? Serious question.

 

[L-man]

I was wondering this the other day, without Defoes goals would we have got into the Champions League? Bearing in mind we would have had another striker, who may have got more, may have got less, we will never know.
3 against Hull (probably would have got the 3 points)
5 against Wigan (definately would have got the 3 points)
1 against United (we lost 3-1 IIRC)
He also scored against Pompey and West ham in narrow wins, where we probably would have won
And the penalty against Chelsea is the only goal I can think of in which was a big game and one of his goals provided a difference

Them goals alone were 12 of his 18 goals in the PL, another striker may have got just as many, even fewer in some games and more in others, this could have lead us Champions League qualification earlier than the City game.

I'm not saying I'd rather have Zamora, but personally I think we could do a lot better

 

[Mr Pink]

I love Defoe but I seriously do question his capability to play regularly for us given our progression as a side. I think our side is out growing him now, and he offers so litte away from home its painful.

Hard to say because I love the little man but its the way I feel now.

 

[defoe18]

I dont regret much

But i regret us not selling Defoe in the summer and buying someone else

Or re-naming Pav as "Robert Pavesly" and getting more minutes under Harry

 

[eddiev14]

Frankly, I'm fed up with all the people on here who are trying to nail Defoe to a post at every opportunity. It's so bloody fickle.

If I could be arsed, I would trawl back to the Spurs Chat threads from September (when he scored a hat trick for England), and I bet that there are a tonne of posts praising him for how hard he's worked on his game to hold the ball up better and generally become a more all round player. How he and Rooney would forge a great partnership for the national team etc.

He's had a stop-start season with the 3 month layoff, and a very harsh three match ban just after he returned to action. It's clearly affected his rhythm, and the fact that his strike partner changes pretty much every game he plays hasn't helped either.

He is having a rough patch in front of goal, that's for certain. That doesn't turn him into a bad player though. Fernando Torres hasn't scored for bloody ages, is Bobby Zamora better than him too?

Zamora scoring twice against Blackpool doesn't overshadow what JD has contributed over the years for Tottenham. Our CL qualification last season wouldn't have been achieved without his goals.

Whilst we do need a striker in the Zamora mould, I've always felt that the desire for a 'tall and strong' striker stemmed from the fact that we've got a couple of great little'uns in VDV and Defoe who would thrive playing next to someone of that mould. In other words, Zamora and Defoe aren't like-for-like at all.

Look, Defoe hasn't suddenly become a bad footballer overnight, he's just having a tough time at the moment. I really think that it's time to put away your pitchforks and get behind the fella instead of jumping on his back every time the team doesn't get the result that we wanted.

 

[stormfly]

I wish we never sold Kanoute.

 

[Misfit]

Anyone regret the Zamora-Defoe swap now?

Nup.

Fair play to him though. At one stage he didn't look prem quality. He's come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of yrs. Nice to see his injury didn't curtail his Indian Summer either. Well done Bobby.

 

[Mr Pink]

Frankly, I'm fed up with all the people on here who are trying to nail Defoe to a post at every opportunity. It's so bloody fickle.

If I could be arsed, I would trawl back to the Spurs Chat threads from September (when he scored a hat trick for England), and I bet that there are a tonne of posts praising him for how hard he's worked on his game to hold the ball up better and generally become a more all round player. How he and Rooney would forge a great partnership for the national team etc.

He's had a stop-start season with the 3 month layoff, and a very harsh three match ban just after he returned to action. It's clearly affected his rhythm, and the fact that his strike partner changes pretty much every game he plays hasn't helped either.

He is having a rough patch in front of goal, that's for certain. That doesn't turn him into a bad player though. Fernando Torres hasn't scored for bloody ages, is Bobby Zamora better than him too?

Zamora scoring twice against Blackpool doesn't overshadow what JD has contributed over the years for Tottenham. Our CL qualification last season wouldn't have been achieved without his goals.

Whilst we do need a striker in the Zamora mould, I've always felt that the desire for a 'tall and strong' striker stemmed from the fact that we've got a couple of great little'uns in VDV and Defoe who would thrive playing next to someone of that mould. In other words, Zamora and Defoe aren't like-for-like at all.

Look, Defoe hasn't suddenly become a bad footballer overnight, he's just having a tough time at the moment. I really think that it's time to put away your pitchforks and get behind the fella instead of jumping on his back every time the team doesn't get the result that we wanted.

You make some fair points, which are all true, but the fact is that we need better frontmen and that includes Defoe. The trajectory we are on demands better unfortunately.

If we dont improve our front men we'll end up losing our star players sooner rather than later.

 

[Azrael]

As shit as his is now, Defoe is a much better player than Zamora IMO.