"David Bentley ... in the ... development squad"

[archiewasking]

I still like him and think Bentley has a lot to offer. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Lennon's beginning to return to form is coinciding with Bentley nearing fitness to return.

 

[rsmith]

The same was being said about him this time last year. Then bang! Lennon gets injured and he steps in and plays a big part in us finishing 4th. Its a squad game as we all keep saying and we are lucky to have squad players of his quality.
I didnt vote in the poll as none of the choices are accurate enough.

I kinda agree. The point of poll wasn't to diss the lad and imho he has a value within the squad. My point was more about the hype and price when he joined vs. his current role.

We have the situation where our first choice wingers cost us £X and our sub cost us £XXX. Was it down to bad scouting or has DB gone backwards since joining us?

Rightly or wrongly, we have a reputation as a club that ends as many careers as it fosters. Just garnering opinion on where DB sits within that. From the poll, it seems the opinion is that instead of kicking on with spurs, the lad chose to rest on his laurels and is now paying the price.

fwiw, I'm with option 2. DB at LW was as embarrassingly bad as BAE at RB. It seems to me his confidence and relationship w spurs got crushed at that point and he's subsequently not been arsed to put the effort in to step up to first XI standard.

 

[Kendall]

Still dont think we'd have made 4th without him

 

[StartingPrice]

we are just too good these days.

players like bentley and giovani can't make the bench and neither would guys like bassong & keane if we had no injuries.

Ain't that the truth:grin:

Still has a part to play this season I think.

Me too.

How about an option in the poll saying he's a good squad player?

Once he's got his fitness back he'll be an important player for us - Lennon can't play every game.

This would get my vote.

The same was being said about him this time last year. Then bang! Lennon gets injured and he steps in and plays a big part in us finishing 4th. Its a squad game as we all keep saying and we are lucky to have squad players of his quality.
I didnt vote in the poll as none of the choices are accurate enough.

Exactly.

We signed him expecting him to step up and become a great player.

He clearly thought he had already made it.

I do kinda feel this is true, also, however...think he's a likable buffoon but also a bit of a plank, as a person.

Lest we forget he played 45 minutes in the crucial 2-1 win against arsenal, 90 minutes in the crucial 2-1 win against chelsea and 30 minutes in the crucial 1-0 win at City.
Best we remember!

This.

Still dont think we'd have made 4th without him

And this.

I think he offers us somethin completely different to Lennon, something that might work well with an aerially aggressive striker, an overlapping full-back, and an extremely intelligent and gifted offensive midfielder in a 4-5-1:up: I really hope Aaron reclaims his form (glimpses on Tesday night, Ithought), but also that we do keep this guy, and start celebrating the fact thatwe have back-up now tha realy should be first choice in any team even approaching the top 5...that IS the strength of our squad now.

p.s. On the defenders debate, I hope Ledders is cameo-able for a few seasons yet, and would be amazed, in a pleasant manner, if Woody does come back from this injury nightmare (for once a term not being overplayed). But I also believe, excluding Gallas as a short-term stop-gap measure (the type that Aitch is brilliant at getting where othr managers would pay about £10 million:grin, I suspect that Dawson/Kaboul/Bassong/Khumalo (who we haven't even seen in a Spurs shirt), is planning for a future without Ling/Woody. I really can't see any other way of justifying bringing in another CH, bringing the club compliment of senior up to 7:shrug:

 

[nailsy]

I thought Bentley looked pretty good yesterday. Nice to see him back.

 

[agrdavidsfan]

I really like bentley good player now he's realized he's got to work for it!

 

[mano-obe]

Bassong, Kranc, Bentley, Pav, Palacios (out of favour players) all chipped in last season to help for that push for fourth.

I expect they'll be needed again if there are more injuries/out of form players

 

[Stavrogin]

Maybe Bentley is tutoring the development squad, did you ever think of that?!

 

[Aaron140]

Maybe Bentley is tutoring the development squad, did you ever think of that?!

Ahh.. We have a smart one here.

 

[mike_l]

It's not the most likely scenario though given that just last season he was having a strop in one of these games and chucking his shinnies at HR, is it?

 

[Stavrogin]

It's not the most likely scenario though given that just last season he was having a strop in one of these games and chucking his shinnies at HR, is it?

Who better?! Precautionary tale?! When you saw Yoda for the time you didn't expect him to be so wise.