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David Bentley v Aaron Lennon: Dilemmas and contradictions

FromTheLane

New Member
Jul 3, 2008
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I know this has been discussed a lot but I would just like to offer my thoughts and analysis of the Bentley/Lennon saga that has dominated much of the talk regarding transfers this summer. I have tried to be balanced and offer both sides of the argument so as to summarise the issues before my conclusion but also offer an objective and comprehensive discussion of a complicated situation.

I hope all of you are enjoying the summer of stupidity as much as I am. My calculations tell me that we will be buying 13 goalkeepers, 12 defenders, 18 midfielders and no less than 21 strikers by August 31st if the papers are to be believed - should be some squad, not to mention the wage bill!

Anyhow, I wanted to address the much speculated, much discussed but as of yet unresolved Lennon/Bentley saga, a dilemma which centres around who is the correct occupant of our right midfield slot for next season which leaves me fundamentally caught in two minds as to the solution and correct course of action.

On the one hand, I believe we are focussing on the wrong area, as Lennon is patently not the 'problem' with our team. Furthermore,he has so many positive qualities that, particularly given his age, it could be a major error to write him off, and it cannot be forgotten the many many things he has done for the team over the last 3 seasons. It goes without saying that he has almost unique pace, great control and at times fantastic dribbling ability, tremendous benefits that are both difficult to teach but also seemingly in accordance with the brand of football Ramos seems to wish to deploy, both given the way he has set teams up in the past and also with the football our team has played since coming here. Lennon is an out and out winger in the Ramos 4-4-2 mould, while there is also and argument that crossing is increasingly irrelevant in the modern game, particularly given that fewer and fewer teams are playing 4-4-2 (I love contradicting myself) in the modern era, pace is surely more important given the propensity of coaches towards the counter attack, illustrated most aptly in the European Championships by sides such as Holland, Russia, Germany and Portugal?

Hence,to spend 12 million or so on an area of the team would be ridiculous, particular given that the improvement that Bentley would bring comparative to Lennon is dubious. Often watching Bentley I feel he lacks the requisite pace for a modern winger, while often his tendency to drift inside can make a team lose its shape, while his tendency towards the killer pass can breed long ball football (though under Juande this is unlikely to be a problem). There are much more immediate needs, so the signing would be,for all intents and purposes,a waste of money, particularly given the desperation of Tottenham's need for a DM, LW and CB.

Lennon is, to some people's minds, a potentially top quality player whose inconsistency can be attributed to his age, nothing that a bit of coaching won't solve,eh?

But equally, to toe this line is to presuppose that Ramos is an idiot, but also vastly underrate the quality of David Bentley, a player thought to be at the forefront of none other than Capello's plans for England's future. Ramos sees Lennon play every day,as well as knowing his work ethic, attitude and will to win and improve - we see a very limited, albeit the most important, part of Lennon,and so do you think Ramos would really sell him/bring in a replacement if he was that good, or if his all round mentality and attitude was that of a top class player?

This argument is particularly pertinent given Ramos' track record and standing within the game as one of Europe's finest managers.Bentley has produce the goods for nearly two seasons in a team with much less talent than our own-he has crossing ability reminiscent of the late David Beckham (I use this metaphorically,owing to his 'death' as a top class footballer upon joining LA Galaxy), can take a wicked free-kick and has one hell of a shot on him: all things we have been blatantly lacking in recent years, creativity, guile and regular service from midfield. Lennon by contrast has regressed in relative terms compared to his counterpart. As has been mentioned all too often, he often flatters to deceive, drifting in and out of games and almost inevitable failing to find his man with the final ball. Those suggesting that it is simply a case of 'staying behind for ten minutes after training and practising a bit of crossing' are naive in the extreme-do these genius' think that the ignorant (apparently) Juande Ramos hasn't thought of this? Ridiculous,and I maintain that Ramos must be trusted with regards our squad - after all, he is being paid an extortionate 6 million quid a year to do so.

While Lennon is not 'the' problem, neither is he necessarily the solution. His regular substitutions (not to mention exclusions, most notably v PSV away) put paid to the belief amongst some (albeit a minority) of fans who believe he is one of our best players, while his performances too suggest otherwise. But equally perceptions of his 'decline' have been vastly exaggerated, a symptom both of the inherent, yet very Tottenham, need amongst fans to scapegoat, but also the corrosive influence of the British tabloids.

If I remember rightly Lennon was still considered one of our best players up to the point that some redtop with a mischievous and ulterior motive published some bull around March (on the back of one substitution) about Ramos wanting him out. More rigorous analysis of his form and the nature of his contribution emanated from this, and subsequently his decline gathered pace proportionally to increasing unrest regarding his displays, as his confidence plummeted. This argument suggests that it would be logical to replace Lennon with a player of superior quality, just as we have gone about replacing the likes of Dawson, Robinson, Chimbonda and Lee (in effect) with Ramos' first few signings.

To do so with Lennon is, by this reckoning, the next logical step. There can be little doubt that Bentley is a much better all round footballer - equally, while he often comes across as cocky, he is patently ambitious and a true winner who is willing to work his heart out to improve,qualities which are as important as they are underrated in trying to build a successful, consistent winning machine.

On reflection, I believe Bentley would be a good signing, not as a replacement for Lennon but rather a compliment to him. I still firmly believe that Lennon is not a 90 minute player for 38 games a season. When has he is at his best for Spurs and England? Roaring off the bench in the 05/06 season with nothing to lose and everything to gain as he injected a much needed spark to a side lacking in sharpness at times.

Hence,this is how he should be used. Bentley starting, tearing up the oppo for the first 60, then Lennon coming on as an attacking option for the final 30, either to win us the game as a replacement maybe for a defender, or to replace Bentley/our LW and give us some much needed fresh legs. I have often thought we lacked genuine options off the bench, particularly in the Martin Jol era. Lennon would go some way to solving this problem, an argument that gains added strength in the context of the Premiership's introduction of 7 subs for next season.

Can you imagine Lennon, Dos Santos and, say, Taarabt (controversial) coming on for the last 30 against a belligerent Bolton away from home? Bolton's obduracy would be emphatically negated,and no doubt our abysmal away record would go some way to being improved.

Of course,this raises all sorts of additional dilemmas. Can we justify spending 12 million on what would be,in essence, a squad addition? The signing of Bent for an extortionate sum would suggest this to be an unwise course of action.

Similarly, would Lennon be happy with such a role and could his resulting disquiet have an unsettling effect? And where would that leave Malbranque,who it is widely acknowledged is an excellent footballer and one of our best players last season but equally is not a left winger? Would he be able to ably fill the role of starting RM/RW,with Lennon as an alternative, providing healthy competition for places but equally making the signing of Bentley superfluous? And would this signing be to the detriment of the players we need more readily in other areas (LW and DM most pertinently)?

So many questions,yet apparently so few answers.

What are your thoughts?
 

west indie

Well-Known Member
Dec 5, 2006
626
510
i think with more creativity brought in with modric & the dos lennon will have more space to do what he does best terrorising left backs, he suffered last season due to the sterile midfield we had but playing alongside quality next season were he should get more space & not be double marked should bring the best out of him..

as for bentley he's good at what he does & would be ideal for bent but i feel lennon @ 21 has alot more in his locker still to come that ramos could mould into something very special that you cant do with bentley with his lack of pace..
 

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
for me its no contest.

lennon has just had a shit year where he looked devoid of confidence, he became hesitant and he hit poor cross and shot after poor cross and shot constantly.

however, since he burst onto the scene with us as an 18 year old he showed pace like no other player i had seen at spurs, unbelievable close control and even if his final ball has lacked, some wonderful vision to pick out a pass. These are all things that you either have or you don't, you can't really develop creative instinct, pace or close control. he has also learn to work very hard and protects his right back brilliantly.

He has to redevelop his bravery at dribbling, which comes with confidence, which comes with good management. he also needs to consistenly put in good crosses and score more goals. he is 21, he is far from the finished article and he is more than talented enough to learn these traits.

Bentley is 23 and has only just had his first really good season. He is a splendid crosser of the ball, but going down the middle has not the pace nor imaginiation to find a creative pass. His lack of pace stop his also from effectively protecting his right back. His close control is decent but he takes the ball so deep on the pitch that if it wasn't he'd be quite worrying. He has a very good shot of the ball however and is hard to shift off of the balls.

However, he will never be fast, he will never be able to beat several men at a time and it will take a great deal of work to become a particularly inventive player.

I just think that Lennon, despite his poor season, has proven just as much as Bentley has, but oozes a hell of a lot more potential and has 2 years more youth to work with as well, and I believe his flaws are far more redeemable than Bentleys.

Cue the abuse....
 

JoeT

Well-Known Member
Jun 7, 2005
3,813
935
I tend to agree with you BBLG. Lennon's pace and drobbling skills make him a player that we should keep, no matter what his final ball is like at present. He also presents a real danger to opposition fullbacks because he can get behind defenders...and cut inside; his skills give him some options that Bentley doesn't have.
Also, 'From the Lane' raises the question of whether THFC can afford to spend 12 million on a player position that is not really a "problem" position"; we are all very aware that there are other areas where we really need improvement or quality cover more.
The point about Bentley "complimenting" Lennon, enabling Ramos to bring Lennon on as a 30 minute impact player, does not mean that we cannot use this tactic with players we already have. Why can't Jenus play in some games, out on the right for 60 minutes? There might be so much midfield competition next season that Jenas may have to consider this.....he has played out there and looked quite effecive.
 

StockSpur

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2004
4,945
1,537
if we sort our free kicks and corners out it would be nice, jenas can run with the ball so he should be able to play right midfield, hes too inconsistent to play in the middle
 

ShayLaB

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2006
1,510
1,689
The special one wanted two players for every position...that's what will happen will Bentleys mooted arrival. I like the idea of a smaller squad as we we have added players that can play in a number of positions. Lennon and Bentley are are chalk and cheese and thats a good thing.
 

DogsOfWar

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2005
2,293
3,603
We won't attract many better out and out wingers than Lennon so to move him on would be a mistake.
But we also have to realise that we are playing practically all our home games against teams sticking 10 men behind the ball. Against a team sitting very deep and with 2 men on him Lennon, or indeed any other winger, will struggle to have any impact. He needs space to work in and is most effective when getting to the opposition by-line.

Someone like Bentley can make half a yard of space and whip in a decent cross from deep in these situations and this is why we need someone like him.

Last season, with Bale injured, we had no-one who could cross a ball. Hopefully if we can get Bentley in, this will solve the problem on both flanks.

I've never seen Bentley as a replacement for Lennon, just as a different option and with our lack of genuine wide men we need this.
 

db1

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
1,119
697
I'm glad everyone seems to agree that they are totally different options of a right winger. I wouldn't want to lose Lennondinho as he is exciting to watch and like many say, he will look better with better midfield and not being double marked as the only attack from midfield.
How anyone values Bentley at more than Lennon amazes me. At worst i'd say they are worth equal amounts.
 

sloth

Well-Known Member
Mar 7, 2005
9,018
6,900
I can't see us keeping Lennon if we get Bentley.

As far as this is concerned it is win - win for me. My preference would definitely be to get Bentley in but Lennon's not a bad alternative.
 

michaelden

Knight of the Fat Fanny
Aug 13, 2004
26,386
21,685
I liked what you wrote but I think the counter-attacking thing is a bit wishy washy. You can only play that against teams prepared to give it a go against you. A good example is Liverpool a season or 2 ago, great at CA-ing but when in possesion they struggled to break a team down. We need to learn both.

From what you say and my own thoughts I would rather Lennon than Bento. I agree he needs to be subbed a bit to wake him up. But then I feel the same about JJ. Jolt them into commitment; they've been under no pressure for too long.
 

FromTheLane

New Member
Jul 3, 2008
214
0
michaelden

fair enough,my point about the counter attacking was pretty vague,perhaps didn't come across how I really meant it.

My point was that the nature of the modern game means that 'good old' take a touch and cross it to the big man in the box wingers are increasingly out of fashion;flexibility in attack is the watchword of top managers-none of the top 4 teams played with conventional wingers last term,and in this context someone who has pace and can make runs off the ball into the box such as Lennon is surely more of an asset?

the point made above by west indie is also a very valid one,and one I wished to include in my article but could not due to lack of space(I wrote way too much anyway).It is notable that Lennon's best season was the one in which Carrick was at his phenomenal best-whilst this was partly incidental due to him being unknown,and a bright spark and breath of frsh air onto the scene,equally Carricks passing ability and the general unity and cohesiveness of our midfield meant he got better service,got into better attacking positions and so could subsequently express himself more and deliver what we know he is capable of.It is notable last year that in the aftermath of Ramos' arrival he enjoyed his best form for us for some time,in the run up to the CC final he was electrifying at times.But then Zokora returned and our midfield did not function properly again for the rest of the season ,and that is when the doubters started to resurface.

So should Modric live up to expectations and provide some much needed spark and finally someone who can spray the ball around,it will be interesting to see if Lennon returns to the form he showed when he first burst onto the scene.
 

striebs

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2004
4,504
667
I don't think Ramos or anyone else can identify the perfect mix in one go , never mind assemble it in one transfer window .

To solve a problem quickly by throwing money at it requires a huge amount to be thrown and wasted as not all of it will stick .

Wait till Lennon becomes the weak link before contemplating big money on an alterative . Continue to address the known long term problems .
 

iantheyid

New Member
Aug 30, 2006
121
0
They are both good players - no debating that. I'd like to see them both playing but agree that a) 12 million is a hell of a lot for a squad player, especially when we have more important positions to fill and b) would either of them be happy to be used in such a way, especially lennon.

When Beckham still played competitive football for England it was great to see him putting in perfect crosses and free kicks and I see some of that in Bentley. But what neither of these players bring is the ability to totally skin Britains best and make them look amateur. It would be foolish to forget what Lennon can do. He's had a dodgy season but I agree that that is not because he has lost it (esp at such a young age) but because he wasn't playing with a particularly great midfield and because he is young and is still developing. If we wrote off all our players after dodgy patches where would we be now... Would Keano still be here?

Essentially, buying Bentley would be good. But if we don't I am not going to be gutted. However, I would genuinely feel gutted if Lennon went. When he plays well (usually as a sub, granted) he looks awesome. He can score goals, he has incredible pace and I still feel he is developing.

The two of them in one team? Great, but I agree not as competition for eachother, but complimentary. I just wonder if we are a club who can afford to have that luxury at the moment...
 

Hartfelt

New Member
Sep 24, 2003
402
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The key point about all of this, as you identify, is that Ramos doesn't seem to value Lennon. Thta may be because he doesn't fit his vision for the future of the team, or his progress is not what he would wish, or simply that he's not quite good enough for the quality of team Ramos wants to build. He would not be seeking another RW at the kind of fee that Bentley will command, simply for Lennon to play second-fiddle to.

Lennon may indeed develop a decent delivery into the box in time, but can we wait? His crossing has always been, and remains, woeful. This is partly why he constantly cuts in at the end of a run. Personally I think Bentley is hugely over-rated and over-priced due to the 'British factor'. I don't feel strongly about him, but I do believe in Ramos.

Rumours are exactly that, but I've heard over the last eighteen months so many titbits about Lennon's attitude leaving much to be desired. Whatever the truth is I believe Lennon won't start the Season in a Spurs' shirt.

The only issue I'd take with your very reasoned comparison, is that speed and crossing skill are mutually exclusive, and that the modern game places less emphasis on crossing. What the Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish demonstrated at the Euros was that swift counter attacks with deadly balls in from the wings can be lethal. That approach necessitates high levels of technical skill and team co-ordination.

In Lennon and Bentley you actually have two halves of an exceptional player. When they come together you get a player called Cristiano Ronaldo. Neither Bentely nor Lennon is truly special, but either will do. I'm actually more interested in the LW problem anyway.
 

Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,328
13,927
These two players have different qualities and as we know Ramos is a very tactical manager. The signing of Bentley can only be a good thing as it increases our tactical options.

If a signing improves the team and increases the angles of attack available to the manager then it makes us more effective against different teams. Lennon will be used against the teams that tend to push high the pitch or slow fullbacks. Bentley will be more useful against teams that sit deep and with both Berbs (fingers crossed) and Bent to aim for in respect of aerial targets.

Horses for Courses.
 

JuanRebelde

Member
Apr 10, 2006
978
2
For all the talk of Lennon being an out and out winger, I think he could go the way of Giggs and develop his game more centrally as it is the curse of all wingers to be cut off from decent supply and then get accused of drifting in and out of games.

It is the very nature of the beast in that when playing in an extreme position as does a traditional winger you are at the mercy of the rest of the team. I mean, you get torn between going inside or deeper to look for the ball and thereby lose shape for the team and an outlet for them or you maintain your wide position and don't see the ball for long periods of the game. All wingers suffer it from time to time especially those in teams with poor midfields as our was for much of last season. It looks worse when the opposition double up on you as they regard you as a threat and so when you get the ball you are very limited in your attacking options.

The game that showed just how effective Lennon can be playing inside was when he played behind the strikers against chavcki in the 3-3 draw away a few years ago. Chelsea had no answer to his fast breaks and simple short passing and movement. I seem to remember Jol saying just as much that lennon had the potential to play there.

So crossing aside (which has improved) he has plenty of potential that I am sure with better supply and understanding of his role in the team will come through.

As a footnote, the author of the piece is, apart from being somewhat insulting, showing his ignorance 'with the 10 minutes extra training' comment. Infact, this, (albeit usually longer than 10 minutes) is exactly what players do on a regular basis to improve aspects of their game outside of the normal training sessions. It is always on going work. I know from first hand experience.
 

FromTheLane

New Member
Jul 3, 2008
214
0
JuanRebelde

apologies for my rudeness and cynicism in writing that.I wrote this article for a different forum where there resid emuc less educated football fans,and on that forum people continually say that 'Ramos should just tell Lennon to practise his crossing a bit then he will be amazing',which oversimplifies the situation as well as belittling Ramos as a manager,as if it was that easy.I edited some of the article for this forum,but obviously not that bif,so apologies for my omission.I agree with your point that he could be very effective centrally,but the problem is that,unlike Giggs,he is never going to be big/strong/all round enough to play CM,and the role he played in the cup is a very specific one and not used really week in week out,more as an alternative or surprise option.


Hartfelt

it is interesting what you say about Lennon's attitude;who did you hear this from and what did they say?

I too get the impression that Ramos is less than enamoured with him,but this is derived from observation and assumption-do you know something more concrete?

If so it would be great to hear.
 

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
regarding lennons attitude, i have only ever once seen him on the pitch slip from working his balls off and try everything he could to do something, and that was in the game v slavia a few days before the cup final. i though that at the time he was being lazy to not get iunjured, but after seeing his performance in the cup final where he was ineffective in the first half but brilliant in the second half, i realised that he had perhaps gone just a touch stale. however, once he was put up the left hand side in the final he was a genius. as for the end of season, they were all rubbish, with only maybe steed escaping criticism.

all of that aside, i have always found lennon to be a player who has done nothing but enamour me to him.
 

macspurs

Member
Aug 6, 2005
316
7
Lennon is class, and as they say - that is permanent. He is a winger, and our game hasn't been suited to the type of player that, at his best, he is. He is one of the fastest I have ever seen with the ball, and to watch him bamboozle left backs is just mesmorising. There is nothing like healthy competition to make a player up his game, and let's face it - he hasn't had any. Jenas has been out there, and Steed too on occasion, but neither is a natural winger. I believe that Ramos will bring someone in for that position, but please not at the expense of Lennon.
And for the record, I think Bentley is a git.
 
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