King OR Gallas? (next season)

[Chatterbox1169]

Gallas! We need to form strong partnerships and with King unable to train daily, and not every game, it leaves us unsettled. I respect his commitment and passion and so should contribute to the club through coaching. As a defensive coach he'd pass on his skills and wisdom so itd be a win win really.

 

[ethanedwards]

I'm scared for when King has to next step out after today to be honest..

Maybe he won't look so bad with Sandro and Parker ahead of him but he looked like Bassong out there today... Bassong on a bad day that is too.

We can't take that chance, no other team with CL's aspirations would play someone who doesn't train with the team.

 

[Chatterbox1169]

Caulker realistically but the thread was about either Gallas or King so that's why I answered Gallas. caulker and Kaboul would be interesting to see.

 

[Kingstheman]

We're fans, we're allowed to be sentimental. A football club who needs to move on cannot be sentimental. King has been poor all season I'm afraid and today was as poor a performance as I can ever remember from him. It isn't his fault, I'll always love him, but we can't keep him. He's just not able to anymore I'm afraid. Do like we did with Walker and accelerate Caulker towards the first team via testing him with Kaboul in pre season. No more King I'm afraid, he just can't give us what he needs anymore. As for Gallas, I wouldn't want him to be first choice owing to his age and injury problems, but I see no harm in one more season from him. King's use to us has sadly come to an end though, and I don't want to end up seeing his time with us tarnished by him lingering too long in a first team in which he does not belong.

Gary Neville retired in the middle of a season after realising he couldn't hack it anymore, when he was lucky not to be sent off in two consecutive matches for challenges where his body just wouldn't let him time it properly. King might not be retirement age, but he is in retirement condition.

I agree with this sort of post wholeheartedly.

It must really hurt such a professional with such elite abilities (until recently) to know that he used to be able to do it, but just can't any more.

 

[ajspurs]

We can't take that chance, no other team with CL's aspirations would play someone who doesn't train with the team.

Maybe not. To be honest he's been poor for a while but I think it's also because there was so much open space on the pitch today. I don't think he would have been shown up anyway near as much in say, the Sunderland game on Saturday or even the Swansea game. Doesn't look good though.

 

[HappySpur]

While I'm not saying King should be kept at this point, let's not forget how instrumental he was in that late season push that got us UCL two years ago at a time when he didn't practice with the team. Age and his specific condition have just conspired to end his career. We will always love Ledley, but while we let go of him, let's never diminish his greatness by making statements in anger.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Ledley has been steadily getting worse and worse for a while now. It was sad to see him today. King is finished, not sure how long Gallas has long left either but at present he's still got it

 

[ethanedwards]

Maybe not. To be honest he's been poor for a while but I think it's also because there was so much open space on the pitch today. I don't think he would have been shown up anyway near as much in say, the Sunderland game on Saturday or even the Swansea game. Doesn't look good though.

Unfortunately any opposing manager would look at King and target him, wouldn't want to see average players making him look bad.

 

[Graysonti]

Gallas

King is at th end :-(

 

[Kingstheman]

Unfortunately any opposing manager would look at King and target him, wouldn't want to see average players making him look bad.

I was at the game today and it looked like King was being targeted.

I am sure this is not the first time but each time he is going to come off worse than the previous one.

 

[Armstrong_11]

I still think there's still some life in King... i would keep him for another season, i think he would still be a decent squad player.

Plus would also be useful for europe, iirc we only have bale, lennon and king as the players trained at club that's in our first team.

But i really think the way to go next season is Gallas and Kaboul, hopefully Dawson will be back to fitness and sharpness too.

btw.... there should be an option for both and neither.

 

[Kingstheman]

I still think there's still some life in King... i would keep him for another season, i think he would still be a decent squad player.

Plus would also be useful for europe, iirc we only have bale, lennon and king as the players trained at club that's in our first team.

But i really think the way to go next season is Gallas and Kaboul, hopefully Dawson will be back to fitness and sharpness too.

btw.... there should be an option for both and neither.

If King were a bit part player this season, he might have been OK, but this whole 20 games a season thing is ruining him physically.

We couldn't play an offside trap. King just could not sprint.

 

[hybridsoldier]

We missed out on Gary Cahill by minutes last summer.....looking back thats cost us. The way he has stepped up at Chelsea was really impressive...I guess its easy to say he isn't good enough for Spurs until you actually see him do the biz at Chelsea. Anyway that was a flop and a half.

King and Kaboul is a poor partnership...they don't work well together, much like Gallas and Bassong was the pairing for most of our calamity performances last season.

Is King finished? I really have no idea but how long can we go on accommodating King and Gallas and their injury woes...and also Dawson has had some bad injuries and recurring Achilles trouble. Nelsen is only a short term fix too.

Return of Caulker will be very interesting...if he drops straight in like Walker and Kaboul carries on as he is then those 2 will be hard to shift

 

[seanwhite1961]

We've had a few years of fans prematurely retiring King, but today was the first time I felt that statement had some merit. It's difficult to see him having another season with the perennial problems we're having with injuries at CB.

 

[Kingstheman]

We've had a few years of fans prematurely retiring King, but today was the first time I felt that statement had some merit. It's difficult to see him having another season with the perennial problems we're having with injuries at CB.

Favourite player, a few years back was world class. Today, people in the crowd around me thought there were numerous offsides, someone pointed out that it looked that way because King was so slow.

I hated seeing it - from the best player to come out of Spurs in my lifetime.

 

[wills]

Ledley also looks like he's put on weight, the signs aren't great. Maybe he should consider giving up playing, but under no circumstance should he move away from the club. Ledley you are Mr Tottenham.

 

[Krafty]

This calendar year Ledders has looked really poor. Now its natural players slip in and out of form, but because of Ledley's special circumstances a ten match run of poor form lasts about 4 months.

I have no issue with keeping him at the club, but he can't expect to be paid good money, especially not in terms of basic salary. His bargaining counter was that when he did play he was top notch, now it doesn't seem the case.

Gallas on the other hand is looking good. Reads the game well and importantly has the attitude of a winner, which was solely missing from the team today.

 

[Spurs in Belgium]

Love Ledley but has been off the pace at late. Very sad.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Ledley needs to hang up his premiership boots today or his greatness will be forgotten very quickly replaced by booing and lots of frustration and swearing

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

My better half has only started watching us this season and she can't understand when Ledley plays. It's sad for all of those fans that never got to see him in his prime, it really is because he was special. I am sure he can still defend but when he has to chase a ball it looks like he is going backwards, I'm not sure we can risk playing him to be honest.