Out with Berba and Keane, In with....

[bubble07]

I have finally decided. We need to go out and get Eto'o and Huntelaar. That would be awesome. In their last 190 games combined they have scored a staggering 147 goals. That better then 3 goals in 4 games. Eto'o has scored an unbelieveable 77 goals in 108 games for Barce whereas KJH ahs scored 147 in 190 games

Eto'o would cost no more then 23m and Huntelaar would cost no more then 19m. So we can get them both (if they want to come that is) for a combined fee of 42m max (making about a 5-10m profit on Keane and Berbatov

 

[sim0n]

I have finally decided. We need to go out and get Eto'o and Huntelaar. That would be awesome. In their last 190 games combined they have scored a staggering 147 goals. That better then 3 goals in 4 games. Eto'o has scored an unbelieveable 77 goals in 108 games for Barce whereas KJH ahs scored 147 in 190 games

Eto'o would cost no more then 23m and Huntelaar would cost no more then 19m. So we can get them both (if they want to come that is) for a combined fee of 42m max (making about a 5-10m profit on Keane and Berbatov

In that same light, berbatov and keano could go for about 50 mil. Bring in santa cruz (15 mil) and podolski (12 mil) for a total of about 27 mil. That leaves about 23 mil available for whatever ramos wants. Man city already had a bid of about 10-12 mil accepted by munich in last january's window. IMHO both of these players are available. There appears to be an exodus in the making at blackburn with their managerial change and podolski's situation in the munich squad hasn't changed with toni and klose in front of him.

There's always david villa who everyone loves since the euro champs, but is he really available to spurs? I'm a bit concerned with eto'o since his knee injury. Before I'm attacked here, eto'o would be a no brainer choice before the knee went - truly a world class striker with amazing pace. I know he's scored a lot since his return from injury, but would he pass a spurs medical? :razz:

Just to be clear, I don't want either of them to go, so they won't. Ole!! :beer: :hand:

 

[lifeof...]

I am still clinging to Berbs and Keane staying,

But if they both go, as someone else said we will need 2

for me Huntelaar plus 1...no idea who.

 

[bubble07]

I am still clinging to Berbs and Keane staying,

But if they both go, as someone else said we will need 2

for me Huntelaar plus 1...no idea who.

eto'o

 

[alamo]

David Villa and a rejuvenated Adriano........ mmmmmmmm

 

[lifeof...]

eto'o

If the qoutes about him not wanting to play for Spurs 11th and prefering to go to arse end of the footballing world, which i cannot be even remotly arsed to check the spelling, Its that kind of place, where you really dont care where it is...

then no, for me, he would not be my choice......And if he is going to play in that nameless, but credited as the arse end of the football world, league...he must have lost the plot completly

 

[yanno]

If Levy won't sell Keane then it was pretty stupid of him to publicly imply Keane is now a negative influence and wants out - I'm afraid his gone

I agree. In fact, Levy went even further in stating:

"However, when a player's head is turned and their commitment is absent, particularly when they occupy key positions such as that of striker, they become a negative influence in a team dressing room in which they were once a positive addition and influence. This is the situation we now have on our hands, with both Dimitar and Robbie having made it clear that they wish to leave for Manchester Utd and Liverpool respectively."

If our Vice-Captain, Keane, is really being a "negative influence" on squad morale then he has to go. And, realistically, that means to Liverpool because no other club will pay £20 million for him.

If Keane is stinking out our pre-season training camp, then get him out asap and spend the £20 million on Arshavin or someone of that class.

If, however, Keane is prepared to apologize and return to being a senior professional and dressing room leader, then Levy & Ramos would have some serious thinking to do.

 

[mil1lion]

I was thinking that if we do replace Keano and stick with two up top then i think either Nihat or Saviola would be great alongside a big target man like Huntelaar. Or we could upset Sevilla even more and meet the buyout clause of Fabiano. But i get the feeling that Ramos will get someone who might have us a little underwhelmed at first, but more suited to our style of play. Dont forget that Fabiano, Kersakhov and Kanoute scored goals for fun under Ramos. They're hardly big name players are they?

I wonder if it will be a good thing for us to not have any superstar players in the side now. Just a squad of young hungry players with passion for the shirt. Plus several experienced pros like Gomes, Woodgate and King. The team spirit could go through the roof. Not to mention that the pressure will be off us now. Last season everyone was talking about the top 4 and we finished 11th. This season will have doubts, and we'll finish in the top 4.

 

[Bingy]

What worries me most is not whether Berbs and Keano stay, that is not the point. We, THFC are being treated as if we are an up and coming Championship team, there for the amusement and pillage of our more suitable competitors. We look as if we are heading back to an all English front 2 which will keep us where the Top 4 want us....in middle England and in no man's land....again.
Just like the happy marriage, that we once enjoyed, we are now entering the break up stages when all kinds of SH1T and Tat will be exchanged...and we may have a partial reconciliation (Keano more than the SLUT Berbatov lol). However, the damage has already been done....we are showing ourselves to be a training ground for the lords of the CL teams.....and that is a shame. We need to have CL qualification in 08/09, nothing less, but I would prefer to have the 'old guard' on hand for 1 more glorious season....then, when their contracts are worn out, we can 'pass' them on to the 2 teams below us (Pool and Scum?).
We are in a serious SLUMP, potentially speaking, and I do not know where we are going to end up. Shades of self foot shooting are reappearing (a-la-W.Spam 07).
I am having doubts that my THFC are not quite capable of 'holding their own'.....and that isa first in 44 years....SERIOUS days indeed. COYS (if you still have the heart)

 

[indy]

30 years after signing a couple of argies i htink it's about time we signed another...


Fernando Cavenaghi is the answer!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tippspur59]

whatever Ramos does, i trust him. Ramos is bigger than berbatov and keane put together!

If he was they would be staying.

 

[tippspur59]

The thing is if bale has a great season it will be him off to man ure next summer, and if modric plays well he will prob head off to Chelsea or some other team. we're at nothing as a club if this keeps up. i'm feeling sick in my stomach over all this.:bang::bang::bang:

 

[lukespurs7]

So now that we know where we stand, its time to look forward. Keane and Berbatov want out, and i for one never want a player in our shirt, who doesn't want to be here. No matter how good they are. Theres no doubting the quality of these two players, but we built the team for them. Open attacking football with plenty of chances falling for both of them. For all the quality the two had, one thing was missing, an out and out striker/predator.

If we hadn't been so gung-ho in attack at times, would they have scored anything like the number of goals they got? For all the quality they possess, did they really kill teams off when we were 1-0 up. As great as they were together, i cant help but feel that we still missed the killer instincts up front.

We will be uber rich from the sale of these two. Personally, i think its the perfect time to change the formation. It was mentioned recently that we could go with the 4-2-3-1 formation. The more i thought about it, the more i think its the best way forward. Take Giovani. He can play on the wings, but we will only get the best from him as a number 10 (coincidently Keanos number) in the middle.

So now would be a good time to get a left winger. I have a good feeling that we can pull off the Capel transfer. We've been linked for a long time now, we had a bid rejected and the player has still not ruled out a move. He's the kind of young exciting winger that we've been crying out for. Very quick, skillful, great crosser, great tenacity and he can become a frequent goalscorer.

Right wing isn't as important, but we're clearly looking to sign Bentley. I really like him myself and i think he would be a great addition to the team. He offers something totally different to Lennon, and both he and Lennon will suit different types of opposition. Bentley has more goals in him at the moment though. We'll need that with 1 striker.

Up front we need someone quick and powerful. I know Bent is capable of playing this role, but we'll need someone else aswell. I'm sure we'll try to sign a top class player. David Villa is a slight possibility. He looks likely to stay at Valencia at the moment, but with cash to burn, we could launch a high bid. He wont be playing in the Champions League at the moment with Valencia either, so we might stand a chance. Then theres Eto'o. Nobody has put up the money yet. This could be our chance to have one more attempt. He would be best suited to the formation, as he plays there for Barcelona. Maybe the most realistic would be Huntelaar. He's still young (similar age to Berbatov when he joined) and there still seems to be a lack of offers for him. People will doubt him to step up to the Premier League, but when you watch the goals he scores, it really doesn't matter who the opposition are. Most of them are unstoppable.

As long as we get a top quality midfielder alongside Modric, i think the formation will work. I have to say that we have the best manager for the situation. Juande Ramos had the same problem at Sevilla. What he did so well though was build a team. On paper they didn't look great, but together they played some of the most attractive football in Europe. They won trophies and qualified for the Champions League. Now i know the top 4 will be tougher in England, but i'm still very optimistic about the future. I even think that we can build a better team through the sale of these two, and get a predator up front aswell. All in all, i think we'll succeed.

So what does everyone think we should do with the money. We're going to have to act quick. Do we sign a new strikeforce, rely on Bent and 1 new striker or change formation?

good analysis,kind of positive insight to the situation.

But what would the team you suggest look like? something like:
GK
RB CB CB LB

Zokora Modric
Bentley Dos Santos Capel

Eto'o

This sort of team would be awsome but when you said about dos santos in the n.o10 position i then thought hmm so modric would play as a kind of holding creative player like in my formation above when surely he should be our n.o10 dos santos on the left wing and another DM next to zok.

what do you think? If that is the case as long as we got a top class DM,1 top class winger if not 2 and a new quality striker we could well benefit from this.

 

[milkman]

aguero

Why don't we just sign Robinho then, stupid! :duh:

 

[18Klinsmann]

Too depressed to think of anyone:shrug:
If they really go where it says they want to go we can never take ourselves seriously as candidates to anything else than minor achievements. They simply must be kept or sent elsewhere, nevermind for less money.

 

[mil1lion]

good analysis,kind of positive insight to the situation.

But what would the team you suggest look like? something like:
GK
RB CB CB LB

Zokora Modric
Bentley Dos Santos Capel

Eto'o

This sort of team would be awsome but when you said about dos santos in the n.o10 position i then thought hmm so modric would play as a kind of holding creative player like in my formation above when surely he should be our n.o10 dos santos on the left wing and another DM next to zok.

what do you think? If that is the case as long as we got a top class DM,1 top class winger if not 2 and a new quality striker we could well benefit from this.

Something like that. We have good options with players like Giovani and Modric thanks to their versatility. I really like Modric in the role he played for Croatia. He played pretty deep at times and pulled all the strings, but with a defensive midfielder alongside him, he would have a bit of freedom to get forward. If i had it my way i'd like to see us with....

.............................Gomes................ ........
Hutton.........Woodgate.......King..........Bale
....................Modric.........Albelda........ ......
Bentley..................Giovani................Ca pel
...............................Villa.............. ............

Viviano, Guntar, Dawson, Diaz, Ekotto, Gilberto, Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Huddlestone, O'Hara, Taarabt, Kuyt, Bent.

I put Kuyt in as i'd be happy with £8m and Kuyt for Keane. He would effectively step in for Giovani for certain games, or depending on form. He'd bring some much needed graft for tough away games especially. Plus he's experienced in the Premier League.

Its a 25 man squad not including the youngsters like Rose, dervite, Achibald-Henville and Pekhart who could all play a role at some point. We would effectively have 2 players for each position covered aswell. Its a completely new midfield and attack though, so from the start of the season we might like to start with Jenas in for Giovani, Zokora in for albelda (lack of games lately) and possibly Gilberto in for Capel (or stick Bale in LM and Gilberto LB.) But ultimately working towards that team.​

 

[llamafarmer]

No matter how good they are. Theres no doubting the quality of these two players, but we built the team for them. Open attacking football with plenty of chances falling for both of them. For all the quality the two had, one thing was missing, an out and out striker/predator.

If we hadn't been so gung-ho in attack at times, would they have scored anything like the number of goals they got? For all the quality they possess, did they really kill teams off when we were 1-0 up. As great as they were together, i cant help but feel that we still missed the killer instincts up front

Not sure I agree with you there mate. We relied on them for the vast majority of our goals and created relatively little from midfield for the last couple of seasons. Berba in particular was our main creator and Keane was a great foil for him. I would love to have seen them both with the vastly improved service we can expect next season from Modric, Dos Santos and hopefully a fit Bale and a shiny new Bentley.

I still don't think Liverpool have the funds for Barry and Keane, even if they sell Alonso. I think they'll sign Barry but there's no way in hell Levy will let Keane go to Liverpool now even if they magically find the money. I have a feeling it will be Bent + Keane up top next year.

I was away all weekend, so it was a shock to catch up with all this last night, but I already kind of hope we get them both sold for good money quickly and move on. I have a lot of faith in Ramos to build a team that is more than the sum of its parts, as he did in Seville and if Keane and Berba are a negative influence now I just don't want them around the other players - especially the new boys!

The Bent situation will be an interesting one, he's got to step up in training now and show he can lead the line and maybe Ramos will give him the responsibility.

 

[Kushal]

I know he might be crocked right now, but maybe we can put a cheeky bid in for Kenwyne Jones? He'd be a good target man and is awesome at holding up the ball and headers - what with Bentley (done months ago :wink and/or Capel providing crosses in the box.

With him and Bent, we can run havoc! (when he's fit)

 

[mil1lion]

Not sure I agree with you there mate. We relied on them for the vast majority of our goals and created relatively little from midfield for the last couple of seasons. Berba in particular was our main creator and Keane was a great foil for him. I would love to have seen them both with the vastly improved service we can expect next season from Modric, Dos Santos and hopefully a fit Bale and a shiny new Bentley.

Not denying that they were a key factor in most of our goals, but its the lack of service from midfield that is the key. Thats why the money we get from Berbatov and Keane can go a long way to bulding a quality midfield. I think a midfield with Capel, Bentley and Modric will create much more than last season, and for sure it would be great if we could keep both Berbatov and Keane to get on the end of everything. Yet the creative side of the Keane and Berbatov partnership will not be essential if we get players like these in.

For all the attacking our midfielders did last season, they didn't produce often enough. They didn't protect the back four enough either. Malbranque on the left caused a lot of problems aswell. So the midfield is so crucial this year. Yet, the sort of midfielders that we're looking for to improve on what we had last season, will cost big money. Which is why i think we can benefit from the sale of Berbatov and Keane, if we can sign the right midfielders.

Neither Keane or Berbatov are true out and out strikers, and although they play so well off each other, i still feel that we miss a predator up front. I think Ramos knows this too. We're crying out for an out and out striker, and clinical finisher. Whether Bent can be that player is a big question. A lot of people are suggesting he will be that man but it would be a big risk. He relies so much on confidence, and the pressure of replacing the likes of Keane and Berbatov could be too much.

Just to put a possitive spin on things

 

[remember91]

We'll get two players, one will be an unknown younger player, Commoli probably has a number on his books, and it is pointless to speculate on this player as very few of us have the knowledge of european leagues, which Commoli has at his disposal.

The second will be a BIG name. Levy will know that certain fickle sections of our brethren at the lane will (wrongly) blame him for Keane and Berbatov's departures, and to shut the boo boys up will get someone whom everyone will know. This is a bit easier as there are only a limited number of players whom fill this criteria and are likely to come to the club. Hear we go....

Villa
Huntelaar
Etoo
Van Nistelrooy
Arshavin (Not so much a striker, but would work well with Bent)
Podolski
Santa Cruz
Adriano (Wildcard, but if the club get desperate near the start of the season....)

Out of that group, 5 of those players were on display at the euros, Santa Cruz was the breakthrough player of last season, and Etoo and Adriano are big champions league players whom face an uncertain future. Being that this player is gonna be a big name, we're gonna have a lot of fun speculating. Any other ideas?