Out-and-out poachers like Defoe, Pav and Huntelaar are anachronistic hangovers from the 80s and 90s IMO.
This.
This.
AND THIS:grin:
Well, yeah...but some of us try to look at the bigger picture.
Here are three elements that go into my analysis:
1) We really need a top No.9, really, badly...not just for himself, but to bring out the best in several of our other players;
2) Jermaine Defoe is still relatively young and just coming into his best years (according to the traditional way of reckoning things). There is still room for improvement, as demonstrated last year by the way he developed his upper body strength. We should expect that to be even more noticeable this season and beyond. IMHO he was pretty good until his injury. He was then injured. He was then rushed back to soon. So, I am not reading too much into his second half of season form. For the record, I am not one of those who worships JD by any means. I actually felt that the club were right to sell him, previously (for reasons given at the time), and while I am happy, this season, to wait and see how his upper body strength work brings him on for a second season, I certainly believe that unless he does improve another :shrug: 5 - 10% (through experince, upper body strength, etc), he is not top top quality. So, please, don't just categorize everyone who coupld potentially disagree with you as devotees of JD...it's just lazy;
3) As said at the end of the season, we really need to keep this squad together, and so don't need too many players - 3, including a Goalie (or at most, 4), is, IMHO, ideal. One of them has to be a number 9, again, IMHO. That doesn't leave much room,and there are other areas where improvements can be make and are needed more urgently that attack, especially as, for the reasons given in 2, above, JD may well improve. Some of us remember the years of wholesale disruptions to the squad and don't want to see them repeated, and we especially don't need a completely new strikeforce.
David Villa and Eto'o both fall into this category surely, and i'd take either of them
David Villa and Eto'o both fall into this category surely, and i'd take either of them
Defoe is nearly 28 and for someone who relies heavily on his acceleration (not pace), I think, like Owen and Linekar before him, he's probably only got 2 years left at the top.
I admit there aren't many about at the highest level now. But the few that stand out for me over the years are Nistelrooy and Inzaghi. They don't offer much to overall build up, but they come to life in and around the box. They'd both score goals for fun with us (in their prime).Out-and-out poachers like Defoe, Pav and Huntelaar are anachronistic hangovers from the 80s and 90s IMO.
apparently west ham bid for Klose
now i can't believe klose would come to either of our clubs - but for sure klose would be great for us and allow us to play 4-5-1