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Player Watch: Gareth Bale - Retires

faymantaray

Average-Sized Member
Apr 19, 2005
5,577
8,507
Even now I reckon there are a fair few PL forwards he'd be better than. Rondon springs to mind straight away.
He was such an awesome player.. him sticking around for the Bale/Modric/VDV era is one of the biggest ever Spurs ‘what-ifs’.
 

ultimateloner

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2004
4,609
2,264
2 of the best, personally I think Son, Kane and King all have claims to be considered alongside them.
Nope I disagree.
Kane yes, because he is a top top striker for a number of seasons and (IMO) has carried this team for some games. He is IMO the best English striker since Alan Shearer (and might even be better than him). He is a genuine CL-level player.
Son is a top player this and last season but can't remember him being as good as this before.
King is a no for me. If he wasn't injured so much then he could have shown more but on what's been done he's nowhere close. There are other CBs who are just as good and had shown more.
 

Cochise

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2019
4,907
12,749
I forgot about the 5 subs rule. All the same though, I think I'd only take him as the sixth, luxury forward. I'd much prefer us to find someone of genuine quality and fitness that can play regular 90 minute matches at a high level.
 

kremlyn

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2004
1,827
2,814
Nope I disagree.
Kane yes, because he is a top top striker for a number of seasons and (IMO) has carried this team for some games. He is IMO the best English striker since Alan Shearer (and might even be better than him). He is a genuine CL-level player.
Son is a top player this and last season but can't remember him being as good as this before.
King is a no for me. If he wasn't injured so much then he could have shown more but on what's been done he's nowhere close. There are other CBs who are just as good and had shown more.
It's difficult to judge when there are no trophies and he played with vastly inferior players but he was better than Terry and Ferdinand who were 2 of the best of all time.

Utterly magnificent.
 

ultimateloner

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2004
4,609
2,264
It's difficult to judge when there are no trophies and he played with vastly inferior players but he was better than Terry and Ferdinand who were 2 of the best of all time.

Utterly magnificent.
I disagree.
As you said; no trophies and vastly inferior players, because a better club than ours wouldn't take him on due to his injury record.
On his day he is a top center back but the other two (Terry + Ferdinand) play alot more games at a higher level so looking at it objectively, they are better.
Still King has been loyal to us and seems a good guy so I'm grateful we have had him; especially when he was the one spark in our otherwise below-average squad back in those days.
 

ultimateloner

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2004
4,609
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King was better than both
I think we can agree to disagree because I doubt I would change your mind.

But it is likely that your opinion will not be shared by most Spurs supporters, let alone non-Spur ones.

You are saying that King's better than:
1) Modric, a Ballon D'Or winner, in a Ronaldo/Messi era.
2) Bale, a world-record transfer, who has basically won everything you can win in club football.

King has:
1) Not played in CL
2) Played less than 30 games from 2006 season onwards.
3) Not an England regular.

I have special memories of King mainly because he was the stand-out player back when we were mid-table or worse. However if I were to be objective, I dont think King's even better than Toby. The Toby/Verthogen backline is widely recognized as the best of what we had since PL, and has performed at CL-level.
 

kremlyn

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2004
1,827
2,814
I think we can agree to disagree because I doubt I would change your mind.

But it is likely that your opinion will not be shared by most Spurs supporters, let alone non-Spur ones.

You are saying that King's better than:
1) Modric, a Ballon D'Or winner, in a Ronaldo/Messi era.
2) Bale, a world-record transfer, who has basically won everything you can win in club football.

King has:
1) Not played in CL
2) Played less than 30 games from 2006 season onwards.
3) Not an England regular.

I have special memories of King mainly because he was the stand-out player back when we were mid-table or worse. However if I were to be objective, I dont think King's even better than Toby. The Toby/Verthogen backline is widely recognized as the best of what we had since PL, and has performed at CL-level.
With the exception of canavaro defenders don't win awards. If King had played for United or Real at the time it's my earnest belief he would have been seen more widely as the outstanding cb of his generation.

It's a bit like Kane, he doesn't play for the big boys and isn't seen as better than his peers. But he flipping well is.

This is purely my opinion. I can't prove it but King was a quite spectacular talent. Even without being able to train he was head and shoulders above every other cb out there.

Henry rated him as the best he ever played against. That's the greatest gunner of all time and one of the worlds greatest strikers.

You won't change my mind but you did a good job of trying!
 

G Ron

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2012
2,042
7,677
I think we can agree to disagree because I doubt I would change your mind.

But it is likely that your opinion will not be shared by most Spurs supporters, let alone non-Spur ones.

You are saying that King's better than:
1) Modric, a Ballon D'Or winner, in a Ronaldo/Messi era.
2) Bale, a world-record transfer, who has basically won everything you can win in club football.

King has:
1) Not played in CL
2) Played less than 30 games from 2006 season onwards.
3) Not an England regular.

I have special memories of King mainly because he was the stand-out player back when we were mid-table or worse. However if I were to be objective, I dont think King's even better than Toby. The Toby/Verthogen backline is widely recognized as the best of what we had since PL, and has performed at CL-level.
Could not disagree more about your assessment of King. Only Romero comes close but he’s only done it for 6 months. If King hadn’t suffered with the chronic knee problems he would’ve been an England regular and better than Terry, Rio, Scumball etc. He really did have it all did Ledders - calmness, composure on the ball, two good fit, strength, pace, great reading of the game. He was a colossus.
 

ultimateloner

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2004
4,609
2,264
Could not disagree more about your assessment of King. Only Romero comes close but he’s only done it for 6 months. If King hadn’t suffered with the chronic knee problems he would’ve been an England regular and better than Terry, Rio, Scumball etc. He really did have it all did Ledders - calmness, composure on the ball, two good fit, strength, pace, great reading of the game. He was a colossus.

I think discussions around King is always going to be about 'what ifs'.
I dont disagree with what you said, namely that if he wasn't as injury prone he could have achieved more (and tbh, probably not with us because better clubs would have poached him).

Thats why i caveat my points with 'objectivity'; in other words, what him and the players he has been compared with had done.

Going along those lines, King/Terry etc have won more stuff and have played at a higher level for longer. This makes them better players in my view, despite what various eye-tests and conjectures may say otherwise.
 

CantSmileWithoutYou

Well-Endowed Member
May 20, 2015
3,891
15,530
Nope I disagree.
Kane yes, because he is a top top striker for a number of seasons and (IMO) has carried this team for some games. He is IMO the best English striker since Alan Shearer (and might even be better than him). He is a genuine CL-level player.
Son is a top player this and last season but can't remember him being as good as this before.
King is a no for me. If he wasn't injured so much then he could have shown more but on what's been done he's nowhere close. There are other CBs who are just as good and had shown more.
Genuine question. Are you under 18?
 
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