So who’s going part 2
by Ian Salisbury
OK, very interesting so far, let me work through the squad.
Lucas Neill, I thought that when we signed him he settled us done big time at the back, but if BG wants to cut wages he could be under threat.
Anton Ferdinand, is a good player but is never going to be a Rio, he is very prone to make a mistake at the wrong time, but is complimented by Matthew Upson, who I am sorry to say is not England class, he too often gets the wrong side of opponents, just think of the number of times in this season when the pair of them have been chasing an opposing forward bearing down on goal. We need someone of stature to talk the back line through and let one of them go.
George McCartney for me has got better and better, and it would be a shame to lose him. His future will be very much guided by what the board are going to do with the ‘transfer pot’ if they show a lack of ambition we could well cash in on him with Nicky Shorey coming in to replace him. Julien Faubert we have to give more time, I know he’s been injured but I haven’t found him particularly inspirational when he has played, I was expecting someone who would dominate the opposing left back, and that hasn’t happened. Lee Bowyer is one to go. I like Lee he’s got a big heart, but he’s no longer premiership standard. Personally I like Hayden Mullins, the position he plays rarely attracts the plaudits, but he is honest and puts in a lot of effort. I have lot of time for Scottie Parker, he should be able to run our midfield along with Mark Noble, but they need to be given the freedom to work ‘box to box’ as a pair. Matthew Etherington I felt would be ‘out of is depth’ in the premiership, but at times has been good, but now seems to be unable to have the impact that he had previously. In all honesty we need wide players that can open up defences for us, watch the transfer market. You have to ask yourself regarding Freddie Lundberg why Arsenal didn’t work harder to keep him, and I think looking at his displays, he rarely has the same sparkle. We can get sentimental at this point and say he could come good, but we are competing in the same league as Arsenal, do we always want their ‘cast offs’ or do we really have no ambition. LBM can at times be amazing, but there’s no end product to the great runs he sometimes makes, the question so many have raised is who would buy him, any of the newly promoted sides might take a chance.
We have to be patient with Craig Bellamy, I like him, players with his pace are a nightmare to defend against, and if he can get fit, he should prove a good acquisition. Carlton Cole is a big lad who tries hard but completely lacks the positional sense to be in the spots that would lead to a clear goal scoring opportunity, whereas Dean Ashton has that natural knack, we must keep him at all costs. Freddie Sears and James Tomkins are still young and must be nurture, we cannot go into the next season with the idea that they will make a major impact, I am very much of the school that says play them for several games and then rest them, they need to adjust to the pace slowly. We know that Nigel Quashie will go, a shame that he was such a good player at QPR. Nobby Solano I suppose will go, we got him a couple of seasons too late, another great player. Daniel Gabbidon will go to WBA I hear, and James Collins may also go to another newly promoted side, at times he could be quite good but was generally out of his class. That leaves Bobby Zamora, in my opinion he has never been premiership class, a hard worker, a real trier who has scored some good goals, but if you’re predictable in the premiership you soon get picked off, look at the impact that Leroy Lita made at Reading last year, and this year has hardly got in, you need to be adaptable and innovative. Opponents spend a lot of time analysing who they will be playing over the next few games, and that includes movement, pace, awareness etc; with the amount of money at stake would you expect anything else?
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May 11th, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Bit harsh on Ethers. I think he’s been good… when fit.
Agree 100% about Mullins.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:35 AM
I think your analysis of the players in question is both agreeable and realistic, Ian, except for Julien Faubert who I agree has not featured enough but from the little I have seen of him I am sure that Curbs has bought one of the best right sided players in the game and one of our few real class acts- I am hoping to see this next season!
May 12th, 2008 at 5:46 AM
well said except for Faubert, who I believe needs more time to fly or flop. I think with our main
lads on the pitch, he will excel. The other would
be bobby Zamora. Your not the first person I’ve heard to dismiss him as a poser in the EPL.But
if you look at our great escape last season, it
was bobby that anchored our flight not Carlito.
Just look at the goals and when they came.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:05 PM
bit harsh on Upton, Etherington, and Zamora. Those three run their guts out.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:39 PM
Rob, no offence mate, but a bit more than Thats harsh and a good reason why you think like you do would give us reason to see your point of view!
May 13th, 2008 at 5:59 PM
Sorry but this is just a bunch of banal opinions with no real insight - anyone who’s seen us a few times this year could have written it. I also don’t agree with more than half - Mullins is crap and we’ve played much better since he hasn’t been starting (he came back in for the Man U and look what happened…). Also the comments re Collins are nonsense - he’s been great for us most times he’s played, however he’s never had a real run in the team so to dismiss him so blithely is unjustified. Also, Ljungberg may not be at his very best but he has done enough to justify his place and often was the only player making an effort. I could go on…more insight please, you need to earn the mantle of STAR writer.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Thanks Da Don, let me answer your comments, if you consider that our 1st choice central midfield pairing will be Parker and Noble, it is unlikely that Mullins will start, however because it’s a team game, there will be times when he will be called upon to play. I feel that he is unlikely to let us down, however you will know as well as I do that a player needs match practice to be on top of his game and playing for the reserves doesn’t supply it, therefore when he is ‘in and out’ it will take him along with any other player to adjust to the pace. Collins I would agree has done well at times, he did particularly well against Nicholas Anelka last season, but his strength is predominantly in the air, he is not the greatest player ‘on the deck’, and if we are looking to move forward we need players of a better quality to be able to come in and perform. You will see that I recommend that we do not continue with the Upson/Ferdinand pairing, this is because at times they are all over the place, we need a more high profile player to play there along side either one. My suggestion to let Anton go was based on the supposed Tottenham interest which would give us some additional money for purchases. Lundberg is by no means the player he was at Arsenal, he still has vision, you don’t lose that, but he is not as threateningly mobile and is becoming increasingly injury prone, he is on a massive salary, and despite AC’s denials he will have to trim the wage bill, I can still see him going, or being a very expensive onlooker. Thanks again for your comments, I will try harder to justify the plaudits.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:49 AM
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