A Bully

[GTJGWilding]

Basically what we need is an injury free Jack Rodwell.

If there were any chance of luring Arturo Vidal from Juventus though, he would sort us out in central midfield. He has De Jong's defensive menace and will get a decent number of goals and assists per season from deep midfield. Immense!

 

[Wretched Vengeance]

A young Paul Bosvelt

 

[1961_vintage]

I just think we are far too "nice". We need a menacing snide who won't allow the opposition to take liberties with our "preciouses" (eg Merlin) and would be equally happy giving some of our players a kick up the arse when they go hiding at places like Goodison. A Puyol, a Keane, a Souness - someone savvy enough not to end up getting carded. Does such a player exist?

 

[bada bing]

Like Nasri and Garcia ?

No, like Yaya, Zabba, Barry, Kompany, Sergio and Carlos.

The OP made mention of NDJ , So clearly he is talking about having a bully in the Midfield that means Zabba, Kompany, Sergio and Carlos are out of it and that leaves us with Yaya and Barry . Personally i don't see Barry as a bully in the Midfield , so that leaves us with only one bully - Yaya and that's not enough for the team.

You don't need to be a bully to be able to win the ball and pass it. NDJ could easily win the ball but wasn't a very good passer. The plebs have just won the league without having a ' bully ' in midfield.

 

[bobmcfc]

I'd have Nigel back today. He gave more than just what we saw on the pitch, backstage he was a key member of the the group and was important in social terms.

 

[LHarper]

Arturo Vidal. That is all.

Yes, sir.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Just to be clear this isn't a moan and not really anything to with todays game (although inspired by it). It seems to me that the thing we miss most as a team is the type of player that is going to bully the opposition and put a few big tackles to spark a bit of fear into them. NDJ was capable of this but to be honest I think we're missing a player with a real nasty streak (e.g. Andy Morrison).


Thoughts?

Have a look at our possession figures and check them against the fouls conceded. Any nasty character wouldn't last the full ninety with the way refs look at our tackles compared to other team's challenges!

 

[adrianr]

We need someone better than Barry and better than De Jong. Barry is better than De Jong for the role we want him to play in midfield, he's a huge reason we were so good domestically last season.

Unfortunately this season for me has been the one season too many for Barry as a starter. I'd really like him to stick around, he would be perfect to bring on when seeing out a game, but to upgrade that position could really revolutionise the side. I'd be throwing 40m at Juventus for Vidal before throwing that much at Napoli for Cavani.

 

[LHarper]

We need someone better than Barry and better than De Jong. Barry is better than De Jong for the role we want him to play in midfield, he's a huge reason we were so good domestically last season.

Unfortunately this season for me has been the one season too many for Barry as a starter. I'd really like him to stick around, he would be perfect to bring on when seeing out a game, but to upgrade that position could really revolutionise the side. I'd be throwing 40m at Juventus for Vidal before throwing that much at Napoli for Cavani.

Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk or Blaise Matuidi from PSG would also be cheaper alternatives to Vidal.

 

[adrianr]

We need someone better than Barry and better than De Jong. Barry is better than De Jong for the role we want him to play in midfield, he's a huge reason we were so good domestically last season.

Unfortunately this season for me has been the one season too many for Barry as a starter. I'd really like him to stick around, he would be perfect to bring on when seeing out a game, but to upgrade that position could really revolutionise the side. I'd be throwing 40m at Juventus for Vidal before throwing that much at Napoli for Cavani.

Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk or Blaise Matuidi from PSG would also be cheaper alternatives to Vidal.

Don't know anything about the latter but the former would be a good shout also. He seems to be mentioned a lot but no idea if there is any genuine interest in him.

To be honest this whole 4-3-3 thing is really tipping our squad on it's head. We've just not been built for it.