Dax777 said:I see your point but I don't think it will be an issue.depps said:Dax777 said:We only have 1 left back, so we were likely to sign another anyway. Whether the new signee benches Kolarov is up to Kolarov. I don't get it with you guys who are scared of competition. Let the lads compete. Maythe best man win. And City the overall winner for it.
The same argument was used about why we need to sign Vertonghen, "oh but Lescott has looked great the last 2 months" they say. My response, well if Lescott is that good, then he will keep Vertonghen on the bench. The argument of we shouldn't sign X because Y played well is obtuse. As it can apply to every position. We have AJ at RM so no need to sign a winger, or an AM as we have Yaya, or LM as we have Silva, or even DM as we have Barry and Milner can always take over. Same argument can be used for any position barring backup striker Jo.
So it is a weak argument. Let Kolarov beat out the competition. That is what good players do. Not hope the team doesn't buy anyone.
Just in case you haven't realised this, although I'm sure you probably have, big money signings don't like sitting on the bench. Two specialist left backs with big price tags may mean more competition but that can also mean difficulties in the dressing room that we just don't need.
BlueJill said:Lancet Fluke said:BlueJill said:Our defense allowed .87 goals per game last season (tied for first with Chelsea). Do you really think we had a left back that couldn't defend?
I think we defended well despite him rather than because of him, for the most part. Maybe if we had a better left back then we would have conceded 0.75 goals per game. I also thought he was a disappointment going forward too. Like I said, I'm not saying he can't improve and be a good player but if you're saying he played well last season then I am going to have to disagree, regardless of any goals against stats.
Not claiming he played great. But for a new player in a new league who had to overcome a serious injury right out of the gate, I think he did ok. Was he the best defender on the field? No. Did he make the best decisions with his shots? No (but that was one of the reasons he was brought in). He got up the field well (even if he wasn't as fast as some would like) and his left foot is one of the best in the world. He certainly did well enough to walk into training this year as our left back. I have no problem signing Cissokho or any other LB that Bobby rates. We HAVE to have two top quality players at every position to compete in the competitions we want to compete in. I am just tired of the buffoons on this board who have already written off Dzeko, Kola, and Boateng after watching them for less than one season. Has City really become so big that we have the luxury of jettisoning anyone that doesn't settle in by their second game?As to stats. They do matter because the represent facts. Richards, Toure, and until late in the season Lescott weren't setting the world ablaze with their defense. Clearly Hart, Vinny, and De jong deserve the bulk of the credit for the .87 but the other positions matter. Without decent support from the other defensive positions (including LB) we wouldn't have performed as well as we did.
Lancet Fluke said:depps said:Lancet Fluke said:Personally, it isn't about giving up on Kolarov necessarily. He might well come good, it would take a huge improvement imo and personally I'm not convinced he will but I admit that he might. The problem for us is, can we afford to go into the season just assuming that he is going to be twice as good as he was last season? What if he doesn't? I don't think spending money on a left back can be seen as a waste of money considering our current left back has barely had more than a couple of good matches for us. It just seems common sense to me.
I see what your saying but for me it seems just as likely that Cissokho will have trouble settling in in the same way as Kolarov has and add to that the fact that this will definitely unsettle Kolarov as well. If we were signing someone like Ashley Cole or Conetrao then I would be up for it but Cissokho and Baines just don't strike me as being vast or even guaranteed improvements on what we already have
I take your point on Cissokho settling in totally. He does look fast and strong though from the clips I have seen which is a better starting point for settling in than being as slow as AK. I don't particularly want us to sign Baines, I suspect we can do better but from the Everton matches I saw last season, he looked a ton better than Kolarov did for us, only imho of course. Don't forget Mancini moved Kolarov to midfield at one point last season with a right back playing behind him at left back. I took that to mean that he was fairly unimpressed with Kolarov's efforts at left back. He did improve after that but not enough to justify the left back spot in a team that wants to challenge for the title, again, imo.
Lancet Fluke said:It wasn't just two games, he was poor for most of the season. Anyway, I am not necessarily advocating getting rid of him but if we do sign another left back, it will be interesting to see how long Kolarov keeps his place for and whether Mancini thinks he did enough this season to walk into training next season as our left back. I am much more confident that Dzeko will improve and succeed with us than Kolarov. And we will never know about Boateng as he looks to be on his way.
Kolarov had 20 games at left back last season, Zaba 13 and all the other 7. So that is 40 games on the left. This will probably rise to 55 - 60 this season. Assuming kids will be given 5-10 that leaves 45 to 55 games to share between 2 players at the most. Injury rotation and the like will see the get 25/20 split or a 30/20 split if Cissohko proves to be distinctly superior. This assuming neither gets injured, which is unlikely.depps said:Dax777 said:I see your point but I don't think it will be an issue.depps said:Just in case you haven't realised this, although I'm sure you probably have, big money signings don't like sitting on the bench. Two specialist left backs with big price tags may mean more competition but that can also mean difficulties in the dressing room that we just don't need.
I'm quiet certain it will be an issue. Neither Kolarov or Cissokho will be happy to sit on the bench for the vast majority of the season. If Cissokho does sign and replaces Kolarov then he will probably be gone by xmass meaning we are still in the exact same situation as now. I admit that we need more cover at left back but a 15mil specialist left back is not what you sign for cover.
you heard anything on this keith? you being the forum foreign correspondant!!! lolKeith Moon said:Aly Aly Aly Oi Oi Oi..
richards30 said:you heard anything on this keith? you being the forum foreign correspondant!!! lolKeith Moon said:Aly Aly Aly Oi Oi Oi..
me too mate!! cheers anyway!Keith Moon said:richards30 said:you heard anything on this keith? you being the forum foreign correspondant!!! lolKeith Moon said:Aly Aly Aly Oi Oi Oi..
Nothing more then already reported.. But I cross my fingers that we will get this player.