Dzeko / Bent article in Guardian

[Ric]

Bent's record in the Premiership is very impressive. People sneer, but you can't dispute his stats. Got a bad feeling he will score tomorrow, fingers crossed it won't happen.

 

[Catenaccio]

He won't score tomorrow I can guarantee that.

 

[johnmc]

You mean like dzeko was at Wolfsburg?

Bent has scored goals. Can't argue with his record. If Dzeko's record is as good as bents has been I'll be happy.

2008/09, Grafite 28 goals, Dzeko 26. When was the last time Bent had a strike partner who shared goals with him? Answer; it has never happened. Bent does not do strike partnerships, once he is no longer the focal point, he is nowhere near the player he should be. He's only leaving Sunderland because he's not the main man anymore, just like when he was at Spurs.

His international record also speaks volumes, Dzeko's is much better.

Fair enough. You could counter and say bent has proved he can score goals in the premier when dzeko hasn't. I maintain that if big Edins record is as good as bent in terms of goals scored I'll be happy with the return.

 

[Bigga]

What a pathetic, bandwagon jumping snidey sniper's article. No need to shoot down a Brit player who doesn't command the fees.

You want to snipe?

Do it to the clubs who sold and bought him.

 

[Catenaccio]

Premier League experience is overrated. The best strikers to ever play in this league all come here lacking PL experience and have been an instant hit. Henry, van Nistelrooy, Torres etc. If you're good enough, you're good enough, the goal does not move from country to country.

 

[johnmc]

Premier League experience is overrated. The best strikers to ever play in this league all come here lacking PL experience and have been an instant hit. Henry, van Nistelrooy, Torres etc. If you're good enough, you're good enough, the goal does not move from country to country.

Shevchenko. Forlan. Morientes. Etc

 

[Catenaccio]

Premier League experience is overrated. The best strikers to ever play in this league all come here lacking PL experience and have been an instant hit. Henry, van Nistelrooy, Torres etc. If you're good enough, you're good enough, the goal does not move from country to country.

Shevchenko. Forlan. Morientes. Etc

Lol, what exactly is that list there mate? Shevchenko and Morientes were well past their best when coming to the PL, I really don't know what you're trying to prove with those names there. I said the best strikers this league has ever seen have come to the PL and been a hit in their first season.

Henry - 31 apps, 17 goals.
RVN - 32 apps, 23 goals.
Torres - 33 apps, 24 goals.

Did PL experience bother the very best strikers this league has ever seen? No. As I said, if you're a good enough player you will do well in the league, no matter who you are.

 

[gooney]

He scores goals because he's always the spearhead of an average side, every attack ends with him because nobody else can be trusted. Villa is just another of these teams to add to the list. The only team that wasn't this way was Spurs, and look how that ended up. No big club has ever been in for him, and there's a reason for that, he's a decent striker at best.

In the last 5 years Rooney has 82 goals, Drogba 82 and bent 81 league goals. No matter how people try to bring bent down, you cant argue against those stats. When you add to the fact that he plays with worse players and dont get the same quality service, its very impressive. I would bet Bent has far better chance/goal ratio than both Drogba and Rooney as well, so he's more than decent.

Harry is being seen as this great manager and he's talking about winning the league, yet Bent who people says has had poor season has score more goals than Defeo/Keane/Crouch and Pavlychencko combined.

 

[Love_Each_Day]

I don't agree that Bent played best alongside Jones, they never really worked well together.
Also surprised to see on the squad sheets that we've had 5 red cards so far, didn't think it was that many.

 

[wanderer72]

With a smartly played and a well organised defense, Bent will be invisible on the pitch.

Note the "smartly" bit, I just hope Lescott is not starting today :) I generally don't have anything against the lad (on the contrary), but he's been rather poor lately, not that it has to mean anything.

I agree with most of Catenaccio's comments, Bent (as much as I have seen) needs to really be the main spear all the time in order to keep scoring, which is probably why he wasn't fitting 'Arry's style of play anymore -- not that he is a bad striker, not at all.

As per the comparison, it's a very, very bad joke. I know there will be knee-jerk "analysts" willing to parrot a "revelation" saying that Bent is a better overall striker than Dzeko in case the latter doesn't happen to score today and Bent does, but quality-wise these two players are playing in different leagues.

Feel free to dig this post out in 6-12 months and mock me all you want, but Dzeko is on his way of becoming another City legend. Just give him a bit of time and he will return the favour, and then some.