Gareth Bale

[mgreenz97]

I cant help think if he leaves Spurs it will be to replace Ronaldo at Madrid. I think Utd will look to get Ronaldo and Lewandowski to replace Nani and Rooney.

Why would they be looking to replace rooney?

 

[blueparrot]

He's incredibly effective and I'd definitely take him but much like Ronaldo his is a style I don't especially enjoy watching. Shoot from anywhere regardless of the options. For someone who's crossing used to be so good 1 assist is a piss take.

Yes but look at what he's got to cross to, the tiny Defoe or the hopeless Ade.

 

[without a dream]

He's incredibly effective and I'd definitely take him but much like Ronaldo his is a style I don't especially enjoy watching. Shoot from anywhere regardless of the options. For someone who's crossing used to be so good 1 assist is a piss take.

Yes but look at what he's got to cross to, the tiny Defoe or the hopeless Ade.

Was the same last year though and he got 10 assists

 

[Plain Speaking]

I cant help think if he leaves Spurs it will be to replace Ronaldo at Madrid. I think Utd will look to get Ronaldo and Lewandowski to replace Nani and Rooney.

Why would they be looking to replace rooney?

Rooney's getting less effective. They would get big money for him, (buy low - sell high!), plus they could get Lewandowski for bargain price, who they rate very highly.

 

[mgreenz97]

I cant help think if he leaves Spurs it will be to replace Ronaldo at Madrid. I think Utd will look to get Ronaldo and Lewandowski to replace Nani and Rooney.

Why would they be looking to replace rooney?

Rooney's getting less effective. They would get big money for him, (buy low - sell high!), plus they could get Lewandowski for bargain price, who they rate very highly.

They won't sell Rooney.
1 He wouldn't want to leave
2 What clubs would want him?

But I do agree that they'll probably sign or at least try to sign Lewandowski.

 

[Zin 'messiah' Zimmer]

You do know there is a difference between coming inside now and again to where there is a lot of space and playing in the hole for the whole game, linking up play in tight spaces don't you? No chance is his best position playing just off a striker.

Educate me Cloughie

What you fail to compute is that he's easily managed by top level defenders for the above, the whole reason he has success off the striker is because he executes the conventional number 10 role perfectly numb nuts, which is playing right across the forward line and also dropping deep, his natural position, just like tranny and where he'll end up at a top level club......

now go clean my boots!!!

<a class="postlink" href="http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11675/8478569/Andre-Villas-Boas-backs-Spurs-Gareth-Bale-to-play-in-same-position-as-Cristiano-Ronaldo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... no-Ronaldo</a>

have a bit of that as well Lucescu!!!!

Ronaldo plays just off a striker, yes. Just off the striker, on the left. Bale can do the same, playing just off the striker on the left. Through the middle as you suggested? No, he can't, it's not his best position anyway, nor is it Ronaldo's.

Numb nuts 1

I'm sick to death of people doing this with Bale. He plays well for 10 games, scores 8 or 9 and he's the best player in the world. After that he'll go quiet for a longer time and everyone forgets about him again.

I'd like to have him here at City, and I'm not doubting that he's a great player - but when people call him world class I cringe.

Numb nuts 2!!!

 

[decmancity]

Bale showed promise and some great games last year, and the year before, but this is his first and only season being at this level consistently

Last year he got 9 goals and 10 assists, this year its 15 goals 1 assist, he's scoring more but he's clearly assisting less.

He's scoring more but has he been involved in the scoring of less goals at the same point last season, I don't know. He scored less while shooting more last season, his shooting has certainly improved, he is an improved player this year.

Ronaldo/Messi have scored 3-4 times what Bale has this season, EVERY year for several years. Nani had one great season, but then went backwards, or should I say, back to what I think is his usual form.

He's VERY good right now, but best player in the league, no, one of the best around long term... look at every other player who had one great season.... FAR too early to say that, specifically at least 18 months too early for that.

He's not scared to shoot, he has awesome pace and huge power(when he chooses to not go over as if he were built like a 7 year old girl that is ), and this year he's shooting at the right moments and he's directing his power more, last year those shots got close to goal but he missed a crapload, this year there is definitely more technique and more control of his shooting.

Maybe more importantly, at the same time last season(f365 do it by date) Spurs had played 25 games, scored 49, conceded 25 and had 53 points while being in third. This year Spurs have played 27 games, scored 47 goals, conceded 32, and have 51 points, despite playing two games more.
Is the team focusing on Bale and him being in a free role helping him but hurting the team, because thats what happened last year when Bale moved into a free role?

Who have they played in the past 9 games, won 6 against Villa, Sunderland, REading, Newcastle, West ham and West Brom. West Brom had won 2 in their previous 11, none in their previous 5 games, most of them in terrible form and/or just crap.

With Bale in this form they still dropped points against QPR and Norwich, the other 6 games you'd expect points from if not all of them, Utd being pretty much the only team in that 9 games you wouldn't be disappointed not to take 3 points from.

9 of Bales 15 goals came in that run against 9 teams, mostly in terrible form, and Spurs have one of, if not the worst run ins of anyone in the league, Arsenal Liverpool, Swansea, Everton, Chelsea, City, Stoke(away) and a couple teams fighting for relegation.

One player can score 10 goals, evenly throughout the season, another might score against the same teams but by fluke those 10 games are almost all in a 1-2 month period and it can look like a player is doing vastly better, despite getting the same 10 goals against the same teams. Fixture lists are like that.

Its a tad unfair, he's scored some great goals, and some like LIverpool/Utd/West Brom were the difference between 3 points or not. But ultimately a player needs to be great throughout a whole season and beyond just one season to be a great player, a favourable fixture list and a great run over 2 months is not much more than that.... yet.

 

[davelyncooper]

If Bale gets sold this summer it will be for more money than Falcao or Cavani, I believe he is world class and preferable to either of them

 

[Sir Joe Aguero]

He's incredibly effective and I'd definitely take him but much like Ronaldo his is a style I don't especially enjoy watching. Shoot from anywhere regardless of the options. For someone who's crossing used to be so good 1 assist is a piss take.

Yes but look at what he's got to cross to, the tiny Defoe or the hopeless Ade.

Was the same last year though and he got 10 assists

So he obviously can and will assist. Personally, I'm a bit fed up of trying to walk the ball into the net. We need someone a bit selfish to have the guts to take a shot from distance. He's not lost the ability to cross or assist, but Spurs lost their two most creative players, so the system has changed and he's had to carry the team on his back. He's only 23, he'll improve all aspects of his game and will flourish being in a better team.

 

[MSP]

i'm just discussing the idea that he will cost alot of money, not if he is a world class player or not. Levy will ask for gazillion money.

We do need a player in the wide areas and i would be delighted if we got him, but i don't want to spend 50mil on one player.
that's what i ment.

He doesn't play in wide areas at all anymore. AVB did with him same Guardiola did with Messi at Barcelona - sent him more to center and gave him all the freedom he wants. Hence the amount of goals he scores.

I hope people had watched his game last night, he didn't come close to wide areas.

That's why I have doubts it would work at City if he'd wanted that role as he can't get it with Silva and Yaya operating in same area. As a winger - yes, but would he accept that after hitting the headlines in new role where he is main star, start and end of anything his team does? Not sure..