Gareth Bale is...The most expensive player ever?!

Ash_G said:
Re your Rooney point I think that's why he likes playing with Valencia so much, regardless of how well he's playing Valencia stretches the pitch, which will make room for the likes of Rooney.

Bale and Nani together would be awesome, Bale is a step up from Valencia and Nani provides the other type of approach with his ability to go inside or outside on either flank and they'd balance each other really well. Shame we couldn't get them, kagawa, roo and rvp on the pitch at the same time in attacking roles, that would probably make us even more potent than bringing in another striker like lewandowski.

But like I've said before, particularly if Nani is staying I wouldn't see the value in splashing out the kind of cash we'd seemingly have to, to get Bale unless we could work some sort of swap deal for a valencia or young plus cash. Otherwise I'd rather re concentrate on other areas of the team as although our wingers aren't in form atm we know they are still quality when they get going.
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Yeah that would be my preferred two, just the perfect mix of width and central threat, whilst still creating the space for Rooney in attacking midfield. I think Valencia and Bale would work though, but I know you are less keen.

I guess the danger would be that we would be predictable as both are fairly conventional, but on the other hand Bale has over the last year started to really mix up his game with his runs inside so he could offer a similar threat that Nani did. Why do you not think it will work Ash?
 
Theon said:
Yeah that would be my preferred two, just the perfect mix of width and central threat, whilst still creating the space for Rooney in attacking midfield. I think Valencia and Bale would work though, but I know you are less keen.

I guess the danger would be that we would be predictable as both are fairly conventional, but on the other hand Bale has over the last year started to really mix up his game with his runs inside so he could offer a similar threat that Nani did. Why do you not think it will work Ash?
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It's not that I don't think it would work, both are two good for it not to work I was more stating that if we were to get Bale I'd prefer him as a Valencia/Young replacement where as if Nani were to go I'd more prefer someone of his mould, I think his ability to beat someone without using raw power in the Bale/Valencia mould, and ability with both feet is a real asset, few players can do this well and having someone who can do this adds an extra dimension to the team. Although he's off form, when on form Valencia is not far off Bale, though Bale is clearly a great goalscorer.

If Nani were to go and Bale came in I'd still be very excited but I'm not sure how well balanced a Bale/Valencia partnership would be, particularly as Valencia isn't going to swap sides to allow Bale to mix it up as much. But like I said i'd still expect them to do well together.
 
Brwned said:
:wenger:

Ronaldo regularly got criticised for diving while he was here, Ashley Young gets slaughtered for diving, Rooney is routinely slammed for diving...yet somehow because people are criticising an opposition player rather than our own they're being holier than thou? I think you're a little confused.



While I agree Bale is unfairly targeted and Defoe's dive was worse than anything I've seen from Bale, you're talking absolute nonsense here. Or you need your ears tested. Niall Quinn pointed out that it was poor form by Defoe and seconds later when Defoe next got the ball there was a huge chorus of boos from the entire stadium.
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What? I didn't say that no-one talked about Defoe's dive. I said that as we move on from the match, all the talk will be about Bale's dive (aka leg on leg contact) and not Defoe's, whose dive will quickly e forgotten (as indeed it seemed to be by the ref). And Bale was booed immediately after and indeed every time he touched the ball from his 'dive' and when he was taken off. Unless I had a stroke as it was happening, I didn't hear boos as Defoe was coming off the pitch.
 
You haven't made it as a winger until you are accused of being a diver. It's all part of the development. It starts around the point where you become a target and you need to learn to ride challenges. Bale will be better for proper guidance received by players who went through a similar spell. I'm not sure if he will get that at Spurs.
 
The best player in the premiership according to that clown Aldridge on Goals on Sunday
 
JakeC said:
The best player in the premiership according to that scouse clown on Goals on Sunday
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Hansen said he's the best pacey player in the premier league by "a mile".

Probably true if you compare him to the likes of Lennon, Agbonlahor and Walcott.
 
Sandikan said:
Hansen said he's the best pacey player in the premier league by "a mile".

Probably true if you compare him to the likes of Lennon, Agbonlahor and Walcott.
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There are a lot of very quick players in the premiership, players like Nani, Rooney, Valencia, Hernandez and that's only from us, but they don't get called 'pacey' because there is more to their game, as is the same with Bale more so than Lennon, Walcott, and Agbonlahor. He's a very good player, that's it.
 
KingEric7 said:
Agree that Bale would be an excellent addition to this team, despite the talk of his diving. Really think he's a potentially fantastic talent and that he's got it in him to properly take it up a few notches. It was a different story when Valencia and Nani were on form/alive, but we are looking quite weak on the wings at the moment in contrast to previous years.

Must admit though, I really don't like him at all! Not that Gareth Bale, Fergie or anyone would give two shites about that, but there's something about him I find really irritating.
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He seems to be getting peed off with the yellow cards, so things might improve. I felt yesterday's fall was a dive. We're now so inured from pansy-assed players falling like leaves when a gentle breeze touches them, that any contact is no grounds for falling. Diving now appears to be only where there is no contact?

Look at Walcott's third goal...still went on after being felled. Granted, if it was the 90th minute and the Arse were losing, he may well have stayed down, but he did get back up yesterday.

Personally, I think soccer reached it's peak in the late 90s/early noughties. The best tournaments and the best mix of power-football mixed with skill. Now, the game has gone too soft and is harder to watch the cnuts falling down every few minutes.
 
Theon said:
Good stuff in that first paragraph, I agree with your analysis just disagree on what you have drawn from it.
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:lol: The only reason I said stick with Nani is because it's 'better the devil you know'. It's close between them really- Bale would be better in a RVP, Rooney, Bale, Carrick, (midfielder), Valencia line up- if we're continuing to play 'get it wide, get it in' he's your man. I think our side is evolving more towards touch football with a mix of through balls and crosses but more focus on through balls, looking at the younger members of the squad.
 
Drainy said:
:lol: The only reason I said stick with Nani is because it's 'better the devil you know'. It's close between them really- Bale would be better in a RVP, Rooney, Bale, Carrick, (midfielder), Valencia line up- if we're continuing to play 'get it wide, get it in' he's your man. I think our side is evolving more towards touch football with a mix of through balls and crosses but more focus on through balls, looking at the younger members of the squad.
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I think the players we have suit the type of football you are suggesting, but the system we use just is not conducive to that style.

2 wingers and 2 in the middle leaves far too much room between players for short, sharp pass and move. We don't even really see our wide men ever swap sides, because they are all right footers. We really lack a left footed player in my view.

Bale and Young/Nani, are all capable of playing in more central areas. Which would mean they could be swapped, even occasionally from their preferred sides, which would see them come inside more to give us extra bodies in the middle. Atm our system seems a little too rigid at times because of the emphasis upon wide men, to enable more interchangeability and freedom in our movement, and add some more unpredictability to our passing.
 
JakeC said:
There are a lot of very quick players in the premiership, players like Nani, Rooney, Valencia, Hernandez and that's only from us, but they don't get called 'pacey' because there is more to their game, as is the same with Bale more so than Lennon, Walcott, and Agbonlahor. He's a very good player, that's it.
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This is where it becomes difficult to categorize how good a player is. Is he only very good because he is not as good as Ronaldo? It always strikes me as strange that our wingers are considered the best in the league by some, when on the whole they are far less consistent, or not as varied in what they regularly offer as Bale. Yet he is not considered an upgrade.

For me Bale is as dangerous a player as there is about in that type, bar Messi. No he isn't as good as Ronaldo in every department, but his running with the ball, and his ability to change games on his own, is what separates him from most other similar types of players.
 
apotheosis said:
This is where it becomes difficult to categorize how good a player is. Is he only very good because he is not as good as Ronaldo? It always strikes me as strange that our wingers are considered the best in the league by some, when on the whole they are far less consistent, or not as varied in what they regularly offer as Bale. Yet he is not considered an upgrade.

For me Bale is as dangerous a player as there is about in that type, bar Messi. No he isn't as good as Ronaldo in every department, but his running with the ball, and his ability to change games on his own, is what separates him from most other similar types of players.
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Well said. Bale is developing rapidly to the point where he is becoming hugely effective all across the forward line. He is a very clever player aswell, uses space to his advantage and his acceleration and pace is just a joy to watch. If Ferguson is looking for more pace, guile and variation in his United team then this guy would be a must. He's clearly better and more effective than Valencia & Young now never mind in 2-3 years.

He would be a massive hit at Old Trafford. He's the type of player this club pays big money for.
 
Just because he moves across the front three a bit doesn't mean he would suit the Cleverley-Anderson-Kagawa-Rooney passing football we're moving towards. He's too much of a runner, and not a good enough short passer. He'd suit the sort of football we're moving away from, the sort which we peaked with in 2008 with Ronaldo. Which is no surprise, given how much like Ronaldo his style of football is.

That bombing-forward he does works well for Spurs at the moment because they don't dominate possession or territory, and he often gets the ball with space behind the opposition to run into. But when we're playing well, we tend to have most of the opposition penned into their own area. He doesn't have the guile or tiki taka to unpick that sort of defence.

He's brilliant at the moment, so of course he'd do well for us. He's better than Young, these days, at any kind of football. But he's not the right player for the system which we're growing into.
 
He's certainly not just a player that bombs down the wing anymore. He's developing into a far more complete player than the player of two or so seasons ago.
 
what a mug. Someone bump the Walcott thread, his stats have been more impressive that Bale's, he's due to be linked with Real Madrid soon
 
It's an odd thing, in a sport heavily based on physicality, pace has become a bit of a dirty word. With it comes the added description of one trick pony.

The trend is to prefer attackers like Silva or Mata, but it's nothing more than a snobbish fashion.

Comsmit says it perfectly above, his style of play is the most exhilarating in football, I don't care if Mata or Silva are technically better, I want to see a guy who can blast past other athletes and smack it on from 25 yards.
 
MrMojo said:
It's an odd thing, in a sport heavily based on physicality, pace has become a bit of a dirty word. With it comes the added description of one trick pony.

The trend is to prefer attackers like Silva or Mata, but it's nothing more than a snobbish fashion.

Comsmit says it perfectly above, his style of play is the most exhilarating in football, I don't care if Mata or Silva are technically better, I want to see a guy who can blast past other athletes and smack it on from 25 yards.
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not for me.

Gimme someone who can beat a man with control, feints and trickery over a man who kicks the ball and runs any day.

Different tastes I guess.
 
MrMojo said:
It's an odd thing, in a sport heavily based on physicality, pace has become a bit of a dirty word. With it comes the added description of one trick pony.

The trend is to prefer attackers like Silva or Mata, but it's nothing more than a snobbish fashion.

Comsmit says it perfectly above, his style of play is the most exhilarating in football, I don't care if Mata or Silva are technically better, I want to see a guy who can blast past other athletes and smack it on from 25 yards.
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Pace and physicality may play a large part in football, but so does ability on the ball as well, and players like Mata and Silva are far better than Bale in that department.

Pace isn't what gets you labelled as a one trick pony; it's when you only have pace. Take Ronaldo for example. He's incredibly fast, yet no one would ever label him a one trick pony because of how good he is in other regards.

For the record, I don't see Bale as a one trick pony either and he is quite good on the ball, but I don't agree that it's snobbish to prefer technically better players at all. It can't be snobbish when you see Spain and Barcelona triumphing with these players. That's no coincidence. It's because technique will generally triumph over pace.
 
Cheesy said:
Pace and physicality may play a large part in football, but so does ability on the ball as well, and players like Mata and Silva are far better than Bale in that department.

Pace isn't what gets you labelled as a one trick pony; it's when you only have pace. Take Ronaldo for example. He's incredibly fast, yet no one would ever label him a one trick pony because of how good he is in other regards.

For the record, I don't see Bale as a one trick pony either and he is quite good on the ball, but I don't agree that it's snobbish to prefer technically better players at all. It can't be snobbish when you see Spain and Barcelona triumphing with these players. That's no coincidence. It's because technique will generally triumph over pace.
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You must have seen Bale labelled as a one trick pony though? He obviously isn't but that's what a fast and strong player faces, their assets have become a little too obvious and vulgar for some. Some fans consider themselves conoisseurs and as such like to believe that only certain types of payers are worthy.

I prefer watching a player who can rinse other highly trained athletes but I can still fully appreciate a player like Silva, I'm not sure others can do the same in reverse. Look at this tripe below.

Brightonian said:
Just because he moves across the front three a bit doesn't mean he would suit the Cleverley-Anderson-Kagawa-Rooney passing football we're moving towards. He's too much of a runner, and not a good enough short passer. He'd suit the sort of football we're moving away from, the sort which we peaked with in 2008 with Ronaldo. Which is no surprise, given how much like Ronaldo his style of football is.

He doesn't have the guile or tiki taka to unpick that sort of defence.

He's brilliant at the moment, so of course he'd do well for us. He's better than Young, these days, at any kind of football. But he's not the right player for the system which we're growing into.
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This is all rubbish, his short passing isn't good enough, he couldn't possibly suit the players we have. We're moving away from a certain form of football and embracing something he's not capable of. What are you on about?

Yes, the last thing we need is a goal scoring wide player who combines power and pace like no other player in the Premiership because we're just far too sophisticated.
 
Amar__ said:
On current form Walcott is great player too, except he isn't. There are lot of players in premierleague I would take before Bale.
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"A lot"?

Assuming we're talking about wingers only, who else in the English prem would you take before Bale? Maybe Nani, but that has to be about it.
 
Bale fancies himself as a big time charlie at Spurs but it will massively different under SAF at United. I think he'll be a better player with us because he'll stop trying to do everything by himself all the time. He'll provide RvP and Hernandez with half a gazillion goals. Bale > United is a very possible and realistic transfer IMO.
 
Where has this idea that any sort of contact, no matter how minimal is a foul and the player has the "right to go down?" Bollocks in my opinion. Regarding the booking I don't think Bale even makes an attempt to plant his leg once he feels the slightest of touches and throws himself over. It might not necessarily be a dive, but it is simulation.
 
Would be the closest thing to a replacement for Giggs. Would rather see CM strengthened first but you can't really say no to a player like him.

I don't think you can ignore his pace, goals and delivery. He is a legitimate threat.
 
RedRover said:
He didn't say he threw himself to the ground though. You're making an assumption.

Had had his arm across Bale, eyes off the ball, never a dive.
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‘If there is contact then I’ll fall over.'

How is that an assumption?
 
"Like Cristiano Ronaldo – he never misses an opportunity to come up with new ways of doing things. I'd have to go with him. He is my idol."
:lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
Ruud10 said:
"A lot"?

Assuming we're talking about wingers only, who else in the English prem would you take before Bale? Maybe Nani, but that has to be about it.
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I said players, not wingers of course. He is one of the best(if not best this year) wingers in last 2-3 years, can't argue with that.
 
Anyone who thinks that's a dive should try running and having someone go into your standing leg and grab hold of your shirt and maintain their balance and control of the ball. He'd got the ball past the defender, he'd legitimately beaten him and the defender first of all made a careless attempt to get the ball and then tried to use illegitimate means to stop him anyway, even if he could have stayed up (which I doubt) he's under no obligation to. It's not simulation if there's actually a foul been made against him.
 
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