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

Forevergiggs said:
Exactly. I was surprised when I saw him on the right or the middle during games last season. Why not utilize his strength to the maximum instead of trying to make him something he is not. It was insane. 'Arry teams totally lost it's shape when Bale became this "free role" playmaker.
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All well and good having him wide on the left all game - if you've got anyone decent enough to tuck away the chances he may create. Fact is they don't.

He was excellent the other night and looked dangerous pretty much everytime he got the ball - it was against a very poor side, for a very poor side where he's better than all of his teammates and the opposition. He's therefore expected to do something whenever he gets it. He could pick the ball up and run with it, and didn't have to rely on the players around him to get into the game.

I suspect if he'd stood out on the wing all night and they couldn't get him enough decent ball he'd be accused of "not getting into the game". Like any good player he went looking for it, which is to his credit. Even if it does leave them a bit "unbalanced" they're probably slightly more dangerous for it.
 
GlastonSpur said:
I'm afraid that you're only demonstrating the limitations of your perceptive powers when it come to football .... otherwise known as clueless.

Bale pretty much has it all as a left winger: eye-watering pace, power, an easy capacity to beat his man and an ability to deliver pin-point crosses (he's not too bad with his right foot either).

This is then combined with great shooting ability, heading ability, stamina, model professionalism and a relentless drive to both win and improve.

There are very, very few players who combine together all of the above attributes. I know a gem when I see one, but clearly you don't.
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He's the left footed version of Valencia and I certainly wouldn't be all that happy if Valencia decided he needed to start playing in a free role.
 
Forevergiggs said:
Exactly. I was surprised when I saw him on the right or the middle during games last season. Why not utilize his strength to the maximum instead of trying to make him something he is not. It was insane. 'Arry teams totally lost it's shape when Bale became this "free role" playmaker.
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I agree to a certain extent. I think it was an interesting move by Redknapp to play him centrally in a few games (I don't really mind about him playing on the right, that's nothing very original, just the recent trend of "inverted wingers" where a left footed player plays on the right so he can come in and shoot on goal, and vice versa). Bale had developed quite a bit during the recent seasons, and had become one of Spurs' important players, and at his age, you want to test his potential and see how he can fare. So I think it wasn't a stupid move by 'Arry to try him in that role in the middle where he had quite a bit of freedom, it's not like he was suddenly deciding to use a 32 year old who had never been good in that position. But it kinda backfired, because even though I quite like Bale, I really don't think he's got the footballing brains to excel in that role. Some people believe that by giving more freedom to a player, giving him license to roam around, he's naturally going to be better and enjoy the freedom. But there's probably nothing harder than to play such a role, as you constantly need to be in the right position. And, in my opinion, having watched many of Bale's games through the middle (I watched as many Spurs games as I could, Modric is one of my favourite football players), I don't think he found himself in the right position enough. Add to that the fact that his technique isn't absolutely perfect (which you need when you're playing in tight spaces in the middle), and also the fact he doesn't exactly have the eye for the perfect pass when it's needed. So it was an interesting try, but not very conclusive, according to me.

Having said that, I think he'll have a brilliant career as an out an out winger, relying on his pace during a large part of his career and then using his experience of the game later on.

Would be interesting to see him go to a very big club to see how he fares though.
 
gza the genius said:
He's the left footed version of Valencia and I certainly wouldn't be all that happy if Valencia decided he needed to start playing in a free role.
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Its perhaps a fair comparison at the moment - but Bale's a young lad with a lot of potential - he could go a lot further and be a lot better player than Valencia in my opinion.

He seems inclined to want to improve various facets of his game - I don't see how that's a problem at all. Nobody is the finished article at 22 and the fact that he seems keen to do whatever the manager asks shows a good attitude.

Valencia is already at a top side and is probably happy playing wide right. Good for him. Bale will probably always be a left winger, but if he can add a bit to his game he'll be much more effective and could go a long way.
 
Adebesi said:
Glaston, do you reckon Bale will leave Spurs for Europe in the next few seasons? Or another PL team? Or do you reckon you'll keep hold of him?
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As ever, it'll all depend on how Spurs get on. If we can offer CL football - and even better start to make a genuine EPL title challenge - then the odds on Bale leaving in the next couple of years shorten dramatically.

But he'll probably leave eventually anyhow, as he's publicly declared an interest in trying his luck at some point in one of the big European leagues, which means La Liga probably.
 
GlastonSpur said:
But he'll probably leave eventually anyhow, as he's publicly declared an interest in trying his luck at some point in one of the big European leagues, which means La Liga probably.
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To who? Atletico can't afford him, Malaga are penniless now and he isn't good enough for Madrid or Barca as a winger or a full back.
 
Valencia is fantastic when he's injury free. I wouldn't have Bale or Nani, Valencia or Kagawa personally.
 
Bale can go months contributing little then suddenly become world class again when he bags a couple against Norwich...............or the mighty Scotland, a team behind Cape Verde in the rankings :lol:
 
Yeah. I'd personally love to know his stats against the top 4 from the past 2-3 years. Bar his goal last month, he never did feck all of note against United.
 
Lynk said:
Yeah. I'd personally love to know his stats against the top 4 from the past 2-3 years. Bar his goal last month, he never did feck all of note against United.
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Spurs aren't half as good as United, generally, meaning it's harder for him to shine.

That goal he scored against you will haunt Ferdinand for months. Left him for dead. Absolute class.
 
Spurs finished in the top 4 two times in the last 4 seasons, they are hardly minnows. I just never recall Bale standing out to a great extent in the big games.



Ehhh, I wouldn't call it class. He used his one attribute against an extremely slow team.
 
alastair said:
Spurs aren't half as good as United, generally, meaning it's harder for him to shine.

That goal he scored against you will haunt Ferdinand for months. Left him for dead. Absolute class.
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He ran in a straight line through a big open space past an ageing centre back. Absolute class might be stretching it a tad
 
I'm sure if Liam147 was here he'd call it the greatest goal he's ever seen.
 
To be fair to Bale he has had some good performances against City, Chelsea and Arsenal too. I'm not his biggest fan really but he has played well against top teams.
 
Lynk said:
Yeah. I'd personally love to know his stats against the top 4 from the past 2-3 years. Bar his goal last month, he never did feck all of note against United.
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Goals:

2 last season (Man. City and Chelsea)
1 in 2010-11: Arsenal
2 in 2009-10: Arsenal and Chelsea

I don't know about assists.
 
Lynk said:
... Ehhh, I wouldn't call it class. He used his one attribute against an extremely slow team.
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Wrong. He used several attributes for that goal:

* Moving into space
* Directness
* Acceleration
* Pace
* Keeping the ball under control (at pace)
* Composure
* Shooting ability (even with his right foot)
 
GlastonSpur said:
Wrong. He used several attributes for that goal:

* Moving into space
* Directness
* Acceleration
* Pace
* Keeping the ball under control (at pace)
* Composure
* Shooting ability (even with his right foot)
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Those are all pretty standard things you would expect any decent top flight footballer to be able to do.
 
GlastonSpur said:
Wrong. He used several attributes for that goal:

* Moving into space
* Directness
* Acceleration
* Pace
* Keeping the ball under control (at pace)
* Composure
* Shooting ability (even with his right foot)
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Everything but the last one on that list can be rolled into one, called running really fast with the ball. But to be fair that is one hell of an attribute, and he has it in spades.
 
GlastonSpur said:
Wrong. He used several attributes for that goal:

* Moving into space
* Directness
* Acceleration
* Pace
* Keeping the ball under control (at pace)
* Composure
* Shooting ability (even with his right foot)
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Most of those are the same, not to mention something that is to be expected of a top level footballer.
 
It was good decision making to be running with the ball in the first place. At one point he must have asked himself how best to proceed: walking, hopping, forward rolls... there are a lot of options. He chose to run and he has to be commended for that.
 
Orton said:
To be fair to Bale he has had some good performances against City, Chelsea and Arsenal too. I'm not his biggest fan really but he has played well against top teams.
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Bale got massively overhyped in his first good season, but his class is shining through consistently now. It's reasonably argued that he's a better player than Valencia and undeniable that he's currently better than Nani too, meaning he'd get into your side. He'd get into ours too. Quality player, and Spurs' one remaining great talent.
 
GlastonSpur said:
Wrong. He used several attributes for that goal:

* Moving into space
* Directness
* Acceleration
* Pace
* Keeping the ball under control (at pace)
* Composure
* Shooting ability (even with his right foot)
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Yeah, hate those pesky players that ignore gaping holes and run towards the defenders
 
also have to commend him on his decision to keep running into the space and not stop to peel a banana
 
Comes to something when it's an Arsenal fan that's talking sense about a Spurs player...

I think most of it is down to this perceived "attitude" that Bale's got which doesn't make him the most likeable. Doesn't take anything away from his ability mind...
 
alastair said:
Bale got massively overhyped in his first good season
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He got 3 assists in that season. 3. He won that award based on a performance in a European competition (totally irrelevant to the award) against an Inter team who were disastrous, who went through 3 different coaches in the space of 6 months, who got hammered by Schalke who subsequently got torn apart by us.
 
GlastonSpur said:
As ever, it'll all depend on how Spurs get on. If we can offer CL football - and even better start to make a genuine EPL title challenge - then the odds on Bale leaving in the next couple of years shorten dramatically.

But he'll probably leave eventually anyhow, as he's publicly declared an interest in trying his luck at some point in one of the big European leagues, which means La Liga probably.
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He can keep Luka some company on the bench.
 
Jimy_Hills_Chin said:
For me, you have to operate at the true elite level to be 'world class'. Whilst Bale is at Spurs, unless they start challenging for the title, I will not be labelling him as 'world class'. He might do a Berb's and fold under the pressure of expectation of performing on the elite stage.
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A lot of ifs and buts as with every transfer but in my honest opinion Bale would be a sensation her and a fitting replacement for Giggs!
 
Lawman said:
A lot of ifs and buts as with every transfer but in my honest opinion Bale would be a sensation her and a fitting replacement for Giggs!
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Probably.

Didn't Fergie try to sign him before he opted for playing time at a small club?

What's his contract situation?
 
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