Six reasons why the Parker pen has no ink in it
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 2:51PM I’m struggling at the moment to think of anything relevant to write up for the blog. Not even inspired to go to town with a satirical spin on...whatever. See? I can’t even think of a target to aim at. I’ve landed so many body blows to the In the Know community, it’s almost become borderline obsessive. Such is my boredom I’ve began to study strange activity relating to people I follow on Twitter, fighting off random fits of paranoia. I’ll start worrying once the voices in my head subside. Or am I not meant to have voices in my head? I forget.
If we sign Scott Parker as back-up or as a replacement for Luka Modric I will kill myself. How’s that for a dramatic and a wholly unnecessary twist on attempting to light-up that missing fire in my blogging belly? By ‘kill myself’ I mean metaphorically speaking. I haven’t quite figured out the logistics yet. I was pretty much emotionless when I read the story at breakfast concerning how the Football Writers player of the year is holding out for a transfer to Tottenham. I spent the rest of the morning trying to hold in my breakfast.
Without access to Andy Gray’s interactive touch-screen technology (it’s probably sitting boxed up next to the Lost Ark of the Covenant in a warehouse) let me simplify it:
Modric. Sandro. Bale. van der Vaart. Huddlestone. Lennon.
That’s excluding bench warmers; Piennar, Kranjcar, Jenas, Palacios – amongst others.
Might as well elaborate.
So that’s six ‘first teamers’ that need to fit into either a four or five man midfield (depending on the main forward we have playing upfront with vdV just behind him if we opt for a 4-5-1 that actually works without glitches).
We’ve got a ton of games on the horizon. Rotation will play a part for sure (Rose and Walker cannot be loaned out and both can cover flank positions) and injuries will happen – it’s the hard unavoidable fact of life. We just have to hope it’s not to key players, but then when you have a side that is practically glistening with players you could tag as being vital and one or two that are beyond vital (they’ve got a skeleton key around their neck such is their importance of unlocking the opposition in offensive and closing the door shut back in defence) losing anyone will hurt.
However, Harry being Harry, you always get the feeling he quite can’t make up his mind. He spent a lot of time adjusting and changing last year where we lacked cohesiveness that meant fragmented consistency with the balance of the side. If you throw in another name, it’s going to lead to further tinkering.
That’s Parker or any other midfielder we’ve been linked with. How does one delegate priority if we signed him or Adam (Liverpool bound thank God) or <insert average player name here>?
Look at what we have.
Modric – Makes us tick, dinks and crafts and creates. Keeps the ball moving, recycles it with a touch of a Catalan.
Sandro/Huddlestone – One is better at defensive duties, breaking down play and chasing the ball with timely interceptions added for good measure. The other allows for another dimension to our play with disguised passes and cross-field fright for the opposing defenders. Both are swappable dependent on the opposition and the tactic for the game at hand.
Bale – Every so often we hear the quote ‘his future is at left-back’. Basically, the premise is that with a clever left-winger in front of him to allow for the over-lap, Bale is better suited in defence rampaging forward on said over-lap. I’d agree if Gareth was a better defender than he is a left-winger, which he isn’t. Which means sacrificing him to make way for some convoluted midfield selection is a no-go for me. BAE with Danny Rose covering left-back is the future. Three’s a crowd and all that.
Lennon – Is probably due another good clean and crisp season without the dips and lulls. Perhaps Kyle Walker will deputise as a RM on occasions to aid with progression in his development that will allow him to ‘do a Bale’ unless it’s already decided he’s ‘the future’ at right back meaning he covers Corluka (and we work out where best to play Kaboul – note how we have plenty of quality at the back but can’t seem to work out the best line-up). Regardless, Lennon is our outlet on the right. But is probably the one that would be sacrificed in that theoretical convoluted middle (with the chap directly below replacing him on the flank to make way in the middle).
vdV – If he loses the extra pounds he was carrying across the entirety of last season and also focus without distraction at leading from just behind the front and just ahead of the midfield (rather than losing himself in the depths just ahead of the backline) then his galvanising force will be even more telling. As long as the player just ahead of him is as good as he is. Unless of course a fully fit 90 minute version of Rafa is a fallacy.
Add a new one into the above fold, one that expects to be first choice, and you’ll have a congested bloated feast that will leave you holding your gut in agonising pain.
In a world of complexities and elaboration, I’ll go back to simplifying it. Any midfielder we sign has to be a replacement for one that currently warms the bench because we will not be selling any of our key players. Scott Parker might have endearing battle cry qualities (debatable in terms of when these qualities are applied successfully - does it count when it's at West Ham?) but at Spurs, is he a viable option simply because of circumstance? And if so, at what cost*?
*See all of the above.
If he's happy to sit the bench, I won't complain.
Guess I’m not struggling after all. I gone and wrote me a blog article.
Reader Comments (57)
Whereas if we sign Joe Cole, it won't just be metaphorical...
Harry wants to sign a 'leader' but like you say, we are okay in the midfielder dept. Better sign a forward with leadership qualities, i.e. Drogba, and I don't think the squad would mind if we paid him £70K basic rising to £120K if he performs.
pal if u think parker is a replacment for modric then ur off ur rocker! its like me saying that us signing the hulk is a replacement for gomes! parker and modric r 2 very different players!
What is the point in these so-called "blogs", I'm losing interest very quickly. Still they do encourage me to write in the little white box.
haha re: Joe Cole
My brain had actually blocked out his name when I wrote the article. Hence the mention for Adam and no other midfielder.
The issue with the leader thing is simple. We have players who need to step it the fuck up, and as a unit 'lead'. I know we have very shouty-shy players in the squad but the likes of Gallas and Dawson and vdV too need to be far more vocal and pushy when pointing fingers and baying for blood.
Find me a better player for £6M more than Parker's worth and younger too, then we have an investment.
You missed Palacios out of that midfield conundrum, Spooky. I assume you're resigned to him leaving for Napoli?
With Wilson looking to be on his way (and hopefully Jenas buggering off to QPR) then I'm satisfied with Parker as a replacement but I'd perhaps prefer someone like Gago, who seems available, or maybe Defour.
Mybe 'Arry's going for the Barelona look - no real striker but a 6-man midfield who can all score. Ha! Actually it's an idea and Parker would fit 'cos he does actually score. I love Modders but the fact is he doesn't score enough - he's better than Gerard and Lampard put together but those buggers bang 'em in. Please don't mention Cole again - I'm just about to have lunch!
Wilson stuck under 'amongst others' (will add to article there for sanity).
Someone pointed out to me that Parker would fit into a 4-3-3 with Bale at left-back. Not sure how best we'd line up in such a scenario.
Parker is no replacment for Modric however still a decent signing.Sandro has been great for us coming into the side and Huddlestone is also first team however Parker works just as hard as both of them and will no doubt get us more goals...
Spooky, good to read something from you again and worth a discussion. I also feel that Walker and Rose cannot be loaned out this season. I wouldn't loan out Caulker either. Harry needs to be careful when allowing players to go on loan to croonies, it's very frustrating to see a half fit Gallas looking to be substituted and no one there to fill in. We need a striker, a center half and goalie. We need to dispatch about ten or twelve players and allow young hungry players to feel they have a chance of coming through. I can think of about six 'free transfers' we should dish out, but Levy won't let them go for nothing, so they will still be there next season.
There, I'm going back into hibernation.
keep in mind that harry does not care beyond the next year. and so for him, buying guys that cost too much and will be a drain in two or three years is of no consequence. sandro is ten times better than parker in my view, i thought parker looked out of his depth in the recent international, but sandr is man of the match against milan and maybe not against bolton for another year or two and harry cannot wait. harry wants to do all he can to help his reputation for the next year to cement the england job. thereafter shd spurs have all the problems left he wd, as he did with portsmouth, talk about what a great ride it was. happily levy is too smart for that and is looking longer term. irony is, harry might not be around come august or sept.
I really see Bale as Fwd Left in a 433 formation - he would be unbelievable there.
Also Harry / Levy I hope you are doing all you can to sign Falcao. Pay the 25m euro and get him quick. He looks absolutely class
Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIFoB5sk3Eg
Cyril - good point. One year left of Harry and then someone with a brand new refreshing philosophy will arrive. Hopefully they will be be completely without hesitation and favouritism when it comes to selecting what is best for the side.
Sandro is a beast. If he's dropped to make room for a Parker, then the whole point of growth and development goes out the window, for a quick fix 'experienced' tap of and injection into the vein.
walker in (cover on the right)
Rose in (cover on the left)
Give Caulkner another loan season (a PL one at Norwich or Swansea)
Kaboul to start playing CB
sell Palacios, Jenas, Bentley, PSB, Defoe, Crouch, Hutton, Gio(?) (we paid almost £100m for them!)
No parker! No Cole!
Buy Drogba and Bellamy
I wouldn't say Sandro was ten times better.He's a better player but remember Parker has been playing with sh*t all season and still been consistent. I wouldn't judge him on one England game when every player was poor.He's also just come back from injury. If you put him in side with Modric,VDV and co I'm sure the best is yet to come.He's not a must for us but I'd welcome him.
spot on marc baker. Why is everyone comparing Modric to Parker - because Parker seemed to push forward for Westham last season? Surely.....SURELY he's a replacement for the outbound Sgt. Wilson? In which case - great deal, sign here, here, and here. Thank you very much - and we'll see you Scotty Parker in September......
The only of those six midfield players you've mentioned who has the ability to evolve to a real leader of the team and next to a high level ball and shooting technique has also a fighting spirit and a strong personality and he is physically strong and able to score a number of goals each season, is Sandro.
But we need another one with the same qualities and probably more experienced next to him.
For me Hudd doesn't have a winner's mentality and he is too slow for that level of football.
So he will never have a very decisive impact on the team.
Here's an idea: Lennon should be tried in Defoe's position. He can't be caught offside any more than Defoe, and when he goes clear he won't be caught, because his pace is legendary as distinct from Defoe's, which is merely mythical. He won't win fewer aerial balls than Defoe either, and when he makes runs to the flanks he's likely to leave defenders in his wake rather than keep them as company as Defoe does. And those who have an attention-span of more than 5 minutes will recall that Martin Jol saw a future for Lennon playing off a main striker. Using Lennon in this way would allow for VdV to drift in from the right without necessarily leaving a gaping hole on the wide right, especially if we have Kyle Walker at right back. We might even retain Bentley as cover for VdV in this position.
I disagree with the notion that Bale can't defend. He disproved this to my mind when he first returned in that position and had such a phenomenal impact a couple of seasons ago when Ekotto was injured. But there is such a love affair with Ekotto amongst many Tottenham fans, that his poor positioning, extravagant errors, diving in to tackles in and around the penalty area, poor heading and lack of concentration, which make him a very unreliable, if spectacular and crowd-pleasing defender, go unheeded.
I also believe that Huddlestone has a far greater role in making the team tick than he's given credit for. It is readily apparent to me that for all the bad-mouthing he receives about a lack of pace, his presence ensures that the ball is moved around substantially more quickly, and therefore more chances are created, whether or not Modric, for all his massive quality, is present.
And on another subject no one appears to notice the irony of calling for more pointy shouty blokes in the team for their leadership qualities, when we have one who is on the verge of being hounded out of the club, notwithstanding his outstanding performances at international level.
There's pointy shouty blokes and then there's Robbie Keane.
Parker in for Palacios is what I'm suggesting. Although I still wonder how effective he can be at a top tier club (yes, I called us top tier...well, near enough, not far off) compared to Charlton and West Ham. Or even Newcastle.
Also - the bloke has rejected us, what now...twice? Three times?
Most people are overlooking a huge influence missing in our side last season, and thats Huddlestone. Up until his injury we were talking of going for the title, or at least a top 3 finishing. With his absence we wained, until Sandro got some games in a picked us up a bit. The Hudd did struggle on his return but he was out a long time and was certainly ring rusty, burt you still saw his impact on the midfield. With a pre-season under his belt (hopefully injury free) His presence along with Sandro really does kick the thought of having to bring in a Parker or a Adam into touch. Save your money, keep hold of one of Palacios or Jenas to cover them both for injuries with a further back up of a biting at the bit youngster such a Livermore.
I'd much prefer to spend our time and money where its needed. One or two strikers. I'd definitely be looking at Falcao for his scoring ability and another. Rossi would be excellent but i believe that ship has sailed. The main thing is we IMPROVE and freshen this up.
I'd give Pienaar until Xmas to establish himself and then get rid if he hasn't sparkled, really does not make much sense if we're talking of only buying players BETTEr than what we have. One creative player i'd like to see is Marin. Not only would he add to the creativity, but also as a longer term investment as cover for Modric. Saying that imagining Modders iwth Maric to his left or right cutting in Bale and the power of Sandro behind makes the mouth water..
VDV with Drogba is also quite mouth watering
If Parker gets the games in place of Palacios and Jeanes next year I'd be extremely happy
How many combined games did Wilson and JJ play last term?
Harry needs to build the team around Sandro. I am concerned when I hear about us being linked with yet more average midfielders. We already have second-tier midfielders in the likes of Jenas, Palacios, Huddlestone and Pienaar. I can't see how adding Parker to our team will make a difference.
Sandro's our boy. Sandro's the man. Keep him at all costs and build around him.
54
Parker isnt up to it. He failed at Chelsea and Newcastle when he should have been at his peak. I didnt even think he was that good for WHam for 80% of his performances. Going mad with passion after scoring a couple of goals won him the player of the year award. In reality we know he wasnt the best player in England last season. Not even close infact. Frankly I think any of the best 10 players in England wouldnt have been relegated. Certainly if WHam had had Modric instead of Parker they wouldnt have gone down - anyone not agree with that?
For me Parker is a good lad with a decent shot who always tries his best...but there aint a lot more to him. I dont see the point of signing him. Seems like a waste of wages and a squad number to me. I'm sure we'd get what Newcastle got - a bight start, good rapport with the fans, but a gradual realisation that he isnt actually good enough.
I dont understand why we havent signed Ba and Odemwingie. As far as transfer decisions go, these are complete no-brainers for me.
I've never seen Modric stand still as much as Parker did the last England-game. Luka is always looking for the ball if doesn't have it. Parker was just strolling around the centre circle with great hair. In the words of 'Arry: not fit to lace Luka's boots.
Joe Cole - now that is just disgusting. We dodged a bullet there. Why not enjoy that and let him eat up his portion of Liverpool's tasty salary budget? Surely Kranjcar is a better player at this point?
We should be looking at strikers and signing them. We just can't seem to shake the midfield bug.
Parker would be a typical Harry signing, he should have signed up last year instead of re-negotiating with the three not so wise @!@*!*.
So now there's no way levy will pay 8m for him, he's on 70k a week, west ham need to sell him, if we can get him for 5m and sell palacios for 12-15m then I can see him coming to us.
And he is better than Wilson so equals an improvement to the squad, Harry would argue not to burn out sandro he needs resting, so Parker is probably a dead cert to arrive on the last day of the window if still at west ham on that date.
Watching him against us last year I for one think he would do ok, personally I think modric could of done with more rest last year so the more options we have centre mid the better.
Oh right yeah, its not like over the course of a 50 game season Modric or Sandro might get injured is it - stupid Harry. I'd actually be really happy if Parker joined, seeing as Sandro's the only midfielder we have who can be relied on to tackle and pass a ball 5 yards theres certainly room. Our biggest problem was crap results against lower teams anyway, and he'd help with that. And for all the talk of our strikers a lot of those games were the midfields fault - I saw us getting outworked against West brom and Bolton, Wolves and Blackpool away, Wigan. With two rotweilers like Sandro and Parker those would never have happened.
Parker, a striker and someone on the right who can score more or help our passing game and were sorted. All the noises and rumours so far show Harry knows exactly what the team needs and is doing his best to address the teams weaknesses.
PS when Huddlestone got injured we were 7th or 8th
Oops the tackle part sounds really bad - what I meant was Sandro and Wilson are the only ones we have who can be relied upon as ball winners. And I meant to highlight that wilsons passings so bad hes a liability.
The issue is not that Parker can't do a job for us. It's whether Harry can stop himself from making him his number one midfield choice ahead of others. There's also an argument that the 14th richest club in the world (or whatever we're meant to be), a club that aspires to regain entry in the CL should also be looking at the long term rather than attempt to fix stuff short term.
Are we really in such a state that only 30+ player who impressed at WH is the only choice for a rotweiler?
Fergie has won the title more often than any other Prem manager. He regularly signs over 30's players He keeps players in the squad at 36 and 37 because they are good players. Harry has that tendency also and he's constantly being knocked for it. The cost of players and their salaries is Levy's problem and he's got a handle on that, so I would let Harry sign Parker, Bellamy and Drogba as well as bring in some star players. I'm reading punters on blogs saying 'if we sell Modders, get cash up front'. What the F*** has that to do with fans Levy and Harryare 'hell bent' in having a tilt at the title this coming season and I, for one, am looking forward to a team with Parker, Drogba and Bellamy in it. Lets get after the Man U's and C's and Chelsea, because I think Harry Boy is going to surprise us this season.
Not sure people are knocking Harry (well, just the people that are knocking him and make that extra effort to point it out). My only gripe is, well, I don't rate Parker has highly as some people do. I think he excelled in a very poor team last season and when everyone preferred to ignore Modric's efforts and simply feel for Scottie and award him with the FWA...I shrugged.
Is he an upgrade on JJ and Wilson? Yes, probably. Is £8M too much for someone to come in via rotation? Probably, but probably not if it goes towards finishing 3rd (my prediction).
I hope I'm proved wrong (if it happens) in terms of my belief he's just a tad over rated. But again, wont matter...as long as he's not first choice at the expense of a player that is better than him.
Also - do agree we're on a budget and we're also stuck with wages/no CL when offering contracts to players but we could also do with some reality when attempting to sell players (can, only basing on what we believe to be the case with Levy pricing out players from moving on - I'm sure we'll be busy this time round, and successful too).
The weather's getting better. Try to get out a bit. It's not healthy for young men to be sitting at keyboards listing the names of players all the time.
For those who are obviously club directors or the like, neither is it right to be sharing information about contracts, transfer fees etc. with the world at large.
There are also a lot of Harry Redknapp clones who talk a load of b*llocks about formations. tactics and the light.
I wish I was still young. If I was I'd be touring East Europe.
Lets face it, Harry will buy anyone who is proven and on a huge wedge or he knows can offer a gig in the prem and on a huge wedge. He's never been one for unveiling talent, only one for buying has beens or those who he's conned in the past. Kanu is up for grabs and he's only just got his bus pass, think of the travelling expenses he'll save. Every cloud and all that!
"because his pace is legendary as distinct from Defoe's, which is merely mythical." Excellent, John White. Agreed with all of your post, except your inexplicable lack of appreciation for the surreally sublime Benoit.
Anyone got any theories as to why Robbie can still do it for the Republic but not in the Premier League?
Parker seems rather zero sum to me, but the thought of thug Bellamy or diving diva Drogba in a Spurs shirt makes me want to toss my cookies. No offense, cookiebun, just really, really disagree.
Parker would be able to fit into a Spurs midfield, that's not the problem. In fact, it may be the solution to a lot of things. Right now, we play a bastardised 4-4-2 or an ineffective 4-5-1. Why is 4-5-1 so ineffective with us, when the likes of Madrid and Barca use it with such sublime ease? It's not an outlandish question. The simple answer is that we're doing it wrong. Very wrong. We play two out and out wingers in Lennon and Bale on either flank. Both only use one foot- the other's for little more than decoration. So they're not versatile, and their only (real) asset is their blistering pace and accuracy of crosses. Might still work, if the opposition didn't come up with a simple tactic to utterly nullify them-double mark them and show them inside, on their weaker feet. When this happens, they're literally next to useless, and the best they can hope for is passing it sideways to Modders or VdV and hoping they do something with it. Thus, the wingers, whose only real purpose in our system is to serve up crosses after getting past the full-back, are taken out of the attacking move, leaving us with only four men in offense (Modders, VdV, the lone striker and Sandro) at any given time. Sandro, too, is forced to stay back by Harry, meaning only three men in the middle against a packed defense with eight to ten men behind the ball at any given moment. We have tried to rectify this by making the wing-backs push up and exploit the space, but it's useless- both BAE and Charlie are hardly wing-demons, and aren't really attacking full-backs anyway. And once the opposition force our one-footed wingers out of the game, they can simply lave their wingers marking them and move their full-backs back into position to deal with our wing-backs. Essentially, the problem is that both the full-backs and the wingers are attacking the same narrow strips of space on both sides of the pitch, making it very easy for the opp to crowd them out, leaving them ineffectual. Thus, we're left with only three or four 'active' men in attack, trying to penetrate a ten-man wall. Is it any wonder, then, that we're reduced to taking pot-shots from outside the area and suffer so many draws against bottom-half opposition? The problem is that HR is trying to play a classic English version of the 4-5-1, where the two wingers take on their full-backs and then cross it into the box for a powerful CF to finish it. The full-backs on our side stay back with the CBs, and a CM patrols in front of them guarding against the counter. It's a classic English system,borne out of the frustration of seeing continental teams execute lightning breaks succesfully against the likes of United, Liverpool et al in the European cup- five men at the back(on the halfway line) prevent breaks and recycle possession, while the two on the wings exploit the space behind the defence and put in low balls for the two attacking CMs and the striker to exploit. However, that system was invalidated by the introduction of the modern offside rules, which penalise more than ever teams that try to play a high line, resulting in the recent phenomena of teams coming to WHL playing very, very deep- it utterly invalidates the pace of our wingers, and also makes it easy for the opposition to deal with our sparse central midfield and attack. Like it or not, classic wingers are on their way out.
Now, Parker(or, indeed, Diarra/Rodwell) offers a solution to the problem. With a five man midfield, we need to change the way we play. Instead of only parking Sandro in front of the CBs, we would be playing both Sandro and Parker ahead of them. Two technically-proficient defensive midfielders. Blasphemy, I hear you cry! Not the Spus way! But wait. With two defensive midfielders in place, the next step is to move Modders elsewhere onto the pitch. Now, he's comfortable cutting inside from the left-wing- Therefore, he can play there. VdV can play in the centre, and on the right? Well, we'd have to make do with Lennon, but he can cut inside more than Bale, so he would be instructed to do so. Suddenly, we have three central attacking midfielders(Modric, VdV, Lennon(or Krank, Marin or anyone else) attacking a far smaller area-namely, the front of the penalty box where we are so often crowded out. Add to that the brutish center-forward we're(hopefully) buying, and that becomes four players attacking the center of the box alone, ignoring the wide areas. Suddenly, the numerical disadvantage of playing only Modders, VdV and Pav in the center is lessened. But what of the wings, I hear you say? Well, simple. The wing-backs. Wing-backs are fast becoming vital players in modern football, and when you see Dani Alves or Marcelo maruading down the flanks you realise why- they're impossible to pick up. You see, they start their lung-busting runs from very deep typically midway between their penalty box and the half-way line, and that drastically limits the oppo's ability to mark them. Sending markers out that deep to manage wing-backs leaves them completely isolated and unable to perform either an attacking or defending role. So the oppo, by and large, doesn't do it. Therefore, the wing-backs have more space to run into. Therefore, they're on a considerable head of steam when they arrive near the oppo's penalty area. Therefore, they're much harder to stop. Now, we have two excellent attacking full-backs at the club- Bale and Walker. If we choose to use both Parker and Sandro covering the midfield, we could play them at full-back. Both are brilliantly fast and technically gifted, and their one-footeness wouldn't matter because they're only responsible for burning up their side of the field. Suddenly, alongside the four central attackers we have two unmarkable attacking wing-backs burning on to provide width as well. Just like Madrid or Barca. But what of the defense, I hear you cry? Well, that's where Parker and Sandro come in. With the two CB's staying near the half-way line, two defensive midfielders would allow the team to stay defensively solid, as they'd still have four men in defense guarding aganst a break- Gallas, Kaboul, Sandro and Parker, allowing us to recycle possession from deep in the process. Seems simple, doesn't it? But, as Barca show us nearly every week now, it's very, very effective when done right.
So, in summation, a team with Parker in it would look like this when defending-
Friedel
Walker Gallas Kaboul Bale
Parker Sandro
Lennon VdV Modric
Drogba(one can dream...)
and when attacking, over the half-way line, would look thus;
Gallas Kaboul
Parker Sandro
Walker Lennon VdV Modric Bale
Drogba
Which would actually improve our tactical setup to no end, and make us much, much more dangerous, plus vastly improve us as a side. If we do buy Diarra, Rodwell or Parker, which Harry seems intent on doing, it may be with this plan in mind-after all, he's no fool, despite what people think. And he has said that Bale's ventual position would be as a left-back, and he has repeatedly said Walker will fight for a starting place next season. Overall, it's very encouraging, and it's for this reason that I support the purchase of Parker, or indeed, any defensive midfielder with a better touch and ability to recycle possession than Palacios.
Oops, the tactical diagrams came out wrong. Still, I hope my mssive paragraphs explaining the tactics of the formation has negated the need for them. ;)
And indeed, both Bale and Waker are athletically gifted, able to run and run all day.With two attacking midfielders(Modders and Lennon) on the flanks who cut inside and attack the centre, plus the CAM (VdV)and the CF(Drogba), both Bale and Walker would be able to put in cross after tantalising cross without tiring for a long while. Eventually, the odds ae that would be too much for most teams in the division. Plus, if they're tiring or we need to defend, both Bale and Walker can simply be replaced with Charlie and BAE, two of the best defensive full-backs in the divison, and we can revert to a typical 4-5-1 with the back four shielded by the midfield five of Lennon, Parker, VdV, Sandro an Modders.
Dubai Spur. You make it sound so simple and reassuring. With words like Burning, Unstoppable and Head of Steam, I feel quite sure you are not speaking of THFC. Maybe Wimbledon or the old Notts Forest, but definately not a Prem team. You'd need a different manager for starters.
That's the point, cookiebun. Redders, while he has his faults, isn't exactly stupid either. He's hinted at using the system before, more than once. And when you see the likes of Dani Alves and Marcelo marauding down the flanks with ease, you realise that the system is perfectly adapted to breaking down the packed, deep defenses we seem to struggle against. It has its faults- a tendency to be exposed by a pacy runner playing off the shulder of the central defense, for example, and a corresponding tendence to be exposed by quick out balls from the oppo defense. But the greatest team of this era, Barca, use it with ease. Why can't we? We have the players. We have two technically gifted, fast wing-backs. We have a terrifically technical midfield, which can hold the ball at ease for minutes at a time. All we need is a powerful striker to hold the ball up and keep possession, and we'd have all the components to do so. Parker would be a good component to have in that system, is all.
When Ancelotti used his midfield diamond last year(09-10), it propelled Chelsea to the highest goals scored total in PL history, along with a domestic double. They hammered teams 4, 5, 6, even 8-0. Cole and Bosingwa were the ideal wing-back runners, Essien and Mikel Obi were the shield in front of Terry/Carvalho, and Lampard, Malouda, Anelka and Drogba all attacked the narrow centre. It works, even in the PL.
When he first joined Redknapp mocked the club for signing players who couldn't play together (Bent & Pav), so these issues should be solved by now. I cannot think of any one player who would tie everything together at Spurs, whereas the answer to all Chelseas on field shortcomings is Luka Modric.
That whole Bent and Pav thing was a load of old balls as well.
The only reason they could not play together was the language barrier. Pav is not an off the shoulder player, Bent loves through balls and Pav is actually a good link player.
Harry just liked Defoe more than Bent, the way he put Bent down on national tv was just wrong.
As for Harry, anybody seen "The Prestige"? I'm beginning to think that Harry has a twin, one believes we can win the league, the other that we are lucky to be in the Prem.
It would explain a lot.........but which one wants to sign Parker?
I have nothing much to say on this one...apart from that bit I just wrote...and this bit explaining it...
One word....Huddlestone.
For me, the combination of Huddlestone & Modders is sublime, with Mod's continual movement actually complementing THud's relatively static positioning, & vice versa. If Arry could then work the Beast in alongside, with GB providing his normal impetus, I'd be a very happy White.
Scott Parker - the point has been most eloquently made - he has ALREADY rejected our advances 2 or 3 times previously! Would you go back to your ex-wife, when she's already told you she prefers the touch of another? On that basis, we shold be courting Berbatov - and for me, thatcould be the bitter end.
Dare I mention o'Hara?
Dubai Spur: Good points, and if Harry has the nouse to make it happen, I take my hat off to him. I think he has the 'flat cap management' approach though. Still in-all as I said further up the blogs, I think he and Levy are going to have a tilt at the title this season, and who's to say they might do very well. Maybe 3rd even.