LDN Blue

Better for his career anyway

Lmao, so much for Chelsea singing him first. Another bites the dust.. Probably better for his career anyway.

I thought they were literally worn by them for a second Alex, I was thinking how did they both wear the same glove -- Might put in a bid though, starting 5-a-side again soon

Yes, and in the end Rafa got us 4th place and a trophy and therefore earned the respect of quite a few fans who disliked him. Need I say more?

Well that's your prerogative. But if an unpopular signings give us a higher chance of winning, then I don't particularly care.

Typical BlueLion there

That's bullshit. We, as football fans, are fickle. I put myself in that category. We'll say we hate a player, but if we sign them and they score 20 goals for us in a season, we'll chant their name regardless. The same way we shout "Torres, Torres, Torres" at the Bridge if he puts in a good showing.

We should probably make this a generic GK thread for potential number 2's? Is Rustu still available? His frightening look alone would put you off scoring

Ramires should leave Chelsea. For his own career.

Apparently football doesn't matter anymore

It's a valid point. It's not a massive coincidence that our commercial revenue has taken an increase since Torres joined. Of course that's not the main factor, but it's a factor regardless. Doesn't matter how bad he is, his shirts sell. Whether that justify him continuing on or not, is a different issue entirely.

Does this really matter with goal keepers though? I could see this argument for an outfield position, but in goal I think the issue of inexperience is subjective. After all, you can only reduce inexperience by gaining experience and to do that it's either go on loan or play the odd cup game. We've seen the effects of our GK loans in recent years.. Sam Walker & Matej Delac were both forgotten about after their respective loans. Walker would be adequate and he's received good reviews from the clubs he's been at. But he's simply been forgotten about.

Equally a good shout. Turnbull and HIlario were often rotated in the cup games and that also allows Blackman a chance to leapfrog the number 2 if he puts in very good performances when he's called upon. In any situation, he's should definitely be in the 3.

It depends how you look at it. You have to look at the fact he wasn't really deployed in one position on a consistent basis. Sometimes he'd pair aside Sergio, other times he would be flanking Messi in a wider position and very rarely was he deployed in the centre of midfield in the areas that Xavi or Iniesta usually occupy. This coupled with a confidence factor didn't really help him perform at a level he's capable of. There's no denying his ability though. We saw it many times at Arsenal. One of my favourite goals by him was when, from kick off, he dribbled through the entire Tottenham team and scored a goal of absolute class. After witnessing him do that, along with the other qualities he has, I couldn't give a flying crap about any personal issues people have. He's an asset to any team because of the versatility he offers and for that reason he'd be a fantastic addition to this squad.

Ah okay, I get an idea of what you mean then. I'll have to take your word for it, because I haven't seen much of KdB. I thought you were going to talk about how he's like Gerrard the personality/game-changer as opposed to his passing. I hope he doesn't have the selfish qualities of Gerrard. As good of a passer he is, I've always viewed SG as someone who does things out of personal glory rather than doing things for the team.

Come on. We both know that's not going to happen. Do you really envision us using someone like Islam Feruz to be a back up striker if say Cavani was injured and we needed a game changer in a fixture against Arsenal, Man United, City etc? No. No manager is going to take such a gamble. We've complained how thin our squad was this season, that in itself should be enough rationale to keep Ba.

In what way?

I've never seen people so keen over a PC

I'd love it if we made him our number two. It would do well for his confidence, he'd get a good mentor in Petr and he would see some game time in the league cup etc.

And if he were to get injured? We'd only have one recognized striker (assuming we sign Cavani)

You also have to factor in that Pirlo's been able to go on so long because of Serie A. While it remains a cliché that Serie A is more slow paced than the other leagues, it doesn't mean it's not true. It's a more tactical league too, which is why Pirlo's been able to keep his fitness and tactical awareness sharp. Whether Xabi can replicate what Pirlo's been able to do will depend on a lot more variables.

What's wrong with 15-goals a season? . Like I said in the Moses thread, we need guys like this when it gets to the period of the season where it's been over 40 games and you need the squad players to come in and fill the void when the rest are suffering from fatigue. And if those players grab you 15-goals as a squad player.. Well how can we complain?

I think he's had a brilliant first season! I mean let's be honest, he got no ratings coming from a club like Wigan - We all assumed he'd be one to disappear among the usual suspects. But he actually took most of his opportunities. Yea, he didn't have 10/10 every game, but most games he was very productive, direct and gave us a good injection of pace. When you consider he was an upgrade on Kalou, I really don't know how anyone can complain. His game compliments the guys like Hazard and Mata, because his runs actually take players away from these guys. Not to mention, in a very thin squad he played a good number of games last season without so much as a niggle. It's guys like him that helped this club play over 60 games this season without picking up any serious injuries and he's good for depth - Which everyone complains we don't have enough of!

Wasn't he one of the players Mourinho supposedly didn't get along with? In any case, I see him going back to Liverpool if he wants back in the Premier League.

That's a bit harsh? Yea, he's had a bad first season. But considering we signed him dirt cheap and I don't imagine his wages are that high, he's worth taking another punt on. He's confidence is shot to pieces but he's got ability. If Mou can inspire him, we could have a very good squad player on our hands.