He constantly seems to divide opinion. Some people rate him as one of the best left backs in the PL while others want him sold asap. Keep or Sell people??
Keep, as much as some people dislike him when asked for a better replacement I never see a convincing answer. For me he does a good job, he's not a world beater but then he's rarely a liability too. I'm happy with the position at left back, having witnessed players like Atouba there in the past I am happy to have someone consistent and who I know can be relied upon to do a job without too many errors. We've got Danny Rose coming through in that position so I'd say keep and hope Rose can rise to a level where Ekotto has steady competition.
Errr ... thanks? Perhaps it reminds Thudd of Anderton? & nice to have agreement on the subject as it is a very divisive issue for some Spurs fans Some have called for Bale to be pushed to left back but I consider that madness considering how his form pushed on leaps and bounds from the position change forward.
He's a good player and barely had a bad game last season, despite not having a summer break and playing virtually every game, prior to his injury. I was concerned that we needed a back-up left-back, but Rose seems to have grabbed that role with both hands.
Get rid. From what little we have seen of Rose, seems to me that he should given the chance. Looks hugely more assured in possession than BAE. Defensively BAE has come on a lot, but for me he remains massively over confident in possession and squanders it too often. At the back you need to be one of two types of player... One who is excellent and assured on the ball, or one who wins the ball and gets rid. Either way, it is the foundation of any good side that it does not give the ball away in it's own half. He is neither, which makes him a liability in my book. Kaboul is similar, but worse.
Replace him with??? Put Rose back there, a 20 year old just starting off on the path of getting accustomed to a position as your first guy? Who's the backup? What if you get an injury?
Yes, give Rose a shot. BAE as backup. If that didn't work out then buy one I guess. Give the lad his shot though... Looks a natural to me... Left back for Spurs has to be one of the easiest jobs in the Prem, with the way Bale tracks back.
I would sell in all likelihood, as I suspect BAE would be unwilling to play second fiddle to Rose. Therefore a backup would need to be sought.
I can't see anybody who'd be a step up though that's the problem. I also think it's too early for Rose to be first choice, another season to prove he can consistently put in performances is needed. Put him in now with that kind of pressure on him and thought it'd be great if he did well, if he falters with the pressure on him it could set him back crushing his confidence and affecting the back line, and our 4th spot aspirations. I've got no problem with replacing players if you've got better options and viable alternatives but I don't see them in this instance. I can understand if there is: A: Someone younger of equal quality. B: Someone of better quality who can do a better job. C: Contractual / financial issues which dictate the selling. Otherwise it's best to stick with what you have and put faith in the players at your disposal, improve weak areas through coaching.
With this year being an African Cup of Nations one, and assuming Cameroon qualify, we will undoubtedly get to see more of Rose in the LB position.
Ekotto turned in performance after performance last season. He is very assured in both ball control and distribution. He is rarely beaten in the tackle, has pace, and turns defence into attack providing an excellent partnership with Bale. Why we are even discussing this surprises me.
Keep him. He's not the best in the world but I honestly can't think of anyone we could replace him with. Talk about Rose but at the end of the day, I don't know how good he is. I've seen him play at LB and he seemed to do well enough, but it's only been a few matches. BAE is a good player and very rarely does he let us down, to get rid of him now would be a bit mad if you ask me.
Its a bit odd that we are still questioning Ekotto's ability. Last season he was close to being our player of the season and one of our most consistent perfomers. Towards the end of the season united fans were even talking about him as a replacement for Evra. He may be underrated by some fans but for a team outside of CL we should consider ourselves fortunate to have him in our team.
