The big change this season has been the arrival of VDV. Great player just the sort we need to improve the team and keep us challenging for the top four. In fact he is so good Harry has changed the team tactics to accomodate him. That's the dilemma because to my way of thinking the loss of form of all our strikers coincides with the arrival of VDV. From our success last season with 442 we have changed to 451 just to fit VDV into the team. You cannot ignore the quality of a player like VDV and he has scored freely but the sword is two edged because the strikers we have are not equippped for the lone role up front that they are asked to do. With his arrival we needed to complete the job and employ a striker who could play with him and this we failed to do. We are doing bloody well with a team in transition, that is what we are without the lone striker on the books, but do we continue to play as we have until the end of the season with VDV just off the front man? Or should Harry revert to 442 and tell VDV to play the attacking mid role.
He brings so much to the team in that role behind the striker, It's hard to pick up a player in that role Crouch and VDV should be the pairing at home at least.
For me it reflects a failure to address the problems our strikers have It is well known that, solely on trying to score, Defoe shoots at the keeper and is consistently offside while Crouch is poor at headers and almost always heads away from goal (which ironically means he is an asset in defence) yet they repeat these mistakes every single game despite having coaches like Les Ferdinand and Clive Allen. Harry persists with them because he's worked with them before and gives them greater leeway than he would a youngster like Dos Santos or someone he never signed like Pav Defoe has recently stated he has watched videos of Jimmy Greaves where he places shots. How likely is it that Defoe will ignore the videos and persist with power shots at the keeper? I say he will.
Defoe is trying his nuts off when he plays, maybe he is just trying too hard. It would be nice if he could pick something up from Jimmy.
I follow him on Twitter and he seems a bit insecure/lacking in mental strength, responding to any constructive criticism with things like "people love putting you down" and "only god can judge me"
I wasn't suggesting we sign him as a goalkeeper, but I do believe he is a practiced striker. His record as a playmaker is very poor, but he obviously has a great sense of humour and although he might be a bit out of practice he was great at striking 2000 years ago.
John The Baptist up front, for God to feed off. John is good at ducking & diving. John sucks them in and God scores.
And its Moses running at the defence, 3 men to beat...hang on, whats this.. please log in to view this image Oh my God Moses is clean through, what a goal!! Unbelievable Jeff!!! It was like the parting of the Red Sea!!
Van der Vaart is clearly in the top five playmakers in Europe. When fit he is one of our best players. I love it when I see the team sheet and both Modric and Van der Vaart are fit and ready to play. I say do whatever we can to incorporate him into the team.
As is likely Modric and Bale are coming to United in the summer, how well do you think they will fit in at the theatre of dreams and which one do you feel will fit in the best for us next season. I think as a gesture of goodwill we should let you have Carrick back as part of the deal to keep the good relations going between the clubs. Modric and Bale have the potential to be world class whilst learning from Giggs and Scholes. Carrick will help yor midfielders develop and learn having spent his best years at the leading European club.
