I like some of these Gilly but not keen on Cole - if he can't do it for Chelsea or 'pool he's not likely to do it for us and his wages will be enormous I would think. Also not keen on Bothroyd. Bit of a thug and never really cut it at the top level. Bentley is too hit and miss - okay at Spurs where they can afford a luxury player but on our books he would be a bit of a liability. Would love Ramsey but can't see it, or Defoe, or Wright-Phillips (who's getting on a bit now). Like the sound of Rudnevs. Don't know some of the others named - Laura? Larrson? (Birmingham man? If so good shout can score goals and is a good midfielder.
Sorry, not personal opinion but rumours. i agree with much of what you said- definately no Cole. No idea about Laura. Osvaldo may be an unheard of. he playes upfront, and is 25 years old. Plays for Espanyol and sounds ok; i havent seen him play. Could be a flop, could be a Dembele.
Going down to Motspur Park, on a regular basis,one hears many things that are bandied about, One common factor is that there could be a sizeable clear out,some big names among them. My fear is, if say Hangaland and Dempsey in that mix,we could, next season be in a relegation dog fight. I for one do not think that MH has the price range, talent, spotting ability,that Roy had,and we could be lumbered with aged, or at best championship ability players.
I have to disagree with you, Valjing, on Hughes' talent spotting ability. At Blackburn it was one of the things that marked his management. Santa Cruz (who admittedly hasn't done much since) was a revelation, Samba, Tuguy, and countless others that Blackburn fans enthused about on the old 606 board when Hughes was appointed were all cheap signings who shone in the Premier League. COYW, I hope that cheers you up a bit! Dempsey was crucial this season, but we could cope with losing him far better than we could Bobby or Hangeland. That doesn't mean I want Dempsey to go, far from it, but if the worst happened we've got other strong options in his position. I wasn't impressed by DJ Campbell when he was last in the Premier League with Birmingham, so didn't pay him much attention this season. I was surprised to see he's scored so many goals this time. If we did sign him, it would have to be as a squad player, a back up for Bobby. He wouldn't be top of my shopping list, but he's at least proven he can do it in the Premier League now so I wouldn't mind him coming in on that basis. We need someone like that in the squad, and if the transfer fee and wages aren't silly, he wouldn't be a bad signing.
Campbell's not a back-up for Zamora Commodore. I don't think holding the ball up and distributing it are his strengths, whereas if he played alongside BZ he'd get a lot of opportunities to score.
Fair enough, Rocky. If that's the case, then I agree with Gilly - we should be aiming higher than DJ Cambell.
I'd plump for S. Warnock at Villa. Does he get a game? Played for Hughes at Blackburn. Does anyone remember him playing against us for Blackburn, he played in a CM role and ran the show - recall evening game. he's got a trusty left foot and crucially gets stuck in. He's my pick. However he's from Liverpool and would her settle in London I don't know.
It's all hypothetical, but I'd rather lose Dempsey than Hangeland or Zamora. Dembele can play Dempsey's role, but Zamora and Hangeland are unique in their dominance and, thus, harder to replace. Joe Cole is like Robbie Keane to me - looks good on paper, but there's a reason why these men can't settle with a team. Speaking of Robbie Keane, did anyone see his dreadful miss against Blackburn - he was literally alone one meter from the goal when the ball came to him, and he missed it completely. A goal would have potentially kept West Ham up. It was the miss of the century - shocking - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tw58Te7hkU Anyone notice how good Greening was on the left these last two games? Maybe he's a winger?
Rocky - I don't think he's hot to go anywhere. I posted this on your "thoughts about ..." article, but i think Dempsey's just very tired and it's reflected a little in his latest performances. He hasn't had a break in two years - he went straight from The Cottage to South Africa then straight back to London for the start of the 10/11 season. Realistically, where's Dempsey going to go? I could see him mioving up a notch and playing for teams like Tottenham, Everton or Villa - but that's it. I don't see any of the big five teams trying to buy him.
DR, I think you're right that Dempsey is unlikely to move to another Premier League team, but if an overseas team who regularly play in the Champions League came in, I could see him being tempted.
ã10 million would be a good price, but it's only a good deal if we use the money well and end up by improving the side overall. If the extra money gets us a quality partner for Zamora, and possibly one or more other players in the positions that we're weakest in it would be a fantastic deal. If it just sits in the bank or gets spent on players who don't improve the side, it would be terrible business. On the other hand, we could blow it all on some statues of The Brotherhood of Man (younger members, ask your parents. Or Rocky and Valjing).
Captain, you might be right about Dempsey leaving for a foreign team in the Champions League - not Barcelona or Madrid, needless to say, but a German team might take a flyer on him. I'd take 10 mil for Dempsey - I'd take 9 mil for him, but only if a replacement was on the way. I thought Greening played well at left wing. Dembele could certainly play there, or up front like Dempsey. The hardest thing to replace about Dempsey is that he's tough - he's rarely injured. Besides Hughes and Hangeland, I can't think of anyone who's played more minutes these last four years. I bet he's played more minutes than Johnson and Zamora combined - or Davies and Duff combined. That's rare.
Young Greening did well out on the left. We've seen him do that before. Was a bit miffed when he was taken off as he'd just delivered that delightful cross for Zamora to head home. He also took the corner at Brum for Hangeland to score. He has a football brain no doubt about it but just lacks in pace to compete week in week out. I'd keep him at the club for sure.
