'Big' player & Bellamy MKII

[Ted Hughes]

Bale is a very expensive example of the Bellamy type player I'm talking about I think.

But for the 'big' player I'm thinking more someone who runs the game. I don't even think Ronaldo is it tbh, a matchwinner for sure, but a 25 year old Gerrard, would have been more likely to sort out Barca last night, than relying on erratic bursts of genius from Ronaldo I think.

Re Silva. He is like a forward, who works hard, not a midfielder who works hard. Same with Nasri, although Nasri is a bit more solid. Those two, plus two forwards, is like having 4 forwards, especially when all 4 actually move forward & leave a great big hole behind. They work hard for 'gifted' type players, but not as hard as proper midfield players.

That's the reason we don't press as we should & the only reason for even contemplating 5 in the middle.

[Hazy2]

Bale is a very expensive example of the Bellamy type player I'm talking about I think.

But for the 'big' player I'm thinking more someone who runs the game. I don't even think Ronaldo is it tbh, a matchwinner for sure, but a 25 year old Gerrard, would have been more likely to sort out Barca last night, than relying on erratic bursts of genius from Ronaldo I think.

Re Silva. He is like a forward, who works hard, not a midfielder who works hard. Same with Nasri, although Nasri is a bit more solid. Those two, plus two forwards, is like having 4 forwards, especially when all 4 actually move forward & leave a great big hole behind. They work hard for 'gifted' type players, but not as hard as proper midfield players.

That's the reason we don't press as we should & the only reason for even contemplating 5 in the middle.

For me Silva is the player you have to set about freeing on nights like last night he will then feed Sergio who needs early ball and anything will happen. Athletico M have a tempo to the game, for sure they can get done as Barca did in the CDR. We lack nouse and bollocks at time it does baffle me. I also think Pellers is deluded in thinking the CM was the way to set up. It was no war zone in there. Iniesta is not the player he was and Ratic and Busquets looked like a level above, our shape was horrible and did nobody any favours, The game was close to over in 30 odd mins. I still do not see any defenders at City good on the ball they are all poor and the ball is turned over so easy it made Barca flow along like a training session, Once we went for it the game could have seen us score 4 in 15 mins 2nd half. We need early ball at every chance Sergio is our only world class striker and the best in the league slow ball kills his runs and pisses him off you can see it at times. How many weeks to prepare for Barca and it's the wheelie bin plus Milner FFS, where was that plan hatched is the biggest worry coz the dippers will play us of the park as will Spurs..

[Ted Hughes]

Bale is a very expensive example of the Bellamy type player I'm talking about I think.

But for the 'big' player I'm thinking more someone who runs the game. I don't even think Ronaldo is it tbh, a matchwinner for sure, but a 25 year old Gerrard, would have been more likely to sort out Barca last night, than relying on erratic bursts of genius from Ronaldo I think.

Re Silva. He is like a forward, who works hard, not a midfielder who works hard. Same with Nasri, although Nasri is a bit more solid. Those two, plus two forwards, is like having 4 forwards, especially when all 4 actually move forward & leave a great big hole behind. They work hard for 'gifted' type players, but not as hard as proper midfield players.

That's the reason we don't press as we should & the only reason for even contemplating 5 in the middle.

For me Silva is the player you have to set about freeing on nights like last night he will then feed Sergio who needs early ball and anything will happen. Athletico M have a tempo to the game, for sure they can get done as Barca did in the CDR. We lack nouse and bollocks at time it does baffle me. I also think Pellers is deluded in thinking the CM was the way to set up. It was no war zone in there. Iniesta is not the player he was and Ratic and Busquets looked like a level above, our shape was horrible and did nobody any favours, The game was close to over in 30 odd mins. I still do not see any defenders at City good on the ball they are all poor and the ball is turned over so easy it made Barca flow along like a training session, Once we went for it the game could have seen us score 4 in 15 mins 2nd half. We need early ball at every chance Sergio is our only world class striker and the best in the league slow ball kills his runs and pisses him off you can see it at times. How many weeks to prepare for Barca and it's the wheelie bin plus Milner FFS, where was that plan hatched is the biggest worry coz the dippers will play us of the park as will Spurs..

We filled the midfield v Bayern & got dicked in there by ten men.

Just like yesterday, our players couldn't string 3 passes together & the goals they scored were down to piss poor defending, not genius from the oppo. It's got nothing to do with one man extra in midfield; we would need 3 or 4 playing like that.

All of City's defenders are on the whole fine on the ball, when it's not Messi etc closing them down. In Europe, they shit themselves & can't think straight. Same with Silva & Nasri they are struggling just to play simple passes & not lose the ball. All their confidence recieving the ball goes.

Ali Benarbia would wipe the floor with the pair of them in a game like that.

One bloke extra in midfield is not going to change that, it's punditry/ fantasy football.

Martinez knew exactly what happened last night. And so did Pelegrini. Fuck all to do with formations; all to do with players not doing their jobs.

We need some new options.

[iwasthere2012]

Isco as the Bellamy type. Not as fast but from what I've seen lately would be ideal to our style of play and quite tenacious.
I think what you are ultimately looking for is someone to do what Yaya won't be able to any more as the legs get worse and worse. I'm stumped.
Bring back Colin Bell.

[twosips]

Really? Don't think Isco is anything like Bellamy from what i know but fair enough. He's another Nasri/Silva really i think.

[iwasthere2012]

Really? Don't think Isco is anything like Bellamy from what i know but fair enough. He's another Nasri/Silva really i think.

I would say you are correct, but would liken him to Hazard also from what I've seen. I think he would suit us as he looks far more on Silva/Nasri wavelength than Jovetic. He's an excellent dribbler and what surprised me watching him, was his workrate off the ball. Quite tenacious. Maybe I caught him on a good day.

[iwasthere2012]

Hate to say it, because of the lambasting he's getting this year, but Kompany should be the man leading by example and issuing the bollockings this year but it's not happening for him or us. I do think he will come good again though.

[Hazy2]

Bale is a very expensive example of the Bellamy type player I'm talking about I think.

But for the 'big' player I'm thinking more someone who runs the game. I don't even think Ronaldo is it tbh, a matchwinner for sure, but a 25 year old Gerrard, would have been more likely to sort out Barca last night, than relying on erratic bursts of genius from Ronaldo I think.

Re Silva. He is like a forward, who works hard, not a midfielder who works hard. Same with Nasri, although Nasri is a bit more solid. Those two, plus two forwards, is like having 4 forwards, especially when all 4 actually move forward & leave a great big hole behind. They work hard for 'gifted' type players, but not as hard as proper midfield players.

That's the reason we don't press as we should & the only reason for even contemplating 5 in the middle.

For me Silva is the player you have to set about freeing on nights like last night he will then feed Sergio who needs early ball and anything will happen. Athletico M have a tempo to the game, for sure they can get done as Barca did in the CDR. We lack nouse and bollocks at time it does baffle me. I also think Pellers is deluded in thinking the CM was the way to set up. It was no war zone in there. Iniesta is not the player he was and Ratic and Busquets looked like a level above, our shape was horrible and did nobody any favours, The game was close to over in 30 odd mins. I still do not see any defenders at City good on the ball they are all poor and the ball is turned over so easy it made Barca flow along like a training session, Once we went for it the game could have seen us score 4 in 15 mins 2nd half. We need early ball at every chance Sergio is our only world class striker and the best in the league slow ball kills his runs and pisses him off you can see it at times. How many weeks to prepare for Barca and it's the wheelie bin plus Milner FFS, where was that plan hatched is the biggest worry coz the dippers will play us of the park as will Spurs..

We filled the midfield v Bayern & got dicked in there by ten men.

Just like yesterday, our players couldn't string 3 passes together & the goals they scored were down to piss poor defending, not genius from the oppo. It's got nothing to do with one man extra in midfield; we would need 3 or 4 playing like that.

All of City's defenders are on the whole fine on the ball, when it's not Messi etc closing them down. In Europe, they shit themselves & can't think straight. Same with Silva & Nasri they are struggling just to play simple passes & not lose the ball. All their confidence recieving the ball goes.

Ali Benarbia would wipe the floor with the pair of them in a game like that.

One bloke extra in midfield is not going to change that, it's punditry/ fantasy football.

Martinez knew exactly what happened last night. And so did Pelegrini. Fuck all to do with formations; all to do with players not doing their jobs.

We need some new options.

Why did he not change it sooner again 0-1 a mess 0-2 out.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Negredo could have gone part of the way to being a 'big' player for us, had he stayed and been able to consistently reproduce his form of the earlier part of last season. However, that wasn't to be.

Short of signing Messi himself, I don't think, at the moment, there's anyone who comes near to filling the primary job description that Ted set out although, just as a vague thought, perhaps the Club ought to consider a self imposed embargo on the type of players we do sign and limit ourselves to only recruiting Argentinians.

Of those, we should only consider the ones who are the hardest of hard nails, who work their socks off all day long and, if necessary, have an inbuilt nasty streak which motivates them to "get stuck in" when the going gets tough. In other words, players who were like Mike Summerbee in his hey-day in that they "wrap their skills in barbed wire" and who possess the 'Zabaletta mentality'.

I don't know, off the top of my head, who of these could fulfill such requirements but, if we were to sign South Americans in the future, I just hope we don't sign any more Brazilian players.

[nottsblue]

Must be just me and at the risk of a meltdown, Suarez could be the guy

[Hazy2]

Must be just me and at the risk of a meltdown, Suarez could be the guy

The right lines a player gets the fans of there arses a player willing to kick his mother for a win.

[Im_Spartacus]

Must be just me and at the risk of a meltdown, Suarez could be the guy

As much of a nasty fucker as he is, he's a bloody good footballer and a focal point for a team like us. He will do anything to win which means you'd have to take his diving and taste for flesh, but I think take away his flaws and you lose his will to win.

In reality, there is no realistic way that Suarez, Neymar and Messi will stay at that club for more than a year or two without one or more getting pissed off and wanting to leave. We have to be in there at that point, although if it was Neymar I'd have my reservations.

[Sideshow Bob]

In reality, there is no realistic way that Suarez, Neymar and Messi will stay at that club for more than a year or two without one or more getting pissed off and wanting to leave. We have to be in there at that point, although if it was Neymar I'd have my reservations.

of the 3 I think neymar would be the easiest to unsettle b/c he desperately wants to be the new messi and that won't happen until old messi is dead and buried. neymar may be difficult to like but he would transform our side, as I said in the other thread. he is a more complete silva with pace and goals. more grit than he's given credit for...I watched him return to the pitch after getting his ankle ripped open by a studs up challenge. keep him motivated, cut the bs from his game, and he could dominate the PL. i am deffo not a neymar fanboy but i can respect the talent.

[Ted Hughes]

Neymar might do ok in the Prem, but he's not going to change much in a game like last night or particularly help stop Barca playing is he ?

But a 25 year old Gerrard in our team might have done.

[C & C]

I like Fernando as a squad player, as someone to come into a game to close it out. In my opinion, his position is ideally where City need a World Class player who comes with the attributes Ted would like included. Not many of those around. But if you were to add that to this City side I'd like their chances against anyone.

[iwasthere2012]

Could you imagine a modern day Bell & Summerbee in that team.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Must be just me and at the risk of a meltdown, Suarez could be the guy

Given the parameters that Ted set out, I was thinking the same thing myself.....even though, to some extent, it was unthinkable.

He's probably got the same sort of devil in him that Bellamy possessed, although he's also got that unnecessary carnivorous streak which is not to be relished.

[Blue Since 76]

Bollocks, Ted. Not what you said, what we need.

Yaya has been a big game player, the one when things aren't going right will step up and do something world class. But he's not what we need (although we missed him last night).

As much as I hate him, what we need is a Keane. The sort of player who 3-0 up or 3-0 down would break someone's leg rather than let them score in the 94th minute. Someone the other players would be terrified of. When Vieira picked on Neville in the tunnel, who jumped in? If a bad tackle went in against City now, who works you expect to start the brawl? Zaba maybe. Anyone else? Anyone fancy Nasri behind them when someone's threatening to break your legs?

Bellamy did that - pick a fight with the biggest opposition player just to prove a point. Barry and de Jong could do it to some extent by booting someone into the air and getting the crowd going. Tevez would drag us through a bad spell - I still remember him being kicked off the pitch by Wigan to the point where he could barely walk, yet he scored a hat trick.

The fear last night was palpable, as it was last season. We may talk big before the game, but on the night, no one will try anything. We need a leader.

[Hazy2]

Griezman AM is an interesting player, full of fire, Sanchez is pissing in the wind at Arsenal. If we had leaders and a nasty streak we should be heading for a third title on the bounce, we're not and their is a reason, we are nice too nice

[Moonchesteri]

Bollocks, Ted. Not what you said, what we need.

Yaya has been a big game player, the one when things aren't going right will step up and do something world class. But he's not what we need (although we missed him last night).

As much as I hate him, what we need is a Keane. The sort of player who 3-0 up or 3-0 down would break someone's leg rather than let them score in the 94th minute. Someone the other players would be terrified of. When Vieira picked on Neville in the tunnel, who jumped in? If a bad tackle went in against City now, who works you expect to start the brawl? Zaba maybe. Anyone else? Anyone fancy Nasri behind them when someone's threatening to break your legs?

Bellamy did that - pick a fight with the biggest opposition player just to prove a point. Barry and de Jong could do it to some extent by booting someone into the air and getting the crowd going. Tevez would drag us through a bad spell - I still remember him being kicked off the pitch by Wigan to the point where he could barely walk, yet he scored a hat trick.

The fear last night was palpable, as it was last season. We may talk big before the game, but on the night, no one will try anything. We need a leader.

Kolarov. At least he used to do it

And no, we don't need a fucking roy keane type of cunt.

Does Real Madrid have one? Does Bayern Munich have one? Does Barcelona have one?
Great football teams don't need cunts like that. Vieira type of leader however? Yeah, we could do with a player like that