which players are top 4 material ?

[dannythomas]

How many of our players are good enough to get us into the top 4 next season ? Looking at the ones who stand out as NOT good enough the following come to mind :

Cerny
Robbo
Chimonda
Lee
Rocha
Zokora
Bent

I have left in most of the young kids who may not be there yet but have undoubted potential:

Gunter
O hara
Kaboul

That leaves the following who are goodenough to form a nucleus of a CL team:

Hutton
Gunter
King
Dawson
Woodgate
Kaboul
Bale
Gilberto ( assuming we ever see him )
Lennon
Jenas
O'hara
Malbranque
Tainio
Hudd
Keane
Berbatov

I would say we still need 2 keepers , 1 central defender, 2 midfielders and 1 striker .7 players out and 6 players in.
Views ?

 

[The Apprentice]

Berbatov.
King. Woodgate.
Keane.

Tis all.

 

[Midostouch]

The Apprentice - are you serious? No Lennon? Steed? Jenas? Bale?

 

[Andy]

Berbatov.
King. Woodgate.
Keane.

Tis all.

I'd stick Lennon, Jenas Bale and Hutton in with your four and give Gilberto a chance as i haven't seen him play yet,
Kaboul has gone backwards recently,
Imo we need desperately one strong keeper and a younger one on the bench willing to push all the way,
We're still short of another central midfielder too.

Edit: i'd keep Steed as a sub.

 

[N10toN17]

King, Woodgate, Hutton, Bale, Lennon, Berbatov, Keane.

 

[The Apprentice]

A top 4 team wouldn't have been humiliated by Birmingham City.

 

[dannythomas]

King, Woodgate, Hutton, Bale, Lennon, Berbatov, Keane.

Assuming you need 2 strong players in every position does that mean you would sign 15 new players ? How many of our existing squad in addition to those you have listed would form part of a first team group good enough for a top 4 push ? How many would you ofload ?

 

[Marty]

As a SQUAD I think dannythomas is pretty much spot on.

However, the signings we make have to be significant improvements to our first eleven (or first 18 if you count the seven man subs bench), as at the moment that isn't quite good enough to sustain a top 4 challenge over a full season.

And I'd give Bent one more full season to prove himself. But if he doesn't adapt to our game by either January or Summer 2009 he's gone.

 

[haxman]

A top 4 team wouldn't have been humiliated by Birmingham City.

Arsenal couldn't put them away last week. And Birmingham were down to 10 men for most of that game. Still no excuse for that dismal performance today though.

 

[Partizan]

A top 4 team wouldn't have been humiliated by Birmingham City.

Liverpool 1-2 Barnsley
Middlesbrough 4-1 Man Utd
Middlesbrough 3-0 Chelsea
Chelsea 1-1 Rosenborg
Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal

It has happened to the top 4 so please take my advice and:

Spoiler

SHUT THE FUCK UP!

 

[Caco]

Robbo
Robbo
Robbo
Robbo
Robbo
Robbo
Robbo

and

Robbo.

All is forgiven Radek!

 

[N10toN17]

Assuming you need 2 strong players in every position does that mean you would sign 15 new players ? How many of our existing squad in addition to those you have listed would form part of a first team group good enough for a top 4 push ? How many would you ofload ?

I just answered the question asked. :shrug:

I don't think anybody else in our squad would get into a top four 11 or 16, where as I think the ones I named have a good shout.

Where it leaves us? 11th and just got spanked by Brum, even taking into account we had players rested and injured we've not got the squad for top four, we can compete if we have our key players playing, but if they're injured and Woody and Ledders as an example don't play that often we look short of top four and well short if I'm honest.

Rome wasn't built in a day and I'm sure Ramos will bring more players in the summer, others might surprise us and improve next year, here's hoping anyway.

 

[davros]

Everton might well consider themselves a 'top 4' side this season with a squad not vastly superior to ours. If you are talking about which players the current established 'top 4' teams might want to take off us then there are a few. I think there are far more players in our squad that a decent coaching staff could make into genuine contenders for a top 4 spot.

 

[The Apprentice]

Liverpool 1-2 Barnsley
Middlesbrough 4-1 Man Utd
Middlesbrough 3-0 Chelsea
Chelsea 1-1 Rosenborg
Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal

It has happened to the top 4 so please take my advice and:

Spoiler

SHUT THE FUCK UP!

Very big, very clever.

Remind me, which one of the examples you quoted was against Birmingham City?

 

[don1]

next season we are not to far away from a top 4 finish with the team we have

 

[don1]

next season we are not to far away from a top 4 finish with the team we have

 

[bomberH]

A top 4 team wouldn't have been humiliated by Birmingham City.

To be fair, this is the same Birmingham that drew with Arsenal despite playing with ten men for 87 minutes. Yeah we had a shitarse time today, but Lennon, Jenas & Keane were rested, and King, Woody, Dawson, Bale & Gilberto are injured. Shit result but wouldn't have happened if we hadn't won the cup, especially 2 weeks before the last 16 of the UEFA. We still should've had a much better result than this with the team we put out, but they'll learn and hopefully get the kick up the arse they need. This could be a defining result for us, i'd rather have this massive cock up now than us thinking we're invincible early next season and set the tone for a fuck up then.

With regards to the thread, I'd say King, Woody, Bale, Lennon, Jenas, Keane & Berbatov are the definites. The maybes are Hutton, Steed, Hudd and Robbo if he can regain his form of 2 years ago. Chimbo's probably good enough, but hasn't got the right attitude and will more than likely be the first out the door in the summer.

Man U's best team would prob be VDSaar, Neville, Rio, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Hargreaves, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez (that's leaving out Nani, Anderson & Carrick) But how often do we see players like Fletcher, O'Shea, Park and Brown? Lots, and they ain't all that. They're good, but not world beaters. We can't have a squad full of the best players in the world, we have to work our way up, which we're slowly doing. I'm sure they'll be ins and outs in the summer and i'd be very surprised if any of the players i've mentioned above (apart from Berby & Robbo) left. We'll be ok, honest.

 

[dannythomas]

Very big, very clever.

Remind me, which one of the examples you quoted was against Birmingham City?

No but are Midlesboro any better than Brum ?

 

[don1]

next season we are not to far away from a top 4 finish with the team we have

 

[bomberH]

oops, double post. soz.