Gareth Bale (Rumour to Deal Done)

[murichej]

what makes you say that?

AVB's style of settling new players into the team.

 

[CoopsieDeadpool]

It's my belief that a records point total represents progress. Sure, we finished 5th. Mostly due to the fact that Arsenal went on a run that they won't repeat again. What was that fact about any other year our points total would have been good enough for a CL berth? Last year was very fluky and we did progress despite where we finished.

Of course getting more PL points than EVER before is progression. We did better than not only the season before it, but all other seasons before that. The final league position is nothing to do with it, had we qualified for CL, but actually gained fewer points than we did in the previous season, we'd have regressed.

It's no different to working in an office and ending up as the top salesman for the marketing year & winning some form of award for being so, then in the next year, you make even more sales, but somebody else made more sales than you, so they got the award. you've still progressed as a salesman, it's just that somebody else has done better this time round.

I know that's really not a good analogy, I apologise for that. As recently as 2006/07, 72 points would have seen us finish 3rd - http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/2006-2007

And even more recently, 2010/11, 72 points would have seen us finish SECOND - http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/2010-2011/table

So hopefully my point has sort of been made clearly enough. We've progressed, we just happened to have been involved in a season where teams that finished 2nd & below, also got massive point totals. If you click one of those links, and can be arsed to look back through a decade or so of league tables (it doesn't even take a second to do so), you'll see that in many of the last 10 or so seasons, 72 points would have comfortably gotten us 3rd place at least.

 

[Blake Griffin]

I'm not sure I totally agree with this. If you have a group of young players and kept them together as theygain more experience I'd absolutely expect them to improve. Bale only really reached the level he's at now in the last 6 months, his game has improved and we didn't spend anything to get him there (in terms of transfers). I'd like to think that you can still scout well, be savvy in your dealings, work on the training pitch and develop players and improve without having to spend extortionate amounts. I don't think it's unrealistic.

i think we can improve, but not to the degree that we overtake the sides above us(perhaps arsenal while they lay dormant).

 

[Mouse!]

I'm pretty sure you won't see both of them in starting eleven in the first match.

AVB might have no choice, depending on how Dembele and Sandro are doing fitness-wise.

 

[ClintEastwould]

i think we'll be fine if bale goes, would obviously love it if he stayed though

http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/010509a

Ah, so there is life after Dempsey overall. whew.

 

[mill]

Even our own coaching staff are saying his departure is inevitable, fuck you Ferdinand ****

 

[Misfit]

Glad to see that more people are turning against Sir Les. I've never trusted him.

 

[bloodzeed]

so if he is going why not just say he is going from the club
do not understand the silence

 

[Snarfalicious]

Where did Les say this?

 

[StockSpur]

les ferdinand, club spokesperson..

 

[tommyt]

Ffs people. Ferdinand statement was so rehearsed it was embarrassing. Think he'd be the person to confirm Bale was leaving on itv 4? To me it sounded more like he may go to Madrid at some stage. Suitably cryptic... In fact, he could have had training from certain mods on SC.

 

[AJW]

Marca saying they want to pay in 5 20 million increments. Wankers. No help to us at all. We would have to go into all our deals asking for longer increments too

 

[easley91]

Just saw the Sandro pic. What a fucking legend.

 

[allatsea]

Marca saying they want to pay in 5 20 million increments. Wankers. No help to us at all. We would have to go into all our deals asking for longer increments too

No money to buy Bale they want him on the never never

 

[spuradik]

Where did Les say this?

ITV4, during the pre-game commentary. What he said was somewhat ambiguous, if you're the hopeful kind. He said that 'it was inevitable that Bale would leave at some point in time'. You could read that as either this summer or next. But I'm increasingly getting the feeling that he is off. I seriously doubt the 'injury'.

 

[kungfugrip]

His flirted with it in the past but he fell away in the second half of those seasons (the season we got finished fourth and beat Man City he had a good run at the end of the season). Last season he was consistent during the first half and exploded in the second half, his only complete season performance wise.

The season we finished 4th (the first time) he only played the second half of the season.

 

[bobzmuda]

Ray Hudson, commenting on the Monaco match just noted that several of the squad had Bale sign shirts for them -- indicating that they believe Bale may be off.

 

[Shea]

I really don't see any positive spin to us selling Bale

If he goes he goes - no man is bigger than the club

It will set us back though if he is sold - regardless of the money we receive, we'll be weaker without him.

We won't be able to replace his quality, if we even come close to doing so it will have to be in the form of potential talent and of course the team will have to mould together as a unit again

Basically, Bale has become such a huge component of our team that his sale will condemn us to yet another transitional season.

I don't agree with the notion that keeping him will enable us to mount a title challenge - we'll still be fighting for 3rd or 4th place over the course of the season BUT it would give us a much greater chance of being successful with such a challenge and from there you have CL football and possibilities start to become more realistic

Keep Bale and have a team that also includes some extra quality in midfield (i.e. fit again Sandro and Paulinho) and an actual lethal striker up top in Soldado and we'll be a much more rounded and dangerous outfit and I truly believe we'd become a CL outfit this season.

Sell Bale and even if we bring in 2-3 more quality signings and we'll be back to where we started looking at the 3rd-7th places in the league (where I'd expect us to be looking 2nd-5th with him)

I hope we keep him, at the very least it will keep us more settled and potent while the new players settle in

I've always been sure he'll stay this season but him not playing tonight and the constant speculation becoming louder and more expectant has shifted my belief and I am now expecting him to be sold

 

[EnfieldYiddo]

Marca saying they want to pay in 5 20 million increments. Wankers. No help to us at all. We would have to go into all our deals asking for longer increments too

Makes me feel sick, they will make that back a year on him alone in merchandise and marketing.

3/4 of it up-front.

 

[AUSpur]

Ray Hudson, commenting on the Monaco match just noted that several of the squad had Bale sign shirts for them -- indicating that they believe Bale may be off.

He's such a clown.