Levy interview in FC Business magazine

[sloth]

Bent does his best work using his pace to run in behind an opposition back four. He's not very good at holding the ball up and linking play, or playing with his back to goal in general. And his vision and passing ability are several classes worse than Berba's so he can't play the linking "fulcrum" role.

So, sloth, I disagree with your statement and don't believe Bent is a target man. I do think if we play to his strengths and have players like the Hud delivering early through balls, then Darren Bent will score a lot of goals for us.

I refer you to the position he played with such success at Charlton.

 

[MattWilliams]

I think there's obviously a slight confusion on what 'target man' means. Traditionally, I guess, it would be someone who you can hit with the ball and they can hold up play, bringing others into the game. In the modern game though, there also seems to be the fast, powerful lone frontman, who chases lost causes and can score goals without much support. Jol was always mentioning about wanting a fast, powerful striker to lead the line and play off the shoulder of the defenders. In essence the guys still a target man...

Unfortunately, I still think the selling of Carrick is the biggest mistake that was made through the Jol reign. Stick Carrick in our current midfield and we would have been a damn sight higher up the league. Lennon, Jenas and Bent would have a regular feed other than Berbatov. Berbatov would have been more able to concentrate on playing against their defence rather than dropping deep to create play. And, our defence would have had a consistent and disciplined shield.

Basically, while I think Juande is great, Jol got screwed.

 

[yanno]

I refer you to the position he played with such success at Charlton.

Bent played as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 at Charlton, always looking for the ball in behind the opposition defence. Unless you want to redefine the meaning of target man (which for decades has meant a Jan Koller-type), then I'm not sure how you can call Bent one. By your definition, Jermain Defoe plays as a target man for Portsmouth since their midfielders are always looking to play him in.

A target man has always been the player who holds the ball up with his back to goal and then lays the ball off to advancing teammates. Or flicks the ball on to a smaller, faster, partner - eg Toshack playing with Keegan.

In Jol speak, he clearly wanted a bigger striker capable of holding up the ball - Kanoute, Mido - playing alongside a smaller striker - Defoe, Keane. For him, Kanoute & Mido would have been target men.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Bent does his best work using his pace to run in behind an opposition back four. He's not very good at holding the ball up and linking play, or playing with his back to goal in general. And his vision and passing ability are several classes worse than Berba's so he can't play the linking "fulcrum" role.

So, sloth, I disagree with your statement and don't believe Bent is a target man. I do think if we play to his strengths and have players like the Hud delivering early through balls, then Darren Bent will score a lot of goals for us.

I pretty much agreewith your assessment of Bent up to this point.I think that if we start to play to the strengths of a player that "is not very good at holding the ball up and linking play,or with his back to the goal. Or a player whose "vision and passing ability are several classes below Berbatov" we will possibly meet the same fate as the last side that did that with Darren Bent.

Sloth
We really do disagree where Bent's concerned eh ? I just don't understand what you see in a player so technically poor. Do you honestly think that a player like him could really help us achieve a higher level of football ?

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I've always found this issue of levy saying we have a squad to "challenge" the top 4 puzzling. We had just finished 5th for the second ear runing. Good cup runs on all fronts. I'm not sure what he is supposed to have said but if he did say something along those lines so what. Understandable unde the circumstances and he's hardly supposed to say "no actually I think several of our players are a bit shit and not good enough for the next level". Even if he's expecting to be upgrading he'd hardly want to devalue his assets (Gerald Ratner style) is he.
And I don't believe for one minute that Jol had identified the root of the true problem. Robinson, Chimbonda and Dawson were his undroppables. Yet they are the biggest liabilities. The first people to be dropped or replaced by Ramos.

And if you look at who has challenged Liverpool this season(Everton, ManC, Pompey) and the quality of football we have played most of the season (we really haven't turned in many stinkers at all and outpossess nearly everyone, scoring third best ?) it is clear to see that the defensive culprits asside we probably should have been challenging Liverpool for fourth shouldn't we ?

I was banging on about Robinson and Dawson a long time ago. Even in the summer I was still saying they should be priorities. I am positive that Jol not only didn't think so but thought they were Actually the foundations of his side.

To truly challenge the top 4 or even 2/3 we could do with some quality creativity in midfield but can you imagine what our season would have been like with a decent defence for most of it. I would stake SS57's signed Mido jock strap with stretch waistband that we'd be up there scrapping around 4/5/6th.

 

[DC_Boy]

Hi BC - I've disagreed with you over many things particularly Mido & Kanoute - but full credit to you on Daws and Robbo - you called them correctly way earlier than me - and you're bang on the money (though at times a little too forthright in your language to say the least IMHO) -

but they're not up to it- and you were right

 

[nickspurs]

I've always found this issue of levy saying we have a squad to "challenge" the top 4 puzzling. We had just finished 5th for the second ear runing. Good cup runs on all fronts. I'm not sure what he is supposed to have said but if he did say something along those lines so what. Understandable unde the circumstances and he's hardly supposed to say "no actually I think several of our players are a bit shit and not good enough for the next level". Even if he's expecting to be upgrading he'd hardly want to devalue his assets (Gerald Ratner style) is he.
And I don't believe for one minute that Jol had identified the root of the true problem. Robinson, Chimbonda and Dawson were his undroppables. Yet they are the biggest liabilities. The first people to be dropped or replaced by Ramos.

And if you look at who has challenged Liverpool this season(Everton, ManC, Pompey) and the quality of football we have played most of the season (we really haven't turned in many stinkers at all and outpossess nearly everyone, scoring third best ?) it is clear to see that the defensive culprits asside we probably should have been challenging Liverpool for fourth shouldn't we ?

I was banging on about Robinson and Dawson a long time ago. Even in the summer I was still saying they should be priorities. I am positive that Jol not only didn't think so but thought they were Actually the foundations of his side.

To truly challenge the top 4 or even 2/3 we could do with some quality creativity in midfield but can you imagine what our season would have been like with a decent defence for most of it. I would stake SS57's signed Mido jock strap with stretch waistband that we'd be up there scrapping around 4/5/6th.

Good post. A lot I agree with and much that you saw before many of us! Just a shame those prem-ready, creative midfield types are one of the hardest positions to fill...

 

[yanno]

Bent does his best work using his pace to run in behind an opposition back four. He's not very good at holding the ball up and linking play, or playing with his back to goal in general. And his vision and passing ability are several classes worse than Berba's so he can't play the linking "fulcrum" role.

So, sloth, I disagree with your statement and don't believe Bent is a target man. I do think if we play to his strengths and have players like the Hud delivering early through balls, then Darren Bent will score a lot of goals for us.

I pretty much agreewith your assessment of Bent up to this point.I think that if we start to play to the strengths of a player that "is not very good at holding the ball up and linking play,or with his back to the goal. Or a player whose "vision and passing ability are several classes below Berbatov" we will possibly meet the same fate as the last side that did that with Darren Bent.

B-C: I do think Darren Bent is a good, perhaps very good, goalscorer. He can stick them in with his right foot, his left foot, and his head. And, given his limited playing time this season, 8 goals is a very respectable return for us.

You and I have discussed Bent & team tactics before. There's no way that Don Juande Ramos is going to start playing Curbishley 4-5-1 Charlton football, which is what you are suggesting. However, Ramos is smart enough to know that Bent will thrive when his teammates are looking for his runs and trying to play him in early. I also think that if, next season, we sign the players to play "Ramos football", attacking down the flanks and getting crosses in, Bent will score a lot of goals with both his head and his feet. However, I still expect him to be third choice behind Berba and Keano.

In short, Darren Bent is not a target man, or a linking striker. But he will score a lot of goals for any EPL team who provide him with the right service.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Yanno & Sloth
We'll have to agree to disagree about Bent. he definately can't use his left foot though.

 

[tobi]

I didn't know Bent was a target man Eek