[Archived] Bentley

[gumboots]

We know the qualities he has, so yes in an ideal world i'd have him back. However, that would require the fee to be one we could afford, David himself eating humble pie and keeping his mouth shut about his ambitions as soon as he starts playing well again, allardyce wanting him, fans agreeing to stay off his back if some of his performances aren't up to the standard he is capable of and not yelling abuse at him like they do at certain other rovers players every time they make a mistake. i don't see all of that happening and possibly not any so i don't think he'll be in the Rovers squad any time soon, but stranger things do sometimes happen.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Bentley has played 24 games for Spurs this season:

http://www.footballanorak.com/David-Bentley-pid-905.html

I wonder if they won't play him again this season in order to not pay out more of the money to us? 25 appearances (a decent figure) could be one of the payment conditions.

[The Prof.]

I'd have him back like a shot. This is a football club and not a Nightclub with football shirts on like Spurs. Quality player who needs to make his mark again. We have no such quality currently. Beggers can't be choosers.

[Billy Castell]

I'd have Bentley if he agreed to a personality transplant. Good player, but a fool.

[T4E]

I'd have him back like a shot. This is a football club and not a Nightclub with football shirts on like Spurs. Quality player who needs to make his mark again. We have no such quality currently. Beggers can't be choosers.

Never a truer word spoken.

[LeChuck]

For all his whinging about wanting to go he was always very complimentary about us in the press. I think even in the drunken SSN interview that seemed to annoy people the most, he said what a great club we were but he wanted to move on.

If he did come back (not that I think he will), he'd obviously have to make efforts to get himself back in favour with the fans again, but I certainly don't think he did any bridge burning when he left. If my memory serves me correctly he waited until the season had finished before announcing his intentions too, unlike Roque who has been doing it pretty much all season.

[gumboots]

For all his whinging about wanting to go he was always very complimentary about us in the press. I think even in the drunken SSN interview that seemed to annoy people the most, he said what a great club we were but he wanted to move on.

If he did come back (not that I think he will), he'd obviously have to make efforts to get himself back in favour with the fans again, but I certainly don't think he did any bridge burning when he left. If my memory serves me correctly he waited until the season had finished before announcing his intentions too, unlike Roque who has been doing it pretty much all season.

I'd personally have no problems with him coming back but I do think there are quite a few fans that would. If he could feed on the fans' booing etc as some players do he could do very well. As I said I'd take him but whether the circumstances that would make the deal doable to him and to both clubs could happen, I very much doubt.

[Manc Rover]

If he came back (which he won't) then I doubt anyone would boo at all. We'd just get our blue n white tinted glasses on and forget all about it!

[riverside returns]

Agreed Manc, if( and that is an incredibly unlikely If) he came back then he would be supported and lauded as a rover and the rest forgotten.

[1864roverite]

Lets see what happens in aound 7 weeks time when he is on the lash around Ibiza with his drunken rants

Oh David, what have you become ? A player hated at Spurs and who's club think he is the most overrated player ever to wear their shirt.

From hero to zero in less than 10 months, now thats a successful career move and yet another example of The Blackburn Rovers curse

The grass is most definately NOT greener at the bigger clubs

[The1mattjansen]

Them there facebook groups seem to have quite an impact. Perhaps we can get one going to get him back here.

[ABBEY]

Them there facebook groups seem to have quite an impact. Perhaps we can get one going to get him back here.

like this one

[RoyRover]

As a football player I think he is brilliant and my head says 100% yes however, what he did to us after what we did for him is unforgettable plus we wouldn't be able to afford to buy him back - my heart says no. Anyway:-

He does nothing at Arsenal and is shipped out to Norwich where he becomes a little hero.

Rovers buy him and he is just as good for us as we are for him

He gets an England call and everyone raves about him

He decides he has to "kick on" and move to a 'better/bigger' club - he waits for ages and no one wants him

Spuds decide to get him and sit him on the bench for a season

He is no longer on the edge of the England squad

Makes for nice reading that doesn't it - the little fool

Couldn't agree more with you. Bentley's story is a prime example of how the grass isn't always greener. No doubt, when he was away playing with England, he had his head turned by other players, telling him that he shouldn't be playing for a crappy club like Blackburn and how they were getting this, that and the other at their club. I'm delighted that it has failed so badly for him, after the way he left. The guy's career has gone backwards this season and is no longer in the England set up. If he had stayed with us, he would have played every week, he would have been in a team that had been challenging at the right end of the league for a number of years and would still be in the England. So much for moving on to bigger and better things.

[bubblerrovers]

What an idiot he is, hope he realises that sitting on the bench as Spurs, one day he'll look back and realise he made a career breaking mistake leaving us

[T4E]

What an idiot he is, hope he realises that sitting on the bench as Spurs, one day he'll look back and realise he made a career breaking mistake leaving us

Lets not go overboard. Bentley is only 24 years old - if he moves this Summer and starts next season the way we all know he can he might well be back in the England squad by Christmas and looking at a World Cup place.

Things change very quickly, Bentley is more than capable of getting back to his best.

[JC4LAB]

Cant begrudge anyone wanting to move on for a change cos we all do in in our own jobs..Its hard to know your true level until you have a go..The chances are you fall flat on your face and often think changing was a mistake but you have to take a risk..If it goes pear shaped move on again..I also believe you cant go back and relive a happy memory..

[Fylde Coast Fan]

Lets not go overboard. Bentley is only 24 years old - if he moves this Summer and starts next season the way we all know he can he might well be back in the England squad by Christmas and looking at a World Cup place.

Things change very quickly, Bentley is more than capable of getting back to his best.

It always seemed like Capello had him in the squad because he had little choice, rather than because he rated him. I can't see him getting ahead of Lennon and Wright-Phillips in the pecking order, even if he has another season like 07/08.

[thenodrog]

It always seemed like Capello had him in the squad because he had little choice, rather than because he rated him. I can't see him getting ahead of Lennon and Wright-Phillips in the pecking order, even if he has another season like 07/08.

I can. He has more actual quality and twice as much vision than the pair of them. Speed merchants are frequently found out at international level.

Bentley has taken his eye off the ball, become big headed and needs to be brought down to earth. Maybe the personality flaws that screwed his Arsenal career in the early days have returned last season as soon as he thought he had made it to the bigtime again. Every good player requires a good measure of confidence in their own ability, unfortunately imo Bentley is the perfect illustration of the damaging difference between confidence and over confidence.

[T4E]

It always seemed like Capello had him in the squad because he had little choice, rather than because he rated him. I can't see him getting ahead of Lennon and Wright-Phillips in the pecking order, even if he has another season like 07/08.

It would only take an injury to one of them, a chance off the bench and a decent performance to get him well back in to the reckoning.

Players a lot older have come back from a lot more than Bentley is currently faced with. I'd love to get him back.

[dave birch]

Lets not go overboard. Bentley is only 24 years old - if he moves this Summer and starts next season the way we all know he can he might well be back in the England squad by Christmas and looking at a World Cup place.

Things change very quickly, Bentley is more than capable of getting back to his best.

If he gets his head right, he can be up there with the best. He does, though, need a good manager to point him in the right direction.

[RibbleValleyRover]

It always seemed like Capello had him in the squad because he had little choice, rather than because he rated him. I can't see him getting ahead of Lennon and Wright-Phillips in the pecking order, even if he has another season like 07/08.

I think Capello wasn't that impressed with Bentley's drunken rant more than anything on SSN, i remember Capello talking to a newspaper about players being professional in public and role models a day or two after Bentley's rant.

Bentley could get back into the England side if he starts playing and playing well, we all know how good a player he can be when in form. Lennon and SWP whilst pacey do lack an end product, Capello wants a winger that can put balls into the box thats why he has kept Beckham around.

[joey_big_nose]

Agreed Manc, if( and that is an incredibly unlikely If) he came back then he would be supported and lauded as a rover and the rest forgotten.

Yup. If Diouf can be a cult hero then there is no reason Bentley wouldn't be accepted.

Still, even if Spurs took a massively reduced fee (possible), and Bentley wanted to come back (extremely unlikely), then we still would probably end up paying more for him than we got due to Arsenal's 50% - I am not sure the board would like that.

If the crazy did happen I could see him playing just behind the striker (a la Okacha) in Big Sam's preferred 4231.

[LeChuck]

Bent and Bentley for Roque? Yes please. They could be Rovers' answer to Dumb and Dumber. Or maybe not.

[TimmyJimmy]

Lets see what happens in aound 7 weeks time when he is on the lash around Ibiza with his drunken rants

Oh David, what have you become ? A player hated at Spurs and who's club think he is the most overrated player ever to wear their shirt.

From hero to zero in less than 10 months, now thats a successful career move and yet another example of The Blackburn Rovers curse

The grass is most definately NOT greener at the bigger clubs

I can see the smirking already - but this curse thing has real legs I think. Proximity to Pendle, Demdyke/Chattox/Nutter et al could be something solid going on there. Casting my mind back all the players I can think of who left us under a cloud only went on to underachieve elsewhere. Fanciful thinking? Worth a separate thread for all the examples? Who needs voodoo sign up Bentley or else

[Manc Rover]

Yup. If Diouf can be a cult hero then there is no reason Bentley wouldn't be accepted.

Still, even if Spurs took a massively reduced fee (possible), and Bentley wanted to come back (extremely unlikely), then we still would probably end up paying more for him than we got due to Arsenal's 50% - I am not sure the board would like that.

If the crazy did happen I could see him playing just behind the striker (a la Okacha) in Big Sam's preferred 4231.

I guess it all depends who else goes in for him that's not top 4 and in that next tier. Villa - unlikely because of Young/Milner. Everton perhaps because they dont really have a genuine wide player. Spurs? Oh they don't want him do they! Newcastle? Er, they're going down (ha ha, what am I on about). Who else is there really? West Ham - skint. Fulham - maybe? City? SWP factor probably stops that one - he's better than Lennon IMO.

I think he will be in a situation where it's not his decision to make to a certain extent and maybe, coming back to Rovers will be good for him. Won't be the first to do it. Albeit a long time ago, it didnt work out for Hendry at Citeh, he came back, ate a bit of humble pie and ended up twice the player he was! Henning came back and everyone forgave him too.

Come on, David, you know it makes sense!