[Archived] Bentley

[Hughesy]

Who would you try and replace Bentley with? If we were to get 20m - I'd get a cheap-ish replacement like Chris Eagles.

Ha ha are you taking the pi$$? Seriously I hope you are.

Id look for pace, someone in the mould of lennon/ SWP but with better crossing. Maybe Pennant (even though he is a prick) if Bentley went the other way.

[rover6]

Bentley loves a bit of discipline (when with England)

IS it me being a pedant or is there more than a whiff of hypocricy in those comments, when cross-referenced with what Bentley said about the stifling atomsphere at Arsenal?

(I know, there are differences. When dissing Arsenal, Bentley was specifically talking about the team banter (lack of) and the player analysis (excess) but still!)

[LeftWinger]

Ha ha are you taking the pi$$? Seriously I hope you are.

Id look for pace, someone in the mould of lennon/ SWP but with better crossing. Maybe Pennant (even though he is a prick) if Bentley went the other way.

Not at all. I've seen quite a bit of Eagles - and he looks good to me. He's never going to make it at United - like Bentley was never going to make it at Arsenal. He's only 22 and can play on the right or centrally. He'd probably be available at a decent price too. Not in Bentleys league at the moment - but if we needed a replacement - why not go for someone who can't get a game because of the likes of Ronaldo - and give him the chance to flourish.

[laughatthedingles]

Anyone wondering why the contract negotiations seem to be stuttering just as Rovers form is.

Big money bid in summer.

Bentley will be off.

[Atomicrover]

Anyone wondering why the contract negotiations seem to be stuttering just as Rovers form is.

Big money bid in summer.

Bentley will be off.

......except he's still IN contract.........

[thenodrog]

I wonder if the stalled contract negotiations are anything to do with a difference of opinion over a leaving clause? I've no doubt that being part of the England set up has directed his gaze to the earnings available elsewhere.

Anyway if he goes then fine. After half a century following BRFC I'm virtually immune to such disappointment. We have got him for sod all, benefitted from his quality for a few years and are set to make a fortune into the bargain. About as much as we could ever possibly expect and prob more than we even dared hope for when he was first signed. Time to shove 10% the way of Hughes and his team in commission and give em a good chunk of it to invest in some more talented prospects that have lost their way in similar circumstances. They are out there and Hughes is the man to unearth em.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

If he wants to go and someone can afford him (if he peforms well for England we could get 15m or more a la Carrick) then there is no point standing in his way. That sort of money would allow us to revamp the midfield totally. Bentley is a very good player with great potential but not irreplaceable. And we don't want players at the club who are looking to move on. Also Hughes is shrewd enough to spend the money wisely.

Would like to see him stay at Ewood but agree with the above comment.No use worrying about it folks,we have seen great players come and go but THE most important thing is that WE are still here.

It does appear by his own comments that he has now outgrown little 'owd Rovers,Que serra,serra Whatever will be will be ..........

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Bentley loves a bit of discipline (when with England)

IS it me being a pedant or is there more than a whiff of hypocricy in those comments, when cross-referenced with what Bentley said about the stifling atmosphere at Arsenal?

You're not the only one to think that my friend. It's also worth remembering that Bentley not only complained about the atmosphere with Arsenal, he previously complained about the stifling atmosphere with England too. But now Bentley is praising the set-up with England.

The trouble is that over the last year or so Bentley has been speaking out so often in the media that sometimes his comments don't seem to match up, such as his complaint in December last year that England players are locked up in their rooms and not allowed to go out.

This is what Bentley previously said:

"The England scene can be a strange place. I expected a lot of banter, like we have at Blackburn. But people just keep themselves to themselves. It is maybe a reflection of how the modern game is that everyone looks after No 1. We don't even share rooms any more. So, after training and a meal, you end up back in your own room staring at the ceiling until next day."

"You are not allowed out and there are security guards all over the place. But I'm an ordinary bloke who likes a social life. That doesn't mean getting boozed up. It just means getting out and mixing with people. I don't want to be shut away with just a Play Station for company. I've talked to my agent, Rob Segal, about this many times. I think it's so important. At home I go out and play snooker, go to the shops, a restaurant or even the pub. With England, you are locked in with nothing to do and nowhere to go."

"If I've had a good night out, I'm buzzing in training the next day. But if I have to stay in, I'm not as lively. Football is all about having the freedom to express yourself. Yet England players are cooped up in a hotel outside of town. You know what the Croatians did the day they beat us at Wembley? They went shopping in Harrods."

"We need a new attitude around England, because whatever has happened in the past hasn't worked. You play because you love to play and if you don’t love to play you won't flourish. We don't want people to be robots. A lot of international football these days is about players switching around into different positions and expressing themselves. But we don't do that too well in this country."

A link to those quotes HERE.

I'd suggest that it hasn't been an entirely wise idea for Bentley to have become "Mr Rent-a-mouth" with the media, taking on a job as a columnist in The Sun and becoming every journalist's best friend - always ready and willing with a quote or two in the press, the radio or TV.

Perhaps David Bentley should be doing more of his talking on the pitch rather than off it. He's had rather a mixed season and although capable of flashes of brilliance, he hasn't been consistent enough this season. In his column with The Sun I fear that he'll only end up putting his foot in his mouth and making silly comments which don't match up to some of the things he's previously said.

Perhaps Mark Hughes should be having a quiet word in his ear and advising him that becoming "Mr Rent-a-mouth" isn't entirely desirable.

[philipl]

It probably doesn't occur to Bents that his every phrase is going to be parsed, dissected, cross-examined, matched for consistency, lie-detected, tortured and generally psychopathically disassembled.

David is a level up from Benni's stream of consciousness interviews but only one level up and not half as entertaining.

On the basis that John Williams has rarely been shown to be an absolute prat, I would accept his word that a contract signing with Rovers is close (probably Williams-speak for its in the bag).

[RevidgeBlue]

On the basis that John Williams has rarely been shown to be an absolute prat,

Rarely true, but not exclusively.

Not since he said "Savage is not for sale" in fact.

[RevidgeBlue]

David is a level up from Benni's stream of consciousness interviews but only one level up and not half as entertaining.

He's a few levels up from Benni imo, trouble is, someone seems to inject him with truth serum everytime before he speaks!

The Sun Article made great reading for the majority of the Sun readership who follow the so called big clubs but cringeworthy reading for the supporters of the club who actually pay his wages.

[bubblerrovers]

This is all getting very annoying, DB bangs on about footballers keeping feet on the ground bla bla bla, but every day from comments in the paper (if true) you can see he's getting a bigger head by the day, starting to not like him, wish he'd just shut up and get on with playing well for the rovers. i would take 15 million straight away, i give it another month before all the one night stand stories come out and he'll prob upgrade girlfriend to some celeb model

[philipl]

Rarely true, but not exclusively.

Not since he said "Savage is not for sale" in fact.

Missed that one- when did he say it?

[RevidgeBlue]

Missed that one- when did he say it?

In the LT prior to the transfer window.

Or at least that was the large LT headline attributed to the article he spoke in.

From memory I think JW said that he wouldn't have thought MH wanted to sell Savage and we weren't in the business of weakning the squad etc.

[philipl]

I know the LT has a rubbish search engine but I got this from the advanced search:

Searching for: +savage +williams

Sorry, your search for +savage +williams did not match any articles

[RevidgeBlue]

I know the LT has a rubbish search engine but I got this from the advanced search:

Searching for: +savage +williams

Sorry, your search for +savage +williams did not match any articles

undefinedThis was the best I could find on the web although I'm sure the hard copy of the paper carried JW's comments in more detail

[Bazzanotsogreat]

I know the LT has a rubbish search engine but I got this from the advanced search:

Searching for: +savage +williams

Sorry, your search for +savage +williams did not match any articles

Still waiting to hear an explanation as to why Spurs selling Lennon would be good for rovers? Oh and they are more likely to replace Lennon with Capel or Nzogbia than Bentley.

Then you can get picky with other posters

[Beta Ray Bill]

Still waiting to hear an explanation as to why Spurs selling Lennon would be good for rovers? Oh and they are more likely to replace Lennon with Capel or Nzogbia than Bentley.

Then you can get picky with other posters

If anyone other than philipl had made the comments, would you be bothered?

It's pretty obvious that you two are locked in a perpetual spat that makes Abbey-Jan look like a hippie love-in. Perhaps just leaving others comments once in a while might be in order?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

If anyone other than philipl had made the comments, would you be bothered?

It's pretty obvious that you two are locked in a perpetual spat that makes Abbey-Jan look like a hippie love-in. Perhaps just leaving others comments once in a while might be in order?

No anyone who is advocating that Spurs selling Lennon is a good thing is talking rubbish and that they are planning to replace a right winger with a left winger is also talking rubbish.

And yes, there is mutual disdain for each-other started by Philipl’s remarks about my background and his initial incessant baiting of my posts.

[den]

No anyone who is advocating that Spurs selling Lennon is a good thing is talking rubbish and that they are planning to replace a right winger with a left winger is also talking rubbish.

And yes, there is mutual disdain for each-other started by Philipl’s remarks about my background and his initial incessant baiting of my posts.

So now's a great time for both of you to draw a line under your differences.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

So now's a great time for both of you to draw a line under your differences.

The problem is Den, is that he has made several distasteful /borderline offensive remarks since the first remark, the latest regarding me part of the SS, when I had a Jewish great-grandmother.

BTW before you accuse me, I wasn’t the one to take this thread off topic.

[ABBEY]

If anyone other than philipl had made the comments, would you be bothered?

It's pretty obvious that you two are locked in a perpetual spat that makes Abbey-Jan look like a hippie love-in. Perhaps just leaving others comments once in a while might be in order?

everyone is becoming obsessed with me and the posh un

[den]

The problem is Den, is that he has made several distasteful /borderline offensive remarks since the first remark, the latest regarding me part of the SS, when I had a Jewish great-grandmother.

BTW before you accuse me, I wasn’t the one to take this thread off topic.

I'm not accusing anyone of anything Bazza. It's best for everyone if you both agree to live with each another. [Not literally, of course].

[philipl]

Ooh, thank you kind sir.

To be honest I don't see Spurs as that great a threat. They have never qualified for CL football and if they did come for Bentley, I think Rovers would be in a stronger position to bend them over for a truly mega-fee than if a CL club came in.

I know Comeli and Ramos have been buying in the British Isles during January but I suspect that when the window opens and many more continental players become available, their eyes will go there. One year into the BSkyB/Setanta deal and English clubs who have managed their finances reasonably well (and some will have to do the equivalent of what Rovers did this season during the coming season) will have the muscle to push all continental clubs around bar a very few of the very biggest names.

Anyway, Lennon looks a certainty to be shipped out so we will have to sit tight and see.

If its alright by you Jason me old mate, I will comment that Williams was talking in generality in the LT quote and not specifically Savage should not be sold. I think those two performances from Sav in December finally convinced a lot of people that he had suffered an irreversible physical decline that had robbed him of the mainstay to his game.

One last observation- the FA announcing the England v USA game on 28 May. Stage managing Beckham's 100th and last cap or what?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

I'm not accusing anyone of anything Bazza. It's best for everyone if you both agree to live with each another. [Not literally, of course].

Agreed, but why should I tolerate constant baiting, flaming and personal insults.

What gets me is why he gets away with so much?

Oh and using my first name, its annoying & Im pretty sure Theno got pulled up for something similar by yourself/flopsy