[Archived] Bentley

[joey_big_nose]

Emerton is awful on the right wing! Good in a defensive sense as his pace and strength provide good cover for the full back but an absolute non-entity going forward. Remember the tuoch line monster? He is a decent attacking right back becuase of his outstanding work ethic and ability to overlap which compensates for a lack of imagination and skill. At right wing you need guile and the ability to go outside or inside the opposing full back which he just lacks.

He is on the other a great shield for the back four in the 4231 formation. No vision or passing ability at all but he just hoovers up the ball and runs form deep causing all sorts of problems for the opposition through the middle as we saw at the end of last season.

I would keep him at right back and find a new right winger.

[rover6]

Totally right, Joey.

If Bentley does leave, I just hope and pray to the Lord that MR Bert Emerton isn't reinstated at right midfield.

I know he's doing a manly job of midfield for Australia against Qatar and others and I know that on his day, he can be effective. HOWEVER, we all know that Emerton lacks the mental tenacity and vision to be a genuinely decent winger. When pushed upfield for a game or two, the novelty factor drives him onto good things. But when that wears off, he goes back into his shell of being an ambling winger with a severe shortage of ideas.

Wasn't it Gus Hiddink who admitted that Emerton has no creativity to speak of, but is one of the finest athletes he's worked? Emerton comes sans the gumption to be a winger. Hughes took a season to work this out, I hope the new boss doesn't cover old ground and errors by reverting to Brett Emerton Mk I.

[Eddie]

Previously I would have agreed with you, but I think this season we saw a transformation in Emerton. It is possible that he could be effective on the right win. He wouldn't be my first choice, I'd rather someone new came in, but I think he'd do a better job now than he did before (although that isn't saying much).

[jim mk2]

Spurs closing in on £12m Bentley in 96pt headlines on back page of tonight's Standard.

[Ronin]

I would think its between the Spuds and Villa doing the chasing for him, as I don't see anyone from the Top 4 / CL teams going in for him. If he does go, hopefully for £15m and not £12m.

[FINRover]

Only £12M... £15M is good price and if we get this is ok and we can say for Bentley byebye.

And also I hope Emerton is not "new" right winger. Absolutely wrong place for him. Right back is good position for Emerton.

[LWX]

I could imagine Bert playing as a utility man throughout next season, especially if we buy a new right back and/or a new right winger.

[Dunnfc]

Right Valon Behrami anyone?

[thenodrog]

Only £12M... £15M is good price and if we get this is ok and we can say for Bentley byebye.

And also I hope Emerton is not "new" right winger. Absolutely wrong place for him. Right back is good position for Emerton.

Rem Lpool tried that same bid for Barry and got nowhere.

Lets wait and see how much he goes for before we place a value on Bentley. Solid player but Barry's talent is like a good honest hod carrier whilst Bentley is a bricklayer.

[thenodrog]

Emerton is awful on the right wing! Good in a defensive sense as his pace and strength provide good cover for the full back but an absolute non-entity going forward. Remember the tuoch line monster? He is a decent attacking right back becuase of his outstanding work ethic and ability to overlap which compensates for a lack of imagination and skill. At right wing you need guile and the ability to go outside or inside the opposing full back which he just lacks.

He is on the other a great shield for the back four in the 4231 formation. No vision or passing ability at all but he just hoovers up the ball and runs form deep causing all sorts of problems for the opposition through the middle as we saw at the end of last season.

I would keep him at right back and find a new right winger.

Thats a lot of typing joey just to say that Emerton invariably hits the first defender when trying to cross the ball.

[toonfan]

5 live claiming terms agreed with spuds.

dont know if thats been posted already or not

[Hughesy]

Really? Any fee mentioned?

[toonfan]

Really? Any fee mentioned?

£12m, straight cash, lennon was rumoured as part ex but it now says £12m cash.

think he's worth more personally

[philipl]

If it is true, then John Williams has done 100% the opposite of what he said publicly he would not do only two days ago.

JW is usually far more accurate in saying what is happening at Blackburn Rovers than the BBC are, particularly when the BBC's incestuous affair with Spurs complicates matters.

[Hughesy]

Maybe when rovers had the '1st unofficial interview' that nicko mentioned with Ince they asked what he thought about the Bentley situation and his idea may of been, get what you can for him?!?

Seen a few posts on Tottenhams sites, suggesting Bentley in, Jenas out.

£15m has to be our minimum. Especially if Villa want £20m for Barry.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Maybe its just me but £12 million sounds a bit too low. I was thinking more towards the £15 million mark.

[thenodrog]

£15m has to be our minimum. Especially if Villa want £20m for Barry.

Hughesy ....... How many times are you going to write that we want 15m for Bentley? Why are you underselling our prize asset and what are you basing that on for goodness sake? Lil ol Blackburn to be rolled over by the city slickers or similar? If Villa want 20m in todays market for Barry then fine but imo Bentley is worth the same if not MORE than Gareth Barry. Barry is a fine player with a good engine and a big heart but there's lots of them about. Bentley on the other hand is much younger and possesses far more skill and match winning ability, have you ever heard of Barry being the new Beckham? I certainly haven't, but that is the comparison frequently made to Bentley. Kevin Gallagher in the LT this evening has him down as worth £20m too so why the hell talk his value down so much?

[BuckyRover]

Hughesy ....... How many times are you going to write that we want 15m for Bentley? Why are you underselling our prize asset and what are you basing that on for goodness sake? Lil ol Blackburn to be rolled over by the city slickers or similar? If Villa want 20m in todays market for Barry then fine but imo Bentley is worth the same if not MORE than Gareth Barry. Barry is a fine player with a good engine and a big heart but there's lots of them about. Bentley on the other hand is much younger and possesses far more skill and match winning ability, have you ever heard of Barry being the new Beckham? I certainly haven't, but that is the comparison frequently made to Bentley. Kevin Gallagher in the LT this evening has him down as worth £20m too so why the hell talk his value down so much?

I agree. We won't go far if we give our best players away to our rivals on the cheap.

We should explain to David that he has 3 years on his contract and unless somebody pays 20m, he can sit and wait.

I would rather he sat in the reserves and sulked than we sell him to Villa/Everton/Spurs for 12m!

Would any of those clubs sell their best player to us for 12m? Get real. We are in the same league and we are competing with them.

Ince will put them straight

[Hughesy]

Cant he buy his remainder of his contract next summer though? Therefore going for much, much cheaper?!!?

£20m would be great, £25m even better but personally I think £15m is all we will get, hence why I say it has to be the minimum.

[T4E]

Apparently O'Neill will bid for him once Barry goes and pay for Bentley and Sidwell directly with the Barry fee.

To be honest I'm not sure about it, I see what he's doing to Blackburn and in a couple of years I think he'd turn to O'Neill and say I want to move to a top four club if we don't make it there.

Situations like this are ######, we're losing Barry to a club with quite a few faults that could be listed such as boardroom etc because Barry wants champions league, it's what happens, they go on England duty, probably have a bit of light ###### taking and then all their England mates telling them what they can win if they move on...and they do it. Barry is best mates with Gerrard, it doesn't matter what Villa do we know he has his heart set on it, Bentleys in the England fold he's seen most of them play champions league and he wants some of that. It's annoying how narrow minded players can be some times, or how impatient, as though they'll never ever get another chance to move again, annoying like I say.

I wouldn't want Bentley as I know he'll do this to us in a couple of years time, and I know how you lot feel cause it's happening to us as well, don't blame investment, we offered Barry 80k a week to stay....you just can't hold onto them when those four @#/? clubs come calling.

Right on, brother.

[Hughesy]

If Bentley moves to Villa and Barry moves onto another club then it is a stupid situation.

Both players want the same thing (Champs league football) – Barry has a top 4 admirer, Bentley doesn’t!! Oh dear – poor David! Stay well clear Villa – he will want Champs league football inevitably and therefore would only move on after another 2 years in search of it.

[gumboots]

What we get is what they offer. If we tell them a price or let it be known what we might accept then we weaken our hand. So we basically le them make the offers as Villa are doing with Barry and keep saying no until we reach what we think is the best we're going to get. Then if we think it's enough we say yes. That's how it should work. the thing is you have to know when you reach the other club's ceiling and decide if it's better to sell slightly below what you hoped for or hold out and risk them going elsewhere. that's where the negotiating skills come in.

[promoted2001]

I'd take £12m, he doesn't want to be here so fudge him. Send him off to spurs with a 20% sell on clause

[gumboots]

glad you're not doing the negotiating then

[Hughesy]

If clubs wont pay £15m+ for him then what would you do? He wants to go so -

Sell him or stick with him and make him stay - you could then get an unhappy player, other potential targets may see that as a bad thing and also not want to join.