[Archived] Bentley

[Oakland]

Blackburn's Bentley: Form is down to free summer

[blue phil]

So , after reading that article , presumably it's not in our interests for Bentley to play for England at the next Euro championships .

Remember that when you're all chanting "Bentley for England" !

I think it's time for Bentley to draw a veil over this episode ; he's just digging a hole for himself by going on about it and antagonising England fans .......some of whom , believe it or not , support the Rovers as well !

[John]

But it was the Under 21 Championships last summer, not the full England team. Additionally, it was after his first full season in the Premiership.

He genuinely felt tired at the end of last season and after consultation with Hughes, senior England players and friends, he decided not to play the Under 21 Championships. Bentley thought (and he knows his body best), that he would benefit from an extra two-three weeks rest in the summer, without any training and extra matches. It was was also noted by Hughes that in Bentley's last few matches that he was struggling with the amount of games that Bentley had played and the affect it had on his physical performance in matches. Personally, I noticed it during the end of the season, when he looked tired and jaded and seemed to be doing less running in certain games. He certainly seemed to lose some of his sharpness.

End of the day, it was always going to come down to his performances this season and so far he has looked pretty good and he is likely to get better. The boy believes in himself and is entitled to back-up his decision (which has been widely and unfairly criticised in my opinion).

[blue phil]

But it was the Under 21 Championships last summer, not the full England team.

Surely if he's playing in the Euros with the full England team in a competition far more serious than the under 21's then he's going to be too exhausted to play for us at all the season after . Poor lamb .....

Best cash in and sell him I reckon if he gets called up next year

[John]

I imagine that his body will become used to the demands of Premiership football.

He was doing a hell of a lot of extra work during last season (in the gym) on his general strength and the benefits were there for all to see. Whilst he is still working on certain areas of 'weakness' in the gym, he not doing as much this season.

It was important for his body to rest last summer (even for a few extra days), I think it will become less important in future summer breaks.

[blue phil]

You make premiership football sound like the gulag .....

I'm sure from what people have written that Bentley's a nice bloke but all this "tired" stuff begins to grate a bit .....

How do other players manage to cope with club and country without whingeing ?

[John]

I cannot specifically talk for many other players (because they do not play for BRFC). However, I have noticed a change of awareness over rest for international players and generally footballers. This has not just come from over protective managers but privately a lot of players know their body needs a decent amount of rest.

Also, in these days of sports science, some experts feel that there are serious implications for the long-term health of our some footballers in the UK if they are not able to get the rest they need.

Perhaps in years gone by, you could continue to play on without little time off but such is the intensity of our game now (in the Prem), that you need time to recover.

I would suggest Bentley has done the correct thing in taking a 'time out' last summer, as he has plenty of summers ahead of him playing international football.

[Flopsy]

You make premiership football sound like the gulag .....

I'm sure from what people have written that Bentley's a nice bloke but all this "tired" stuff begins to grate a bit .....

How do other players manage to cope with club and country without whingeing ?

they play really crap and we go out in the quarter finals because we end up playing unfit, out of form knackered people instead of relatively fresh players who are up to the mental and physical challenge due to having a few weeks off to recharge and recover

[philipl]

When he pulled out, it struck me he had done it to pace himself with the Euro Finals this summer very much in mind.

[Ronin]

Did read a good article on Bentley in yesterday's Express. Very positive

[Dingle Basher]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...ticle363953.ece

I see Bentley isn't doing himself any more favours with the England fans. However I agree with what he says and with him already being unpopular theres no reason for him to keep quiet at the moment. Maybe he doesn't mind being public enemy number 1 at Rovers (in the eyes of rival supporters) at the moment. No doubt Savage will be planning something to get that title back of him

[blue phil]

When he pulled out, it struck me he had done it to pace himself with the Euro Finals this summer very much in mind.

Yeah ......another great decision , Dave

Well at least he'll be superfit by the time the world cup comes around

[blue phil]

they play really crap and we go out in the quarter finals because we end up playing unfit, out of form knackered people instead of relatively fresh players who are up to the mental and physical challenge due to having a few weeks off to recharge and recover

So what you're saying is that playing with fit , fresh , in form players will make all the difference ......

Just one problem . We won't be there at the end of the season because those fit , young blokes have just played like a bunch of bone idle wasters ...

Roll on the Rugby tomorrow , Flops

[OJRovers]

Some backing for players looking after themselves and avoiding burnout from PFA chief Gordon Taylor:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7072685.stm

It seems like the FA are the only people who don't care about the fatigue of their top players, with all the international friendlies and having a go at Bentley for dropping out of the U21s. At the end of the day the FA are driven by the money: more games = more money.

[thenodrog]

You make premiership football sound like the gulag .....

I'm sure from what people have written that Bentley's a nice bloke but all this "tired" stuff begins to grate a bit .....

How do other players manage to cope with club and country without whingeing ?

I cannot think of any other players who after playing a full prem season were asked to report for the U21's, England B AND the full England team. I also think that after starring for the first two to then be rejected in favour of Jenas on the right for the main jobby would have p1ssed me off too. Why no criticism from you Phil for the elusive Agbonlahoor and why were you not pushing for Rooney to have been selected for all 3 teams too?

[kopite]

We were talking about him the other day in the pub (dont know why like!) But think hes come on very very well in the last 12-18 months. And was deffo the right thing to (Please don't use that word again) them small time ingerlanders off!

[bluebruce]

Bentley comments on skysports...they seem to indicate that not being played in the England team isn't dampening his spirits. He says it feels like a progression, and working his way up. Hopefully this means he isn't going to be quite as desperate to leave for one of the glamour clubs to get his shot.

[Eddie]

What I actually find interesting is that despite all the flack MGP is getting that Bentley isn't on the end of any of it. Now Bentley has been slightly better than MGP this season, but only slightly. He's been a bit fortunate in some instances, for example the ball simply dropping to him in front of the goal at Sunderland, and maybe this has covered up for the fact that in the majority of games his crosses and set pieces have been very poor.

[American Rover12]

I disagree, maybe the last few games prior to Manure he had a rough patch, but I think it is almost an absolute fact that Bentley has been alot better then Gamst overall this season.

[bluebruce]

What I actually find interesting is that despite all the flack MGP is getting that Bentley isn't on the end of any of it. Now Bentley has been slightly better than MGP this season, but only slightly. He's been a bit fortunate in some instances, for example the ball simply dropping to him in front of the goal at Sunderland, and maybe this has covered up for the fact that in the majority of games his crosses and set pieces have been very poor.

???? Not whenever I've seen him pal. Head, shoulders, chest, pelvis and feet above Pedersen so far. He's just had a couple of iffy games lately.

[den]

Considering Pedersen's been rubbish, Bentley nearly as bad and Ooijer not wanted any more, - how the hell have we done so well this season? Must be that bone idle McCarthys' odd goal or two, pulling us through.

[bluebruce]

Considering Pedersen's been rubbish, Bentley nearly as bad and Ooijer not wanted any more, - how the hell have we done so well this season? Must be that bone idle McCarthys' odd goal or two, pulling us through.

I put it down to the singular talents of Bruno Berner.

[thenodrog]

Considering Pedersen's been rubbish, Bentley nearly as bad and Ooijer not wanted any more, - how the hell have we done so well this season? Must be that bone idle McCarthys' odd goal or two, pulling us through.

Brad's helped massively too ........ despite having a thread dedicated to him a couple of years ago with many suggesting that he was past it!

[den]

Brad's helped massively too ........ despite having a thread dedicated to him a couple of years ago with many suggesting that he was past it!

Quite a few said we didn't need him.

[bluebruce]

Quite a few said we didn't need him.

I've not once said we didn't need Brad (Edit- not that you said I did). I've only ever said we should look at getting a very good understudy, because we're buggered when he does lose it. Hopefully Brown is that understudy, but we will see.