Do we buy to replace Carrick???

[DonJolSpurano]

if MC is to join man utd for a decent fee, what does everyone else think we should do with the money?

i think most would say buy a left winger and id agree in principle, id it where someone like downing who can also play more centrally as part of a midfield 3.

what i dont wish to see is a big money move for a supposed superstar like nedved etc just because levy thinks he needs to appease the fans.

looking at preseason, we seem to be moving towards a 3-man midfield and we certainly have enough personnel to make it up, with ghaly, hudds, tainio or murphy replacing carrick and joining zokora and jenas as our axis. after watching us last season, i had a gut feeling this might happen due to our apparent lop-sidedness and lack of genuine left-winger. jol seemed to be preparing them for a gradual shift this season and make them more adept at switching between a flexible 4-4-2 and 4-3-3.

the forward three could be a flexible mix of keane, defoe, berbatov, lennon, routledge and barnard in a few different formations.

one thing is for certain tho, we wont be playing 2 wingers AND 2 strikers. it will be either 1 striker and 2 wingers or vice versa.

personnally, id prefer to see one of the above names replacing carrick with hudds as my first candidate and some of the rumoured £15M being spent on downing or another young player who would make up the forward line and wouldnt be averse to sitting on the bench depending on which formation the big fella wishes to send out.

[shoot_ffs]

i don't think we should be looking at selling carrick if we think he's irreplaceable. i don't think he's anywhere near the finished article, but i think we have a natural like for like replacement in hudds. if the spurs staff think hudds can make the grade then sell carrick, he's a saleable asset and his saved wages and fee would go a long way to finishing the team or paying for our summers signings. i'm sure zokora was bought to replace him and hudds to back up and learn the game, he's still very young remember.

[Welsh Spur]

what i dont wish to see is a big money move for a supposed superstar like nedved etc just because levy thinks he needs to appease the fans.

I really don't think Levy has to or thinks he has to appease us in any way and any move for Nedved would have to fall in line with the structure that Levy and the board have worked hard to maintain at the club.

In answer to your question I don't think we need a direct replacement but to use the cash to strengthen other areas. A left winger has to be the priority and as long as we don't rush into a signing and wait for our man we'll be ok. A right back would be nice with Chimbonda looking the most likely option, especially after yesterday's comments.

[suBerb]

Nedved is 33 y.o., so no more than 5 M pounds

I'd rather buy Riquelme

or/and Babel - an excellent prospect

Berby's international teammate Martin Petrov from Athletico Madrid would be also a good solution for the LW/LM position - around 5 M pounds

[Welsh Spur]

Nedved is 33 y.o., so no more than 5 M pounds

I'd rather buy Riquelme

or/and Babel - an excellent prospect

Berby's international teammate Martin Petrov from Athletico Madrid would be also a good solution for the LW/LM position - around 5 M pounds
£5M for Nedved???? You're insane mate. that would be a complete and utter waste of money. He would come here for a minimal fee or it's not worth it as he'd ask the earth in wages.

[suBerb]

£5M for Nedved???? You're insane mate. that would be a complete and utter waste of money. He would come here for a minimal fee or it's not worth it as he'd ask the earth in wages.


if he boosts our confidence and we play better - why not? MJ knows better. Personally, I do not think that we are going to bid for Nedved.

[Welsh Spur]

I hope not too, especially at £5million!

[derek zoolander]

i wouldnt argue that huddlestone isnt a very good player and is going to be a class act but everybody is saying how he can replace carrick but how many games has he played in the 1st team? i can see him playing a bigger part in the 1st team this season but i wouldnt want to see him get caught out too quickly.

the same goed for barnard, personally i just dont think he's good enough, has a great record that cant be argued with at reserve level but thats exactly the point...its reserves!

he just looked average when he played 1st team games last season and i very much hope im wrong but personally id prefer to loan in an experienced striker as our 4th.

i would love to have babel but i feel we maybe have too many attacking players to accomodate him without leaving him on the bench too much. and although he is a decent left winger im excited at the prospect of something different to the boring and outdated 4-4-2, but of course when required it would be good if the team was flexible

[DarlinginJapan]

looking at preseason, we seem to be moving towards a 3-man midfield.

I don't think that will be the case once Lennon is in the team. I think I read that Jol has been playing 433 to work on fitness, not tactics. I'd like to see 433 used in situations where we're chasing a game but mostly I'm sure we're not going to go like that in the Prem... it would be kamakaze! And would NO room for Lennon!

[Welsh Spur]

Just read some posts from Manure fans on 606, a very high percentage don't seem to even want them to sign Carrick...one person even wrote that he wasn't good enough for Man Utd.

[highlander]

in the beginning i was dead against selling carrick and wanted to keep him at all costs but now ive accepted it could happen and arent to bothered about it as i think Hudds is ready. he's proven himself at championship level and on the few occassions when he's played in the prem he hasnt put a foot wrong.id still like to see him loaned out this season to a premiership club if we do keep carrick which i think we will.

[shoot_ffs]

manyoo fans have some nerve, they have 1 quality midfielder in giggs, the rest are shite.

[derek zoolander]

bit harsh, i know ronaldo is the biggest nob you could ever have the misfortune of seeing but he is class when he plays well

[Gold7]

Nedved is 33 y.o., so no more than 5 M pounds

I'd rather buy Riquelme

or/and Babel - an excellent prospect

Berby's international teammate Martin Petrov from Athletico Madrid would be also a good solution for the LW/LM position - around 5 M pounds


when ever i've seen riquelme play he's looked lazy ,crap and disinterested
deco's another one who the comentator's rave about but i must be blind cos i can't see it .
nedved on the other hand is in my opinion an excellent payer but i would want none of the above to replace carick i would ask for giggs in any deal even if only for one season. we have plenty of centre mids.

[highlander]

Riquelme is a great player with the ball but of the ball he has nothing and is a liability but when he does play that 1 ball that nobody else see's it shows why he's so highly rated. it depends on personal opinion as to whether you'd want him. he can be magic but for me he doesnt do enough or work hard enough and in the prem i doubt if he would have as much time on the ball and i have potential doubts over his strength in the prem

[choda]

If I was manu fan I wouldn't want Carrick either. I don't think he's the finished article at all. Though he's talented he's a ghost a lot of the time, he doesn't control games, which he should with his ability. And he's lacks steel. In fact if i were a manc and I knew about hudds I'd be saying, 'buy him', you'll get him cheaper and he'll be a better player.

I agree with some of the Riquelme comments. He is lazy etc... but he ain't half talented. In my opinion, if you played him though you'd have to have two strong players behing him. He's somebody you build you're team around. If you had work rate behind him and you got the ball to him as much as possible he'd control the game and open teams up. He's got great touch, vision and passing. Not to mention set pieces. He'd also have to play centrally, in my opinion.

[highlander]

thats true, i forgot to say anything about his fantastic set-piece ability. considering beckham has prety much lived off his set-piece ability, Riquleme would be very valuable. despite what the impresion my previous post gave that i wouldnt want him, i would. we actually could adopt a system to suit him i.e. play him in front of zokora and the hudd in a 3 man central midfield. im not sure what i think about him actually so im gona stop typing now

[spurs61]

If I was manu fan I wouldn't want Carrick either. I don't think he's the finished article at all. Though he's talented he's a ghost a lot of the time, he doesn't control games, which he should with his ability. And he's lacks steel. In fact if i were a manc and I knew about hudds I'd be saying, 'buy him', you'll get him cheaper and he'll be a better player.

I agree with some of the Riquelme comments. He is lazy etc... but he ain't half talented. In my opinion, if you played him though you'd have to have two strong players behing him. He's somebody you build you're team around. If you had work rate behind him and you got the ball to him as much as possible he'd control the game and open teams up. He's got great touch, vision and passing. Not to mention set pieces. He'd also have to play centrally, in my opinion.

Here we go again, AGREED! He's the kind of player we've been lacking since Gazza left the club. Your comments about having two men behind him are spot on and we have the midfielders to support him;


Zokora Davids/Taino
Lennon Riquelme A N Other

I don't see any midfields in the Permiership who could cope with that assuming A N Other is a quality left winger.

[choda]

On another post I suggested buyng Ayala, Sorin and Riquelme (or similar players) and going to wing backs. What would you reckon about that? We'd have width, a playmaker and two up top. To me that would be magic.

[highlander]

with the full backs we have at the moment i.e. Lee & Assou-Ekotto, Lee is very forward going and fit as is A-E, apparently, havent seen him myself but word on the street is he's very attacking. this would mean we certainly could adopt a wing back system. if we were to sign Ayala he would slot into the centre of the 3 man defence with ledders & daws.

personally id like to see us buy Sorin bought as a left midfielder. i feel he could be a revelation as a midfielder, he has all the capabilities to be a success as a midfielder and would give us more balance than a winger as he can defend and track back

[suBerb]

Nedved's decision is to stay at Juve.

[spurs61]

On another post I suggested buyng Ayala, Sorin and Riquelme (or similar players) and going to wing backs. What would you reckon about that? We'd have width, a playmaker and two up top. To me that would be magic.

Magic, love it. I've been going on for years now about breaking the rigid 4-4-2 structure in England, if all the teams play it (to a certin extent) then why play into their hands. As I've always said, better to make to opposition worry about you than you worry about them.

Only thing is where does Lennon fit in?

[highlander]

Only thing is where does Lennon fit in?

maybe in a similar system to the one which allows chelsea to accomodate Robben, Cole, SWP etc

[spurs61]

So are you assuming that we will be signing a top class left sided player or would you play Porky or Reto there? It would also entail only playing one striker if we incoporate Chelski's tactics.

[Daveyid]

I agree maybe something like this:

Robinson

Chimbonda Dawson King Ekkoto

Jenas Carrick Zokora

Lennon Keane
Berbatov

Lennon and keane can switch sides during the game, with carrick sitting that allows jenas and zokora to bomb forward.

[JJ]

If Defoe's pre-season form is anything to go by, he should be starting ahead of Keane who has been out through injury.

[Spur]

Carricks going for 14mil, he's off. That's a fee that could rise, but it has been agreed. Surprisingly enough, it happened the same day Man utd decide they will accept a bid from Madrid isn't it..?

[highlander]

and thats a fact is it?

[Spur]

Will be for you lot once they announce it. But i've accepted it and the bloke I heard from is hardly wrong. It was him that told me about Rasiak. About when we were talking to Figo two seasons ago now. It was him that said about the Zebina deal then it was him that told me Capello pulled the plug at the last minute. He knows before it happens, as with the Duff deal, Mansion deal and pretty much anything else that happens to do with our beloved club.

[Neil_Vaughan]

Are you able to tell us this info as soon as you hear it, Spur?

[highlander]

Will be for you lot once they announce it. But i've accepted it and the bloke I heard from is hardly wrong. It was him that told me about Rasiak. About when we were talking to Figo two seasons ago now. It was him that said about the Zebina deal then it was him that told me Capello pulled the plug at the last minute. He knows before it happens, as with the Duff deal, Mansion deal and pretty much anything else that happens to do with our beloved club.
any more insider knowledge from your source?? lol

[Spur]

I tell you lot once i know and have access to internet. Usually I get the same response like this though. Makes me feel unwanted.

[Neil_Vaughan]

You're not unwanted, mate. This is the type of info we need on here.

[Spur]

Well that there is a nice response.

[JJ]

And your typing skills are second to none. ;)

[Spur]

Thank you very much.

[choda]

Magic, love it. I've been going on for years now about breaking the rigid 4-4-2 structure in England, if all the teams play it (to a certin extent) then why play into their hands. As I've always said, better to make to opposition worry about you than you worry about them.

Only thing is where does Lennon fit in?

I'd try him as right wing back. He'd have the pace to bomb up and down. And wing backs get a lot of space to run. I think it would work great. If you remember the french lad who played for Celtic at right wing back, Agath: He was very quick and he continually terrorised defenders by running them, and players playing the ball in behind the full back. This was also in the CL. And remember our little fella is even quicker, he's absolutley lightnening. Do you remember last season when he had a run with Gardner of Bolton (who has always been regarded as very quick)? He stole two yards on him over 15 or 20 yards, incredible. That's when I realised how quick he is off the mark.

[Spur]

We have such a great side I wouldn't waste it with wing backs. Lennon needs to play with absolutely no defensive demands, he is our outlet and always should be, but that's becasue I think that wingers shouldn't play football to defend. They should always attack or be ready to attack.

[choda]

I don't think the defensive demands on an attacking wing back are any much greater than a winger really. It's just more ground to cover getting up and down. Lennon's good at tracking back already and he's got the legs and pace to do it.

I'm only saying it's worth a try anyway, IF we sign Riquelme or another playmaker, which unfortunetely doesn't like happening anyway.

Sure, it might take away from his game... in which case we'd find another system to use. But I'd like to point out that Agathe of Celtic was the main midfield outlet in that team playing as a quick wing back. He was constantly attacking... I mean constantly... and causing havoc too.

And we don't have such a great side already... or we'd be earmarked as title challengers. We're breaking into the top four at present. We're a few more top signings away from being title challengers.

[DarlinginJapan]

I tell you lot once i know and have access to internet. Usually I get the same response like this though. Makes me feel unwanted.

This info is VERY wanted! Keep up the good work! (And let me know who else we're signing as soon as you can!;) )