by stmichael » Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:04 pm
Seems to me that the shift in power from the club to the player lead to the growth of the 'Enfant terrible'. That in turn, and the greater freedom of movement of players nowadays, has lead to some power going back to the clubs as they are now willing and able to say 'non' to some fantastic players whose attitude isnt right.
10 or even 5 seasons ago, had players of the ability of Bellamy, Zlatan, Mido and Anelka been available for such cut down prices, most managers would have snapped em up quick sharp (I did say most, Ged was the exception, with his complete iron rod rule). Even players like Edgar Davids are finding it hard to get a home, inspite of his undoubted talent. I thikn its also true that when it comes to stikers, the importance of the outright goal scorer has been reduced due to the tactical changes that demand the flooding of midfield these days. Strikers with the abilty to create space or hold up play once you've got past the midfield mire are valued much more. Thats not to say you dont need a goalscorer if you can find one and obviously a balanced side needs as many options as possible, but as we saw last summer, getting someone who can hold up play is far more valuable and integral to the way we play (Or Chelsea) than getting a supposed 20 goal a season striker.
So while its always worth a risk, it shows how the game has come on and how some of the power has shifted back to the clubs that some of these names seem to be being banded about.