Page 18 of 19
Posted:
Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:09 amby jkop
Posted:
Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:26 amby Ciggy
edited.
Posted:
Sun Jun 17, 2007 12:49 amby account deleted by request
A move to Liverpool would be good for Bent
By Gary Lineker, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 11:45pm BST 16/06/2007
It was interesting to see Darren Bent turning down what by all accounts was a lucrative move to West Ham last week. Regular readers of this column will know that I'm a big admirer of Bent, and I think he has made the right decision.
Don't get me wrong - West Ham are a great club with bags of ambition. However, Bent is at a crucial moment in his career and timing is very important in football. England are short of quick, powerful, direct strikers and Bent fits that bill perfectly. With Charlton, he has scored goals in a team who struggled all last season and joining West Ham, who only survived by the skin of their teeth, would place him in a similar context.
What he needs now, though, is to refine his game against the very best. And that means European football. Playing against top-end continentals is essential to your development as an England international. The high tempo of the Premiership is tough but you also need to learn how to play on foreign fields, at a different speed.
The way the game is played in England means you get a decent number of chances. You work hard and you compete for every ball. Yet if you come up against the likes of Paolo Maldini and the rest of the Milan defence, you might only get a couple of half-chances. Being a top striker is being able to concentrate enough to put those away. It is about cultivating that predatory instinct.
There is no doubt that Bent would not have turned down West Ham if he didn't have another interested party or two in the wings - Liverpool and Tottenham are the apparent suitors. Both are competing in Europe next season. If there is a chance of moving to a place like Anfield you have to take it because it might not come around again.
Wherever he ends up, it seems he will earn less than West Ham were willing to pay him. But for players, the real currency is silverware. It would be a mark of unbelievable greed if your only motivation in making a move was money -- it is all relative after all, you still earn thousands and thousands a week. West Ham fans want players coming to their club who have the desire to achieve on the pitch.
So if you find yourself to be in the position of Bent, being able to pick and choose a bit, you have to go for the most ambitious move.
That is the mark of player who is a real player, who is not afraid of the competition or the expectation. You need real strength of mind at a top club and it will be interesting to see if Bent has that.
I like Bent a lot. He is very quick and powerful, he is great in the air and he is an accomplished finisher. Working with someone like Rafa Benitez would be fantastic for his development and it would be great news for England. You can understand that if Liverpool are talking, then he is listening.
If Gary thinks he's good he must be 
Posted:
Sun Jun 17, 2007 4:45 amby crazyhorse
I dont know... I think we need to be looking for someone who is the finished article, not someone who needs work. Bent has potential and is a good player, and i would support a transfer if it meant he was taking the place of some of the dead wood, and playing alongside an ETO, or Villa but he is not ready for us as a main striker.
Posted:
Sun Jun 17, 2007 4:49 pmby kobashi
reports are Ipswich get 20% of any sale. thats why charlton want a big fee.
Posted:
Sun Jun 17, 2007 5:09 pmby mr_weed_80@hotmail.com
darren bent is insanely talented and i would love to have him at the club...until i heard he was priced at 17million.
i couldnt stop laughin at this ridiculous price yet it seems typical nowadays of the prem
im as patriotic as you can find n i would love some young scowsers to come through or some young english talents brought in but the prices are forcing us elsewhere, i mean bent is almost at the same price as some of the greatest in the world
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:40 amby Effes
I see Eidur Gudjohnson wants a move back to the Prem.
He turns 29 in Sept, we could do worse. he would be fairly cheap too,
around £5M.
SkySports:
Eidur Gudjohnsen has refused to rule out the prospect of a return to England this summer.
The former Bolton and Chelsea star has been strongly linked with a move back to the Premier League, with the likes of Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and West Ham all linked.
Manchester United were the most recent club linked with a swoop as reports in Spain claimed they were ready to offer former Barcelona starlet Gerard Pique back to his former club.
Gudjohnsen's father and agent Arnor has already denied having any contact with United, but his son has admitted he could be tempted by a return to England after 12 months in Catalunya.
"I joined Barcelona to be part of the club's triumphs but it is not easy for me when you look at the club's forward line and see all the big names there," he is quoted in the Daily Mail.
"Each minute has been a special test for me but to sit on the bench is not the most desirable experience for a player.
"I don't think I have failed in Spain but perhaps I have not totally won the confidence of the coach. If I leave then my ideal idea would be to return to British football.
"If Barcelona decide to place me in the market then I need to study all the details. But a perfect choice for me will be a club that plays in the Champions League.
"Obviously Manchester United fit that category."
Celtic have also been linked with a move and the Icelander admits he has heard about them and a number of English clubs.
"I know there has been some contact with English clubs and with Celtic but the answer to this question does not rely just on me," he said.
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:34 amby red_guy
Eidur Gudjohnson ...hmmm. He wants to play for Manure....next!!!
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:46 amby puroresu
Effes wrote:I see Eidur Gudjohnson wants a move back to the Prem.
He turns 29 in Sept, we could do worse. he would be fairly cheap too,
around £5M.
SkySports:
Eidur Gudjohnsen has refused to rule out the prospect of a return to England this summer.
The former Bolton and Chelsea star has been strongly linked with a move back to the Premier League, with the likes of Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and West Ham all linked.
Manchester United were the most recent club linked with a swoop as reports in Spain claimed they were ready to offer former Barcelona starlet Gerard Pique back to his former club.
Gudjohnsen's father and agent Arnor has already denied having any contact with United, but his son has admitted he could be tempted by a return to England after 12 months in Catalunya.
"I joined Barcelona to be part of the club's triumphs but it is not easy for me when you look at the club's forward line and see all the big names there," he is quoted in the Daily Mail.
"Each minute has been a special test for me but to sit on the bench is not the most desirable experience for a player.
"I don't think I have failed in Spain but perhaps I have not totally won the confidence of the coach. If I leave then my ideal idea would be to return to British football.
"If Barcelona decide to place me in the market then I need to study all the details. But a perfect choice for me will be a club that plays in the Champions League.
"Obviously Manchester United fit that category."
Celtic have also been linked with a move and the Icelander admits he has heard about them and a number of English clubs.
"I know there has been some contact with English clubs and with Celtic but the answer to this question does not rely just on me," he said.
I rate Gudjohnson. His not the out and out goalscorer we need but play him alongside one and u got a quality player.
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:26 amby mr_weed_80@hotmail.com
what about benni mccarthy???
hes a proven goal scorer in the prem, going through his prime and will not cost our life savings so the americans can keep there 
holes stiched up
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:19 amby puroresu
mr_weed_80@hotmail.com wrote:what about benni mccarthy???
hes a proven goal scorer in the prem, going through his prime and will not cost our life savings so the americans can keep there holes stiched up
Blackburn dont want to sell him and reports say Mourinho would like him at the bridge. McCarthy likes Mourinho a lot.
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:34 pmby 66-1182161184
Dean Windass?
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:37 pmby Igor Zidane
Brookside wrote:Dean Windass?
Wum
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:45 pmby lou93
Igor Zidane wrote:Brookside wrote:Dean Windass?
Wum
DEANO!! Thats what they shout in Bradford anyway!
Posted:
Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:53 pmby 109-1182120412
Don't think they'd be stupid enough to want Gudjohnsen at that age.
