We have tried Spector, Ilunga and Gabbidon, and all have looked crap. Daprela was sold so that option was lost. Matt Fry is on loan at Charlton and surely wouldn't be if he was up to the job. Ben Haim looked OK but is always injured. Young Brown is meant to be a good prospect but so is Jordan Spence and he can't get near the first team despite being older.
It seems the cupboard is bare at the club so a dependable left back must surely be our primary transfer target in January. But then it should have been last January and in the summer too, and nobody at the club, either under Grant or Zola, seemed to realise.
So, who is out there? Anybody got any suggestions? Wayne Bridge on loan perhaps? I doubt he would want to be so close to the Terry family. Anybody in the Championship? Surely there's somebody with a left foot, half a brain and a bit of pace out there somewhere?
15 comments:
Hopefully Grant can persuade Belhadj to come back from Qatar in January, he was immense for Pompey in the cup final.
Belhadj? I only wish. George McCartney is on loan at Leeds..I wonder how that fella's been doing over there...
Maybe we could loan Kieron Gibbs off Arsenal.
I was thinking Belhadj too but we may need a left back who's a better defender than Belhadj, who is quite attacking for a left back. Reminds me of the cricket wicketkeeping conundrum - wicketkeeper/batsman or a batsman/wicketkeeper?
One thing is for sure, if Stanislas becomes a permanent fixture on our left wing, having someone like Belhadj overlapping (as Stan comes in on his right foot) would work a treat. It may even stop HF moaning about Stan being played on the left :)...I say may...
Apart from the corner, how many crosses did Stanislas put over Stani? Did you see him skin his full back once? Obinna and Piquionne did all the work down the left flank, in fact the Obinna and Parker goals were the only times I saw a West Ham player go past a defender on the left. Funny that both times we scored! Wonder what would happen if we had a left footer out there permanantly eh?
One of the better posters on WestHamOnline has said that we're looking to tie up Kieran Gibbs on loan from Arsenal in January
What annoys me is our disregard for the importance of our full backs.
It's NOT a position you can patch up.
Look at how important Cole is to Chelsea or Evra to Utd.
These are key positions that provide width for centre backs to play out of problems and provide the attacking impetus on the break.
You can't just stick Gabbidon, Ben Haim et al out left and think because they're defenders its good enough.
Full backs, I would argue, are on of the most specialised positions on a football pitch with very specific skill sets and we need someone who has experience and ability in them areas.
I thought about Gibbs but I would be surprised if Arsenal agreed to loan him. What if Clichy gets injured?
Essex, I'm not so convinced about the skills needed to play full back. You only need to be one footed and you have the touchline as your get out in any tackle. You just need speed, awareness, tackling skills, a good engine to get up and down the line and the ability to cross on the run. Daprela fitted the bill for me. His sale was perverse.
HF, let's not start that argument again. I think your idea of football in regards to this issue is very old fashioned and can only work well in certain situations. Also, you was criticising Zola for apparently playing Stan out of position but now Grant is doing it too but you haven't criticised him.
Do you think Stan had a bad game then?
I don't think Wenger would loan out Gibbs. He has three good young left backs at Arsenal: Clichy, Gibbs and Armand Traore. He has made it clear that he prefers Clichy as first choice, Gibbs as cover and Traore as surplus. As HF as suggested, Wenger won't let Gibbs go as he needs him as cover.
Traore is on loan at Juve. We should go in for him as a permanent buy. Grant had him at Pompey too I think and he's a decent attacking young full back.
But, what is stopping us from bringing Fabio Daprela back anyway. We should consider it. He was a decent build too and it's not often you get fullbacks of a decent height. Wonder why Grant sold him though.
Old fashioned in the same way as Gareth Bale is old fashioned you mean Stani. Did you see the way he tore Inter apart by skinning his full back and whipping in crosses off his favoured foot? Nah, don't want any of that sort of thing, it results in goals!
"You JUST need speed, awareness, tackling skills, a good engine to get up and down the line and the ability to cross on the run."
Yeah, that's all.
A good full back will transform a flat back four into something more dynamic.
How many centre backs do you know with tackling ability, speed, crossing ability, the stamina to do lengths of the pitch for 90 minutes and read the game in a way that allows them to get froward but be back in time to snub out a counter.
It's a very specialised role and one, that if done well, can transform a team.
Our best centre backs couldn't play those positions as they don't have the ability.
Nor the best centre backs in the country. John Terry, Ferdinand at Left / Right back? forget it.
Cole, for example, can tackle, run all day, scores goals, makes goals.
It's more important than hugging the line and zipping in crosses.
How about Matty Taylor who we were linked with in the Summer?
Sorry Stani, Almond Troare is SHOCKING!
Danny Fox from Burnley? Had a solid season for them in the prem last year including scoring the winner against us.
WHY the hell would we want Belhadj. Why do people keep insisting on old throw aways or someone on port. I would way rather see someone with a strong promise and chance it on that. BUILD THROUGH YOUTH FOR GOD SAKE. Most of the old transfers we make come out the shit end. its getting old itself.
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