SUIYHA
Scott Parker
Modric was out for 3 months, not half the season. He started 21 games and was used as sub in 4, whilst not at all once. 25 appearances and one non-used selection. I would argue that it was his return to health which helped us make the final push and take full advantage of the moment opening up around us.
Lennon made 20 starts and 2 as sub. I agree though, even though we missed him for easily less than half a season, his loss was noticable.
Both still hugely significant losses, as much as anyone we have missed this season, with the players missing in question being more important to the team back then.
Bale played 29 games in the Prem and 1 as sub, thus 30 out of 38. Not too shabby.
Not as bad as some of the others, but Dembele and Adebayor could both hit 30 games this season too, hasn't stopped people whinging about them not being fit.
Gallas, most of the season? He started 15 times and was an unused sub 3 times! That's less than half our games he was fit for. Kranjcar started 9 times, was a sub 3 times and was an unused sub 10 times!!!!!! Err, methinks he could've been used a bit more perhaps? Of course, but that's 16 games he was unavailable for, same as Parker this season Yes, Hudd missed a lot of games but wasn't first-choice (he was behind Parker, Modric and Sandro) He always featured when Harry was around, and would have brought something different to our play when things got predictable in the second half of the season whilst Sandro himself made 17 starts, 6 more as sub and 4 unused on the bench. He has already made more starts in all competitions this season and is the same in the Premier League. He had loads of niggling injuries last season and only managed to be fit enough to really hit form in the last few weeks Scotty Parker started 29 games, came on as sub in one and also took a couple of suspensions if I remember correctly (he was booked 8 times, he must have). The rotation argument though mate (even though that wasn't part of the initial discussion) please! Pienaar, didn't start once and on the bench unused 9 times! Danny Rose, unused 11 times. Bassong, unused 16 times. We've already discussed Niko. Pav, 11 times unused. Even Livermore was unused 11 times. Look, there were reasons not to rotate at times, not the least of which because it was the manager's choice and that's that. But we WERE able to rotate our squad mate.
Again you refuse to apply any context whatsoever to the fact he came into the club this summer and massive changes were happening all round. Why is that? I have done, and for the billionth time, I just don't think the changes that have taken place are anywhere near as bad and disruptive as some of you are making out, as we have been able to bring in new players and have still got some fudging good ones left over. The fact is, changes happen, and top managers deal with it, for example:
Everton 2004 - sold Rooney after finishing 17th - Finished 4th the following year despite also selling Gravesen in January
Tottenham 2005 - sold Kanoute who had been an integral part of our attack. Despite Defoe's form dipping without him, we finished 5th and only missed out on 4th because of a dodgy lasagne
Man Utd - 2006 - sold Van Nistelrooy - won the league after being miles off the pace in the previous 3 years
Arsenal 2007 - sold Henry - challenged for the title after two years of scrapping for 4th place
Liverpool 2008 - sold Crouch, Riise and Finnan, brought in Keane and Riera to play a more possession based and less direct style, they actually challenged for the title for the first time in years and only lost two games all season
Man Utd - 2009 - sold Ronaldo and Tevez - Still finished with 85 points and would have won the league if the linesman had noticed that Drogba's goal at Old Trafford was offside
2010 - It's hardly a fair comparison to point to Emirates Marketing Project getting miles better in this season after splashing big bucks, but nevertheless, lots of new players, style of play change, big improvements made.
Saudi Sportswashing Machine 2011 - Having sold Carroll in January, they were massively short of goalscorers. They also then sold Nolan who had been their second top scorer, Barton, Enrique and Routledge. I honestly thought they were going to struggle to stay in the division and I wasn't alone. They finished 5th.
Swansea 2012 - They have lost Caulker, Allen, Sinclair, Sigurdsson, basically all of last seasons best players except Vorm who has been injured and Dyer who hasn't even done that much this year. Oh, and they have a new manager too. They are currently higher than they finished last season. Norwich's new manager isn't doing badly either. No second season syndrome from either of these clubs.
Like I said, I'm not expecting miracles, but other clubs have experienced major changes before and have just got on with things, so I will not accept the changes, or the injuries, as a get out of jail free card when we still have such a strong squad that HAS been available. When we sold Carrick and replaced him with Zokora, people bleated on about a changing style of play and how it would take time, but Zokora, even though he was much faster and dynamic, was clearly a massive step backwards and of course we were going to struggle, that's not the manager's fault. But even if Dembele doesn't have Modric's first touch and passing ability, he has significantly greater physical attributes and is just as good if not better at dribbling with the ball, he has the potential to be just as good as Modric was for us. It all goes back to my point, we have lost good players, but we have signed good new ones, and we have a lot of very good players who are already settled and integrated into the side, so I don't see any need to write off the season as a transitional one.
I'm sorry, but what on earth would you say about last season then? Or the season before when we didn't even finish 4th? Or the season before that when we did? By your theory, this is the first season we should apply the 'if our rivals got their brick together we'd be far lower down the table' theory...which frankly doesn't hold any weight whatsoever beyond it's somewhat confusing academic conjecture! Tell you what, why not throw this variable into the mix? Once AVB fully gets his brick together, then our brick under him might well be stronger than their 'together' brick is anyway?!!!! It's all getting a bit messy isn't it?!!
Of course this isn't the first season that our rivals haven't got their brick together. Last year, before our rivals got their brick together, we were 10+ points ahead of them. If that was the case now then I would have my tongue far up AVB's arsehole. They have been even worse this time around so there was a great opportunity for us this time that I'd have hoped we'd seize with both hands.
You'd have to define what 'classy' means to you. Because I think a man stepping into a huge job this summer, with huge expectations HA, you're kidding right? Everyone assumed we'd never be able to carry on what we'd done post Harry and that we were finished. Credit to Levy for bringing in some excellent players to keep us competitive, with huge pressure from those wanting him to fail, with meagre backing in the summer window given what he wanted Most managers would kill to have been able to add Lloris, Vertonghen, Dembele, Sigurdsson, Dempsey and Adebayor to their squads, he knew we didn't have Chelsea's budget when he took the job, with injuries to key NEW signings who were there to help ease through the transition from key players yet who never ever bleated on and on about ANY of that AND still has us in 4th place despite some learning curves and poor performances along the way, well, that, to me, is classy mate.
Classy would be individual examples of things that other managers might not have been able to get out of their squad. A highly intelligent tactical switch. A rousing comeback from 2 goals down to win the game. A strong win away from home or against top opposition after getting a man sent off early in the game. Swashbuckling, attractive, attacking football, completely obliterating teams. A massively improved defensive record. A habit of always fighting to the death and scoring late goals. The only one of these I have seen from AVB was the very impressive change at half-time in the Emirates to go 3 at the back and pack the midfield, after the other gamble of going with an aggressive 4-4-2 away from home was also paying off - unfortunately I will remember his performance in that game more for the fact that when Adebayor got sent off he stood around gormlessly and waited until they had scored not one, not two, but three goals, before actually doing something about it, when it was clear to most of us that a change needed to be made as soon as the card came out of the ref's pocket. I can point to a lot more examples of tactical disasters this season from AVB too. So until I can figure out what exactly he has brought to the table, that Harry, Jol or even the likes of Pleat, Graham, Francis and Hoddle wouldn't have been able to do in the same position, I remain sceptical. That's not to say I rate them above AVB, just that...in true Glory-Glory style, AVB....what does he do?
In the spirit of debate my friend....
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