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David Bentley

The kids that make it as pro footballers are a different breed. Sometimes there are late bloomers but mostly I see kids that are motivated to succeed at a very young age. There is an almost fanatical desire in them to learn and improve and for them the joy of football is confined to a kick-about with their old man in the back garden.

Neymar's post above is very close to the mark. Money is a motivation but that comes later and it's not the primary motivation for most. It's the competitive edge that we all have to some extent but top athletes have in abundance is what drives them on.
 
Neymar said:
i always find it confusing and laughable when people think there are guys in the premier league who haven't made massive sacrifices to get there. i accept that not every player dedicates themselves to improving their ability as much as the likes of ronaldo, but make no mistake, even the guys like balotelli, ravel morrison and david bentley have dedicated themselves to football far more than the average person thinks. their level of effort only looks bad because of the super-human endeavours of players like ronaldo. if you were to compare what bentley put into football as a kid, to what the average student at cambridge/oxford put into education as a kid, i suspect bentley would come out far on top.

look at the numbers for pro footballers. clarke carlisle has said that only 1% make it from the academy setups (in the documentary; footballs suicide secret). liverpool coach mark yates has said that 98% of players who are signed up by pro clubs are released by 18 years of age. all those guys (that are released) were the best players in their schools. ie. they were the best player(s) out of a group of a few hundred. bentley has not only made it as part of that 1%, but has gone on to have a career in the premier league (the elite) for a number of years. theres no way he did that purely on natural talent. at some stage in his life, he had some serious dedication.
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I agree completely.
 
Superted said:
I couldn't disagree more. Football at the top is not about money. Those players for whom money is the biggest driver will not succeed. When you're making £100k per week, an extra £10k is not a great motivator.

Those that succeed are those that thrive on the contest and the opportunity to beat their opponent. The money is just an outcome which is why they have agents around to get them the best deal.

Bentley obviously didn't have that. He strikes me as someone who in his youth never had to work to be the best on the park, so when he suddenly had to compete, it made him uncomfortable.

The world is littered with guys who were superstars in their younger years. Most of them don't progress.
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100% agree with this. I have a friend who I've mentioned on here before that was on the books at Spurs back when Hoddle was manager. Hands down best player I've ever played with as a kid.

He was doing well at Spurs, trained a few times with the first team etc, then Hoddle got the chop and he never really got a look in again. The pressure these young kids are placed under is tremendous. I remember him telling a few of us that during warmups etc (like passing the ball around in a circle) the kids would get absolutely hammered for playing a pass that was a little too slow, or too fast or anything other than perfect. This was day in day out, pressure, pressure, pressure. This is obviously a test to who has the mentality and who doesn't, it killed his love for the game.

After he was released from Spurs he had offers to go on trial with a few other premiership clubs and a few championship ones, turned it all down because he just didn't want to do it. For the past few seasons he's played for one of our local amateur clubs (looks about 50 classes above everyone else there) and is back loving his football again.

There are so many other factors that contribute to a talented player making it to the big time that it is almost un-fathomable.
 
Retired today, aged 29.

[video=dailymotion;x165f73]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x165f73_david-bentley-amazing-goal-against-arsenal_sport[/video]

[video=youtube;eeY36KoczwM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeY36KoczwM[/video]

[video=youtube;1_05nNAFzlw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_05nNAFzlw[/video]


Definitely had some talent, I was over the moon when we signed him. But his career nosedived after scoring that goal at the Emirates, his lack of pace was one thing but when he's spending more time getting into the newspapers for doing dumb **** off the pitch than scoring goals/getting assists, then he's always going to struggle.

£17m and **** knows how much on wages. Our worst ever signing? Quite possibly.
 
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DAT DEBUT
 
Bentley is why I don't get excited when we get linked with English players who have had a good run at a mid table or cellar dweller club. Why I'm glad we seem to be out of the running with Southamptons batch of Bentleys.
 
Superted said:
Bentley is why I don't get excited when we get linked with English players who have had a good run at a mid table or cellar dweller club. Why I'm glad we seem to be out of the running with Southamptons batch of Bentleys.
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Yep some of them are to over priced we should not touch Lallana for 30m mental figure. I would go for young ones like Gomez(charlton) or alli (MK Dons) or bring through our own. The is better pricing to be had abroad, I think Canada will be the future of football and that is where we should focus our scouting on.
 
japenesegardenlover said:
Yep some of them are to over priced we should not touch Lallana for 30m mental figure. I would go for young ones like Gomez(charlton) or alli (MK Dons) or bring through our own. The is better pricing to be had abroad, I think Canada will be the future of football and that is where we should focus our scouting on.
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Canada? Bit random, why them?
 
even if u really hate the game, its an easy way to pick up a huge wage packet, few hours training, then a game or two a week, he's going to have to get a proper job now like the rest of us.
 
Mr_B said:
even if u really hate the game, its an easy way to pick up a huge wage packet, few hours training, then a game or two a week, he's going to have to get a proper job now like the rest of us.
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Trust me he isn't. Sad but his choice I guess.
 
That's the thing. For those with the talent, it's any easy way of picking up a huge wage packet, enough to make you financially secure for life. Then it becomes a choice of really working hard to try and make an impact as a great player or coasting until a comfortable retirement.

Bentley probably got everything he wanted from football, at least everything he was willing to make an effort for. There is nothing to feel sorry about. The players who I feel sorry for are young ones who get injured before they get a chance to test their promise or make their fortune (e.g. our young Rooney-look alike a few years ago). Or a player like King who was prepared to work hard and through pain, but lost the chance to be a true great due to injury.
 
Craig_J said:
Canada? Bit random, why them?
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I can not believe my opinions are being questioned, I am appalled.

The Canadians are on the cusp, they are making inroads into the sport, they have talented youngster and represent good value for money. They quite simply are the future, almost like African players 15 years ago.
 
jts1882 said:
That's the thing. For those with the talent, it's any easy way of picking up a huge wage packet, enough to make you financially secure for life. Then it becomes a choice of really working hard to try and make an impact as a great player or coasting until a comfortable retirement.

Bentley probably got everything he wanted from football, at least everything he was willing to make an effort for. There is nothing to feel sorry about. The players who I feel sorry for are young ones who get injured before they get a chance to test their promise or make their fortune (e.g. our young Rooney-look alike a few years ago). Or a player like King who was prepared to work hard and through pain, but lost the chance to be a true great due to injury.
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Terry dixon fcuked himself up by jumping up and down on cars.
 
Appears to have got a gig as a World Cup pundit on Sky Sports.

[tweet]478462349318586368[/tweet]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/...wayne-rooney-should-play-up-front-for-england
David Bentley feels Rooney may have lost some of his self-belief but that Hodgson and the England squad should put their trust in a player who scored 19 goals for United last season.

The former Arsenal and Blackburn midfielder believes Rooney remains the best option available to the national side but that the criticism he has received may be leading to some doubts.

“He is the best player we’ve got and we have to trust him,” he said. “We need to get him on the ball and give him the service.

“Everyone wants to get on at him because he’s so highly paid and that comes with a lot of exposure but he should be trusted to perform.

“Before the games he must be thinking ‘what’s the point’ so I think we need to get off his back.

“He’s probably lost the feeling you get when you play for your country. He’s probably going out there and not believing in himself.”
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@SSNRadio: Former Spurs player David Bentley says Adam Lallana should choose Liverpool ahead of Spurs https://soundcloud.com/skysportsrad...ndcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter …

[SOUNDCLOUD]https://soundcloud.com/skysportsradio/david-bentley-lallana-should-pick-liverpool-ahead-of-spurs?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter[/SOUNDCLOUD]
 
SteveAWOL said:
Appears to have got a gig as a World Cup pundit on Sky Sports.

[tweet]478462349318586368[/tweet]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/...wayne-rooney-should-play-up-front-for-england


@SSNRadio: Former Spurs player David Bentley says Adam Lallana should choose Liverpool ahead of Spurs https://soundcloud.com/skysportsrad...ndcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter …

[SOUNDCLOUD]https://soundcloud.com/skysportsradio/david-bentley-lallana-should-pick-liverpool-ahead-of-spurs?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter[/SOUNDCLOUD]
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Sounds bitter about Spurs. How the **** does he know how Liverpool are run?
 
I wonder if Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Berbatov, Carrick and others wish they'd moved to Liverpool instead of us. As much as it sucks, the fact that we've brought in guys like Modric and Bale who have since moved on and become elite Champs League winning players means we must be doing something right.
 
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