Its the Adebayor thread but I will say my piece on both Ade and Benny because it seems some people are going OTT with this he don't know how to handle players.
I feel AVB were perfectly justified in their omissions from the squad and team . The pair have much to say for themselves and I can believe both will have given the young coach good reasons to exclude them from his plans. Ade had also undermined AVB last January with his late return from the ACN. This is not about AVB's weirdness, bad management with players as some keep repeating , this is about a manager/head coach being undermined by insubordination and then reacting in the way he sees fit, that is for the benefit of the collective in the long term. It's what managers do!
As for performances on the field . Ade was poor last season and I'm not buying into the theory of Ade stepping aside from his duties as a center forward purely to accommodate Gareth Bale. This is nonsense and were proven in his 9/10 performance at Stamford Bridge towards the end of last season. Was there another performance from him all last season that came anywhere near the level displayed that night? Ade plays and runs hard when it suits him and whilst Sherwood is correct in stating that he has played for big teams like Arsenal and Emirates Marketing Project his career with both, is also littered with abject performances and tantrums, and it is why both Wenger and Mancini were happy to get rid .
It's also been said of Ade that he ups his game and plays well when contracts are in the offing or when existing ones are up for re-negotiation . Apparently , although I can't say with 100% certainty, his contract with Emirates Marketing Project is due to expire next summer and a £3.5 million shortfall will have to be found. I don't know what arrangement he has with us but I'm guessing all will soon be revealed.
As for Benny , it's clear , defensively Benny was not suited to the high line tactic and he certainly is not suited to the energy sapping demands of getting up and down the full length of the left flank. Benny does not run back into position at speed , he ambles back . Also , despite his excellent technique, as an attacking full back he is distinctly average.
If Sherwood recalls him from QPR, I'm hoping he does so with mind to keep Rose as first choice who in my opinion is the better all round full-back.
At the beginning of my post , I touched on the pair having to much to say for themselves and I think Ade's ridiculous BBC interview post-match at Southampton shows this . Also Benny at the beginning of the season showed us all what a 'team player' he is during the Bale to Real Madrid saga. .Whilst AVB and numerous other players , were pulling together and coming out with , " that whilsts they recognise the lure of Real Madrid, they hoped Gareth would stay for another season at least". Benny told the rags , " if a player is offered more money elsewhere and his current club cannot match the offer, then the player should be allowed to move on if he wishes." This is all according Benny's world, where contracts between club and player are not actually for protection of the interests of both parties, i.e. player and club but purely for the player. He is not a team player and AVB quickly recognised this.
AVB made numerous errors granted, but not IMO regarding these two players. As coach/manager he were within his rights to omit them from his plans but he made an error in playing Rose in the Europa and he were unfortunate our front players were so abject in front of the opponents goal.
Both Ade and Benny now have another chance with, Sherwood now in charge and we could well benefit in the short term. However, I would advise Sherwood not to put to much trust in the pair and be looking for other options for the long term.
Merry Xmas to all on GG ...
