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Stephen Pienaar Debate

Spooky has some ITK on Pienaar, if you listen to the Fighting **** podcast - apparently he was signed by Levy, rather than Redknapp, and within a few weeks of signing Pienaar was on the phone to Bill Kenwright begging him to take him back to Everton.

I'd be amazed if that was the case. So Levy is our new DoF is he?!
 
Wouldn't rule out both Pienaar and Khumalo signing as being linked with our South African commercial interests as well.
 
just to add what I can remember about the whole thing (and it seems no-one else)

I recall Redknapp saying that he was impressed with how Pienaar played with the attacking overlapping abilities of Leighton Baines and saw both Pienaar and Bale working even better with Bale at left back.

From what I can then remember as soon as both players where available (but don't quote me on that) that started together in ONE game with Bale as the left back, It was away to someone and Bale got injured early on and went off (about 20 minutes I think but might have been sooner)

After that I don't think they ever played together in this way again, either because they were both not available at the same time or Bale was always preferred as the winger (and the subsequently this attacking role as one of the front 3)

there

Now you all know :lol:
 
What, you mean you don't think Levy pursues and signs players on his own initiative? Plenty of evidence that he does.

I think too much is made of it. It's like the Levy signed VDV flimflam. He did from a technical standpoint, he signs all the players. But Levy didn't just go out and buy him without consulting the Management team first. We were in discussions regarding VDV for days before we signed him.
 
Pienaar is like a rabbit caught in the headlights at Spurs, he'll never settle in a team full of stars. At Everton he's the big fish and he performs.
Hopefully the last few games have added a million or two to the transfer fee come summer.
 
I was one of those who repeatedly said Pienaar would really surprise a lot of people with his quality. Was left looking a bit of an ass for that campaign!

But I'm still pretty sure he's a skilful player. Maybe just something not right with his head, or circumstances, or whatever that meant it didn't work for him here first time.

I think Harry was a bit unlucky here and had every reason to expect this quality little player to have exactly the kind of games he's been having for Everton for us - fast, all over the pitch, thrusting forward runs, goals. Harry only needed that kind of performance from him in, say, 3 or 4 games - maybe accounting for a whole 3 points along the way - for the purchase to have been a success. I say his logic was sound there and only some kind of bad luck/unfortunate circumstances prevented what we're seeing from Pienaar now happening at Spurs.
 
I think too much is made of it. It's like the Levy signed VDV flimflam. He did from a technical standpoint, he signs all the players. But Levy didn't just go out and buy him without consulting the Management team first. We were in discussions regarding VDV for days before we signed him.

You don't think the evidence of Pienaar's form after joining us, then after returning to Everton, Redknapp's reluctance to use him and Pienaar's eagerness to leave at the earliest opportunity support the possibility that Redknapp didn't fancy the player.

I do agree that no player has probably ever been signed without the manager approving it. But it seems that history suggests that players have been signed that weren't picked by the manager, and in some cases ahead of their chosen targets. That is problematic, as far as I can see.
 
I dont for a second think he is the only one, but Redknapp does have a knack for leaving players out in the cold doesnt he?

All managers have favourites, and marginalise others.

The one closest to not having favourites, in Spurs terms, was Ramos, who picked his teams based largely on how well players had worked in training during the week. He got criticised loads for incomprehensible selections and too much rotation, so we as fans can't have it both ways.
 
Ive no doubt. Only the biggest clubs get to mask this by paying players enough to be happy on the bench.

It just seems since he has been here either you are "in" or you are "out", and if you arent "in" you are nowhere...

It certainly must be demoralising to know that, however well you play in a game, you're going to be dropped as soon as the guy you're standing in for comes back.
 
I've never particularly rated Pienaar as a player and couldn't see what he would bring to us. His short time here was for the most part abject and some are wondering how come he looks good for Everton. You have to consider what his key attributes are and what we actually needed as a rotational/competition option for either wing. We play with genuine wingers and Pienaar has never been that and will never be that. He was a poor buy period.
 
I think Bale as left back and Pienaar as a winger would have been great, also give Ekotto some breating space. Pienaar didn??t really get the chance to prove himself..
 
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