06 May 2015 07:27:06
Having a read through some shocking posts from earlier. Gareth Bale has a bad game and is no longer a world class player, instead just a 'shadow of his former self'. Is this for real?
The guy was awesome last year, has had his moments this year and has been constantly hounded and insulted by the Madrid fans and the media as a scapegoat for their season so far. All this and the lad still has the bottle to go out and give his all even when things aren't going well.
Angel Di Maria can't pass the ball five yards and has done very little in a United shirt. He gets the backing of the majority of fans when he gets on the pitch and constantly dissappoints. Yet excuses are made about settling in and he needs another pre-season under his belt. What about Bale? Did he need a year to settle?
Makes excuses all you want Di Maria couldn't lace Bales boots and Bale would be the best player in the league if we got him. Simple as that.
06 May 2015 08:33:14
Agreed, I was listening to Steven Reid on the radio last night and he said that Bale was by far the most difficult player that he had faced. He said that every time he got the ball he would run at you and drive you back which is much harder to defend against than players who cut inside all the time like Young.
If there is any chance of bale, even for close to 100 million he is too good to miss out on.
06 May 2015 08:43:34
People also seem to forget he has just returned from injury and spent the 1st half (only watched the 1st half so not sure about the 2nd) playing up top in an unfamiliar position.
06 May 2015 09:17:25
@JMB
I agree with you that the criticism is a bit ridiculous. But I don't think that is the issue.
The issue for me is his price tag and I don't think he justifies that. Also there is no guarantee that he will be the best player in the league. Hazard has been very good this year and will only get better, and if Jose let's his team play a more attacking game, hazard will definitely go to new heights.
Bale will cost 80mil+ I think. For that kind of money we could buy Vidal, naingolan and depay. That would not only fix our midfield for good but also mean we sign a top young player with potential.
Then there is the issue of the way Van Gaal has had us playing. The obsession with possession playing style. Bale is not at all suited for that. Have we overpayed for a player who does not fit a slow possession based style and whose game is based on dribbling the ball and taking risks? Oh wait, we have and he is struggling at the moment.
If we can sign all our targets AND bale then I'm all for it but I don't think that will happen. We may at least need to move di maria or mata on for that.
06 May 2015 09:32:09
JMB,
You know what fans are like on here mate, one good game and a player is the best in the world, one bad game and he should retire immediately as he's 'lost it'. Some of the posts surprised me, it is as if these people haven't seen Bale play all season and just watched because he was on TV and as he didn't have a good game he is rubbish now. Kind of opposite MOTD fever, I am just glad we have scouts who watch players rather than people on here who only watch players if they are on ITV.
06 May 2015 09:48:49
His last number of games he has been awfull,proably not his fault,what's going on over there might be the reason,close to 100 mil. For him,no way,I'd take him but not for that kind of money,depay and Vidal for me,we might as well go to Madrid with blank cheques
06 May 2015 10:09:46
Redfaith - the thing is players like Depay, Vidal and Naingogglan are all well and good but they aren't proven in the PL and may be Klebersons or Verons. Gareth Bale was electric in England and has continued that form in the CL and in Spain. The lad is also almost single handedly leading Wales to the Euros.
I understand your reservations about the price but that is the modern market and if Di Maria is a £60millon player then let's be honest Bale is a bargain at £80million.
I also agree that Hazard is a fine player, a special player but does he bring as much to the table as Bale? Yes and no. I think Hazard is more adaptable and can play more technical and intricate football. But Bale if utilised correctly is an absolute gun and I would put my morgage on it he pulls up trees in a United shirt next season if we get him. It's upto the manager to play to his strengths so that he can explode into life.
GDS - I cannot agree more mate. It's like the bigger you get the harder folk want you fall. Short memories and day dreamers we have on here sometimes.
06 May 2015 10:29:03
I've seen him play a lot this season,since the turn of the year he hasn't done anything,20 goals 15 assits,is that worth his price tag,ronaldo is ahead of him by miles,maybe you can only have one master in a team,
06 May 2015 10:30:34
redfaith
makes a very good point , would bale (a player i rate ) fit with lvg slow possession based football
06 May 2015 10:56:32
Leahy12 for a player having a poor season as you put it, 20 goals and 15 assists are solid numbers!
06 May 2015 11:19:37
Solid numbers for that kind of money
06 May 2015 11:21:35
@JMB
Vidal is a player who has performed in the bundesliga, performed in the UCL, performed in the world cup and has bossed the serie A. I have absolutely no doubt that he will be a success in the EPL. Him and Naingolan are the exact kind of players that fit right into the EPL. Strong, tough tacklers, box to box midfielders with lots of energy.
Depay is a typical United signing. Up and coming young player who is a year or two away from his peak.
I was merely using these three as an example anyway to show just how much we can improve the team and whom we can buy with the money bale would cost. It was only meant to emphasize the fact that he is way overpriced.
We overpayed for Di Maria, we shouldn't make that mistake again. Bale isn't a Ronaldo or Messi.
I disagree on Hazard. I think he can do everything that Bale does and more. I don't doubt that if the team is set up the right way, both Di Maria and Bale would succeed. But neither of them justify their price tags or fit into the current system and we should strengthen other areas first before looking at Bale.
Nobody else would be willing to pay that much for Bale I think, and that does say something.
06 May 2015 11:24:27
Bale is top draw! It's not even up for debate. It's fact. And if there's any chance of signing him we should do it
06 May 2015 12:06:06
Redfaith - I am not saying Vidal isn't a very good player because he is. If he is kept injury free then he is a great player in the middle of the pitch but then again Veron was one of the best in the world when we signed him but he floundered in the EPL. I am not saying that will happen to Vidal but with Bale you know your getting proven EPL quality. Same goes for Naingogglan, who by all accounts I have never heard of until the last few months. Good players? Yes. A tier below Bale's level? Yes.
Depay, again like the others is a 50/50. He could prove to be exceptional such as Ronaldo, he could prove to be decent such as Nani and he could prove to be shocking such as Anderson. With young talented players at a high cost it is always going to be a little bit of a lottery. The one thing I will say is if LVG tries to remove Depay's natural game and flair on the ball by guiding him like Januzaj (two touches, three seconds on the ball) then that could be detrimental to Depay's development.
I disagree with you on the Hazard point. I think both have their strengths and weaknesses. Hazard makes the game tick and Bale is more of a final product player. If we get Bale he will out score and assist Hazard next season but Hazard will see more of the ball. I also think plenty of teams would pay the money for Bale. Yes he is expensive but his endorsements and name make money as well as other commercial ventures.
If you want to be the best then you've got to sign the best.
06 May 2015 12:35:49
Roy keane was at the game last and himself and scholes said Madrid played with 10 players,now surely them 2 honest boys are a better judge of a player than us,but wait people slate them for being honest.
06 May 2015 13:09:30
So because he had one bad game last night he is now useless? Behave.
06 May 2015 13:25:12
Bale over DiMaria any day for me. More pace, strength, better with his head, good freekick and works hard.
06 May 2015 14:58:30
No since the turn of the year he has been bad
06 May 2015 18:06:55
Di Maria gets the backing of the majority of fans?? people generally slate him these days as far as I can tell. Give him more than 1 season!!
06 May 2015 18:19:33
in reply to those that are not sure how Bale would fit into a LVG side of pointless midfield possession. i'm hoping he is used like Robben was for Holland by LVG maybe it would force him to tweak his philosophy to actually troubling teams and getting in behind them. He is the player that we need how much we need strengthening at the back without goals we cannot win games and Bale is the best potentially available player out there to do that for us.
06 May 2015 19:16:54
Up to recently, I wanted to give ADM another season. But recent performances have changed my mind completely. The guy can't pass, can't dribble, can't cross, can't beat his man.
Bale is a fantastic player and if we can get him here, then we must do all we can to make it happen.
One final word on ADM, he doesn't look like he wants to be here, so get rid while PSG still want him and get verrati in part exchange.
07 May 2015 09:12:51
I think we would be mad to waste our time on Bale and will turn our summer transfer window into a farce again as the player clearly does not want the change.
My issue with pushing a deal for bale is it potentially freezes a lot of other deals given the financial impact of what would would be require to get him and watching other targets end up going to other clubs and we end up not getting him and then having to scramble to sign option 3 or 4.
We need a number of players for various positions and would be better off getting on with that than spending the entire summer chasing rainbows.
07 May 2015 09:16:33
Forgot to add don't want to get stung by Madrid on another deal like they did to us with ADM. You can built championship winning sides by buying well and talent without getting overpaying for one player.
All the players everyone talks about were valuable for a fraction of the cost a couple of years ago, we just have bought poorly for a number of years and the academy is yet to produce a bonafide star and wilson and the rest have potential but a long way away from being the saviour.
{Ed025's Note - fair points them GCU mate..