The following article was written by James Ireson of Football Fancast. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.
As we all know, all is not right at Liverpool. A baron spell of four years without a trophy and with Manchester United closing in on a record breaking 19th title, fans of the club must be anxious for their team to back amongst the big guns. A clear-out period was needed. Out with the old, in with the new – time for a new Anfield generation. Roy Hodgson is the man tasked with this operation and where as some his signings have been questionable, he is starting to turn his team around; the process has begun. So what’s the next step forward? Assembling a team to get back in the top four has to be the aim. If reports are to be believed though, another questionable buy could be about to join the Anfield ranks – David Bentley.
Firstly, you have to question whether this is a Roy Hodgson target or one of Damien Comolli’s. Liverpool’s director of football strategy (whatever that means) is believed to be the main broker behind Bentley’s £16.5 million move from Blackburn to Tottenham back in 2008. But even if it is, what does the player offer that Hodgson doesn’t already have at his disposal? Joe Cole, when fit, can deliver a ball as good as anyone, Dirk Kuyt provides plenty of energy down the flanks and Steven Gerrard speaks for himself. Where would the Spurs man fit in? Surely the reported £8 million could be better spent?
Maybe Hodgson sees Bentley as a replacement for the seemingly outbound Ryan Babel, but if this is the case, I fail to see the progression. Sure enough, financially Babel may sell for more than Bentley would cost, but what about his wages? Don’t forget the Spurs man is English and therefore demands excessive wage packages for very little in return- that is the British way.
It certainly doesn’t represent a move forward, more like a sideward step seeing as the 26-year-old struggles to get a game for one of Liverpool’s main rivals. And what about the temperament of the player? When he came through at Arsenal, Bentley played without fear and he looked the part. But as soon as people expected things off him, he didn’t seem able to make the step up. At Blackburn, he was a big fish in a small pond and proved his ability which forced Spurs to pay silly money for his services. Again, in a bigger club environment, he has yet to fulfil the potential he so rarely shows.
The signing would provide yet another sign of Liverpool’s fall from grace. Bringing in a player of Bentley’s ability doesn’t make a point to the likes of Tottenham and Man City that the most successful club in English history are on their way back to the upper echelons of the Premier League. I by no means wish to call the ex-Blackburn player worthless but does he really shout out Champions league to you?
Progression has to be a slow process and there is no doubt Liverpool will be in top six come the end of the season. But the fact the club are aiming for players like Bentley would suggest they are content to finish in the bracket of teams just below the likes of United and Chelsea. The club still has the pull of being one of the biggest teams in the world and it’s time they started using that attraction if they are to return to the top of the league.
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I don’t know how anyone can say that Roy is beginning to turn the team around. The Utrecht and Newcastle games were awful. Hodgson’s style of play is too defensive and his away record is dire. The team play too deep and the strikers are isolated, having to come to get the ball – no wonder Torres is struggling. I don’t care who he buys, if he doesn’t change his tactics we’ll be lucky to be in the top ten let alone in the top 4.
You can tell WOY to FO for us……he is a CLOWN….enough is enough….Fecking MORON!!!!!!!!!
It doesn’t matter which players you buy if you have a mediocre manager. Roy isn’t getting as much out of the players as Rafa did.
Thankyou so much Christian Purslow.
gotta agree with the article (apart from roy turning things round) and i agree with all the comments too………feck there`s a first
Has Roy confirmed we’re after him?… NO!!!
No way Bentley ends up at Liverpool! This is more speculation.
I agree! I don’t care who Roy will buy..as long as he can help to improve & make real impact for Liverpool. It doesn’t matter Roy buy the players who struggle at other club (Henry also struggle while he was a Juventus’s player, remember this guy). Most important is Liverpool WHoever he is (player or manager) must get all the thing right. No more mistake Or tactic. Must give 110% not only manager but also the players.
k
It hurts to think that Liverpool are targeting a player who can’t even find a place on Spurs’ bench.
i agree with all above roy has to go some names linked with us are good but will we buy them to this day i cannot beleive kenny didnt get the job no brainer
Sad truth is I guess he would seem a good buy for Roy if he was still at Fulham!
I do not believe Roy understands the step up he has taken! Good for his ego BUT
would he have have even disturbed the sub conscience of Chelsea, Arse… Man Ut…. if any of them were looking for a new manager?
We all know the answer to that, NO, NO NO.
But for LFC he made it past that and to the top of preferred choice!!!!!
THAT WAS THE PREVIOUS AMERICAN TWITS OF COURSE
Come on new owners, realise what you own, and what Roys level really is.
no way is Bentley coming to liverpool please!!i prefer Kuyt,Maxi,Joe Cole,Jovanovic,Babel,Pacheco,Eccleston,….ahead of this flop!!he aint good for tottenham,he’ll be S**T for us..the only players to sign from Tottenham are Modric,Bale,Van der Vaart,Pavlyuchenko and Defoe.and i dont know this Ricky Van Wolfswinkel guy but we need some made up players not talents..we have talents for the future,but we need something for the present!!i’d love Coentrao and Adebayor at Liverpool..i think Adebayor would be a great signing as he is a top class player in my opinion and citeh seem to have the likes of Jo and Balotelli ahead of him.bring him to partner TORRES and a TORRES-ADEBAYOR partnership is something even Puyol is afraid of!!
Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Coentrao
J.Cole Gerrard Meireles Maxi/Kuyt
Torres Adebayor
i’d also love some width players at Liverpool..Joe Cole will be good for us,i am sure of it.But Maxi and Kuyt aint 100% wingers.Maxi is more like a center midfielder while Kuyt is more like center forward.would love Adam Johnson also.
Why does Roy keep targeting players that cannot even make the bench at other teams. Roy is so keen to make Liverpool a mid table team. Santa get Roy out pleaaseee
I do not see Comolli making the same mistake twice just a bad rumour me thinks.
and all you buggers calling for benitez to be axed while he was still around. Look now what you’ve got. He is the best manager that liverpool can get and you guys called for him to be gone just like that. During the 5 seasons while he was here except for the last season, liverpool is truely a force to be behold. Now? HAHAHA!
Just because articles are written linking us to a player, that doesn’t mean that Hodgson has actually showed any real interest in the player.
I would fear that this is the type of transfer that Hodgson would actually prefer (i.e. English or Scandinavian and proven mid-table quality), but hopefully Comolli coming in will ensure that Hodgson doesn’t get to complete any more of these ridiculous types of transfers – even if the guy was a previous Comolli purchase
I would love to see Ashley Young at Anfield