Pim Balkenstein

[Beeky38]

Osborne looked better than Balkestein all of last season and again when he replaced our orange friend tonight. Pim has to improve considerably to be a first choice.

 

[FlyBee]

That aside, he's had so much unjustified bull crap levied at him in years passed that Karleigh's probably due a bit of gushing praise now and then

Agreed, especially after a result like that!

 

[Brentford_till_die]

I thought Osborne played very well in the second half. And Jones was clearly getting peeved off with Karleigh.
Only saw 45mins of Eger but Osborne is one of my first names on the team sheet and definate first choice centre back

 

[Leicester Bee]

That aside, he's had so much unjustified bull crap levied at him in years passed that Karleigh's probably due a bit of gushing praise now and then

Dunno about unjustified.......he was an incredibly inconsistent player who was prone to making one major mistake in a game, and his decision-making in terms of passing was, at times, appalling. However, unless I have missed something, Karleigh was simply either going to have to step up his game, or fall by the wayside. Fortunately for him, he got a chance, and he has stepped it up. All credit to him, but let's face it, two seasons ago, he was average at best.

 

[Leicester Bee]

Really wanted Pim to show me tonight that he had the ability/form to push on this season. Not really sure I saw that today......

What I cannot understand about Pim, is that when he was in his first stint with us, he was actually very good. How/why has his game not stepped up since he signed permanently with us? With the competition for places, every player needs to step up to the plate now.

 

[Keighley Bee]

Are you Karleighs Dad? He played 45 minutes tonight, did Ok apart from leaving a ball he should have claimed right after kick off but from your description he sounds like Bobby Moore. I'm not sure Kenwyn was putting himself about as much as usual tbh. I think our first choice back four is up for grabs but would expect it to be Eger and Legge to be honest.

Karleigh first choice for me. Legge is a strong defender but his distribution, as demonstrated last night, leaves much to be desired.

 

[Rainbrander Bee]

I thought Osborne played very well in the second half. And Jones was clearly getting peeved off with Karleigh.

I thought that both Legg and Karleigh handled Jones much better after half time, small word in their ear maybe? We have to remember that we have seen Karleigh for a long time now, and most of us would have him in the side, but it's Uwe he has to impress, and being injured will not have helped that! The others will have stolen a match in him. This is why I hoped Pim would be out to impress, but for me he still looked very low on confidence, making some very strange, up and under type clearances! Uwe had to tell him a few times to show for the ball when Lee had it in his hands.

Agree also with someone who said Legg will start to show his weakness with our new style of passing out of defence! Will have to work on that area if he is going to in the first 11!!

 

[braunton bee]

looking forward to the new season . lets support all the players

 

[taxi driver]

Karleigh first choice for me. Legge is a strong defender but his distribution, as demonstrated last night, leaves much to be desired.

This becomes more apparent with our new found quality and confidence on the ball.Karleigh was outstanding last night and must surely be inked in for a starting berth. Legge I see as a bench warmer at this present time. LL is a still a great asset for us though. He will no doubt get to play his part!

 

[KGB]

Sorry, LBee, I agree with much that you write but not that KO was average at best.

Yes, he was a young player who had had to feature in some of our worst squads ever. He made mistakes - not as many as some would suggest - but was often played out of position. Bennett, Heywood, Phillips, Hamer for example, also made mistakes but they were never criticised in the same way that KO was & interestingly our best runs of results were usually when KO was playing.

The difference with KO was his clear potential & that always made him better than average, imo.. He has now turned 23yo &, imo, has been realising that potential for some time. Posters on this board often talk about players like Weston & Grabban having potential. They are both older than KO and have, I believe, played more league games. People were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt - rightly imo - but they were not willing to give that to Karleigh, both on this board and, worse still, at games. He has shown immense character at a young age to come through the level of criticism to which he has been subjected & if he continue to progress could be worth a lot of money to BFC in the future.

Dunno about unjustified.......he was an incredibly inconsistent player who was prone to making one major mistake in a game, and his decision-making in terms of passing was, at times, appalling. However, unless I have missed something, Karleigh was simply either going to have to step up his game, or fall by the wayside. Fortunately for him, he got a chance, and he has stepped it up. All credit to him, but let's face it, two seasons ago, he was average at best.

 

[magicbees]

There is one place for me up for grabs in our back 5 and that is who partners KO in the middle of the defence. Lee, Logan, Woodman, Osborne, ANO

 

[Brentford_till_die]

Sorry, LBee, I agree with much that you write but not that KO was average at best.

Yes, he was a young player who had had to feature in some of our worst squads ever. He made mistakes - not as many as some would suggest - but was often played out of position. Bennett, Heywood, Phillips, Hamer for example, also made mistakes but they were never criticised in the same way that KO was & interestingly our best runs of results were usually when KO was playing.

The difference with KO was his clear potential & that always made him better than average, imo.. He has now turned 23yo &, imo, has been realising that potential for some time. Posters on this board often talk about players like Weston & Grabban having potential. They are both older than KO and have, I believe, played more league games. People were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt - rightly imo - but they were not willing to give that to Karleigh, both on this board and, worse still, at games. He has shown immense character at a young age to come through the level of criticism to which he has been subjected & if he continue to progress could be worth a lot of money to BFC in the future.

 

[Brentford_till_die]

There is one place for me up for grabs in our back 5 and that is who partners KO in the middle of the defence. Lee, Logan, Woodman, Osborne, ANO

Eger or Legge

 

[wrightybee1664]

Come back pim and replace egar in defence pls

 

[The Pipe]

Come back pim and replace egar in defence pls

Not pulling up trees at Rochdale do not see him as the answer, just keep Egar away from the team!!

 

[Hullbee]

Stay where you are pim we don't want your lazy arse back

 

[Northern_Bee]

Come back pim and replace egar in defence pls

Please no......I work just outside of Manchester with 2 Rochdale fans and they both think he is woeful and understand totally why we have put him out on loan. They don't want him either!!

 

[Brentford 4 Life]

Stay where you are pim we don't want your lazy arse back

When has he ever appeared lazy?

 

[Hullbee]

When has he ever appeared lazy?

In training and on the pitch why else has he not maintained his previous acceptable standards of play??

 

[Brentford 4 Life]

In training and on the pitch why else has he not maintained his previous acceptable standards of play??

Lack of form and faith from the previous manager?

 

[Hullbee]

Lack of form and faith from the previous manager?

The same faith that saw the previous manager chase him around all over Europe to secure his signature. No excuse for his poor form under Uwe and the Rochdale manager other than a bad lazy attitude. For someone so talented its a shame to see as I was a big Pim admirer and its a shame that we are not seeing him at the heart of our defence taking control

 

[Brentford 4 Life]

The same faith that saw the previous manager chase him around all over Europe to secure his signature.

Scott ditched many players despite previously putting effort into signing them, remember how long Richard Lee kept the No 1 jersey?

No excuse for his poor form under Uwe

He hasnt played under Uwe

and the Rochdale manager other than a bad lazy attitude. For someone so talented its a shame to see as I was a big Pim admirer and its a shame that we are not seeing him at the heart of our defence taking control

How much time have you spent in his company to be able to conclude from his personal traits that he is lazy? The Rochdale manger has picked him for all 10 games they have played since he has joined in which they have won 4. That doesnt suggest Rochdale think he has an attitude problem. He is young, had a few nasty injuries, played in a team that had no team spirit and an under a manager that had lost the plot and was a negative influence. Pim hasnt been at his best and we all want him to come back better than ever and succeed for the Bees but to claim he is lazy is unfair and create an opinion amongst the fans that would not be accurate. Lets judge him on how he performs when he returns.

 

[Orp_Bee]

Heard somewhere that Pim is back at the club cause of injury. Has this been confirmed?

 

[readingbee]

Heard somewhere that Pim is back at the club cause of injury. Has this been confirmed?

Yes, he's back for treatment on his groin injury.

 

[Orp_Bee]

Yes, he's back for treatment on his groin injury.

So will be receive treatment and return to Rochdale or has the loan now been terminated?

 

[Brentford 4 Life]

Shame he has got injured. Seriously out of luck is poor old Pim.

 

[readingbee]

So will be receive treatment and return to Rochdale or has the loan now been terminated?

Have no idea my friend. Possibly the same as Dale Bennett went back to Watford and may return before the end of his loan term. I'm sure there are more in the know who can advise....... bring on abee he is probably best to answer this question.

 

[abee]

So will be receive treatment and return to Rochdale or has the loan now been terminated?

If he's back with us for treatment then I haven't heard about it but wouldn't necessarily expect to. His loan with Rochdale runs to January 18 and if Rochdale declared him injured and requiring medical treatment then that's unfortunate for Pim and Rochdale but the loan continues even if he is unable to play. It's usual for the player to return to his parent club for assessment. It's the same for us with Dale Bennett. He has been back at Watford for treatment but we still pay his loan costs.

 

[Orp_Bee]

If he's back with us for treatment then I haven't heard about it but wouldn't necessarily expect to. His loan with Rochdale runs to January 18 and if Rochdale declared him injured and requiring medical treatment then that's unfortunate for Pim and Rochdale but the loan continues even if he is unable to play. It's usual for the player to return to his parent club for assessment. It's the same for us with Dale Bennett. He has been back at Watford for treatment but we still pay his loan costs.

So if he is back and Rochdale have declared him unfit then he still wouldn't be able to play for us until January 19 onwards?

 

[blunstone]

can we not recall him like blackpool have just done so with their loan player? (supposing we want him back of course!)

 

[Southern Bee]

can we not recall him like blackpool have just done so with their loan player? (supposing we want him back of course!)

there may not be the recall clause in his contract

 

[rebus]

can we not recall him like blackpool have just done so with their loan player? (supposing we want him back of course!)

It's a different type of loan so Pim can't be recalled.

 

[beebopalula]

Following Dale's sacking of their manager, I assume this means that Pim will be returning to us with little prospect of moving on in January.

 

[Herbert]

although something has gone wrong with him here,i think hes a very good defender,would love it if he came back and put some competition into the defence

 

[sonofabee]

although something has gone wrong with him here,i think hes a very good defender,would love it if he came back and put some competition into the defence

Defence is doing well isn't it?

 

[Balders Bee]

although something has gone wrong with him here,i think hes a very good defender,would love it if he came back and put some competition into the defence

We have competition as it is, Eger's kept more clean sheets than any defender and been dropped. KO is on his way back from injury and played in the Development Squad. I like Pim and feel we haven't seen the best of him but I fear that we won't seem him in a Bees shirt again.

 

[Herbert]

Defence is doing well isn't it?

yeah its doing alright

We have competition as it is, Eger's kept more clean sheets than any defender and been dropped. KO is on his way back from injury and played in the Development Squad. I like Pim and feel we haven't seen the best of him but I fear that we won't seem him in a Bees shirt again.

certainly wouldnt hurt to have him back competing.Get him back on the form he showed in the past for us and he'd a near certain first choice defender,i think his all round game is better than the other center backs we have who all have strong attributes but his all round game i mean.Its just getting him back to how he was early days

 

[Brentford_till_die]

When we played Rochdale recently spoke to few of their fans who said the same thing , he's ducking useless!

Sod knows what's happened to Pim
When we had him on loan he was immense for us, trouble not getting game time and then sent on loan to Rochdale who are struggling and their fans don't seem to rate him. Similar to Spillane has the ability and potential but ....

 

[beebopalula]

Pim will return in jan leaving us a bit overloaded at cb. Dean Legge, Eger,Osborne,Pim. I suspect we were hoping to offload Pim to Dale but I can't see that happening now. I hope that doesn't mean we can't sign Dean permanently. Other alternative is to sell KO.

 

[Kingston Bee]

I cannot see Pim competing for a first team slot if he returns. In comparison to what we have he is not good enough (unfortunately) so assume we would be looking to ship him out on loan to someone else, he is not part of Uwe's plans.

 

[hanworthbee]

we cannot have 5 fit CB at the club its rediculous.If Pim or KO dont go and in the long term we have no hope of signing Dean then he has to go back and we utilise our own squad

 

[sonofabee]

yeah its doing alright



certainly wouldnt hurt to have him back competing.Get him back on the form he showed in the past for us and he'd a near certain first choice defender,i think his all round game is better than the other center backs we have who all have strong attributes but his all round game i mean.Its just getting him back to how he was early days

Presumably the early days was two seasons ago when we had him on loan and aroun d the time he was immense against among others Leeds. Without going too cliche, you're only as good as your last game and Rochdale who are going down got him on loan because he's not good enough for us.
Look at the facts, he was very good for about 7-8 games when on loan but DIDN'T want to sign for us, took himself off to Europe to get a deal and failed so reluctantly joined us when he returned because no other league clubs wanted him. Since AS signed him on contract he has underperformed culminating in a disastrous gutless performance when he got himself sent off vs MK Dons. NF, Warbs and UR don't rate him and so we offloaded him to lose his wages in order to get better loanees in - That says something about AS not the three since.

Somewhere between leaving us as a loanee and returning from Benelux we've now got a far inferior player who is failing at Rochdale- Why on earth would we want him back when our defence has been doing well and he hasn't - what competition will he provide ?

 

[Herbert]

Presumably the early days was two seasons ago when we had him on loan and aroun d the time he was immense against among others Leeds. Without going too cliche, you're only as good as your last game and Rochdale who are going down got him on loan because he's not good enough for us.
Look at the facts, he was very good for about 7-8 games when on loan but DIDN'T want to sign for us, took himself off to Europe to get a deal and failed so reluctantly joined us when he returned because no other league clubs wanted him. Since AS signed him on contract he has underperformed culminating in a disastrous gutless performance when he got himself sent off vs MK Dons. NF, Warbs and UR don't rate him and so we offloaded him to lose his wages in order to get better loanees in - That says something about AS not the three since.

Somewhere between leaving us as a loanee and returning from Benelux we've now got a far inferior player who is failing at Rochdale- Why on earth would we want him back when our defence has been doing well and he hasn't - what competition will he provide ?

ideally no,dont want another defender but my only point is i feel his all round game is the best and it'd be great to get him back to form competing,he could be a great asset,shame to lose such a player but if it dont work it dont work,i didnt say its a must to have him back,he rightly went out on loan due to form and effort,hoped it'd give him a kick.if its not sorted out then eventually he'll rightly go

another point,if he just doesnt want to be here,i dont want him to be here.That goes for any player no matter how good
i.e McDonald

 

[sonofabee]

ideally no,dont want another defender but my only point is i feel his all round game is the best and it'd be great to get him back to form competing,he could be a great asset,shame to lose such a player but if it dont work it dont work,i didnt say its a must to have him back,he rightly went out on loan due to form and effort,hoped it'd give him a kick.if its not sorted out then eventually he'll rightly go

another point,if he just doesnt want to be here,i dont want him to be here.That goes for any player no matter how good
i.e McDonald

I need to be careful but my understanding was he turned down our offer initially and decided he wanted to look for a better deal at a higher level or Europe. He returned with his tail between his legs with no firm offers and out of contract with Ipswich and we made him an offer that he accepted. it wasn't a case of did well and enjoyed the loan period so keen to sign for us!

 

[KGB]

I'll bet he's earning a sizeable wage packet - as I reckon Spillane will be. Could be difficult to move on.

I guess the question for BFC is 'Could we get better players in their positions for similar cost allowing for the cost of the settlement we would have to give PB/MS to allow them to move on?'

I think that PB is contracted to June 2012 which could make settlement quite expensive. MS, I believe, is out of contract in June - but I may be mistaken in this.

 

[sonofabee]

I'll bet he's earning a sizeable wage packet - as I reckon Spillane will be. Could be difficult to move on.

I guess the question for BFC is 'Could we get better players in their positions for similar cost allowing for the cost of the settlement we would have to give PB/MS to allow them to move on?'

I think that PB is contracted to June 2012 which could make settlement quite expensive. MS, I believe, is out of contract in June - but I may be mistaken in this.

Personally, the young lad Dean loanee or not looks a better player now to me so I'd rather keep him for as long as we can, on loan or signed while another club is encouraged to pay for Pim if Rochdale don't extend his loan. I would guess his wages would make him one of the top earners at Rochdale and a new manager might want to bring in his own players on less money especially if he's been as bad as Rochdale fans seem to think he's been to date.(only going by website posts and snippets on here before anyone asks how I know)

Think we definitely bought a pup, an expensive pedigree and it's best for everyone that he's rehomed somewhere soon.

 

[blunstone]

funny how they (CBs) do well (we love 'em) when on loan then something happens when they sign on the dotted line.

 

[North London Bee]

we cannot have 5 fit CB at the club its rediculous.If Pim or KO dont go and in the long term we have no hope of signing Dean then he has to go back and we utilise our own squad

For once I agree with you! BUT I am sure that efforts will be made to send Pim out again and as for KO surely it depends upon his contractual status?

 

[Orp_Bee]

funny how they (CBs) do well (we love 'em) when on loan then something happens when they sign on the dotted line.

Same with the strikers.

 

[sonofabee]

Same with the strikers.

We can't get the successful loanee strikers to join.......Rhodes, Clark and Schlupp all made a positive impact and increased their value as is the intention of the loaning club.