Trevor Benjamin available?

[Edmundo]

I've just been reading the Cambridge United messageboard and there's an interesting contribution from one of their directors. Reading between the lines, Cambridge would not turn down a bid in the region of £1.5 to £2 million for him.

Too much for Ron, perhaps, and he said in the last programme that he had finally given up the chase for Benjamin. But maybe that was a smokescreen? I think in the end £1.5 million represents too big a gamble on a player who could go all the way but might also fail to make the grade and make a return.

What's really galling is that I'm sure Cambridge would have said yes to an offer around £600,000 this time a year ago. That would have been an excellent price and who knows what we might have achieved last season. Ron's caution has been expensive.

 

[Nigel Brooks]

Spot on, we should have bitten the bullet, and maybe, just maybe, the season would have been different.

 

[brentford_lad]

maybe, but at the time £600,000 for the player was a lot of money to throw at our striker problem. The price has risen as he has continued to get better and shown his consistency as well as attracting other clubs.

 

[Nigel Brooks]

Originally posted by brentford_lad:
maybe, but at the time £600,000 for the player was a lot of money to throw at our striker problem. The price has risen as he has continued to get better and shown his consistency as well as attracting other clubs.

true, but how much did we spend on paying 'no-hope' loaners in an effort to hit the net.

You have to speculate to accumulate, and Benjamin at £600,000 was a pretty safe bet.

 

[Bigbee]

Originally posted by Nigel Brooks:
true, but how much did we spend on paying 'no-hope' loaners in an effort to hit the net.

You have to speculate to accumulate, and Benjamin at £600,000 was a pretty safe bet.

Hindsight ,hindsight.It does seem a safe bet now £1.5m is being touted.At the time it was a gamble with an unknown player @ £600k and still is.

 

[Aussie Bee]

If we're talking about "What if" - Well what about last end of season when the rumours were Owusu for 1.5mill to Man City was it? We would'nt get 500,000 now for him - I said at the time "let him go - he may break a leg" but I was howlled down!
Forget Benji - There must be more "unknowns" cheaper than 1.5

 

[Che Guevara]

I doubt that you would have found anyone to howl you down if an offer had been received of £1.5 million for Owusu. Sadly, the rumours were all b***ocks, dreamed up by Teamlies. However, you were howled down for saying some rather uncharitable and unfair things about Lloydy.

 

[North London Bee]

Forget all talk about Benjamin, as has been said elsewhere we missed the boat with him by fannying around in about October/November last year.

Looking at the provisional list of Bosmans (frees and tribunals) my immediate comment is that their clubs certainly knew what they were doing when they let them get out of contract.

The list is of exceptionally poor quality. Please forget all talk of Kevin Gallen - he is currently earning a small fortune at QPR and wants a large one when he moves on. Barnsley, Birmingham and Huddersfield are possible destinations and I would have included Fulham as well pre-Tigana.

Lisbie is talented, sharp, quick, injury prone and very, very slight. A support striker rather than the main man. Certainly an improvement over what we have but maybe not our main priority.

The only player out of contract whose name really excites me and as he is well under 24 he would cost serious wedge is Michael Ricketts of Walsall.

He totally fits Noades' criteria being young, quick, good in the air, a fine if erratic finisher, an appreciating asset and a reasonable scorer at a highrt level who could score 25 in our division. Go for it Ron.

 

[Aussie Bee]

Originally posted by Che Guevara:
you were howled down for saying some rather uncharitable and unfair things about Lloydy.

That's a bit rough Che! I only told the truth as I saw it - Can't head, Can't hold the ball up, Can't (or won't) run - UNFAIR?
But let's not get into the "let's slag Lloyd" routine - But he really has to improve next season or he may as well go back to non-league with his BMW

 

[Bigbee]

bIG

Originally posted by North London Bee:
Forget all talk about Benjamin, as has been said elsewhere we missed the boat with him by fannying around in about October/November last year.

Looking at the provisional list of Bosmans (frees and tribunals) my immediate comment is that their clubs certainly knew what they were doing when they let them get out of contract.

The list is of exceptionally poor quality. Please forget all talk of Kevin Gallen - he is currently earning a small fortune at QPR and wants a large one when he moves on. Barnsley, Birmingham and Huddersfield are possible destinations and I would have included Fulham as well pre-Tigana.

Lisbie is talented, sharp, quick, injury prone and very, very slight. A support striker rather than the main man. Certainly an improvement over what we have but maybe not our main priority.

The only player out of contract whose name really excites me and as he is well under 24 he would cost serious wedge is Michael Ricketts of Walsall.

He totally fits Noades' criteria being young, quick, good in the air, a fine if erratic finisher, an appreciating asset and a reasonable scorer at a highrt level who could score 25 in our division. Go for it Ron.

Nice to hear from you again mate ! Where you been ?

Email Ron with details of Ricketts for garwds sake ! How much do you think he would cost?Ive never heard of him,didnt Walsall go down?

 

[mhead bee]

I went to see CP play at walsall end of last season and rickets was pants.He was very owusu-like, and missed a couple of real tasty sitters.An open goal on the six yard box that landed other side of M6 and a free header that was easier to score and he headed it back where the cross came from, great 1-2 really.
I could not bear another player full of promise who just misses and misses and misses and misses and misses all year long...but gets in the right places.I would rather a less athletic player who can finish when he gets the chance.

 

[mhead bee]

I went to see CP play at walsall end of last season and rickets was pants.He was very owusu-like, and missed a couple of real tasty sitters.An open goal on the six yard box that landed other side of M6 and a free header that was easier to score and he headed it back where the cross came from, great 1-2 really.
I could not bear another player full of promise who just misses and misses and misses and misses and misses all year long...but gets in the right places.I would rather a less athletic player who can finish when he gets the chance.

 

[Nigel Brooks]

He must have really pissed you off as you posted the same message twice!

Seriously you are right we need finishers, but moreovewr we need players who can get into the box in the first place (a la Folan with his crosses). I don't understand why we seem to hold back at the final man each time.

We get caught so ofetn that way ourselves, you would have thought that we would have learned from others' success.

 

[brentford_lad]

agree with you Nigel.
We need a typical 6-yard-box prowler. Someone who will find space in a crowded box to poach a goal and challenge on crosses.

 

[Nigel Brooks]

Originally posted by brentford_lad:
agree with you Nigel.
We need a typical 6-yard-box prowler. Someone who will find space in a crowded box to poach a goal and challenge on crosses.

The key word BL is challenge. It's about committment in front of goal. I'm fed up with seeing lay-off after lay-off in front of the 18 yard box. Maybe, just maybe, a speculative punt or two may have gone in, you don't know until you try. Then what shape would the season have been?

 

[Bigbee]

Originally posted by brentford_lad:
agree with you Nigel.
We need a typical 6-yard-box prowler. Someone who will find space in a crowded box to poach a goal and challenge on crosses.

Brett Angell ?

 

[Baz Bee]

Originally posted by Nigel Brooks:
The key word BL is challenge. It's about committment in front of goal. I'm fed up with seeing lay-off after lay-off in front of the 18 yard box. Maybe, just maybe, a speculative punt or two may have gone in, you don't know until you try. Then what shape would the season have been?

Too right. There are too many Bees players who have an idea that they're in the Premiership or Serie A.

Unfortunately the pretty pretty stuff is no good for Div 2 on a regular basis. We need some route one stuff at least for part of every match. Lets test their keeper's out with a few shots. Surely the percentage game still applies? The more we whack in, the more chance of getting on the score sheet; sorry is that still the forbidden word at GP?