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Central Defence

nayeeem

nayeeem

John Piercy
We're being linked with a bid for Calvalho again. Why? We've Vertonghen and Kaboul as presumed (excellent) first choices. We've got Dawson as experienced back up and Caulker who now has the premiership experience to match his obvious, natural class. And we've still got the enormous experience and know-how of Gallas who's playing well in America despite rumours that he may be off. Hell we've even got the more than decent Basson who - like everyone else - will presumably be given a fresh chance under AVB.

Calvalho was a top top centre half in his day but he's 34. Unless a couple leave he'd surely be a waste of the substantial chunk of the wage bill he would demand.
 
IF it's actually true I think it will be because AVB wants a high-profile, well respected player in the squad who is very much on his side.
 
nayeeem said:
We're being linked with a bid for Calvalho again. Why? We've Vertonghen and Kaboul as presumed (excellent) first choices. We've got Dawson as experienced back up and Caulker who now has the premiership experience to match his obvious, natural class. And we've still got the enormous experience and know-how of Gallas who's playing well in America despite rumours that he may be off. Hell we've even got the more than decent Basson who - like everyone else - will presumably be given a fresh chance under AVB.

Calvalho was a top top centre half in his day but he's 34. Unless a couple leave he'd surely be a waste of the substantial chunk of the wage bill he would demand.
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Isn't Dawson El Cap-i-tan?
 
If Dawson plays, who drops out? Unless you move Jan Vertonghen to left back and drop BAE. I actually think Caulker will move ahead of Dawson in the pecking order.

The captain question is an interesting one. I think you'd want a regular starter so Dawson doesn't qualify. Parker is an obvious alternative but even he might struggle to get in given that Sandro will start the season in the engine room while Scotty recuperates. If AVB wants a ball player beside the muscle, he'll not necessarily play Sandro and Parker in the same team. more likely Sandro/Parker with Hudd/Moutinho (please GHod).

So who is captain?

To early for Vertonghen? He is certainly captain material. Maybe Kaboul? Bale? VDV would be a good candidate but his place is threatened by Sigurdsson.

Friedel? But there's a new keeper coming.

I've got a headache now.
 
It's the Naybet effect we always seem to need. The brain at the back for the likes of Kaboul, Dawson, etc.

I'd imagine Gallas could do that but maybe AVB has other thoughts. I guess Verts is the long term answer and perhaps Carvolho is being considered in a coaching capacity too?
 
Im still not sold on Kaboul, I really don't think he was THAT good last year. He played well, but not amazingly IMO.

Hopefully vertongen is in Kings class and the rest can fight for a place next to him
 
How good were you expecting him to be? He was one of our most consistent players last season and certainly our best defender.....
 
Carvallho in Gallas out might be a good bit of business - Gallas has played well for us but getting in a AVB man might prove to give us more
 
Can't see us needing anymore central defenders if Vertonghen is as good as they say he is.

Dawson, Kaboul, Vertonghen and Gallas, with Caulker as back-up is not too shabby - obviously we will miss King, but in those five we have experience and quality enough IMO. Only question mark will be how Dawson and Kaboul will do playing alongside each other or Vertonghen, as they in the past have seemed to be needing a player of King og Gallas' calibre to perform to their max.

Caulker, IMO, will be used for cup games mainly, unless injury curse strikes our central defenders again. Bassong we should get rid of.
 
Unless he's intended to be player/coach, no on pitch value I can see.

Gallas can still play the part for us, and we have enough backup with Vert/Kaboul/Dawson/Caulker

We will find out when the club starts to loan/sell out some of the fringe, e.g. I expect Bassong to be sold, probably Caulker to go on loan again.
 
Do we want Caulker to be a back up or go to an EPL and play a full season? I know it's all about squad rotation but then we have a number of CDs - will we be doing him a dis-service?
 
As much as I like Gallas he has shown since being with us he isnt reliable to be fit week to week.

If Carvalho is deemed more reliable in this way I could see him as a worthy addition. If he can make Terry look that good imagine what eh could do with Vertonghen and Kaboul!?
 
He is older (by a few months) and arguably more injury prone than Gallas - that wouldn't be my definition of someone reliable week in and week out
 
harr1984 said:
How good were you expecting him to be? He was one of our most consistent players last season and certainly our best defender.....
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He was most definitely not better than King last year.

And yes Kaboul was consistent, but it's not like he was consistently incredible. He put in good performances, but I really don't remember any stand out performances that had me thinking 'wow, this guy is really good'.

Keep playing him if he continues playing as well as he did last year, but if Vertonghen turns out to be as good as we hope him to be and he plays well with Caulker or Dawson, I don't think Kaboul is so good that he should get back in to the team. That in contrast to Ledley for example, who IMO was at the level where if he was fit he had to play.
 
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