I think his biggest mistake was not joining United the first time around.
Gareth Bale | Golfer, ex-Footballer, Elbower of racists, ***********, Golf Ambassador, Bar Owner, Real Legend, Defibrillator
- Thread starter horsechoker
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Fair enough.
No kneejerk from me, i called that he'd decline like this year's ago and when he resigned for Spurs i was hoping he'd get shoehorned in because of who he is.
Unfortunately Mou seems to have learned his lesson from Alexis Sanchez.
The narrative when Spurs won 6-1 at OT was (paraphrasing) "look at how good they're looking and they still have Bale to come in".
Yep, of course it’s not been a shock to anyone who has a brain and isn’t living in 2014 or is a sucker for nostalgia. Unfortunately what was proven when Bale was signed, and by mostly pundits was the narrative that Bale would come in and be a vital cog in this “amazing front three”.
It was daft then, daft now and will be daft in the future.
If the plan was to have Bale play as a winger dribbling with the ball that would have been a waste even in 2016. Bale hasn't been a winger since 2011, and the one season he did play as such he was disappointing and people wanted him to be benched because we were better without him...
I don't think the majority of british media/fans have actually been paying attention to Bale all these years
What role did he play for Real Madrid then in his debut season when managed 22 goals and like 19 assists?
I always thought he was on them too. Amd Ronaldo.
Well, to be fair every player was scoring for RM that year. But he had average to good seasons throughout his career in Madrid. Never was an extraordinary player and never achieved the heights he was presumed after that amazing season for Tottenham
Forward/striker as part of a front 3. Same as Salah/Mane for Liverpool
I imagine he’s fine with his 4 CL winners medals. Perhaps he might have had a longer career, but you can’t fault 2/3rds of his career at Real.
Even before you consider what seems to be his physical decline, when you have a player and the people around him speaking openly about him needing to rediscover his motivation, happiness or fall back in love with football, you’d have to be worried. Not that those things aren’t important, but it’s often such a difficult thing to capture. There aren’t any guarantees. And it suggests the problem is deep rooted.
Notices that, looked like the Tin Man.
Funny comment given your username
Was that when he was running back for his hair band?
Seems Zidane was well aware of his decline and made the correct decision.
Dunno why people criticized Zidane anyway, guessing mostly the people who only watched that UCL final and not La Liga week in week out?
Zidane kept giving Bale chances even when everyone else (media/fanbase) wanted him to be dropped. Eventually Zidane was done and dropped Bale (mind you RM didn’t really need him nor did they benefit from his presence save for that UCL final).
Cracking signing.
This is why they say never go back!
This is why they say never go back!
This is what I don't understand. The British fans and media seem to blame Zidane for not playing him as if he had an agenda. He had 20 apps and scored 3 goals (2 in the league) last season. Ask any Madrid fan who actually watches Real Madrid and they'll tell you he's been finished for at least 2 years.
Don’t know where you get your narratives but whatever you say mate
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/talk...e-heung-min-son-tottenham-premier-league/amp/
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....rightening-prospect/wkvww1cvibsd1h0zgpiy0awpg
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....ggs-premier-league/10jofvm8v3iqx136qs4l6dc42p
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....gue-Gareth-Bale-Harry-Kane-Son-Heung-min.html
Ah, you found some articles. Well then I guess some people will be shocked. Dancfc said "Don't know why everybody is so shocked"... I still maintain the vast majority of people are absolutely not shocked. But you found some articles so I will yield to ye both!
I don’t speak for Dan but id imagine when he says that he’s not literally talking about people in here (most in here wrote him off) and mainly the general narrative within English football. Pundits mainly pushed the Bale/Kane/Son thing. I’d imagine a fair few of them are indeed shocked that it hasn’t happened.Ah, you found some articles. Well then I guess some people will be shocked. Dancfc said "Don't know why everybody is so shocked"... I still maintain the vast majority of people are absolutely not shocked. But you found some articles so I will yield to ye both!
Fair enough but I thought a wide forward was a “winger” by the modern definition.
Also, I’m surprised people are still debating whether he still has that “love” or “passion” for the game. I thought it was as clear as day that he had no interest in playing at a competitive level anymore when he was all but ready to move to China in the summer of 2019 before Madrid vetoed the move.
Yeah hardly anyone least of all pundits who are paid to do so has actually watched Bale at Madrid. If he can regain any fitness he can still be a useful penalty box option for Spurs, his dead ball ability, passing and aerial threat will all still be there.
The vaunted Bale Kane Son trio was never anything that was ever going to be reality. Far more remarkable that enough of the media thought it was the most deadly front three on paper in the world.
The vaunted Bale Kane Son trio was never anything that was ever going to be reality. Far more remarkable that enough of the media thought it was the most deadly front three on paper in the world.
It's a typical lazy Jose signing similar to Alexis Sanchez or when he replaces Mo Salah and De Bruyne with Fabregas and Diego Costa because he couldn't be arsed developing them as kids. Jose will take an ageing star with 1 good year left in them any day over an 18 year old who will be world class in 2 years if given game time.
There's still time for Bale to come goid and get up to speed, but he's been shocking so far.
There's still time for Bale to come goid and get up to speed, but he's been shocking so far.
Bale wasn't a Jose signing. It was a Levy signing.
That bulking at Madrid ultimately hurt him as a player I believe. One of his great strengths before that was his ability to just keep making massively intense runs throughout a game, he wore defenders out, but, and this could also be linked to losing some passion for the game, after that he became a much more static player, less willing to take players on, more of finisher first.
Big test tonight , can he do it on a cold Wednesday night in Stoke?
He has many time's... at least that dickhead Charlie Adam wont be playing him to cripple him like he has in the past.
As in when he went to Spurs? Or when he went to Real?
Either way - I'd say both moves worked out pretty well...
Bale for sure IMO. Ronaldo's growth was over a longer period of time - he was skinny at first with us and grew out by the season.
Edit: Ronaldo pics won't load:
Different beast in cup games.
What is Levy’s footballing background to be making calls like that - if that is common no wonder Spurs have always been sup par.
He can do it on a cold night in Stoke, well done Gareth.
don’t know about that. Did it on a cold afternoon in Stoke. As soon as it hit the evening, he got subbed.
The old argument does the afternoon end at 5pm or 6pm? Hmmmmmm
for the purpose of this thread, it must be 6:30.
I reckon it’s 5:30, as that’s when most people finish work.