Gareth Bale

[Steven Seagull]

If teams keep setting up at the edge of the box against us the won't be any room for him to tear into. The best thing he'd bring to us at the moment is long range shooting. We are absolute garbage at it.

 

[Revan]

Who would be a great player if they lost there speed. It's a stupid argument. Hazard would drop a level if he lost his acceleration. Should we take that into account if we wanted him?

Hazard is quite younger, and I think his game is less depended on speed.

The likes of Di Maria, Fabregas for example I think will age better cause they have that killer pass which Bale doesn't.

Anyway, for any winger (bar Ronaldo/Robben) it is expected that he'll drop a level or two after he is 30 years old. We should have signed Bale 2-3 years ago, not 2-3 years from now.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Who would be a great player if they lost there speed. It's a stupid argument. Hazard would drop a level if he lost his acceleration. Should we take that into account if we wanted him?

Now, that's a stupid argument. Hazard isn't as reliant on pace as bale. You sound like you've seen him 5 times.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

@Mainoldo Messi and Bale would be affected the same by a lost of pace?

 

[golden_blunder]

If teams keep setting up at the edge of the box against us the won't be any room for him to tear into. The best thing he'd bring to us at the moment is long range shooting. We are absolute garbage at it.

You could have said the same when Giggs, Kanchelskis etc played for us but we found a way.

Bale would also give us a threat from free kicks again too

I think some people are sucked into overthinking our potential transfers. IF bale is available we should be all over it

 

[golden_blunder]

Good players adapt as they get older

 

[MDFC Manager]

You could have said the same when Giggs, Kanchelskis etc played for us but we found a way.

Bale would also give us a threat from free kicks again too

I think some people are sucked into overthinking our potential transfers. IF bale is available we should be all over it

I agree. 5 years ago, if we had to choose Memphis over Bale because we couldn't afford the latter, there would have been much wailing and weeping in our support. Now that we can afford to spend big, we should look at cheaper and less good options instead? feck that.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

@Mainoldo Messi and Bale would be affected the same by a lost of pace?

He said they'd drop A level not to the SAME level!

It's a weird arguement to be having either way because he DOES have pace and he's not just going to turn into a cripple one day, the guy is an absolute monster physically. Even if his pace drops he'll likely still be quite fast at the worst. Pace is a quality too just like any other.

There are plenty of talented, fast players out there but they weren't courted by clubs the likes of Real Madrid with record breaking fees, Bale was, and not without reason.

 

[MDFC Manager]

He said they'd drop A level not to the SAME level!

It's a weird arguement to be having either way because he DOES have pace and he's not just going to turn into a cripple one day, the guy is an absolute monster physically. Even if his pace drops he'll likely still be quite fast at the worst. Pace is a quality too just like any other.

There are plenty of talented, fast players out there but they weren't courted by clubs the likes of Real Madrid with record breaking fees, Bale was, and not without reason.

Are there even any examples of top quality footballers who dramatically lost pace in their early thirties? Injury and lifestyle issues apart, of course. It seems to be an accepted fact for some reason

 

[Bubz27]

Good players adapt as they get older

Nah mate. Giggsy was useless when he lost his pace.

Why is there a huge obsession with pace, and generally physical aspects, on this forum and in British football in particular?

Hummels isn't fast enough. Bale is too fast for his own good, he'll be useless without it. Blind can't play LB because he isn't fast enough.

It's like every footballer ever has had to be fast to be good?

 

[Mainoldo]

Nah mate. Giggsy was useless when he lost his pace.

Why is there a huge obsession with pace, and generally physical aspects, on this forum and in British football in particular?

Hummels isn't fast enough. Bale is too fast for his own good, he'll be useless without it. Blind can't play LB because he isn't fast enough.

It's like every footballer ever has had to be fast to be good?

Let's just call it the good old 'yard of sharpness' it makes more sense. I agree though too much emphasis on losing or not having pace. But then again what annoys me more is the notion that a technically excellent individual who lacks physical attributes is miles better than having a player who excels in the latter.

However Hummels is slow as hell.

 

[matherto]

Are there even any examples of top quality footballers who dramatically lost pace in their early thirties? Injury and lifestyle issues apart, of course. It seems to be an accepted fact for some reason

Henry.

 

[Orc]

Plus Mourinho loves a defensive winger. I think Bale is best down the middle in a free role.

I don't know why people seem to think Chelsea would be unstoppable if they sign him. I don't know where they would put him. It would ask more questions than solve problems just like Ballack did.

I'd be more concerned if City got him because they need him more with his pace.

Finding a place for him wouldn't be an issue at all. I'd personally play him more centrally like he did for Spurs in his last season there.

--------------Costa-------------
Hazard-------Bale--------Willian
--------Fabregas--Matic--------
Azpi----Terry----Cahill----Ivanovic
-------------Courtois-------------

That looks like a dominant team to me. Don't think there's any way we go near the expected fee for him, though. We could buy 3 top players with the money it would take to sign Bale.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

He said they'd drop A level not to the SAME level!.

That's what I'm getting him to realise. Some players are more reliant on pace. Scholes, for example, wasn't reliant on pace at all.

It's a weird arguement to be having either way because he DOES have pace and he's not just going to turn into a cripple one day, the guy is an absolute monster physically. Even if his pace drops he'll likely still be quite fast at the worst. Pace is a quality too just like any other.

It's a logical argument if you think of it logically. No ones saying he's going to become post-injury falcao suddenly. But it's pretty obvious that players more reliant tend to find it harder to sustain their level post 30. There will always be exceptions but that's not the norm but er, the exception.

Pace is a quality. But no, not like any other. As a player ages, it's his physical attributes that decline first. That's why it's the technical brilliant players that tend to age better. Because their technical game is what they're mor reliant on and they can do great without pace.

There are plenty of talented, fast players out there but they weren't courted by clubs the likes of Real Madrid with record breaking fees, Bale was, and not without reason.

Again, you're missing the actual point. No ones saying bale is just pace, or that he's a glorified Aaron Lennon. He's an excellent player, but he is more reliant on pace than a Messi or Scholes , and that's what we're recognising, and hence its a risk signing that kind of player at 27/28/29 because physical attributes is the first thing you tend to lose as a player.

Having said all of that, I'm not saying he can't maintain his level. He might just do a robben or a ronaldo and be the exception to the norm. But I wouldn't sign bale at that age for a big fee hoping that he is an exception in that sense.

 

[rednev]

I think some people are overstating how quickly speed declines with age.

While it is true that it will sometimes peak in the mid-20s, for 100m sprinters their sprinting times will usually level off at a peak in the late 20s and remain at near that level until 30/31. In fact many of the top sprinters have their peak times at around 30 (etc. Gatlin age 32, Lewis age 30).

Given that Bale is so ridiculously fast compared to most players, even with an annual 1% decline in his sprinting time after 28 he's still going to be relatively fast at 32.

 

[RedRover]

Are there even any examples of top quality footballers who dramatically lost pace in their early thirties? Injury and lifestyle issues apart, of course. It seems to be an accepted fact for some reason

Players have access to the very best in training, diet and conditioning so injuries aside there's a good chance that players can keep doing what they do at least until their mid-thirties.

I dont see why that would be relevant here in any event given that he's in his mid twenties.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Nah mate. Giggsy was useless when he lost his pace.

?

Giggs' technical ability on the ball was always miles better than bale.

What bale has that Giggs didn't is goal scoring ability. That is something he can maintain.

Still think if we're signing him it should be soon, and I'm pretty sure the club aren't going to spend big bucks on him a few years later either.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I think some people are overstating how quickly speed declines with age.

While it is true that it will sometimes peak in the mid-20s, for 100m sprinters their sprinting times will usually level off at a peak in the late 20s and remain at near that level until 30/31. In fact many of the top sprinters have their peak times at around 30 (etc. Gatlin age 32, Lewis age 30).

Given that Bale is so ridiculously fast compared to most players, even with an annual 1% decline in his sprinting time after 28 he's still going to be relatively fast at 32.

That's the thing, his shooting aside, in terms of buildup play, it's his exceptional pace that really sets him apart. That's why he's been bashed from all sides this season at Madrid. His technical game isn't up to the mark that they're used to.

That's why you need his years of absolute physical peak to make the signing make sense. If he takes care of himself he could still be a very good player later, but bale being British is going to cost an absolute bomb. Spending a bomb on him a few years later would be silly.

 

[rednev]

That's the thing, his shooting aside, in terms of buildup play, it's his exceptional pace that really sets him apart. That's why he's been bashed from all sides this season at Madrid. His technical game isn't up to the mark that they're used to.

That's why you need his years of absolute physical peak to make the signing make sense. If he takes care of himself he could still be a very good player later, but bale being British is going to cost an absolute bomb. Spending a bomb on him a few years later would be silly.

Bale's physicality isn't just about pace, it's about strength also. If he's this strong at 25, imagine how strong he will be at 30 if he continues with his strength training. Unlike pace, strength will continue to increase well into the 30s. So Bale in 5 years time will be [at worst] marginally less quick, he will be probably be fitter and he will almost certainly be be stronger. So even if his technical game does not improve, there's no reason why he should get worse as a player for a good 6 or 7 years.

 

[Bwuk]

It's an absolute no brainer if he's available.

Him and di Maria on the wings with Mata playing off of a striker. We'd be brilliant on the counter.

 

[rednev]

Is Ronaldo noticeable less quick at 30 than he was at 25?

According to last year's FIFA's study on player speed, he was still the 4th fastest player in the world. So what is supposed to happen now that he is 30? Is he abruptly going to lose his pace over the next season?

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Bale's physicality isn't just about pace, it's about strength also. If he's this strong at 25, imagine how strong he will be at 30 if he continues with his strength training. Unlike pace, strength will continue to increase well into the 30s. So Bale in 5 years time will be [at worst] marginally less quick, he will be probably be fitter and he will almost certainly be be stronger. So even if his technical game does not improve, there's no reason why he should get worse as a player for a good 6 or 7 years.

That's your worst case scenario? That at 30, bale will be slightly less quick than his absolutely electric self at 25? That's a best case scenario if I've ever seen one.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Having said all that I have regrading signing him a few years later. He could make a big difference to our team next season. Him and Di Maria could be a devastating going forward.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Is Ronaldo noticeable less quick at 30 than he was at 25?

According to last year's FIFA's study on player speed, he was still the 4th fastest player in the world. So what is supposed to happen now that he is 30? Is he abruptly going to lose his pace over the next season?

Yes, Ronaldo. He's the best case scenario not the worst case scenario.

 

[rednev]

That's your worst case scenario? That at 30, bale will be slightly less quick than his absolutely electric self at 25? That's a best case scenario if I've ever seen one.

All the evidence in the sprinting times of athletes shows that speed can peak at anywhere from the mid-20s up to the age of 32, and even in the athletes who peak in their mid 20s, sprinting times are only marginally slower all the way up until 30-32, after which point it starts to drop off more steeply.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

All the evidence in the sprinting times of athletes shows that speed can peak at anywhere from the mid-20s up to the age of 32, and even in the athletes who peak in their mid 20s, sprinting times are only marginally slower all the way up until 30-32, after which point it starts to drop off more steeply.

I have no qualms with changing my mind based on evidence, but let's look at footballers rather than sprinters.

 

[Kevin]

So what is supposed to happen now that he is 30?

He needs to tighten up his skin care regimen.

 

[rednev]

I have no qualms with changing my mind based on evidence, but let's look at footballers rather than sprinters.

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/04/06/worlds-fastest-footballer-revealed-not-baleronaldowalcott/

If you look at the top 10 fastest players according to FIFA's 2014 study, 5 of them were between 28-31 at the time of the study (assuming it was undertaken in the months before publication). Obviously this isn't wide ranging enough to make any conclusions, but it fits in with the peak age range for most sprinters, and supports the idea that the fastest players (like Robben and Ribery) will remain among the fastest players even after the age of 30. I'm sure if the study is published again next year, this will be the case for Ronaldo as well.

 

[Raoul]

With that kind of speed, no wonder Tony never bothered to develop his left foot.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

With that kind of speed, no wonder Tony never bothered to develop his left foot.

He seems a lot slower to me than he used to be. Still somehow aces these studies. Same with Rooney, he's not even quick anymore and always makes it.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

If he becomes available, we should be all over him like a rash.
People who don't want him will be the first to cry when they see a club like Chelsea dominate with him in their side.
We can kiss winning the title goodbye for a wee while if Bale joins this current Chelsea set up.

No matter how much some people on this forum dislike Bale (for whatever reason), he's a fantastic footballer and without a shadow of a doubt in the top 10 players in the world at the very least on his day. It says a great deal that people are classifying his seasons at Madrid as quite mediocre despite hitting very good numbers in the goals and assists area.

The PL is where he thrives at. Is he worth the £100million? Probably not. But if United want him and that's roughly the amount of money we have to pay for him - why the feck should we care? He'd offer something that we've seriously lacked since Ronaldo left us.

 

[RedRover]

If he becomes available, we should be all over him like a rash.
People who don't want him will be the first to cry when they see a club like Chelsea dominate with him in their side.
We can kiss winning the title goodbye for a wee while if Bale joins this current Chelsea set up.

No matter how much some people on this forum dislike Bale (for whatever reason), he's a fantastic footballer and without a shadow of a doubt in the top 10 players in the world at the very least on his day. It says a great deal that people are classifying his seasons at Madrid as quite mediocre despite hitting very good numbers in the goals and assists area.

The PL is where he thrives at. Is he worth the £100million? Probably not. But if United want him and that's roughly the amount of money we have to pay for him - why the feck should we care? He'd offer something that we've seriously lacked since Ronaldo left us.

In my opinion he's one of a few players we could bring in who's going to be able to make an impact like a Hazard or a Suraez in terms of output.

Some fans have short memories. In his time in th PL he performed to a level that few players ever attain and Spurs were basically a one man side for a couple of seasons. And I dont hold with this "he wont fit into our system" stuff. He's a quality player and I'm sure Van Gaal (if he wants the player) will adjust the system to get the best out of him. As it is I think he's exactly what we need - a player who offer us pace and a threat outwide to help us change the pace of the attack and get behind teams. he also offers a huge goal threat.

 

[Lawman]

In my opinion he's one of a few players we could bring in who's going to be able to make an impact like a Hazard or a Suraez in terms of output.

Some fans have short memories. In his time in th PL he performed to a level that few players ever attain and Spurs were basically a one man side for a couple of seasons. And I dont hold with this "he wont fit into our system" stuff. He's a quality player and I'm sure Van Gaal (if he wants the player) will adjust the system to get the best out of him. As it is I think he's exactly what we need - a player who offer us pace and a threat outwide to help us change the pace of the attack and get behind teams. he also offers a huge goal threat.

I certainly would want Bale but just a point to remember Hazard and Suraez were not record signings and there are other less fetted players out there that could make the difference as well.

 

[Raoul]

If we sign Bale we may not sign Memphis, which wouldn't bode well for NL Max.

 

[Player Red]

In my opinion he's one of a few players we could bring in who's going to be able to make an impact like a Hazard or a Suraez in terms of output.

Some fans have short memories. In his time in th PL he performed to a level that few players ever attain and Spurs were basically a one man side for a couple of seasons. And I dont hold with this "he wont fit into our system" stuff. He's a quality player and I'm sure Van Gaal (if he wants the player) will adjust the system to get the best out of him. As it is I think he's exactly what we need - a player who offer us pace and a threat outwide to help us change the pace of the attack and get behind teams. he also offers a huge goal threat.

very true. We dominated the other day yet didn't look like winning. Bale is exactly what we need. Someone who is willing to run at and take on players; who we know actually has the end result.

 

[NL Max]

In my opinion he's one of a few players we could bring in who's going to be able to make an impact like a Hazard or a Suraez in terms of output.

Some fans have short memories. In his time in th PL he performed to a level that few players ever attain and Spurs were basically a one man side for a couple of seasons. And I dont hold with this "he wont fit into our system" stuff. He's a quality player and I'm sure Van Gaal (if he wants the player) will adjust the system to get the best out of him. As it is I think he's exactly what we need - a player who offer us pace and a threat outwide to help us change the pace of the attack and get behind teams. he also offers a huge goal threat.

Van Gaal will not change his style of football for one player, he's never done this before and we're seeing the evidence of this with Di Maria. If we get Bale he will get a role which should be suited to his strenghts, but he has to deliver. The question is wether he's capable to do that: he's an athletic, fast and goalscoring winger who's best if he gets some space to run in to. In our team he'd be relied on to make things happen out of nowhere against parked busses more than that he would be an asset on the counterattack.

He will need to link up with our team and create space for himself. For the price we would need to pay (I'm pretty sure RM won't sell at a loss, why would they?) I'm not sure he's the best target out there for us. Another issue might be his left foot: he'd be our 4th left footer who can play out wide with only one 30 year old Ashley Young as right footer. We know how much van Gaal loves his balance and that wouldn't be balanced.

If we sign Bale we may not sign Memphis, which wouldn't bode well for NL Max.

I would love it if Memphis played for the 2 clubs I follow, but I wouldn't be devastated if he doesn't come here. As long as he goes to a club where he will progress further for the national team it'll be enough for me. I still think for the price and what he would offer he'd be a much better buy than Bale.

I have a feeling Woodward wants a big signing though, especially now with the cheap Euro and the new TV and Adidas deal. I'm personally hoping it would be a midfielder but Bale might be an option. I think Bale is a fantastic player but we could do much better for the money we would need to spend.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Don't see why we can't sign Bale and Depay. It's not as if we have an abundance of world class goalscoring wide players, is it? None in fact (Di Maria is wasted on the wing, also not a prolific goalscorer).

 

[Revan]

In my opinion he's one of a few players we could bring in who's going to be able to make an impact like a Hazard or a Suraez in terms of output.

Some fans have short memories. In his time in th PL he performed to a level that few players ever attain and Spurs were basically a one man side for a couple of seasons. And I dont hold with this "he wont fit into our system" stuff. He's a quality player and I'm sure Van Gaal (if he wants the player) will adjust the system to get the best out of him. As it is I think he's exactly what we need - a player who offer us pace and a threat outwide to help us change the pace of the attack and get behind teams. he also offers a huge goal threat.

You can't be sure for that considering that LVG didn't even try to adjust the system for an equally good player who cost 60m.

 

[Revan]

Don't see why we can't sign Bale and Depay. It's not as if we have an abundance of world class goalscoring wide players, is it? None in fact (Di Maria is wasted on the wing, also not a prolific goalscorer).

Signing those two would be really great, even if it comes to the cost of losing Di Maria.

Bale-Mata-Depay behind the striker would score 40+ goals for season IMO. Add the goals from striker and from midfield (Herrera or Fellaini) and we are already at a healthy number of goals.

 

[RedRover]

I certainly would want Bale but just a point to remember Hazard and Suraez were not record signings and there are other less fetted players out there that could make the difference as well.

They weren't and they were players picked out who have done well - albeit Hazard was young and cost a lot for a youing player, and Suarez came with a lot of baggage - hence why the top sides werent all that interested. Both represented risks and for every player like that there are numerous players who can't cut it. He'd represent paying a premium for as close to guaranteed performance as you can get. Players like that don't often come up.

We should of course still be looking for players who represent value as well, and not just established stars.