Sleepy Babel

[surf]

Was due to start Hollands game against Romania, but overslept. Van Basten subsequently started with Robben.

 

Van Basten:

"It was the second time this has happened and that's not right. That's why i removed him from the starting lineup. Robben had trained well and was fit."

 

"It's not really my style to be so precise about these things. The first time he got away with it with a joke, not this time. He needs to be on time like the rest of the team."

[Dan]

  surf said:

Was due to start Hollands game against Romania, but overslept. Van Basten subsequently started with Robben.

 

Van Basten:

"It was the second time this has happened and that's not right. That's why i removed him from the starting lineup. Robben had trained well and was fit."

 

"It's not really my style to be so precise about these things. The first time he got away with it with a joke, not this time. He needs to be on time like the rest of the team."

 

Good.

 

Someone give him some pills so he sleeps in on wed as well.

[Maldini]

van Basten must be pretty pissed off with him, Babel is kind of his protege.

[Cunny]

I thought he was asleep during Birmingham at home.

[kop205]

Interesting one Babel.

 

He clearly has talent, but I think that in the current climate and given the likely mindset of the new owners, he needs to deliver pretty quickly without too much of a bedding in period.

 

I think Rafa knows that he will need a bit of time and handled correctly I think he can do well for us. My worry is that he is very raw and for £11m, the Americans will look at him and expect an instant return on their investment. I don't see him having a massive impact this year (though I'd be interested to see him given a few games through the middle) and I just hope that this isn't held against Rafa when it comes to deciding what he'll be given to spend in future.

 

This may be all over-anxious, but it does worry me a bit I must admit.

[Dan]

  kop205 said:

Interesting one Babel.

 

He clearly has talent, but I think that in the current climate and given the likely mindset of the new owners, he needs to deliver pretty quickly without too much of a bedding in period.

 

I think Rafa knows that he will need a bit of time and handled correctly I think he can do well for us. My worry is that he is very raw and for £11m, the Americans will look at him and expect an instant return on their investment. I don't see him having a massive impact this year (though I'd be interested to see him given a few games through the middle) and I just hope that this isn't held against Rafa when it comes to deciding what he'll be given to spend in future.

 

This may be all over-anxious, but it does worry me a bit I must admit.

 

With respect Gillett and Hicks know f*ck all about the game so i doubt it very much.

[Guest Linton]

Thats unheard of. Very unprofessional.

[_00_deathscar]

I thought it was hilarious.

[Chili Palmer]

snooze buttons are a bitch

[Cooger]

  kop205 said:

Interesting one Babel.

 

He clearly has talent, but I think that in the current climate and given the likely mindset of the new owners, he needs to deliver pretty quickly without too much of a bedding in period.

 

I think Rafa knows that he will need a bit of time and handled correctly I think he can do well for us. My worry is that he is very raw and for £11m, the Americans will look at him and expect an instant return on their investment. I don't see him having a massive impact this year (though I'd be interested to see him given a few games through the middle) and I just hope that this isn't held against Rafa when it comes to deciding what he'll be given to spend in future.

 

This may be all over-anxious, but it does worry me a bit I must admit.

 

The new owners have not shown anything that would suggest they are rash.

 

Quite the opposite in fact.

[kop205]

  DS77 said:

With respect Gillett and Hicks know f*ck all about the game so i doubt it very much.

 

I hope you're right and I suppose the fact that is them in charge makes no difference in one sense. £11m on a largely unproven player is always going to be a big gamble and if it doesn't come off then there would be repercusions whoever the owners were.

 

Like I said, hopefully this is all just over-anxiety as I do think the lad has ability.

[Florist Cinema Pond Goal]

  Kieran said:

snooze buttons are a bitch

 

I was hitting it for an hour and a half this morning.

 

Babel, I feel your pain.

[_00_deathscar]

  Florist Cinema Pond Goal said:

I was hitting it for an hour and a half this morning.

 

Babel, I feel your pain.

 

I just turn it off....far easier.

 

Which is why I woke up at 11.45 when I planned to wake up at 8.30.

[Paul_LFC]

I think Rafa will be secretly pleased with this, as he didn't start and anyway, Babel wouldn't do it on Rafa's watch.

[Rimbeux]

  Paul_LFC said:

I think Rafa will be secretly pleased with this, as he didn't start and anyway, Babel wouldn't do it on Rafa's watch.

 

 

Really?

[billybunter]

  Paul_LFC said:

I think Rafa will be secretly pleased with this, as he didn't start and anyway, Babel wouldn't do it on Rafa's watch.

 

 

Whats so good about Rafa's watch? Difficult to hit snooze?

[_00_deathscar]

  billybunter said:

Whats so good about Rafa's watch? Difficult to hit snooze?

 

The button for snooze rotates every 9 minutes.

[San Diego Red]

  _00_deathscar said:

The button for snooze rotates every 9 minutes.

:lol:

[So Cal Red]

  DS77 said:

Good.

 

Someone give him some pills so he sleeps in on wed as well.

 

 

along w/ the rest of our players on int'l duty.

[growler]

so 11mil on potential is risk for us, but the 34 mil from the wancs is ok? and the 12mil for walcott? I can't correlate that, sorry.

 

11mil for an international is not really a high risk either.

[John am Rhein]

Nice one Babel

 

Now would be the perfect time to retire from international football.

[kop205]

  growler said:

so 11mil on potential is risk for us, but the 34 mil from the wancs is ok? and the 12mil for walcott? I can't correlate that, sorry.

 

11mil for an international is not really a high risk either.

 

Don't see how what United or Arsenal have spent on players is really relevant to us to be honest.

 

And 11m is a risk because for that kind of outlay you have to be a success. It isn't like spending 4 - 7m on a player (which we can afford to do relatively frequently) where people accept that it may or not come off (e.g. Garcia, Momo, Benayoun or Lucas). If 2 out of 3 of such deals end up being successful I'd say most people would be more than happy.

 

Once you get up to the £10m + mark the stakes are that bit higher simply because there are likely to be fewer such deals - the only ones I can think of in Benitez's time here are Xabi, Kuyt, Torres and Babel. The fact that said player is an international doesn't negate that element of risk.

 

All I was trying to say was that the expectation to deliver will be greater on Babel than it will on someone like Leto and patience doesn't seem to much of a virtue in the modern game. I'm happy to give him time and don't expect too much this year, I just hope that the people controlling the purse strings are equally understanding when Rafa next comes to them with a request for a similar amount for a player. As others have said, no reason to think they won't be as yet, so fair enough.

[usualsuspect]

  kop205 said:

Don't see how what United or Arsenal have spent on players is really relevant to us to be honest.

 

And 11m is a risk because for that kind of outlay you have to be a success. It isn't like spending 4 - 7m on a player (which we can afford to do relatively frequently) where people accept that it may or not come off (e.g. Garcia, Momo, Benayoun or Lucas). If 2 out of 3 of such deals end up being successful I'd say most people would be more than happy.

 

Once you get up to the £10m + mark the stakes are that bit higher simply because there are likely to be fewer such deals - the only ones I can think of in Benitez's time here are Xabi, Kuyt, Torres and Babel. The fact that said player is an international doesn't negate that element of risk.

 

All I was trying to say was that the expectation to deliver will be greater on Babel than it will on someone like Leto and patience doesn't seem to much of a virtue in the modern game. I'm happy to give him time and don't expect too much this year, I just hope that the people controlling the purse strings are equally understanding when Rafa next comes to them with a request for a similar amount for a player. As others have said, no reason to think they won't be as yet, so fair enough.

..and where is this law written that players above 10m have to have immediate impact? Frankly think you are just throwing out numbers based on pre-take over finances. I would also suggest that what Mancs & Ar$e pay is defo relevant as their activities affect the market.

Edited October 15, 2007 by usualsuspect

[Rimbeux]

  growler said:

so 11mil on potential is risk for us, but the 34 mil from the wancs is ok? and the 12mil for walcott? I can't correlate that, sorry.

 

11mil for an international is not really a high risk either.

 

 

They're all risks

[kop205]

  usualsuspect said:

..and where is this law written that players above 10m have to have immediate impact? Frankly think you are just throwing out numbers based on pre-take over finances. I would also suggest that what Mancs & Ar$e pay is defo relevant as their activities affect the market.

 

I'm just expressing an opinion, I don't claim there is any 'law' or to know the full ins and outs of our finances any more than you do.

 

Common sense tells you though that 11m for Babel falls more into the 'bigger spend' category and ultimately more will be expected of him than of someone who cost less if he is to prove real value for money.

 

And of course the Mancs and Arsenal affect the market with their spending but that doesn't mean that what isn't a 'risk' for them isn't a risk for us either, which is the point I was responding to. In any case, as Rimbeaux has pointed, all 'big' deals like that are risks anyway. Which is really all I was ever trying to say.