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blues2win wrote:This whole thread was based on a false premise that Hummels was available and at 16 million. Therefore Txiki is a complete idiot at not snapping him up. Absolute bollocks from the Press. If the scum want him they'll have to pay a huge sum out so the argument that Mangala is poor value is utter rubbish. Txiki and co know far more about Mangala than anyone on this forum why can't people have a bit of faith in them?

This whole thread isn't based on the 16 mil figure, it is a debate about the 2 differing players which will inevitably spark discussion regarding the price tag (which I've already called bullshit a number of times).

And to answer your question, I believe most Blues do have faith in the people running the club, how can't we. But the 32 million quoted for Mangala seems very high and once again, I call bullshit. The figure reported seems to keep inline with our FFP requirements and once/if this transfer goes through, I'm sure there is a second part to the reported story/figure that is still to be diseminated by the Blue hating press.

Didn't vote in this poll because I don't really want either of them, not that they are not good players but, at the risk of being tendentiously boring; as I've stated on a number of previous occasions I'd much rather we spent the money instead on another forward.

We're an attacking, goal-scoring side and if we get any injury problems in defence, we can surely cobble together some sort of permutation to suffice and carry us through. Moreover, our much maligned back line didn't do too badly last season when all is considered (only Chelsea conceded fewer goals than ourselves).

If, however, we are ravaged by injury 'up front' (Jovetic and Aguero especially spring to mind) then we are going to really struggle in this coming season so, for me, we've got to spend our FFP limited transfer pot in a sensible way and bring in another striker.

Given his outlook on how he wants to play football, I'm surprised Mr. Pellegrini isn't looking at the summer transfer window in this light.

Mikhail Chigorin wrote:Didn't vote in this poll because I don't really want either of them, not that they are not good players but, at the risk of being tendentiously boring; as I've stated on a number of previous occasions I'd much rather we spent the money instead on another forward.

We're an attacking, goal-scoring side and if we get any injury problems in defence, we can surely cobble together some sort of permutation to suffice and carry us through. Moreover, our much maligned back line didn't do too badly last season when all is considered (only Chelsea conceded fewer goals than ourselves).

If, however, we are ravaged by injury 'up front' (Jovetic and Aguero especially spring to mind) then we are going to really struggle in this coming season so, for me, we've got to spend our FFP limited transfer pot in a sensible way and bring in another striker.

Given his outlook on how he wants to play football, I'm surprised Mr. Pellegrini isn't looking at the summer transfer window in this light.

You think it's possible to keep five strikers happy?

Actually come to think of it Mikhail, perhaps starting a new thread on the topic of bringing in another forward may be the best way to go rather than going off topic in this one, it could be titled 'Chigorin's Chagrin', what say you?

Foreverinbluedreams wrote:Actually come to think of it Mikhail, perhaps starting a new thread on the topic of bringing in another forward may be the best way to go rather than going off topic in this one, it could be titled 'Chigorin's Chagrin', what say you?

Point taken about me going 'off-topic' - I stand corrected and gently chastised.

Thank you for the gracious way you brought this to my attention.

Mikhail Chigorin wrote:Didn't vote in this poll because I don't really want either of them, not that they are not good players but, at the risk of being tendentiously boring; as I've stated on a number of previous occasions I'd much rather we spent the money instead on another forward.

We're an attacking, goal-scoring side and if we get any injury problems in defence, we can surely cobble together some sort of permutation to suffice and carry us through. Moreover, our much maligned back line didn't do too badly last season when all is considered (only Chelsea conceded fewer goals than ourselves).

If, however, we are ravaged by injury 'up front' (Jovetic and Aguero especially spring to mind) then we are going to really struggle in this coming season so, for me, we've got to spend our FFP limited transfer pot in a sensible way and bring in another striker.

Given his outlook on how he wants to play football, I'm surprised Mr. Pellegrini isn't looking at the summer transfer window in this light.

I'd use the same argument right back at you - that we coped, for the majority of last season with either 2 or 3 fit strikers at any given time, so why can't we do so again?

Im_Spartacus wrote:

Mikhail Chigorin wrote:Didn't vote in this poll because I don't really want either of them, not that they are not good players but, at the risk of being tendentiously boring; as I've stated on a number of previous occasions I'd much rather we spent the money instead on another forward.

We're an attacking, goal-scoring side and if we get any injury problems in defence, we can surely cobble together some sort of permutation to suffice and carry us through. Moreover, our much maligned back line didn't do too badly last season when all is considered (only Chelsea conceded fewer goals than ourselves).

If, however, we are ravaged by injury 'up front' (Jovetic and Aguero especially spring to mind) then we are going to really struggle in this coming season so, for me, we've got to spend our FFP limited transfer pot in a sensible way and bring in another striker.

Given his outlook on how he wants to play football, I'm surprised Mr. Pellegrini isn't looking at the summer transfer window in this light.

I'd use the same argument right back at you - that we coped, for the majority of last season with either 2 or 3 fit strikers at any given time, so why can't we do so again?

A nice rejoinder, Spartacus.

At the moment we've only one consistently available striker in Dzeko, together with two problematically fit ones in Jovetic and Aguero.

We might manage to "cope" with such brittle and reduced firepower, even over the length of a season, but we'd probably have to become a more defensive outfit to do so, playing on the break, using the long ball more and hoping for goals from set-pieces and corners. We'd probably have to settle for uncharacteristically grinding out results and winning games by the single goal and hoping all the while that Dzeko didn't get injured. At the same time, we'd be praying that, when he finally returned to the team, Negredo would be the player he was during the first part of last season which, unfortunately, is not guaranteed.

In effect, we could become more like Mourinho's Chelsea and not the flamboyant, attacking side we all love under Pellegrini.

Mikhail - we're also a centre back down. Rekik won't stay and Lescott has gone. We can't go into a season with Kompany, Nastasic (both hugely injury prone) and a 33 year old Demichelis who hasn't had a summer break. It'd be foolish.

Mikhail Chigorin wrote: at the risk of being tendentiously boring; as I've stated on a number of previous occasions I'd much rather we spent the money instead on another forward.

Mate with all due respect I think you've posted this particular opinion about ten thousand times.

If we are strongest in attack, then it doesn't make much sense to me to start messing with that too much, we should improve the team where it is the weakest. We are already completely fine when it comes to attacking talent and signing more players there wont help much.

I understand both arguments in terms of strengthening up front or at the back. Bit of a moving feast in terms of people getting injured etc. My head says defensive cover needed. My heart says lets get another top notch striker in and worry about keeping an injured Negrado, Aguero or Jovetic happy. We are an attack minded side and I worry about striker cover. We got away with it last season relying on stellar performances from Silva and Yaya. Not sure we will get that again consistently. Also, can we not hope that someone like Nastasic does a Kolarov. i.e. goes from ropey to half decent over the course of a pre-season? This may assist us in defensive issues if he steps up, or if MDM keps getting better and better.

Non contest.If we were not so heavily linked with Mangala and this question was asked, I'm pretty sure everyone would pick Hummels.

Green & Blue wrote:Non contest.If we were not so heavily linked with Mangala and this question was asked, I'm pretty sure everyone would pick Hummels.

I'm 100% sure you're wrong. If we weren't linked with Mangala then I wouldn't have taken an interest in him which means I wouldn't have watched him play therefore I wouldn't have voted.

I think people are ignoring the point of who would better suit us, I may be wrong but that's how it seems.

Mangala is badly overpriced, but has pace. That alone puts him ahead of Hummels who is very slow.

One big plus point for Mangala by the way is he's left footed. Perfect foil for Vinnie.

Tesl wrote:

Mikhail Chigorin wrote: at the risk of being tendentiously boring; as I've stated on a number of previous occasions I'd much rather we spent the money instead on another forward.

Mate with all due respect I think you've posted this particular opinion about ten thousand times.

If we are strongest in attack, then it doesn't make much sense to me to start messing with that too much, we should improve the team where it is the weakest. We are already completely fine when it comes to attacking talent and signing more players there wont help much.

I did allude to this "ten thousand times" overkill by saying I was being tendentiously boring so, from now on, I'll say nothing more on this subject, other than to hope I'm worrying needlessly about this aspect of the forthcoming season. I just hope you guys are all correct in your assessment of our squad needs and I'm utterly and completely wrong.

To get back, however, to the Hummels/Mangala discussion, I just wonder if Neven Subotic would have entered the equation if he hadn't been badly injured last season to, effectively, fall below the radar, as it were.

On that basis, the poll might have been a three-way split and, personally, I would have opted for Subotic. However, in a straight choice between Hummels and Mangala, I honestly don't know which one I would prefer but, if forced, I might just go for Hummels.

However, all such considerations could be merely academic.

On a similar note, is there anybody else out there that people prefer to either of the mentioned. Subotic mentioned a few times.

Beefymcfc wrote:On a similar note, is there anybody else out there that people prefer to either of the mentioned. Subotic mentioned a few times.

Nyet on Subotic...slow, not a ball playing CB from what i've seen. He makes Kompany actually look like Beckenbauer, no?

Left footed.
Pacy.
Ball Playing.
Great in the air.

Check those boxes please and you'll find our next great CB i hope.

cheers

David Luiz checks all of them. I think you should add 'Has a brain' to the list.

Beefymcfc wrote:On a similar note, is there anybody else out there that people prefer to either of the mentioned. Subotic mentioned a few times.

i was wondering something similar.

who, aside from Vinnie, do people consider the best center back in the world?

Green & Blue wrote:Non contest.If we were not so heavily linked with Mangala and this question was asked, I'm pretty sure everyone would pick Hummels.

And if you asked it last year none of them would pick him, they would all say he was shit & pick Subotic for filling all the big fucking holes left by Hummels.

Flavour
Of
The
Month.

Vertonghen anybody ? Must be his turn again next, until he does something abominable again, then we can all go back to Vermalen (at least he's a bit quicker & shit).

If it's slow cbs were looking for btw, that Uruguayan bloke at Atletico pisses on Hummels as a defender.

Don't want him either though. We already have MDM in the role of slow cb & he's just proved to everyone he's better than Hummels, right in front of all of you. Imo, the bloke who played next to him is also better than Hummels, but wouldn't want him either.