Portsmouth v. Fulham [R]

This is a Hyppia bashing if I've ever seen one. He is a slower defender I will give you that, but there are few CB's available who are better in the air. Play to his strengths and place his against lineups that play long ball to taller strikers.

He isn't nearly as bad as he is being made out to be. Yes, go back and look at the Arsenal match... the entire Liverpool side failed to show up. Why single out Hyppia? Not saying he is the answer, but he isn't the worst option available.

 

How could we possibly match his wages? Isn't our roof 20 grand? He must be well above that.

 

Count me in as one who would love Sami Hyppia at Fulham. He is exactly what we need. He has loads of experience playing in the center of defense and is a rock back there that we can count on. The current crop of defenders we have are NOT cutting it. For those who are against this move, who do you propose we get?

 

Double that and that is our 'current' roof but room is being reserved for even high wages.

 

Right, but the problem isn't that our CB's are bad in the air (other than Zat's infuriating Onyewu-like tendency to just rely on his height rather than actually jumping for the ball). Our problem is that they're slow (other than Boca, I guess, and I can't speak for the new guys as I haven't seen them play yet) and make bad decisions with the ball (which, I grant you, Hyppia could improve).

Hyppia would certainly be an improvement over Pearce but he's not the player he once was and I think the boost he would bring to the team - and you have to look at this financially, even though our budget has clearly grown this offseason - isn't enough to justify the expense.

 

well, because you asked...
primus
demerit
mellberg

 

I don't care if Hypia is in a walker...he'd still be twice the player Zat is. I want Zat off the team....why in the world did LS re-up this bum.

I'd take Mellberg in a heartbeat even though he is older too.

 

i dont mind knight....being on the reserve squad.

but does anyone know where in the world christanval is/has been? talk about a ghost.

 

All three would outprice Hyppia at this time. They are all vital to their clubs and they wouldn't go for cheap. Hyppia on the other hand is on the outside looking in, terms of playing time.

Understand that they are all experienced prem players, but they would cost an arm and a leg. A little more youth and pace is on their side, but Hyppia has more big game experienced than the lot of them combined.

 

Mellberg actually was going to leave Villa last season. He would be somewhat cheap.

I talk about the Arsenal games because Hyypia played like he should be in a retirement home. He was slow and looked old. If he goes up against pacy forwards then he has no chance. So who would we play him against? I mean almost every team in the league has a pacy forward starting. Experience is really overrated. Usually when a smaller club signs a big name player at the end of their career that player ends up to be absolute rubbish. Fulham should look elsewhere if they want to do better at CB.

 

"Experience is really overrated"...

I am sure Arsenal would agree with you. The lack of experience really didn't matter when they finished 21 points behind league champions Man Utd. The Gunners were suppose to be a legitimate contender. When their experienced players went down and youth was left to fend for themselves they crumbled.

AC Milan wouldn't of won the CL either if it wasn't for their experience and Portsmouth backline would be shite without the experience of Sol Campbell who was deemed excess or over the hill by Arsenal.

Just a few examples of how EXPERIENCE is more important than being the flavor of the month. It seems in today's football if you score an important goal or have a good game you are labeled the next great.

Hyppia may not be the answer, but he most certainly shouldn't be looked down upon for his lack of pace. I rate him over any CB Fulham has at this time. That is a shot at Fulham's CB, but a measuring stick of what Hyppia offers.

 

Zat had to of seen the Portsmouth fellow before he stuck out his foot. If he did, bad play. If he didn't, even worse.

 

No clue who mellberg is, but good shout for the other two.

Is Primus available?

 

Finally, are we forgetting Captain Carlos?

Stepped up in Gold Cup, and has now hung around McBadAss long enough to know that a warrior mentality is vital.

 

I'm not concerned that WE'RE forgetting Carlos so much as that LS doesn't seem to think as highly of him as we do. (Though I suppose I'm jumping the gun by basing that conclusion on friendlies when the consensus seems to be that he's just being rested for the sake of rest.)

 

If South China is any indication, which it probabaly is not much of one, Lawrie should give Los a much more involved role.