Just been told by a mate who has a Leeds United contact, that Bobby has signed Michael Bridges in a deal to be announced later this week.

Supposed to be a clause in the contract, that the signing will depend on him passing a summer medical when he is fully fit from injury.

Not sure how reliable the info is mind!! ...........and he also couldnt tell me anything about whether Dyer is involved.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

Answers

The Bridges agreement sounds plausible. We won't be letting Dyer go though, not for anything less than £25million and no-one will be interested at that price.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

'the guy next to me at the match' also knows this has happened too

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

If we are to believe this, and it sounds believeable, we will have the necessary cover in the striking department to have a bit more consistency up front next season.
Cort
Shearer
Bridges?
Sikora? or is he a left winger?
Ameobi
Lua-Lua
not too bad!! Has there been any indication of the price for Bridges in these 'talks'?

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

we'll cross that one when he's here

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

If these deals do happen we will have cover in the centre of the park, in defence, in midfield and in attack. It's on the flanks that we need cover.

We only have one decent left back and arguably one decent right back ;0), we have soon to be departing Glass on the left when we really need two left midfielders.

More surgery Mr Robson!

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

I don't agree that we have cover in the middle, two out of Acuna, Speed and Lee leaves me absolutely cold

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

I was thinking Speed, Lee, Acuna and Bassedas. If all things were correct these four would be fighting for TWO places week in week out not the three places they currently enjoy.

i.e. if we had a decent left winger we'd have him and Dyer on the flanks and these four would then fight for the remaining two places. It could be argued that they are not of sifficient quality but we do technically have cover!

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

I agree with Macbeth DB - the 4 you mention are simply not good enough. IMO we need at the very least least one, and ideally two, new central m/f players - we have precisely zero creativity coming from this area, and with the defence looking more solid since Dabz and O'Brien came in, it is now arguably are biggest weakness.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

I agree that we obviously do need more quality and it's not just in midfield but in terms of the number of players we have that could fill in that position we are okay, left wing is another thing!!

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

I'm not so sure it's a lack of creativity in the centre that we suffer from....I mean, has anyone in the team ever tried moving to give Bassedas an option create something? we may be blaming the lad unduly because the rest of the team aren't getting into space or have enough confidence to commit themselves...

The players have still got a long way to go in developing a good understanding amongst themselves in my opinion...

We need a HUGE Central defender, we need to drop Barton and start playing Griffin and we need forwards who can MOVE....then we can look at having players to pick them out :)))

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

According to that ever-reliable source of rumours (!) Teamtalk BR is Bobby Robson preparing to bid in excess of £6million for Vitesse Arnhem striker, Victor Sikora, after watching him on Saturday in VA's 2-1 victory over De Graafschap.

They say VA are in financial trouble and may need to sell their star asset, but that Arsenal are also interested and were represented at the same game.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

Precisely Gav,

If anyone has shown that they have the ability to see a pass AND make it, it is Bassedas.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

Bassedas didn't look ower clever v's Leicester when we desperatley needed someone to thread a decent pass through the topsy turvy Leicester defence but then again he was supposed to be out on the wing (not that he stuck to the plan).

I agree to a point that he could turn out a good'un but if he hasn't been consistent to date.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

He's been as consistent as his selected position. How well would we expect Quinn to perform as right back? Spped as a right winger? Cort as a left winger?

Bassedas needs someone to do the donkey work,like Keane does for Scholes, so he can egt on with doing his job. Scholes is no great tackler yet he is selected in the middle of the park. In fact Scholes is probably one of the owrst tacklers in the Premiership!

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

Well v's Leicester Speed & Acuna done the battling leaving Bassedas to spray the front men with passes and he just couldn't do it, as I say he started on the wing but cut inside at every opportunity.

I haven't given up on him yet, I think, like some others in the squad they would look a LOT better with a bit more quality in the side.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

DeB Totally agree with you regarding him being played out of position. I think if YBR bites the bullet and lets him stay in the middle for a few games we'll see the benefit.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

I'd really like to think you're right about BadAss guys, but I'm beginning to doubt it. If he really was top class, you'd think he would at least be showing the occasional glimpse of it, wouldn't you?

It is quite conceivable that playing slightly out of position is hindering his progress, as he is expected to do a fair bit of defensive tracking, but its not as though he has been expected to play as an out-and-out winger.
I've tried very hard to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I thought he was hopeless on Saturday.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

Clarky may be you were blinded by the sun.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

So is the mystery of why we only ever field one winger down to the fact that our central midfielders are so underwhelming we need three to do the job of two?

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001

Or that the wingers don't do the amount of tracking back that they should do. Solano is pretty ineffective in defence so we have to compensate for him.

If the two wingers work hard all game in both directions you can afford a playmaker in the middle. Very few clubs have this type of winger, in fact I can only really think of Manure that have. Even Arsenal have Freddie Ljundberg.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2001

To be honest, I think is another of Stephen Glass's strength's - he works very hard and supports his FB. On balance if you look at their all round abilities and contribution there isn't much to choose between Solano and Glass - and yet we're seriously contemplating allowing the latter to leave for nothing.

The only possible satisfactory explanation for this would be if BR has a really top class left-sided m/f player lined up - and I mean 'lined up', not just another pipe-dream.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2001

I just can't get my head round the fact that Robson and all his experience would have us play so lop-sided. I hope you're right about this left midfielder Calrky.

Isn't Sikora a left winger come striker? Perhaps Robson sees him in the left wing slot? Maybe we'll do away with wingers and we'll be playing 4-3-3 next year?

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2001

Perhaps Robson thinks he cannot rely on Glass due to his injuries and is eager to offload him in the same way he got rid of Howey. How many reserve games has Glass played this season?

The left winger enjoyed one of his best games in a black and white shirt against Peter Taylor's City side and Robson revealed: "I would not have given Stephen the opportunity to start the match had I not had confidence in his ability.

"I have read a very favourable report on his performance against Leicester and I know he will help us if he hits his best form.

"It would have been easy for me to leave him out for the rest of the season but I am giving him a chance now that he has proved his fitness. Because of injuries he has not been in a position to play for me for most of the season but that is no longer the case. He is ready to make a contribution."

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2001