Who shd we play up front against Newcastle?

I started this debate with Number 10 and Dannyboy at half0time in Delaneys last night, thought I'd continue it here.

As a result of our greed, we find ourselves playing Newcastle, etafe and Blackburn in the space of 7 days. My question is who shd we play up front against Newcastle and Getafe.

My view is that we shd start Bent and Keane against Newcastle and Berbatov and Defoe against Getafe. One of the reasons I was glad we bought Bent was so that he'd add some strength and speed up front in difficult away games at places like Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle. He's fresh as he ahsn't been playing for a fortnight. Berbatov played 90 minutes alst night and is better in Europe, where he gets more time. I don't think Keane will be able to start both games as he played 180 mintues for Ireland in the last fortnight. Deofe is obviously fresh and raring to go.

I'm worried that Jol will go for Berbatov and Keane for Newcastle and Berbatov and Defoe for Getafe, leaving poor old Bent out in the cold.

Thoughts?

I rate Bent above Defoe but unless he start getting some games under his belt he will turn into a huge flop. Can't see Jol playing anyone other than Berbatov and Keane...and I 'm not sure I'd disagree with that starting duo either. What I would like to see is Bent coming on sooner to replace whichever one is not performing or tiring.

I'll start with Keane and Berbs in every game. I do not believe in rotation (unless we are facing a really week Div 2 side). If Keane and Berbs do their jobs in the first game, they should start the 2nd game. If they failed to do their jobs, then Defoe and Bent will be on.

Whether they play or not will be entirely on merits.

I start Keane because he is our leading scorer and is 'supposedly' on a great run lately. That does not mean that I rate him more than Defoe.

yes, definitely Berbatov & Keane with Bent as sub.

Trip to St.James Park would be a tough game
We're always in trouble when facing the teams who're fairly steel like Bolton , Blkburn , Everton..... when we're the visiting team.
I think Big Sam certainly knows wht's the best way to play aginst us
I can imagine tht we would probably under pressure most of the time during the match
and we may only hv few of chances to open our account.

Berbs is a must as he can hold the ball up , wait for support and this's especially important for us becoz you can see tht when we're sitting back or under pressure, mostly the away games . We're struggle in playing any counter-attack , even hold the ball up in the front(The game vs Fulham is an example)

Big Sam must order his lads to tight marking or even double-team Berbs so space is created to the support from the midfielders,the problem is they hv to get into the front faster to supprt Berbs. (They were fail to do this against the Liverppol in the second half.)

I will put Keane on the bench and subs him in as he played 180mins in 5days.
So for the one who starts with Berbs, my choice is Defoe
The reason is, he's hungry than anyone. He wants to prove himself.
AS i say we may only hv few of chances to score in the match.
Once you find difficult to pass the ball into opponent's area. You need someone who can shoot from a long distance and Defoe hv already did this many times before.

Another reason why i pick him but not Bent , is .

In my view Bent is a 100% Striker , he particularly needs support and some nice pass from the midfielders. When our midfielders create nth tht day, he's useless . He's not tht skillful who you pass him the ball and he can pass the defenders by his skills then try to attempt to shoot. And i think Defoe did this better than Bent.
Those i mentioned are helpful when you're facing a team who organize the defense well and solid.
And Berbs showed tht he knows the best way and he can works well together with Defoe (Remember the game aginst Aston Villa last season?) . If we're at home , i may pick Bent , becoz we can mostly dominate the match. But when we're away, i prefer Defoe .

Agree with Janek. If Bent (or Defore for that matter) still doesn't play when we have three games in a week, then it was pointless to sign him, he'll be demotivated and devalued.

WE should start Bent as a target-man, get him in behind with his pace and excellent runs, with Keano dropping deeper to help the likes of JJ to create chances. This is a good away system, cos it also allows us to quickly compress the midfield when we lose the ball, but is not too negative, so allows us to counterattack with pace. Keep Berba on the bench and bring him in for 30 minutes if needed.

Then Berba and Defoe for Getafe.

Go for the jugulars! Put Berbatov and Keane in the front (and keep them there).

Bent's a waste of space and Defoe should be there only if we need to put him on.

Also use Tarabat at some point in the middle.


Stew.

I'm convinced that Jol is playing Defoe because he's looking to sell him in January. Need to keep him in the shop window to keep other clubs interested...........

Berbs and Keane - why change?

I'd love to see a bit more of Bent, to see if he can at least go someway toward justifying the 16mil we spent on him in the summer. BUT...... Deep down I am pretty sure that Berb's and Keane are our best pairing!

And, perhaps rather selfishly, as I am going up the lane on Thurday night (fly back to UK tomorrow) I want to see a resounding victory!

Come on you Spurs!

Barry Lineker wrote:

perhaps rather selfishly

nothing selfish about that Barry, nothing at all

twiglet wrote:

Barry Lineker wrote:

perhaps rather selfishly

nothing selfish about that Barry, nothing at all

Yeah, you enjoy yourself Barry!