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Post by dozintheseventees on Jul 13, 2010 12:23:00 GMT
bayern: O'Neil has been a Premier League player for all but one season and our midfield last season was comfortably the worst I saw all season. Delap (who I agree is totally under-rated) and Whitehead are both defensive midfielders but we usually had ONE of them with Whelan. Whelan is, I guess, Pulis's idea of what passes for creativity in the CM but O'Neil is far better than him IMO. Furthermore, if Lawrence goes (or isn't selected) Delap and Whitehead are useless when played on the right. Again, O'Neil would be a much better option there too. He was one of Middlesbrough's two best players in their relegation season and when they came to the Brit, he was head and shoulders above any of our midfield players. They had to work very hard to pursuade him to stay last season and gave him a good new contract. I'm guessing he decided to give them one season to get back up. As I said before, he's spent all but one season in the Premier League and was a good player there with two different clubs. I can't believe that anyone who watches our midfield week after week could possibly believe that O'Neil wouldn't improve what we have.
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Post by ravenonthewing on Jul 13, 2010 12:24:52 GMT
Does all these swap stories mean Peter is keeping his wallet shut ???
If so, what happened to the consolidate 3 seasons then push on ?
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Post by Targaryen Stokie on Jul 13, 2010 12:24:55 GMT
Would be a good signing for us IMO.
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Post by Beardy200 on Jul 13, 2010 12:42:58 GMT
I'm sorry who was playing Premier League football last season and who was playing in a mediocre Championship team? Oh yeah it was O'Neil! I'd rather have Delap and Whitehead in midfield definitely over him. Delap is a fantastic central midfielder and very underated on here which annoys me. And as I've always said since we were linked with O'Neil whenever we first were, he is typical Pulis winger. He wouldn't get a sniff in central midfield unless we were short in numbers. I just think we can do better. I think we can do better aswell but he does offer more on the ball than all of our current midfield options bar Etherington. As doz says, he's an upgrade on Whelan in practically all areas of the game. Plus i thought you had more about you than to go for the old "He must be shit as he was in the champonship last season" ;D
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Jul 13, 2010 12:55:31 GMT
Does all these swap stories mean Peter is keeping his wallet shut ??? If so, what happened to the consolidate 3 seasons then push on ? Raven, I don't think the swap suggestions mean that we won't be spending hard cash this summer. But I DO think it indicates that we have to get some of the fringe players off the wage bill. Several players have to be moved on to free up their wages to pay the newcomers. So it is quite sensible if TP sees a player he wants that he will suggest a part exchange deal. Even before we bring in players this summer we have to trim the size of the squad we had last season. So if, for example, we bring in 5 players this summer, the chances are that 9 or 10 will leave.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jul 13, 2010 12:59:07 GMT
He's better on the ball? So what, this is a Pulis midfield, we don't need none of that! I think he'd be a good squad signing and nothing more. I'd be disappointed to see him starting in the middle, on the right he'd be a slight upgrade on Lawrence. We do need 2 right sided players though if Pulis leaves so if we signed him and another (a proper winger) it'd be decent business. And of course I would Beardy, we're Premier League darling!
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Post by aceal789508 on Jul 13, 2010 13:13:25 GMT
i think this would be a good move for the club o neil is a play maker.i think Lawrence is a stoke legend and without him we would not be in the prem but he has lost his pace.O neil would be a smart switch ;D
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Post by northstokie on Jul 13, 2010 13:19:47 GMT
O'Neill ran the midfield last time we played Boro at our place, he was everywhere...
I would deffo see this as an excellent and realistic signing
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Post by dozintheseventees on Jul 13, 2010 13:22:19 GMT
I don't think he's a world beater bayern and I agree with much of your last post (apart from the first line of course) . We do need at least one right sided player and I see why you say two. I'm assuming we'll only sign one and I hate the fact that our only cover there (in Pulis's mind) is either Delap or Whitehead (both good players in the centre but useless out wide). Not sure where that leaves Tuncay other than an alternative to Ric. O'Neil actually CAN play there and would be a much better option than either of those two. I'd be happy to see him in the middle because, as I said earlier, I think he's better, and more creative, than Whelan. Even if Whelan is preferred, it's a sobering thought that our only other option in the centre is two holding midfielders. We could of course let Danny Pugh have a go there (I'd have no problem with that) but that doesn't appear to be an option in Pulis's mind. I agree that I wouldn't want to be paying silly sums for him but I do think he'd considerably improve our midfield opitions. I fully understand those that are hoping for better, but I fear they will be diasappointed and O'Neil is about as good as we are likely to get this window. Hope I'm wrong but......
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jul 13, 2010 13:29:20 GMT
I don't think TP would play him in the middle though unless he was desperate.
In this squad thing, if he picks 8/9 midfielders I think he'd be useful as a right winger come centre mid. And it'd work something like this;
Right winger-new signing Right winger come central midfielder-O'Neil? Centre mid-Delap Centre mid-Whitehead Centre mid-Whelan/new signing Centre mid-new signing Left winger come centre mid-new signing, was to be Ledley, possibly Pugh? Left winger-Ethers
And if he picks 9 midfielders we could add another central midfielder.
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Post by bolders on Jul 13, 2010 13:34:14 GMT
I think Liam will get back to his best if Beattie goes and Liam is left to knuckle down and work, though i do believe we need a better right winger.
O'Neil is by far a better player than Delap is, he works hard like Whitehead but he is far more calculated in his approach to the game and can read the game better.
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Post by ravenonthewing on Jul 13, 2010 14:10:46 GMT
Does all these swap stories mean Peter is keeping his wallet shut ??? If so, what happened to the consolidate 3 seasons then push on ? Raven, I don't think the swap suggestions mean that we won't be spending hard cash this summer. But I DO think it indicates that we have to get some of the fringe players off the wage bill. Several players have to be moved on to free up their wages to pay the newcomers. So it is quite sensible if TP sees a player he wants that he will suggest a part exchange deal. Even before we bring in players this summer we have to trim the size of the squad we had last season. So if, for example, we bring in 5 players this summer, the chances are that 9 or 10 will leave. well I hope your right LP Although we struggle to bring in one or two let alone 5
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Post by mikeyb99 on Jul 13, 2010 14:41:35 GMT
O'Neil would be challenging Whitehead not Whelan for his place in the team. Whitehead was sold to us as a 'box-to-box' midfielder, a role he sometimes fulfilled last season, and O'Neil is the same. Whelan is an out-and-out holding midfielder (or at least that's the way he's been deployed in the last 12 months). If you don't believe me, just have a look at some replays of games last season - Whelan almost exclusively sat back and Whitehead was the one given the (slightly) more offensive role.
I've no doubt TP is looking to replace Whelan - he's not a player Tone likes - but O'Neil will not be his replacement.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2010 17:39:09 GMT
I for one hope Liam doesn't leave
Hes a good premier league player proven now, albeit with a dodgy injury and 'international wracked' season last time out
he's still one of our better players methinks
and he's been very unlucky when it comes to team selection too
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Post by scfc2010 on Jul 13, 2010 17:51:18 GMT
He is Gary but he's still not a step up on any of our first team midfielders really. If he and 3/4 quality midfielders came he'd be a good squad signing. For the first team we need better imo. I think O'Neil is a step up from Whelan / Delap / Whitehead er er er .... ehhhhhhh ? did you forget? delap has a throw !!!
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Post by stokelad84 on Jul 13, 2010 17:59:06 GMT
I would prefer O'Neil on the right instead of forcing Delap or whitehead there.
He would be a good signing who will add good competition
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Jul 13, 2010 18:05:41 GMT
I for one hope Liam doesn't leave Hes a good premier league player proven now, albeit with a dodgy injury and 'international wracked' season last time out he's still one of our better players methinks and he's been very unlucky when it comes to team selection too Tony, I've always been one of Liam's biggest fans. But there is no doubt he just hasn't looked right when he was picked for Stoke last season. Very odd, because he had some very good games for Eire. I haven't closed the door but unless he looks back to his best in pre season I'd let him go providing we get a decent fee. The possible good news is that TP reckons he looked when he reported back after his summer break.
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Post by fortressbrit on Jul 13, 2010 18:10:14 GMT
I spoke to Liam in the Cross Keys in Knutsford on Saturday night, couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in and saw him, never seen him round here before, anyway. I asked about Celtic and said he doesn't know, not heard anything from them yet, so for the moment it looks like he's staying. I would imagine now that Celtic have got Ledley they won't be in for Lawrence aswell but you never know. I hope Liam stays, I don't buy into all this about him sticking with Beattie and causing problems. He is fully committed to Stoke, but i'm sure he'd admit he was nowhere near his best last season. He needs a full pre-season and a run of games and he'll be back to the player we know and love. he told me the celtic move was a "done deal",i think he should change his agent aswell as his club.
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Post by mcscooby on Jul 13, 2010 18:11:15 GMT
He is Gary but he's still not a step up on any of our first team midfielders really. If he and 3/4 quality midfielders came he'd be a good squad signing. For the first team we need better imo. I think O'Neil is a step up from Whelan / Delap / Whitehead If I was basing an opinion based on never seeing Whiteheads performances during the latter half of the season I'd agree BUT having witnessed the biggest turnaround since Rocky 2 I can't agree with you. IMHO Whitehead was one of the best players in the team last year.
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Post by pasa on Jul 13, 2010 18:42:21 GMT
we could and should do better than o neil, oneil is another worker, we have enough grafters, we need a bit of quality in there, o neil isnt the right player imho, he wasnt a championship stand out performer either last season for boro.
said it before and i'll say it again, kevin nolan playing under sam allardyce and his "style" (which coincidently is very simalar to ours) was a roaring success at bolton, on the verge of an england call up, he also scored goals.
O Neil did nothing in the championship last season, nolan was easily in the championship best 11 and scored plenty of goals.
Nolan all day everyday for me.
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Post by stokelad84 on Jul 13, 2010 18:46:02 GMT
O'Neil is a lot better then Nolan. The only difference is Nolan's team won the league!
Overall, skill wise and work rate O'Neil is better (with lower wages too)
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Post by pasa on Jul 13, 2010 18:57:50 GMT
O'Neil is a lot better then Nolan. The only difference is Nolan's team won the league! Overall, skill wise and work rate O'Neil is better (with lower wages too) matter of opinion mate, i reckon he'd fit our team like a glove. ever thought that newcastle winning the league was in large part down to nolan being in CM and his goals?
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Jul 13, 2010 19:23:43 GMT
we could and should do better than o neil, oneil is another worker, we have enough grafters, we need a bit of quality in there, o neil isnt the right player imho, he wasnt a championship stand out performer either last season for boro. said it before and i'll say it again, kevin nolan playing under sam allardyce and his "style" (which coincidently is very simalar to ours) was a roaring success at bolton, on the verge of an england call up, he also scored goals. O Neil did nothing in the championship last season, nolan was easily in the championship best 11 and scored plenty of goals. Nolan all day everyday for me. Why did O'Neil get the Boro player of the season award if (as you say) he wasn't a stand out performer?
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Post by pasa on Jul 13, 2010 19:47:23 GMT
we could and should do better than o neil, oneil is another worker, we have enough grafters, we need a bit of quality in there, o neil isnt the right player imho, he wasnt a championship stand out performer either last season for boro. said it before and i'll say it again, kevin nolan playing under sam allardyce and his "style" (which coincidently is very simalar to ours) was a roaring success at bolton, on the verge of an england call up, he also scored goals. O Neil did nothing in the championship last season, nolan was easily in the championship best 11 and scored plenty of goals. Nolan all day everyday for me. Why did O'Neil get the Boro player of the season award if (as you say) he wasn't a stand out performer? oh right then lakeland, he must be good then, boro were shit last season, so o neil got player of the season award for boro, whoopy doo, easily premiership class.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Jul 13, 2010 19:56:25 GMT
Why did O'Neil get the Boro player of the season award if (as you say) he wasn't a stand out performer? oh right then lakeland, he must be good then, boro were shit last season, so o neil got player of the season award for boro, whoopy doo, easily premiership class. No need for any "whoopy doos" Pasa. I've no idea how good a season he had - but I do think, when you said he didn't have a stand out season, that it was worth pointing out that 20,000 Boro fans made him their player of the year. There is always room for more than one point of view on this board n'est ce pas?
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Post by actongatestokie on Jul 13, 2010 20:00:10 GMT
During the last window, when we signed Dean Whitehead, Davesviews told us that O'Neil was the original target but the manager/club had changed their minds on him because he was demanding a 3.5/4 year deal and that the club didn't want to commit financially - as we would outgrow him quite quickly because of our targets going forward.
I don't see any reason as to why that would change now somehow, especially when we are led to believe that our budget is no different from windows gone by and our A List targets are getting more obtainable each window.
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Post by pasa on Jul 13, 2010 20:10:08 GMT
oh right then lakeland, he must be good then, boro were shit last season, so o neil got player of the season award for boro, whoopy doo, easily premiership class. No need for any "whoopy doos" Pasa. I've no idea how good a season he had - but I do think, when you said he didn't have a stand out season, that it was worth pointing out that 20,000 Boro fans made him their player of the year. There is always room for more than one point of view on this board n'est ce pas? ;D fair do's but just because he got player of the season award for an average championship team hardly makes him somthing special does it. the reason they didnt win promotion is because their players arnt good enough, so o neil was the best of an average lot. And i bet that 20'000 individuals didn't vote for him he had one good game against us and people think he's better than he is. He had a good game against us in our first season when our midfield was rather dire. Nolan is proven to be succesful in the prem playing a style we play and scores goals.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jul 13, 2010 20:29:01 GMT
Nolan was woeful for 'Castle and the Bolton fans weren't sad to see him go because he had a poor season or two for them.
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Post by pasa on Jul 13, 2010 20:31:10 GMT
Nolan was woeful for 'Castle and the Bolton fans weren't sad to see him go because he had a poor season or two for them. a poor couple of seasons for bolton? wasnt it allardyce that bought him from bolton to newcastle?
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jul 13, 2010 20:33:30 GMT
I don't know, just going off what was being said on Bolton forums that Grapey posted.
His form for 'Castle that season suggested they were right too.
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