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Steve Williams, Wayne Bridge, Theo Walcott


TijuanaTim
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Watching Mank Schity right now and Bridger is stinking the place up (yet again)...

 

On that thought, is it just me or did we really get the best out of (at least) this three, get shedloads of dosh for them and then like a Nov 5th firework they kinda fizzled out after their bright starts?

 

Maybe I'm being premature?

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The other two names couldn't lace Williams boots.

 

Until he moved to Arsenal. I bet someone of the attitude of Arsene Wenger wouldn't have let Stevie slide. Theo will be all right. Wayne Bridge has always slightly missed his partner CMFG. Theo will be fine now, after a very slow start at Arsenal, but don't forget Gareth Bale, who most definitely left Saints too soon, IMO.

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Wayne Bridge was never the same after his injury. At Fulham he did OK but when he returned to Chelsea, he looked like he'd lost more than a yard of pace and alot of confidence.

 

At City he's got even worse. Sadly, it looks as though his best days are well behind him now.

 

Gareth Bale, however, has far, far more potential than Wayne Bridge and is of course, much younger. Redknapp's stripped him of confidence completely and you can see that in his performances.

 

A move to a club where he would be encouraged by the manager (Hodgson, Pulis etc) and not pillored would invigorate him.

 

Bale, for me, still has the ability to become a world class left back/wing back/winger - he just needs an arm round his shoulder and a manager who believes in him.

 

Whatever you think of Burley, he gave that to Bale - as he did to Kenwyne Jones. Who remembers Kenwyne's dramatic transformation from League Two clogger to Premiership potential? It was almost overnight... I remember watching him the weeks before the Birimingham home match and wondering if he'd ever reach beyond 'raw' - within a few weeks, he did. Touch, movement, heading, shooting - everything suddenly all clicked into place.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is ... don't write off any raw but naturally gifted footballers.

 

On the other hand, I actually think Theo is far more of an athelete than a footballer - and it still shows. He's still got far more developing to do as a footballer than Bale, Jones etc..

Edited by Crab Lungs
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Out of those 3 the only one I was genuinly gutted about leaving was Williams,the other 2 was just good business but Williams (the gerrard of his day) was a big loss IMO.

In one of my thoughtful moments I was trying to compare Stevie Williams with a modern day counterpart and Gerrard was the only one I could come with. Without wanting to patronise those who were unable to see him play in the red and white, at his peak he was that good. A contemporary of Hoddle's he was a far better all round player. Prodded and prompted by Bally he didn't beat people with pace but he had a sublime sort of drift movement that carried him past players. Never the same when he went to the Gooners even though they were his team.

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Bale is the best I've seen at Saints at his age.

 

At times during the play-off season he was our best defender, midfielder and attacker at the same time.

 

Give him a run of games in the Prem and he will do very well instead of throwing him in at the deep end every now and again (like today).

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I see the Bale curse struck again today. He still hasn't been on a winning Spurs side has he?

 

Nope, i feel sorry for him, but he was one of the reasons spurs didn't win that game. His defending for their first goal was atrocious and in the build up to the 2nd, he gave the ball away.

 

He totally needs a loan deal and again it's a fine example to the likes of Lallana and Morgan...that grass isn't always greener.

 

Look at Fabian Delph at Villa too - was a star for Leeds, played week in week out - gets the move to the prem in jan and has made an astonishing 4 appearances...just 4. Although I've heard he's a star in the reserves.

 

Bostock too.....was playing at Palace, spurs come sniffing...off he trotts. Where is he now? a division below palace, playing for brentford.

 

If Lallana has any sense, he'll stay here. We'll be in the prem. before long. - and he'll be more than ready for the step up by then.

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Nope, i feel sorry for him, but he was one of the reasons spurs didn't win that game. His defending for their first goal was atrocious and in the build up to the 2nd, he gave the ball away.

 

He totally needs a loan deal and again it's a fine example to the likes of Lallana and Morgan...that grass isn't always greener.

 

Look at Fabian Delph at Villa too - was a star for Leeds, played week in week out - gets the move to the prem in jan and has made an astonishing 4 appearances...just 4. Although I've heard he's a star in the reserves.

 

Bostock too.....was playing at Palace, spurs come sniffing...off he trotts. Where is he now? a division below palace, playing for brentford.

 

If Lallana has any sense, he'll stay here. We'll be in the prem. before long. - and he'll be more than ready for the step up by then.

 

Have to defend Bale on teh first goal. Whilst he allowed too much space between him and the defender, the clearance before hand was absolutely diabolical.

 

Agree with you about Delph, he was absolutely superb. He's got everything and should be a future England international in the future... but he might have to do the traditional step down to make a step up.

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In one of my thoughtful moments I was trying to compare Stevie Williams with a modern day counterpart and Gerrard was the only one I could come with. Without wanting to patronise those who were unable to see him play in the red and white, at his peak he was that good. A contemporary of Hoddle's he was a far better all round player. Prodded and prompted by Bally he didn't beat people with pace but he had a sublime sort of drift movement that carried him past players. Never the same when he went to the Gooners even though they were his team.

 

Agree,there are a lot on here who would have never seen Williams play so it's difficult for them to compare.

When he went to arsenal he didn't have bally at his side to keep him in line,if he would stayed a couple more seasons with bally as his mentor then I think his training would have been complete and he would have become one of the best players in Europe.

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jeff Kenna did ok leaving saints..

 

 

Blackburn did OK.They got Kenna, Flowers and Shearer from us..and THEIR best deal was unloading Dixon and Speedie on us.

It took away a big part of the Shearer fee... and then those two scarcely played a dozen games each before going.:mad:

We really got scre*ed there.

 

......... and along with the Charlie (mind yer fingers) George deal. £600k was a lotta' money ..especially in 1978.:(

 

(one of the few times that a Lawrie Mac deal went sour !)

Edited by david in sweden
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You've got your timelines wrong.

 

Bally played his last Saints game (I think) in autumn '82, a dramatic 3-2 win over Everton in which he missed a penalty. (I was there!)

 

Williams didn't leave until Dec '84, long after Bally left. His form had been even better after Bally left and got him into the England side for several games. I think he got 'tapped up' on England duty and that eventually led to him going, after which he was never picked in another England squad.

 

 

Agree,there are a lot on here who would have never seen Williams play so it's difficult for them to compare.

When he went to arsenal he didn't have bally at his side to keep him in line,if he would stayed a couple more seasons with bally as his mentor then I think his training would have been complete and he would have become one of the best players in Europe.

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Blackburn did OK.They got Kenna, Flowers and Shearer from us..and THEIR best deal was unloading Dixon and Speedie on us.

It took away a big part of the Shearer fee... and then those two scarcely played a dozen games each before going.:mad:

We really got scre*ed there.

 

......... and along with the Charlie (mind yer fingers) George deal. £600k was a lotta' money ..especially in 1978.:(

 

(one of the few times that a Lawrie Mac deal went sour !)

 

Totally agree with the above.

 

Not forgetting we also got Groves (already injured and finished) and Marshall (never really started a career) later from the Arse.

 

Ripley was also a waste of money from Blackburn....Injured and could never really be bothered.:mad:

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You've got your timelines wrong.

 

Bally played his last Saints game (I think) in autumn '82, a dramatic 3-2 win over Everton in which he missed a penalty. (I was there!)

 

Williams didn't leave until Dec '84, long after Bally left. His form had been even better after Bally left and got him into the England side for several games. I think he got 'tapped up' on England duty and that eventually led to him going, after which he was never picked in another England squad.

 

Was about to post much the same, then saw yours. When Williams left he was at his peak, a terrific midfielder. We all used to sing that he was better than Hoddle - and he was, too. But then he went to Arsenal - a team which, at that time, didn't really bother too much about the midfield. So he spent a couple of seasons simply watching the ball go over his head a lot of the time. Then they moved him on to Luton (I think).

 

Comparisons to Steven Gerrard are not misplaced I think, though Williams never scored as many goals as he perhaps should have done.

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In one of my thoughtful moments I was trying to compare Stevie Williams with a modern day counterpart and Gerrard was the only one I could come with. Without wanting to patronise those who were unable to see him play in the red and white, at his peak he was that good. A contemporary of Hoddle's he was a far better all round player. Prodded and prompted by Bally he didn't beat people with pace but he had a sublime sort of drift movement that carried him past players. Never the same when he went to the Gooners even though they were his team.

 

 

Stevie was Fantastic...but Gerrard and Hoddle score for the fun of it, whereas Williams had a strike rate nearer to say...a Xavi. I feel he was a far more responsible, maybe ever defense oriented half back. The irony being he would have complimented Hoddle 10 times better than 'Butch' Friggin' Wilkins...trouble being we had a certain Bryan Robson also at the time....Steve is exactly what the current England team need...well the SW that played for Saints anyway!

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Stevie was Fantastic...but Gerrard and Hoddle score for the fun of it, whereas Williams had a strike rate nearer to say...a Xavi. I feel he was a far more responsible, maybe ever defense oriented half back. The irony being he would have complimented Hoddle 10 times better than 'Butch' Friggin' Wilkins...trouble being we had a certain Bryan Robson also at the time....Steve is exactly what the current England team need...well the SW that played for Saints anyway!

 

Hoddle had sublime skills and you're right he was more of a goalscorer. Some of the goals he scored would equal and almost eclipse the very best of MLT. Gerrard is game changer. someone who single handedly can alter the course of a game. e.g. Istanbul 05. However SW's contribution to a Saints team which at the time challenged the almost invincible Liverpool sides of the early 80's cannot be underestimated. As an all round midfielder playing on the RHS he was just a great for us, complimented on the LHS of midfield by David Armstrong. Don't even get me started on his qualities!!

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