Topic: Craig Bellamy

[exiledintheusa]

Strange considering his tie-in with Warrior.

[Vork+The Knights of Good]

Get rid of players who aren't contributing first.

Bellamy is one of few match winners we have.  Yes £2 million fee helps us and it reduces the wage bill more, but I find it frustrating losing our best players (and Bellamy was one of those last season) and keeping hold of someone like Downing, who could easily be sold.

Again, it's just not as simple as that. Who precisely is inquiring about these players who aren't contributing? You realize they have contracts so we can't just throw them out onto the street? We need demand in order to move them. I get that it's easy to say we should move on certain players first, but the world doesn't always acquiesce to our wishes.

[rocco]

How long does Craig have left on his contract.

[Anywhichwayucan]

How long does Craig have left on his contract.

Runs out next summer.

[rocco]

Runs out next summer.

£2m not bad then

[Anywhichwayucan]

£2m not bad then

Aye, quite surprised that's the figure being touted.

[conman]

Runs out next summer.

then that's a swing of 5.2million for Craig Douglas Bellamy. sell now or sell in a year. massive diference

[Azi]

Strange considering his tie-in with Warrior.

i dont think his move will be affected by his charity work already does a fair amount in africa anyway and warrior are hardly going to stop backing him cos hes left us

[Z e u s]

Again, it's just not as simple as that. Who precisely is inquiring about these players who aren't contributing? You realize they have contracts so we can't just throw them out onto the street? We need demand in order to move them. I get that it's easy to say we should move on certain players first, but the world doesn't always acquiesce to our wishes.

Stop with the patronising - "it is not as simple as that".  Yes I know someone like Downing has a contract.

Downing is rated in the game.  He was successful at Villa, Brad Friedel praised him on Sky saying what a good footballer he is.  He got in the England set up.  He is not good enough for us, but teams like Sunderland, Stoke, Villa etc would take some like Downing for £10 million.

Even if Downing can't be sold - which I think he can easily be sold.

Why sell our best wide player last season?  For £2 million, which is hardly anything.  He is one of few match winners we have, we need players like him to get in the top four.  He can make an impact off the bench or starting and we don't have hardly any other players who can do this.

I'm sick of the club looking at balance sheets.  Keep our best players, get rid of the poor ones and the finances will take care of themselves - as we have more chance of getting in the top four.  If we sell Bellamy, keep Downing then don't complain when we don't come top four.  As Downing was one large reaosn why we didn't get top four last season, as he contributed 'F all' in terms of assists and goals, unlike Bellamy with far less game time.

Bellamy gives you passion, professionalism and is guaranteed quality. 

I hope this is bollocks.

[jimmyjr86]

I'd rather we kept him as a back up striker. If he wants to go to get more games then I wouldn't want the club getting in his way. Think the romanticism with Kenny was a major factor in getting gim back. Would he want to stay as a bit part player for anyone other than kenny?

[Vork+The Knights of Good]

Stop with the patronising - "it is not as simple as that".  Yes I know someone like Downing has a contract.

Downing is rated in the game.  He was successful at Villa, Brad Friedel praised him on Sky saying what a good footballer he is.  He got in the England set up.  He is not good enough for us, but teams like Sunderland, Stoke, Villa etc would take some like Downing for £10 million.

Even if Downing can't be sold - which I think he can easily be sold.

Why sell our best wide player last season?  For £2 million, which is hardly anything.  He is one of few match winners we have, we need players like him to get in the top four.  He can make an impact off the bench or starting and we don't have hardly any other players who can do this.

I'm sick of the club looking at balance sheets.  Keep our best players, get rid of the poor ones and the finances will take care of themselves - as we have more chance of getting in the top four.  If we sell Bellamy, keep Downing then don't complain when we don't come top four.  As Downing was one large reaosn why we didn't get top four last season, as he contributed 'F all' in terms of assists and goals, unlike Bellamy with far less game time.

Bellamy gives you passion, professionalism and is guaranteed quality. 

I hope this is bollocks.

It's not meant to be patronizing in the least. You kept making general statements like "get rid of Players X, Y, and Z first" and I don't believe it's as simple as that. You say that those clubs would love to have Downing for 10m? Well where are the offers? You may turn out to be right, but as of now I don't see it. And the club may feel like giving Downing another year to try and justify his price tag/raise his value beyond your hypothetical 10m.

Bellamy, on the other hand, has no hope of raising his value. His age and contract make that a certainty. We either sell him now for what we can get or lose him for nothing next summer. That means we need to consider the offers we receive now. He certainly offers something, but I think it's entirely reasonable that the club doesn't see a 33-year-old with dodgy knees as the key to us achieving fourth next year. If we can get 2m plus saving nearly 4m on wages while promoting Sterling well I can see the appeal there.

You may not like looking at balance sheets, but that's how the game works today. If you want a competitive club that has success over the long haul we need to take a long hard look at all aspects of our side, including finances. It should never be the sole motivation in any footballing decisions at the club, but it certainly plays a part.

As I said in my original post, I can see both sides of this one. Let's be clear, though; Bellamy is not one of our better plays nor is he a key to next season. If he is then we're in very big trouble. He performed very well the first half of last year, but that doesn't make him someone we need to build around. If we can get something for him then it's worth considering. Would you rather have one more year of Bellamy or buy another Coates who we'll have for years to come? I think you can reasonably fall on either side of that debate.

[Spanish Al]

I think if Rodgers wants him to stay, he will stay. His wages next year will be worth it because he will play a part. A small part but still an important one. Then he can join Cardiff on a free and end his career there. Hopefully he thinks the same too.

[Z e u s]

It's not meant to be patronizing in the least. You kept making general statements like "get rid of Players X, Y, and Z first" and I don't believe it's as simple as that. You say that those clubs would love to have Downing for 10m? Well where are the offers? You may turn out to be right, but as of now I don't see it. And the club may feel like giving Downing another year to try and justify his price tag/raise his value beyond your hypothetical 10m.

Bellamy, on the other hand, has no hope of raising his value. His age and contract make that a certainty. We either sell him now for what we can get or lose him for nothing next summer. That means we need to consider the offers we receive now. He certainly offers something, but I think it's entirely reasonable that the club doesn't see a 33-year-old with dodgy knees as the key to us achieving fourth next year. If we can get 2m plus saving nearly 4m on wages while promoting Sterling well I can see the appeal there.

You may not like looking at balance sheets, but that's how the game works today. If you want a competitive club that has success over the long haul we need to take a long hard look at all aspects of our side, including finances. It should never be the sole motivation in any footballing decisions at the club, but it certainly plays a part.

As I said in my original post, I can see both sides of this one. Let's be clear, though; Bellamy is not one of our better plays nor is he a key to next season. If he is then we're in very big trouble. He performed very well the first half of last year, but that doesn't make him someone we need to build around. If we can get something for him then it's worth considering. Would you rather have one more year of Bellamy or buy another Coates who we'll have for years to come? I think you can reasonably fall on either side of that debate.

I understand all what you are saying.

I just find it deeply frustrating that we potentially could sell someone like Bellamy, our best wide player last season and keep Downing who was a massive disappointment.

I know they need to balance the books, I know FSG like to have younger players who can be the next big stars and can appreciate in value and offer the club many good years or a resale value.  I also have no problem with Sterling being promoted, he deserves to be whether Bellamy is here or not.

But I do find it frustrating seeing us lose one of few match winners we have in the squad.  If Bellamy goes, then Rodgers and FSG better have some aces up their sleeves. 

I guess all we can do is judge the summers business at the end of the window, but I am very disappointed at this news, if true.

[Vork+The Knights of Good]

I understand all what you are saying.

I just find it deeply frustrating that we potentially could sell someone like Bellamy, our best wide player last season and keep Downing who was a massive disappointment.

I know they need to balance the books, I know FSG like to have younger players who can be the next big stars and can appreciate in value and offer the club many good years or a resale value.  I also have no problem with Sterling being promoted, he deserves to be whether Bellamy is here or not.

But I do find it frustrating seeing us lose one of few match winners we have in the squad.  If Bellamy goes, then Rodgers and FSG better have some aces up their sleeves. 

I guess all we can do is judge the summers business at the end of the window, but I am very disappointed at this news, if true.

Yeah I think that's a fair stance to have, but I think it also needs to be looked at honestly. We're talking about Bellamy, who's the wrong side of 30 and unable to play two games in a week, as our best wide player. That needs to be improved massively and I don't think anyone (outside of Sterling) should be safe in that discussion. Everyone can be improved upon, but they also have different circumstances which need to be considered on an individual basis. It doesn't all come down to performance when considering who we sell. Unfortunately, that's just the way it works.

[Z e u s]

Yeah I think that's a fair stance to have, but I think it also needs to be looked at honestly. We're talking about Bellamy, who's the wrong side of 30 and unable to play two games in a week, as our best wide player. That needs to be improved massively and I don't think anyone (outside of Sterling) should be safe in that discussion. Everyone can be improved upon, but they also have different circumstances which need to be considered on an individual basis. It doesn't all come down to performance when considering who we sell. Unfortunately, that's just the way it works.

Yes I guess if we could sell Aquilani and Cole, then Bellamy probably would stay.  But given it looks unlikely anyone will pay the wages for these two, then Rodgers might feel he'd be best to use them in his plans and take the hit on Bellamy and maybe Maxi as well.

[aggerdoo]

i think he was misused under kenny to be honest. the one game he played the lone striker at anfield against man city he was unbelievable. honestly was the player performance of the season for me and he was knackered by 60 minutes he put in that much of a shift. keep him

[Gifted Right Foot]

i thought he was our signing of the seaon last year and would be a massive loss if he wasnt in our squad for next year.  i guess you could say it will free up room for new signings and give sterling maybe a few more minutes if he is around but i would still miss him.  the club needs a clear out of the older lads with higher wages but i dont think we should be selling/releasing all of them at once.  aurelio, kuyt and maybe maxi look like leaving so i think he would be a valuable experienced head around the squad....but if he wants to go then fair enough.  good luck to him if he does. 

[Z e u s]

And who exactly is going to buy him on 90k a week wages?

No one.  But I can't see Bellamy getting 60k wages at Cardiff.

[SP]

This is a Ronseal topic. It does exactly what it says on the subject.  Drift off topic into suggesting offloading, say, Carra, and you'll have a little break on us. There are plenty of other places to have those discussions.

[Bakez0151]

we'd be worse off selling him than we would with the money coming in

keep him for another season.

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

Absolute bullshit if this happens. Wouldn't surprise me though, considering our recent history in the transfer market.

[Z e u s]

We only scored 47 goals last season.

Selling Bellamy who got six of them, despite not being a regular isn't going to help on that front.

[Melbred]

We only scored 47 goals last season.

Selling Bellamy who got six of them, despite not being a regular isn't going to help on that front.

That's if he even leaves. And even if he does, do you know who's going to be brought in to replace him?

[macca888]

This is a Ronseal topic.

A few less coats on the goal posts during the summer and we might score a few more goals next season.

[Z e u s]

That's if he even leaves. And even if he does, do you know who's going to be brought in to replace him?

No I don't.

As I said I will judge the whole summer activity at the end and remain open minded until that happens.

But selling Bellamy is not something I would be doing.  I'd be getting rid of the players who weren't contributing last season.

[The Infamous_LFC]

Keep him he's a winner. We can't loose winners we need to gain some quality not deplete the squad.

[ricen]

Why is everyone freaking out over this? Am I the only one whom remembers his first spell here? Getting any kind of money at all is great formsomeone his age. It's not like we have our own little giggs here ( I hate the mancs with all my heart but he's so good I begrudgingly respect him.)

[Saint Kopite™]

We should keep Bellamy. He may be old but its not like two million pounds is a lot of money for him. We won't be getting better players than him for that much money anyways. He is our best wide player if we don't count Luis. If we are looking to sell some wide-player it should be Downing. Not Bellamy.

[Saint Kopite™]

Why is everyone freaking out over this? Am I the only one whom remembers his first spell here? Getting any kind of money at all is great formsomeone his age. It's not like we have our own little giggs here ( I hate the mancs with all my heart but he's so good I begrudgingly respect him.)

We already need two odd good wide players as it stands. Selling Bellamy means we would need one more. I don't think its THAT good price anyways. Certainly not if we consider how good he was for us in the first half of the season.

[Vork+The Knights of Good]

We should keep Bellamy. He may be old but its not like two million pounds is a lot of money for him. We won't be getting better players than him for that much money anyways. He is our best wide player if we don't count Luis. If we are looking to sell some wide-player it should be Downing. Not Bellamy.

I don't think anyone is under the illusion that 2m is a lot of money for him; it's just a lot more than we'll get if we let him go on a bosman next summer. Combine that with the saved wages (probably 3-4m), Sterling's promotion to the first team, and the possibility of another wide forward coming in this summer and I don't know if keeping Bellamy is worth that cost. I suppose it all depends on how key a role Rodgers sees for him. It's not an exorbitant amount of money so we can certainly keep him, but it's nothing to sneeze at either. If Rodgers doesn't envision him playing a big role then we might as well save that money and put it towards someone who's going to be at the club beyond 2013.

[Kopitian]

Sell: Bellamy, Kuyt, Maxi, Aquilani.
Keep: Adam, Downing, Spearing.

Hmmm makes sense..

Perfect sense mate.

We'll win the league..easily

[Saint Kopite™]

I don't think anyone is under the illusion that 2m is a lot of money for him; it's just a lot more than we'll get if we let him go on a bosman next summer. Combine that with the saved wages (probably 3-4m), Sterling's promotion to the first team, and the possibility of another wide forward coming in this summer and I don't know if keeping Bellamy is worth that cost. I suppose it all depends on how key a role Rodgers sees for him. It's not an exorbitant amount of money so we can certainly keep him, but it's nothing to sneeze at either. If Rodgers doesn't envision him playing a big role then we might as well save that money and put it towards someone who's going to be at the club beyond 2013.

Sterling is still a kid. Even if we plan to use him, I don't think he will playing regularly. He will be getting game time in the Europa League and Carling Cup games first and few sub appearances here and there in the premier league. As of now, we have Andy, Luis, Bellamy, Downing and Maxi. We need one striker and one wide player. If we sell Bellamy, we would need one more wide player and there are rumours about Maxi leave as well.

[Gojedo]

I hope he stays. If he does and then goes for free next season, fine. We don't have to make money off every player that leaves. He's a player that more often than not applies a lot of passion and committment to the way he plays. And he is quality enough to provide us with a level of impact or performance that can help improve on last season. I would also imagine he has the personality, experience and zeal that can help and hopefully drive other players on to better and bigger things. A guiding hand if you will. Bellamy is quality on the field, quality off it. I hope he stays.

[Vork+The Knights of Good]

Sterling is still a kid. Even if we plan to use him, I don't think he will playing regularly. He will be getting game time in the Europa League and Carling Cup games first and few sub appearances here and there in the premier league. As of now, we have Andy, Luis, Bellamy, Downing and Maxi. We need one striker and one wide player. If we sell Bellamy, we would need one more wide player and there are rumours about Maxi leave as well.

Sterling is a kid, but the most talented one at the club and one who's going to start featuring regularly sooner rather than later. I would argue that we also have Gerrard who could (and many think should) play on the right and Eccleston who I personally think could function quite effectively in the Sinclair role. That would give us Andy, Luis, Downing, Maxi, Sterling, Gerrard, and Eccleston. Plus we'll probably bring in one more this summer which would give us more than enough options without Bellamy. There's also a chance Suso could see some limited action on the right.

Again, I don't want to see Bellamy sold, but I can understand the folks at the club contemplating it considering his age, contract situation, and prospective role next year.

[DanA]

Sterling is still a kid. Even if we plan to use him, I don't think he will playing regularly. He will be getting game time in the Europa League and Carling Cup games first and few sub appearances here and there in the premier league. As of now, we have Andy, Luis, Bellamy, Downing and Maxi. We need one striker and one wide player. If we sell Bellamy, we would need one more wide player and there are rumours about Maxi leave as well.

You can add Joe Cole to the list of "as of now". Not my preference to keep him but for the moment he's on the playing list.

[Danny_]

Bellamy is good when available but his knees are done.  I don't think he is a huge loss to us if he moves on.  I'll be sad to see him go because he is a true red.

[Saint Kopite™]

Sterling is a kid, but the most talented one at the club and one who's going to start featuring regularly sooner rather than later. I would argue that we also have Gerrard who could (and many think should) play on the right and Eccleston who I personally think could function quite effectively in the Sinclair role. That would give us Andy, Luis, Downing, Maxi, Sterling, Gerrard, and Eccleston. Plus we'll probably bring in one more this summer which would give us more than enough options without Bellamy. There's also a chance Suso could see some limited action on the right.

Again, I don't want to see Bellamy sold, but I can understand the folks at the club contemplating it considering his age, contract situation, and prospective role next year.

I don't know, mate. Don't you think its a risk if we sell all of Dirk, Maxi and Bellamy in the same window? We would bring some new players and all but there is a high chance some might need time to adapt. I think its necessary to keep at least one of Maxi or Bellamy.

[kenworthy]

If this happens the departure list is definitely expanding quickly. Makes me wonder when we're getting any new players in.

[Saint Kopite™]

You can add Joe Cole to the list of "as of now". Not my preference to keep him but for the moment he's on the playing list.

Completely forgot about him.

[Passmaster Molby]

Squad player, 33 years old and his knees are shot which means he cant play a full season. If we can get 2mill and it allows Rodgers to bring in younger talent who can play the way he wants then no problem.