Make-or-Break season

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HangTime

HangTime

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What individuals do you think this will be a real make-or-break season for? I'm thinking primarily Premiership football here, but you could apply this to any sport starting a new season about now.

Here's some of my names:

Abou Diaby:
Showed a lot of promise in his early years at the club, but was poor last season and really needs to step up to the plate this time around or risk being cast aside. Part of the problem seems to be that nobody knows his best position.

Theo Walcott:
Turns 21 this season, so it's about time he developed some composure and added consistency to his game. Injuries to Nasri and Rosicknote could give him a chance to stake a claim, and he'll need to impress if he wants to secure a place in the WC squad.

Michael Owen:
Speaking of the World Cup, Owen obviously isn't a favourite of Capello and seems to have banked the remainder of his career on joining a top side and trying to demonstrate his skills on the main stage - when he gets an opportunity that is. Secretly he must be praying for an injury to Rooney or Berbatov.

Mark Hughes:
With the takeover happening so late last summer, Hughes never really got a chance to shape his squad for last season. The same can't be said this time around, and I can't see men with the resources the MC board have being patient with him for too long if things aren't going to plan.

Stuart Downing:
Has finally got his move away from Boro to a club challenging for Europe. He has some fans but also some pretty harsh critics, has been on the fringes of the English team for some time (on account of being a left winger!) and I think at his age it is now or never for him.

Ben Foster:
The injury to VdS could be just want he's been waiting for - an opportunity to stake a claim for the #1 jersey at MU, not to mention put his hat into the ring as long-term successor to David James at international level. Personally I rate him highly, great distribution in particular and judging by how suspect VdS looked at times last season I really think this could be an opportunity to force him out.
 
Nani
Definitely his chance to shine, a good pre season with a much better attitude from him, coupled with a good performance against Chelsea has me hopeful.
 
Rafa Benitez
Came so close last year to the title, but until then, and since winning the CL, he's done very little. If we don't do much again this year he'll have people calling for his head.

Lucas
Joined Liverpool with a great reputation and, although he's shown some potential occasionally, has done very little. With a solid pre-season under his belt, and after Alonso's departure, this is his chance to shine; if he doesn't, he's gone.
 
Nicklas Bendtner
I can see him being sold at the end of next season if he doesn't perform consistently this year. It takes more than pink boots to make a good player.
 
I think Bendtner may stick around longer, he's contracted until 2012 and has opened talks on a new deal. I think he has potential (albeit isn't a great player yet and has underperformed in front og goal at times) and I think Wenger will give him at least another year after this one, if nothing else as a backup player. That said if Arsenal fail to deliver this year I suspect Wenger will walk anyway as IIRC his contract runs out next summer.
 
manic111 said:
Rafa Benitez
Came so close last year to the title, but until then, and since winning the CL, he's done very little. If we don't do much again this year he'll have people calling for his head.
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I half agree (well probably less than half) with this but to say he's done very little other than the CL win is nonsense. When he took over we were ~30 points off the lead and in real risk of falling out of the 'top 4', we've since established ourselves as 1 of a few clubs that have a real chance of winning the CL every season and have massively closed the gap on the top.

The lack of a trophy since the FA cup needs to be addressed though. 3 seasons without a trophy is too much.

Regarding the OP:
Ryan Babel
Showed moments of real promise in his first season and looked like a possible star of the future. Last saeason to say he even stood still would be generous to him. There were still a few moments of magic but few and far between. He's got bags of ability but lacks 'game intelligence' and any real drive. He's said to have come back this summer with a better attitude and hopefully that shows in his performances as with no sign of a new striker or winger coming in before the window closes, he's going to be needed.
 
Owen, Valencia, Nani, all with things to prove for various reasons. Owen to prove he can stay fit, if he can he WILL score, frankly only idiots think he's not a great scorer anymore. At a poor team still maintained basically a 1 in 2 goal ratio despite no form.

Nani needs to prove he can stay good for a FULL 90 minutes and in high pressure games, his goal against Chelski might have been great, but 5 minutes later he wasn't doing anything, a bit after that his utter lazyness left no cover for the goal Utd conceded, Chelsea players ran past him, he saw them, looked, and thought smeg that.

Valencia has shown promise, but his goal and assist return wasn't fantastic, preseason against poor teams is one thing, in europe and with better players around him, it will be interesting to see if he steps it up.

Some of the others mentioned are silly, Diaby's a (or another) bad career threatening tackle waiting to happen, defensively poor, offensively poor and can't tackle to save his life. Theo is a horrible winger, won't have a chance upfront and frankly won't turn into a good player till he leaves Arsenal for a club without 7 better strikers where he can get first team footie in his position. Like wise Hughes has nothing to prove this year except improvement, which would be hard to not have without Hamann and Vassell starting half this years games. Their owners have very specifically said they DO NOT EXPECT short term instant success, if it happens Hughes is a god, when it doesn't, its whats expected by Hughes, the players and the owners, just not the press.


Then Bendtner, 9 goals in the league alone from a sporadic year frequently out of position with a lot less time on the field than most of the people who scored similar amounts of goals around him. He'll improve, get more games and is a pretty good player, at worst, someone who scored roughly as many as Crouch, keane, Berbatov, Defoe, Adebayor, RVP but with less time on the pitch. WIth a goals to minutes ratio thats almost the same as Rooney's(196 per goal for Bendtner, 188 for Rooney, 199 for RVP, 336 for Crouch, 285 for Berbatov, etc, etc, etc) I see no problem. At worst he's WAY more than good enough, and cheap enough in wages as an alternative more physical player who will score quite a few as a backup player.


Personally its players like Blake, who was fantastic against a bunch of top teams in the cups, who could really show they can make the step up this year. Bullard returning from injury, Bent with first team football.
 
Great thread by the way fella.

Arsene Wenger In a strange kind of way I can see this being a make or break season for Wenger. He is the consummate master of PR so when there is little money available it kind of gets turned to him not wanting to spend it. There are obvious money issues at The Emirates but if the stats quo remains the same what next for Wenger ? He probably has taken the club as far as he can go on the budget he has and the club has probably gone as far as they can with him so unless he delivers some silverware then I see storm clouds brewing.

The current cycle appears to be Arsenal play shoddy ----- Fans call for Wengers head and he doesn't know what he's doing-------Wenger asks for patience and goes on a great run from October till March----- Fans declare their undying love and in Arsene we trust--------Season fizzles out into nothing.

Wash, Rinse and Repeat.

Joking aside, I think Wenger is a fantastic manager and given some of the absolute ***** I have seen George Graham serve up at Old Trafford, Arse fans really do have short memories.

That aside I think this is a make or break season for him
 
Nani:
Ronaldo gone, Nani has to step up. Finally time to live up to that potential. He's looked very good in pre season.
 
Rafa Benitez: He's getting close now, and I think if he doesn't make that jump this season and win something big (PL/CL) then I expect his head to roll next summer.

Arsene Wenger: Same as above, but even more pressure. From being a major force in the late nineties Arsenal have threatened to drop out of the top four. Man City are going to push hard for a CL spot, and I expect Everton/Villa to be there making things difficult too.
 
drunkenmaster said:
Nonsensical rants
Click to expand...

Once again, they are all terrible and should have never been born, Apart from Bendtner ofcourse, since he is the next messiah, after Eboue.

Jesus, same old rants over and over again.

And; I think it's a make or break season for Ashley Young and Agbonlahor;

If they play bad, they don't go to the WC, if they play well, they do. Pretty simple :p
 
Dave Kitson at stoke, if he does well i think will ship out to another low level premier league team. If he does badly he will end up in the championship / League one.
 
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