Pav in contract talks.

[bigv]

Im with you on that one Metal. Crouch has received the benefit of Harrys favoritism yet has failed to score consistently in the Prem. I wonder if the roles were reversed and Pav got the necessary starts and game time leading to a stable run in the side how he would do. I thought at one stage that he and defoe were beginning to gel before he was relegated to 3rd choice last season. You guys can argue all  day about the giraffe's value as a knock down merchant and assist creator but at the end of the day he is a striker who doesnt score goals in his domestic league. Emile Heskey for example, villa fans would argue that he is a "great" striker but he just doesn't score goals. Thats Pathetic! I'm a great footballer but i just cant kick the ball you know. We are, as mentioned too predictable with Crouch as first choice striker and the long ball tactics , especially inn periods of desperation are not the methods of a top side. Crouch is a good impact sub, last option type player at best.

[dedleysting]

To be honest, neither Pav or Crouch are good enough really if you ask me.
 
I feel Crouch is the better team player with his hold-up play letting VDV etc get in to the box ans has scored some key goals in the "big games".
 
Pav for me is greedy (much like defoe) and shoots at every opportunity even when there are better options which fustrates the hell out of me. Having said that Pav has scored some great goals - the one vs Bolton stands out recently.
 
I just feel Crouch works harder than Pav more often than not, but playing Crocuh does make us predictable. Pav seems to come across lazy when he starts and uniterested at times which i don't like at all.
 
I would probably sell Pav and use Crouch as an inpact sub (arguably when he's at his best)

[Gareth Keown]

doesnt matter at all if a player himself scores.... if he's making shedloads of assists for others...

which Crouch IS doing.... as well as scoring regularly in the CL...

[YidJoe24]

I really really like Pav, but in the past he has really infuriated me, however of late he seems to be playing better than usual, if he carries on like this then I hope he does stay.

[Metalanimal]

GK you say "doesnt matter at all if a player himself scores.... if he's making shedloads of assists for others..."

Crouch is a striker not a play maker, strikers job to get the goals, keepers job to stop the goals.  Its like saying it doenst matter if a keeper doesnt make saves as long he distributes the ball well and creates chances!

If a striker isnt scoring ship em out as his place would be better served to someone that can!

[bigv]

GK you say "doesnt matter at all if a player himself scores.... if he's making shedloads of assists for others..."

Crouch is a striker not a play maker, strikers job to get the goals, keepers job to stop the goals.  Its like saying it doenst matter if a keeper doesnt make saves as long he distributes the ball well and creates chances!

If a striker isnt scoring ship em out as his place would be better served to someone that can!

I rest my case. Cough. NO further questions your honour!!!

[Gareth Keown]

methinks youre talking outta the wrong end Metalsy...

a striker's job is to score goals AND MAKE GOALS FOR OTHERS... to say that a striker can only be judged by the goals he scores is very simplistic and limited...Ozil is a great example of a 2nd-striker: scores at 1 in7 rate, but has assists of better than 1 in 2 games..

in any case, a playmaker's role is to initiate moves (usually from centre-midfield) that create attacking plays.... he rarely is the player that has the most assists (which may well be a wide-player thru crosses)..

[Biggs]

Thing is with Pav, Technically he's not a very good footballer, He's main attribute is shooting.

When you have someone like that in your side, the rest of the team have to work alot harder to create chances, look at Defoe's performance for example yesterday, i have never seen him run so much.

But he had no choice because he was playing up front with Pav, if he was playing up front with Crocuh Sunday i don't think we would have been doing that.

But that's not a dig towards Harrys team selection yesterday, totally understand why he went with Pav over Crouch, because of the goal threat and he knew Defoe could do a good enough job dropping off.

I do understand what your saying about, if a strikers not scoring goals ship him out, and its true strikers do need to scare goals, but i feel they need to do alot more than that too.

Look at the best strikers in the world, Drogba, Torres, Rooney, Berbatov, Etp'o... none of them are just out and out goal scorers, they do create goals to.

You could say Pav offers us what Crouch doesn't, but i feel that in some ways Crouch offers us what Pav doesn't aswell

[Gareth Keown]

THAT, in a nutshell, is why we need a new primary striker at Spurs.... neither Pav nor Crouch can give us ALL the attributes needed..

we need a tall, pacy fecker who can be a target-man to Defoe AND/OR play as a lone striker with Vaart, and be able to attack the space behind backlines... also, someone who can welly it, head it, and knows when to pass it...

[taimedowne]

THAT, in a nutshell, is why we need a new primary striker at Spurs.... neither Pav nor Crouch can give us ALL the attributes needed..

we need a tall, pacy fecker who can be a target-man to Defoe AND/OR play as a lone striker with Vaart, and be able to attack the space behind backlines... also, someone who can welly it, head it, and knows when to pass it...

Thats quite a list of attributes to find in one guy. Sounds like a hell of a job for Harry to get all that for the money we are likely to want to spend.

[Metalanimal]

My point with Crouch is that he aint up to much full stop or tactics when we play him make us predictable and easy to defend against, most half decent defenders have Crouch in their pocket without even breaking into a sweat!

Pav gives us more IMO he is more of a goal threat and is also at his best being brought on as a sub.  I think given a run of games under his belt we will see exactly how valuable he can be and I think he will now get that opportunity.

[Gareth Keown]

THAT, in a nutshell, is why we need a new primary striker at Spurs.... neither Pav nor Crouch can give us ALL the attributes needed..

we need a tall, pacy fecker who can be a target-man to Defoe AND/OR play as a lone striker with Vaart, and be able to attack the space behind backlines... also, someone who can welly it, head it, and knows when to pass it...

Thats quite a list of attributes to find in one guy. Sounds like a hell of a job for Harry to get all that for the money we are likely to want to spend.

not necessarily Taimsy.... money helps to get a FAMOUS player with those attributes, but thres plenty around...

let me name a few realistic targets just off the top of my head:-

Iaqunta...... Jerome...... Fabiano...... Bothroyd...... Lukaku (25m+)..... then theres 2nd-tier options eg. Ibecevic, Lucazette, Arnautevic.....possibly even Connor Wickham (Lennon was playing great for Spurs @ 18yrs)....

[ugs]

THAT, in a nutshell, is why we need a new primary striker at Spurs.... neither Pav nor Crouch can give us ALL the attributes needed..

we need a tall, pacy fecker who can be a target-man to Defoe AND/OR play as a lone striker with Vaart, and be able to attack the space behind backlines... also, someone who can welly it, head it, and knows when to pass it...

Thats quite a list of attributes to find in one guy. Sounds like a hell of a job for Harry to get all that for the money we are likely to want to spend.

Cameron Jerome
 
 

[CountPuchi]

Dzeko, Cardozo to name a few too~

[Gareth Keown]

Dzeko will be waaaaay too expensive nowadays... maybe worth it 2yrs ago..

Cardozo ...... the guy makes Crouch look quick... absolutely NOT.

I really wouldnt mind that Drogba-type Matt Kondji from tyhe NY Bulls... he looked excellent in the Pre-Season tourny.... tall, pacy, great feet... could do alot worse...... maybe a swap-deal with Keano to go play with Henry in New Joke City