Center Back

[Darth Vela]

Samba would still be my first choice, he'd complement most of our current CBs and he's a mean-looking man-mountain, everything we need against the bombardiers.

In reference to Flavs cutting a swathe through this thread, our organisation and concentration on set-pieces was bloody awful but okay from open-play without the stupid errors and general lack of cover from midfield, which is why I feel that with a bit of added height and non-Squillaciness in our defence combined with the added work in training we should be more solid on set-pieces and in general; there's things to work on but if we stop giving it away as much in midfield and work together, we'll be alright.

[AKBapologist]

To be fucking honest, we could have won the league by scoring a few more goals and there are many ways to slice this cat.

However, the comical nature of some of the goals we conceded or games lost are ABSOLUTELY individual errors... Aluminia vs west brom, eboue penalty vs liverpool, squallici own goals or squallci vs Newcastle.

You've also got to understand that a lot of this has to do with the way we play. We where an attacking side, we were set up to score goals which was important because we actually didn't score enough, too many games in which we failed to score, too many games in which our attack was one dimensional and stuck on first gear. We were figured out last season in both areas of the pitch but for a team set up to attack, not scoring enough was the most worrying.

[Niall_Quinn]

but if we stop giving it away as much in midfield and work together

Yep, no point playing the ball retention game when you keep giving it away at the vital moment. We have some seriously careless (and unjustifiably cocky) players in this team. Somebody needs to kick them in the knackers and tell them to lose the swagger and gain the sweat.

[AKBapologist]

So players giving away the ball at the wrong point is down to training?

(hint, it isn't - down to nerves, composure/experience, especially playing under pressure and some donkeys who from time to time play hospital balls. In general though, given we have the best pass completion rate in the league this its a retarded thing to blame our collapse on.)

And even if it was 100% down to training, buying experienced, better trained players will help. As it did with Sol Campbell and a bunch of others.

[Niall_Quinn]

So players giving away the ball at the wrong point is down to training?

(hint, it isn't - down to nerves, composure/experience, especially playing under pressure and some donkeys who from time to time play hospital balls. In general though, given we have the best pass completion rate in the league this its a retarded thing to blame our collapse on.)

And even if it was 100% down to training, buying experienced, better trained players will help. As it did with Sol Campbell and a bunch of others.

Wha.....? No, I didn't say anything about training. Are you talking to me?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Samba would still be my first choice, he'd complement most of our current CBs and he's a mean-looking man-mountain, everything we need against the bombardiers.

In reference to Flavs cutting a swathe through this thread, our organisation and concentration on set-pieces was bloody awful but okay from open-play without the stupid errors and general lack of cover from midfield, which is why I feel that with a bit of added height and non-Squillaciness in our defence combined with the added work in training we should be more solid on set-pieces and in general; there's things to work on but if we stop giving it away as much in midfield and work together, we'll be alright.

This the same Samba who was in the defence that got beat 7-1 by UTD last season, no thanks rather get Cahill tbh if i had to choose between the 2

[Darth Vela]

Yep, Bolton have been on the end of a few poundings as have Everton, Blackburn might have rolled over for Man U but that doesn't change the abilities of the defenders involved, what Samba could give us against the shitty teams is worth a fair bit imo.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

my first choice is Cahill, have said before next would be Samba.......although I dont think Jags is shit just overpriced

Darth is saying Samba for reasons being his presence which I agree with......yes he got beaten 7 times by Utd and almost went down but even we should be able to keep the ball away from the goal area longer than than Blackburn.......Samba has been in a few battles and I think this could work to his/our advantage however the sticking point are the price tags

If we nab Cahill then I cant see us spending another 10mil+ on another CB and I really think we need 2 brought in, Verms possibly moved over. With the pace we have added we wobt really need Verm to bomb down the left ala headless/couldnt cross a voting ballot Clichy. With that in mind Dann might be one for our purse pinching leader.

Zee German by all accounts is too slow to catch 40 winks

[Aaron Wilshere]

Jagielka for me.

Vastly experinced in the Premier League, consistently a top performer for Everton. Their fans love him and view him as a real leader.

He isn't the 8 ft beast some people want, but he would offer some much needed organisation and leadership to the back 4, more so than the others I feel.

He is also the best footballer out of that lot.

Not sure on Cahill - he's 26 now and hasn't seemed to improve since he was a youngster.

Jagielka can also cover Song in CM.

[Niall_Quinn]

Both, Cahill and Samba, Jagielka and Cahill, Samba and Jagielka, makes no odds. All three are vastly superior to anything we have now. It's way, way past time to put some decent players in our backline. I'm impressed with Jenkinson too and the purchase of an experienced GK and LB would completely transform our fortunes on the pitch, I believe. Decent PL defenders could sort their own training out and just ignore Wenger and his shite. Honestly, when you look at how incompetent Wenger is with anything to do with the defence you have to think this is how Tony and Co ran things back then.