NO LONGER A RUMOUR - Bikey signs for Burnley

[brendywendy]

if bikey goes though doesnt that leave us with just mills/pearce, and an old injured ivar?

wouldnt we just need to bring someone else in?

[CMRoyal]

if bikey goes though doesnt that leave us with just mills/pearce, and an old injured ivar?

wouldnt we just need to bring someone else in?

Cisse was excellent on Saturday, I thought. I would be more than happy with him as our emergency fourth-choice centre-back.

[brendywendy]

forgot the ciss!!


bikey out!

[Terminal Boardom]

Cisse = low risk

Bikey = high risk

No brainer!

[LoyalRoyalFan]

I'd rather keep Bikey.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

See, you say that he doesn't fit the mold, but personally, I think he would be even better than Karakan at that holding midfield role. He can tackle, he makes some good runs going forward, his ability to drop a ball to either wing or up top is more than proven, and putting him in that midfield spot I think would take the edge away from some of the poorer tackles he has made when he's been the last man.

If he goes, I will be disappointed as I think he could have a very interesting role to play if he were put in the midfield hole, rather than as a centre back.

Exactly, I'd love to see him in the holding role.

Well we've tried him there and it was a total disaster, so no.

[Royal Rother]

If Bikey improved as much as Cisse already has under Rodgers then I'd love him to stay, but if he hasn't bought into Rodgers' philosophy and still wants away then we are obviously better off with a couple of million coming in.

The very occasional times Bikey did play in midfield it was bad, promising and excellent. To say it was a total disaster suggests you must have missed the promising and excellent performances. (Or maybe he played there more often than 3 times and the others (that I must have forgotten) were all bad!!)

[Tony Le Mesmer]

If Bikey improved as much as Cisse already has under Rodgers then I'd love him to stay, but if he hasn't bought into Rodgers' philosophy and still wants away then we are obviously better off with a couple of million coming in.

The very occasional times Bikey did play in midfield it was bad, promising and excellent. To say it was a total disaster suggests you must have missed the promising and excellent performances. (Or maybe he played there more often than 3 times and the others (that I must have forgotten) were all bad!!)

Well i can only think of 2 occasions, we conceeded 8 in those. The last time was at Blackburn i think, think SC just shelved the idea after that it was so bad.

[Still Hate Futcher!]

To be fair the other game when we conceded 4 with Bikey in midfield was at Anfield in the LC when he played really well.

Have to say though, I have very mixed views on Bikey. First class on his day and all the makings of a cult hero but the fact remains he is too inconsistent and at times a total liability. The sending off at Burnley wasn't exactly a one off and although he was very unlucky to see red at Cardiff, his debut headbutt and sending off in the African Nation's Cup suggest to me we'd probably be better off with £2 mill to strengthen elsewhere.

[Focher]

Bikey is not a midfielder end of story.

As for being a defender, when his head is screwed on there is no better in the championship, and i for one will be sad to see him go.

[Royal Rother]

Sorry, I can't remember the game (I don't think he started in midfield) but there was a good deal of discussion on here about how, when he stepped into midfield for half an hour (after sending-off or substitution), he looked like the most dominant player on the pitch and absolutely made for the role.

Not much use if I can't remember the game but maybe someone else can.

[Focher]

the only 2 i can remember were Liverpool away in the Carling Cup (conceded 4), and Blackburn away in our 2nd prem season (conceded 4).

[Royal Rother]

I was hoping to dig out the old thread but the search facility doesn't seem to work properly. Oh well, no matter.

[CMRoyal]

Sorry, I can't remember the game (I don't think he started in midfield) but there was a good deal of discussion on here about how, when he stepped into midfield for half an hour (after sending-off or substitution), he looked like the most dominant player on the pitch and absolutely made for the role.

Not much use if I can't remember the game but maybe someone else can.

Can't remember the game - I think it was away from home - but I do remember the discussion. And I remember thinking that way myself at the time. However, virtually every game he's played since has taken me further away from that view!

[(.)Boobies(.)]

I'd rather keep Bikey.

As a bouncer at the Jazz Cafe, perhaps?

[Hoop Blah]

If Bikey improved as much as Cisse already has under Rodgers then I'd love him to stay, but if he hasn't bought into Rodgers' philosophy and still wants away then we are obviously better off with a couple of million coming in.

The very occasional times Bikey did play in midfield it was bad, promising and excellent. To say it was a total disaster suggests you must have missed the promising and excellent performances. (Or maybe he played there more often than 3 times and the others (that I must have forgotten) were all bad!!)

Steady on RR.

How can you judge how far a player has improved from one game?

Cisse showed he could have impressive one off games under Coppell. It's his consistency and ability to dominate (and pass the ball or win enough headers, oh and I forgot his one pace play and too often being a yard behind the flow of the game) that were his failings over the last two seasons. I'd like to see how well he, and all the other players, does over a ten match period to see what impact a few weeks of pre-season and a new atmospher about the place has on their performance.

[brendywendy]

the ironic justice of us playing hull and burnley next season in the championship -with our wantaways playing for them

or even better, pass them on the way up!

[Royal Rother]

HB, I'm counting 2 games as the Chelsea game was more than a normal friendly.

His weaknesses to me have always been in possession, passing and awareness. Bit of a scared rabbit. He now looks far more confident on the ball and able to receive and pass without losing composure.

Early days it may be but he lookes twice the player he was last season - (although I know he reportedly had some excellent games away from home, I didn't see those).

[rg6royal]

HB, I'm counting 2 games as the Chelsea game was more than a normal friendly.

His weaknesses to me have always been in possession, passing and awareness. Bit of a scared rabbit. He now looks far more confident on the ball and able to receive and pass without losing composure.

Early days it may be but he lookes twice the player he was last season - (although I know he reportedly had some excellent games away from home, I didn't see those).

he's a top player everyone knows that. and he's only going to get better. If he goes then i will be very very dissapointed.

[CMRoyal]

HB, I'm counting 2 games as the Chelsea game was more than a normal friendly.

His weaknesses to me have always been in possession, passing and awareness. Bit of a scared rabbit. He now looks far more confident on the ball and able to receive and pass without losing composure.

Early days it may be but he lookes twice the player he was last season - (although I know he reportedly had some excellent games away from home, I didn't see those).

For me the best individual performance last season was Kalifa's at Bristol City. It heralded the longest chant of the season and for a while some of us allowed ourselves to believe we had the new Sidders. Truth is, that was never going to be exactly the case but I don't know what happened to that player, the one who notched half a dozen goals and started to look like a real force in midfield. Was it because he was told to play more conservatively because we were getting outnumberd in the middle week in, week out? Whatever, he's already looking more confident than he did when he played in defence previously, even though he's always done a good job there. We must expect the odd error though, and there were a couple against Chelsea that thankfully went unpunished. Like I say, happy to see him as the fourth CB, but it's how he'll look in a 5-man midfield that really intrigues me.