ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Carsley's Possible Replacement

There has been some debate on this site about who various people would like to see replace Lee Carsley. My personal choice is Gareth Barry. He has all the attributes plus he is a good passer of the ball. Another thing he has is versatility which Moyes loves his players to have.

I know he is happy at Villa and they would be reluctant to let him go, but I feel if we qualified for the Champions League and they failed to qualify for Europe at all, the chance to compete on the European stage would be too tempting. I believe all players have there price and a bid in the £7-10 million range would be tempting for Villa.
Karl Graham, Workington Posted 06/02/2008 at 21:14:22

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Dave Wilson
1 Posted 07/02/2008 at 06:55:25

Karl
Half agree, would really like Barry in our ranks but he doesnt quite do the same job as Carsley, although he tracks back well, he plays higher up the pitch, he passes better too, but Carsley is a specialist, he sees danger very early and his positioning and bravery when protecting his back four is first class, only when he isnt there do we realise how valuable he is for us, sorry mate but you have to go to the top very draw too find better, Makelele, or Essien, replacing Cars will be difficult with the funds available to DM
i would like DM to try the jag and Yobo in the centre and have a look at Jolean in the role - in pre season of course, not now

Ste Kenny
2 Posted 07/02/2008 at 07:51:18

I think we need a slightly different player to carsley to enable us to play 4-4-2. A box to box all action player who can play a through ball on the floor would do nicely for me, in the role of a yaya toure(barcelona) they dont come cheap though.

Andy Ellams
3 Posted 07/02/2008 at 08:51:30

How about our very own Phil Jagielka. He struggled in the position alongside Phil Neville, but with an outlet like Fernandes alongside him to link defence into attack he could become a lot more effective.

Neil Manders
4 Posted 07/02/2008 at 08:50:46

I’m not sure it will always be necessary to have a player in the precise Carsley role.When it is, i suspect Neville will be Moyes’ player of choice once the little man moves on.

Connor Rohrer
5 Posted 07/02/2008 at 09:07:02

Barry isn’t really a defensive midfielder. He can lay there but he’s more effective in a more attacking role. Reo-coker lays the defensive midfield role for Villa whereas Barry lays the more "creative" role.

I’m not sure he’s the type of player where looking for to be honest. He’s strengths are more his passing rather than his tackling or covering.

I personally feel we need someone who is disciplined and with legs to get around the pitch when its needed. I also expect someone with a bit of stature and presence about them. Listening to Moyes’s interview on Times online he sounded like he was looking for a bit of height.

Graham Nolan
6 Posted 07/02/2008 at 09:23:14

Gilberto Silva.....not playing for Arsenal.......will leave in the summer.

Louis Huglin
7 Posted 07/02/2008 at 09:26:55

It needs to be someone in the Carrick/Hargreaves mould I think (shame than that Man U have both those players) - a player who has composure going forward and the ability to pick a pass, but can tackle strongly and read the game well to intercept. I haven’t spent enought time on FM recently to be able to answer this properly though!

Dominic Duerden
8 Posted 07/02/2008 at 09:33:14

Louis

Carrick is a poor player , we don’t want him.. i’d prefer Carsly to Carrick . . Gareth Barry or Gilberto Silva sound good.

John Lloyd
9 Posted 07/02/2008 at 10:54:21

Why does this thread pop up every two weeks it seems??

especially when you consider how important he is for the team at the moment??

Also I dont get the Gilberto Silva shout, the reason he is on his way out at arsenal is cos he is too slow, lazy & past his best just ask any gunner or people who watch football for that matter & to say Carrick is a bad player shows you dont really have a jar of glue what your on about. Unsung player who can pass as good as anyoone in premiership & is highly rated by the most successfull (yet pissed) manager in the premeirship!!! Reality is a hard place to live & I understand why you dont stay in it.........

Mike Blakey
10 Posted 07/02/2008 at 11:06:09

Carsley does not need replacing ....yet!!
He has been one of the players of the season so far, when he doesnt play like earlier in the season we just dont work as well!!!

Lee Spargo
11 Posted 07/02/2008 at 12:25:32

Good shout Karl, I think Barry’s quality, and I think he would be tempted in the summer if we secured 4th this season.

Paul Lenehan
12 Posted 07/02/2008 at 14:38:31

Carsley doesn’t need replacing yet, but if you look at our squad and think were we could strengthen in the summer I think defensive/holding midfield position is certainly one area which Moyes will look at.

matt bone
13 Posted 07/02/2008 at 14:50:48

Silva maybe but not int he age bracket Moyes favours.
Barry would be too expensive now he is an england regular.
The one we should have gone for is Diarra.
As good as Carsley is for us, he is still a bit of a dinosaur, in that all he does is the breaking up of attacks. His distribution usually consists of a short sideways pass to someone more able. Once Cars is no longer considered good enough for a starting birth we need to adapt our style of play enabling us to play a 4 man midfield and that means a tough tackling, box to box ball player. These types of players are almost as rare as rocking horse sh*te. Diarra had the potential for that role but there aren’t too many available.

kevin hudson
14 Posted 07/02/2008 at 15:44:57

I’d love to see Barton in come in the summer. Any thoughts ?

Philip Bunting
15 Posted 07/02/2008 at 15:47:47

Kevin...Wise-up

Morris Ronson
16 Posted 07/02/2008 at 16:01:40

Barry is worth more than the 7 to 10 million your quoting. Look how much manure played for hargreaves and carrick. He’s also a competent left mid and left back so id expect him to be worth 10-15 in the current market.

Id like to see him but villa wouldn’t sell to one of their nearest rivals.

David Nicholls
17 Posted 07/02/2008 at 16:12:06

One defensive midfielder who springs to mind for me is that Argentine who broke Beckhams toe, I think his name was Aldo Duscher or something similar, I remember seeing him play for Deportivo a couple of times and was impressed with the physicality of his play which was complemented by the sort of technique you would normaly associate with an Argie. I think he’s playing for one of the lesser spanish sides now and might be tempted by a move to a top Premiership side like us, he’s probably knocking on a bit but I think the ’holding role’ is well suited to a player with plenty of experience.

Wayne Smyth
18 Posted 07/02/2008 at 16:07:35

Cars still has a few more seasons left in the tank I suspect. And I’d wager that barry won’t be going anywhere unless its a big money offer or he has some spat with o’neill.

Some suggestions for future replacements:

Paul Scharner - I reckon he’d fit in well with the lads, is 6ft 3, offers cover at CB, and is coming into his prime age. Signing him would also have the added benefit that he’d stop scoring against us!

Stephen Sunday - spanish u21 international with bags of potential, was available on loan as koeman couldn’t offer him 1st team football this season.

Jim Hourigan
19 Posted 07/02/2008 at 16:30:50

I think Crasley is running on half empty. He’s played almost every game this season and in the system we play that means he is constantly worked. He has been booked a few times recently for being late into tackles, which at the start of the season he would have made without much of a fuss. He never was the quickest but now looks a bit laboured and heavy legged. He either needs a couple of weeks rest or is beginning to show his age. Central midfield at 30+ is not an easy job, unless you play with your brains and let the ball do the work, and with the greatest respect to Carsley that is not his game.

I think it is time to replace him, but who with I’m not sure, which leaves me with a conundrum because its often better the devil you know !!!

Mike Adamson
20 Posted 07/02/2008 at 16:53:31

David Albelda, who we’ve been linked with, would be perfect. Never shirks a tackle and is good on the ball, his age would be prohibitive.

I agree that an all action- box to box player would be better than a cars- style player, somebody like Toure would be perfect, but a dream signing in this mould would be Daniele De Rossi from Roma, isnt gonna happen though.

More realistically I’d have a look at Juan Pablo Sorin, fits the bill positionally and Im sure we could prize him away from Hamburg.

Kevin McGrath
21 Posted 07/02/2008 at 17:02:46

Scott Parker?

Eric Holland
22 Posted 07/02/2008 at 17:56:34

Kev,
I will have to agree with you on that one.
Scott Parker would be an ideal replacement for Cars.

Rob Jones
23 Posted 08/02/2008 at 13:55:43

maybe put our cash where our ambition is and go for someone like moutinho? or possibly the spanish lad Silva hes looked good and he’s pretty good or another lad in Spain called Sunny