Glass Dragons Still Breathe Fire - The Gareth Bale Thread

I don't think you can blame Zidane for trusting the people who helped the club reach the final stages over someone who was either injured, recovering from injury, getting into form after injury or fearing to play him for 3 matches in a row and get back to #0.

Bale should just shut up and acknowledge the club trusted him despite his injury issues (wasn't he like available for 50% matches only in his Real Madrid career?). Bale was in form yes and Zidane did use him in the final as his special card which eventually worked out. The guy was the hero of the final and still complained! He got so many "good points" by scoring those two goals so he should know its now back to him for the new season.

Also, don't forget he is the ONLY player who never bothered to say anything about Zidane when the guy stuck with him for TWO years playing him as a starter despite being on and off when we had guys like James and Morata who deserved it more than him.

So you can blame Zidane, but also blame Bale then for being one of the factors we lost James and Morata

He always seemed like the "nice guy" whoever that image of him has changed to me and I think to a lot of people as well. No appreciation. If he was in Barca they would've shipped him out after the second season because of his injuries

 

Whats the point of throwing away team chemistry to plug in a player that is guaranteed to get injured soon.

And we are not talking about the past but the future. Any coach who trusts Bale's body enough to make him a central feature is in for a ride.

 

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Just joking (or am i?) Anyway, today is his birthday.

 

He turned 29.
Our last chance to sell him for good money maybe.

 

I think we will keep him 'cos Hazard is not a goalscorer even if we sign him. Are we gonna sign a big name goalscorer like Icardi, Lewa? Doesn't seem likely as of now.

If he stays, I hope he's fit enough to play 50 games. I know it's a big IF given his injury record. Think he got 21 goals from 39 games last season. Some of them from the bench. 30+ goals is realistic if he stays fit for 50 games. We were also wired to create for Ronaldo mostly. Let's see whether others will get more scoring chances in new system. Hazard is also very creative if we sign him.

 

Realistic.

Not realistic.

 

We have been selling players(Morata, James, Mariano, Ronaldo). Question is are we even replacing half of them? Last league campaign was atrocious with Ronaldo scoring 26 and Bale scoring 16. Benz scored 5. If we sell both Ron and Bale, we need to find two top class goalscorers. Else having all that money in the bank is of no use. Not much time left either due to WC and PL window closes on Aug 9 so that might limit our options as well.

 

Most he played for RM in a season was 48 in 2014-15. Started 30 league games. Hoping for something like that. Most top players are off the market so just don't see us replacing Ron and Bale this summer. I think we will keep him.

 

I think he's staying too but as many have said, we simply can't rely on him.

 

Swap him for Hazard?

 

Chelsea are not in CL. If he leaves, it'd be for Utd.

 

I'm not ready to see him stay.

 

Well he's the best attacking player we currently have; so I think it's better to rely on him rather than say Benzema.

 

Well if we had Superman and he was able to play only one game in the season, that wouldn't help us much...

 

You realize he scored the same amount of goals as both Isco and Benzema combined while still playing less games than both last season?

 

Don't really see the relevance. Benzema was heavily criticized for his lack of goals and Isco is a midfielder, and not a goal scoring midfielder.

The fact that he scored more than them should not give us confidence to rely on him.

 

And how did that help us in the league of which he missed one third due to injury, as usual?

We need to part ways with Bale. He's a residue of the old, won everything here already. With Ronaldo leaving, the overhaul shouldn't be half assed.

 

Geez... what a train wreck.

 

Then might as well sell Modric and Kroos as well; they won everything as well. Modric is turning 33 in September.

It seems people like having a scapegoat and it's easy with Bale since he gets injured more readily than other players; despite still being World Class.

 

Being world class whilst in the infirmary has never ever helped us, gotta get on the pitch more that’s where the “world classery” is needed most

 

I've been thinking, are we perhaps underrating how much he can bring to the team now that Cristiano is gone? I just wish there's something we could do about the injuries, even making him 20% more available to us is a huge improvement.

I was pretty upset with his words after the final and i wanted him gone but with all the craziness in the market i think that keeping him is the smarter choice.

 

I think Bale did it out of pure frustration. The injuries, missing a starting spot in the final... he just let his anger out.

And I can see why he did it.

He's not a player to cause a shit storm in tea cup.

Can't compare his intentions to Ronaldo's - who literally does it season after season and actually wanted to leave anyway.

I'm hoping Bale has put the injuries behind and starts on fire. He certainly looks fit and looks like he's been doing a bit extra out of season.

 

How easily people forget things in football. For example, the injury record of this guy. Next time he gets injured, which will be inevitable, this thread will be full of angry posts about how we should have sold him, but unfortunately it will be too late.

He has something very delusional and arrogant about him. Seeing him complain about playing time right after a CL final and demanding to be played in this and that position through his agent directly to the president is bad by itself. But when you know how much time he spends on the injury table, these antics have actually been quite pathetic.

I'd have James instead of Bale 100 times out of 100.

 

You are absolutely right and if there was ever a time to sell some of these players it is now. I honestly thought the offers were going to come pouring in for Modric and that we would be able to get between 100-150 ME, we have adequate young replacements in Isco, Kova, plus James out on loan.

Sell Bale and Benzema for another 200-250 ME. That's Ronaldo (100), Modric (100), Bale (150), Benz (50) and about 400 ME in cash to spend on new players. Plus it opens up opportunities for Isco, Asensio, Kova, James, etc.