Which early signing will make the biggest impact in 2004/2005?

With RVN or Saha up front, Smith could be the one to provide extra heat on the defense and/or be the set up man. Fergie did well, much to our chagrin.

 

I'll wait untill you update the poll with Gerrard @ Chelsea - then i'll vote

 

Now wouldn't that be a special treat.

 

LOL

I was going to say that

Gronkjaer hasn't signed for Birmingham yet btw, and he didn't sound keen when he heard the fee had been agreed.

 

"Alan Smith" Should be a good signing for United and displace the ever average Louis Saha!

Know absolutely nothing about him but how do you better a team that hasn't been beaten all season?

Good but hardly the answer to villas main problem which is a lack of squad numbers not a failing defence!

5 good games, 10 bad games. A highly inconsistant winger who can't cross a ball!

Never really was a great goalscorer at Leicester but has developed immensely at Liverpool in a great all round player. Being in more of a strikers position will boost his confidence and profile as I can see him making a big impact hopefully no longer being the target man for a long ball.

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Not just talking from an Irish point of view here but he has no chance of displacing Damien Duff. Dunno where else he'll go but definitely not on the left as long as Duff is there.

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Spurs problem last year in defence wasn't Keller it was having inadequates Richards and Doherty as cover. Robinson had a poor season last year and not because he was in a failing team, his personal performances were under par and he made alot of basic errors and mistakes

 

Javier De Pedro will have a massive impact on Blackburn Rovers. They have now finally filled the gap left by Damien Duff and a more balanced midfield will allow them to get the most out of players like Emerton and Thompson.

 

Alan Smith--It will be interesting to see what Sir Alex does with Smith. I see Smith playing more of a midfield role at Manchester, as he'll have little chance with RVN and Saha in the side. He is tough as nails and can control the flow of the game very well. I think he's much stronger than Butt or Neville as a backup to Keane and Scholes.
Martin Laursen--He showed some weaknesses at Euro 2004. I'm not sure how he'll do. He's only one player, and Villa need two or three.
Jesper Gronkjaer--Everyone hates him, but I think he's underrated. He has great pace and he's a good crosser when he's in form. He didn't have the greatest season at Chelsea(he was great the year before), but I think his form suffered from the constant change of side. He'll be fantastic in Birmingham, with Steve Bruce and a more direct style of play.
Emile Heskey--I don't know. He's great in the air, but he's slow and clumsy. Maybe he can partner with Forsell the way Niall Quinn did with Kevin Phillips.
Arjen Robben--He was great in Euro 2004 but Chelsea have Damien Duff. If Duff is healthy, I still choose him.
Paul Robinson--he should do fine at Tottenham, but he won't have a huge impact(he might have had for England though!!). Tottenham need midfield players. They have some incredible strikers in Keane, Dafoe and Kanoute, They need consistant play in the center of the pitch.

 

Leeds sure could've used an Adam Smith over recent years.

 

Arjen Robben is a brilliant signing for Chelsea.
But also the great loss for Man Utd.
Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo on right and Arjen Robben on left, defenses would be terrorised.

Saying that Chelsea needed a hitman to smash goals but Mateja Kezman is the answer in my mind.

Emile Heskey is rubbish.
Paul Robinson is unnecessary Kasey Keller good enuff but for his age.
Jesper Gronkjaer good addition.
Alan Smith excellent player.
Martin Laursen great addition to strengthen defense.
Robin Van Persie not much knowledge.

 

Well, of the choices I see I say Robben at Chelsea.
However, it is going to be Cisse at Liverpool. He will outscore Owen this year. Defintly a good possiblity for the golden boot.

 

Robben by a country mile

 

Don't bank on Djibril Cisse!
In my opinion he is vastly overrated but hope springs eternal for any KOP fan.
Milan Baros and i do think Florent Cinama-Pongolle is a great player.

 

how come nobody is discussing kezman(only one person mentioned him so far)? he is proably th best a nd most reliable signing so far. he has scored 20 goals every season for the last 4 seasons and has scored the most goals ever for psv. chelseaa buying him for less that 10 million is a steal. i can see this guy doing geat things for chelsea if they get drogba or not

 

Birmingham: Julian Gray -- you read it here first. This guy will solve England's left midfield problem and win his first full international cap within 12 months.

Charlton: Dennis Rommedahl -- quality, and the sort of player who will fit in at (and light up) The Valley.

 

Martin Laursen for the Villains. As much as I would hope Robin Van Persie for my beLOVEd Gunners he isn't. None of the other players could make a big impact. Man Utd. they already are at the top of their game. So are the Gunners. Villa scored plenty of goals with Angel and Vassell it was the old ages of Dublin and Ronny Johnsen that let in the goals. Mellberg and Samuel did a smashing job. It was the oldies that were holding them back.

Go GUNNERS!!!!

 

Let's not forget Cisse...just look at his scoring record in France.

Of the above mentioned, I'm going out on a limb and say van Persie.

 

Top scorer in the french league outscored £24 million rated drogba at chelsea how can you argue with that. Milan Baros I've always said is a good player but I have doubts about Sinama-Pongolle; quick but erratic in front of goal and doesn't look to have the head to handle premiership life.

I think Kezman will have a great season every time I've watched him hes scored, one of the best finishers n europe as his record suggests.

Van Persie looks a decent player perhaps a replacement for the aging Pires or falling apart ljunberg.

Mackannovic:
"Alan Smith" Should be a good signing for United and displace the ever average Louis Saha!

Average saha! I'd have Saha over smith anyday. Smiths goal scorering record is shameful, hes not a man u pedigree striker whilst Saha had a great season last season. As for playing in the hole and setting up goals, you need passing ability and vision. All smith can do is try. He can hold the ball up and bring people in to play but so can Saha and he can score too, which is what a striker's priority is.

 

Scoring record Shameful!? you look at the leading goalscorers last season it was Henry Smith Saha and RVN at the top how can you say thats shameful theres nothing this boy will do that will hurt man utd he brings a spark to the match and new energy different kind of striker than ruud and saha although i think ruud and saha are the top choices up top smith can go on the wing during the beggining of the season while Ronaldo is with his national team as to Kezman for chelsea he has started off brightly but so did Mutu everyone went wild over him then he faded away

 

Smith scored 9 goals. It isn't shameful, considering that he was pulled back into midfield so often, but a strike rate of 4+ isn't even close with RVN and Henry. I think Smith is low on the leading scorers list. I know he was behind even Viduka at Leeds. But, with the improved support that the Manchester Utd. squad will give him, who knows. Still Saha is way above average and should figure in Manchester Utd. and France more.

Edit: Saha's strike rate is 1.47

 

Oh I think I will take a lot of flack from this, but I think....gulp...Emile Hesky.

He will be going to a smaller market, expectations on him have to be pretty much gone now, he has no one to blame now for his not finding a more consistent form. All this leads me to think Bruce will get the most out of him.

Players like Robben will have to fight for time, he has Duff to worry about. Smith, has the same trouble facing him. Laursen will bolster the Villa defence for sure, as will Robinson probabley give the Spurs some good games. But Hesky has the most chance.

 

Apart from the Yorke-Cole team of the late ,late 1990's, Fergie has always prefered a lone hitman and a deep lying striker.
Louis Saha and RVN are both hitmen, i wud be surprised if the partnership isn't RVN with Smith filling the deep lying striker(AM) role.
Paul Scholes is at his best in heart of midfield where he can be a box-to-box player, Giggs is at his best on the Left wing and Ronaldo on the right wing.

Louis Saha would be the SUPER SUB for Fergie but who knows, he did smack Beckham with cleats, sanity isn't his strongpoint!

 

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!!!

Emile Heskey is ENGLAND's WORST INTERNATIONAL!!!!

He oozes CRAP, this man has not justified his tag as a fmr statrting striker for the THREE LIONS. I Think he may get a few goals simply because of the players around him, but to say his signing will have the biggest impact is ABSURD!