WBA just announced loan signing of an Egyptian centre back.
Wonder if Dawson could now be moving on?

We definitely need someone, I hope it's Dawson !

I'm sure we'll bring in another central defender but we'll start the season with Tarkowski and Mee

I don't know if I'm being pessimistic or not, but that worries me. Especially with the run of away games we have at the start.

whentheballmoves wrote:I don't know if I'm being pessimistic or not, but that worries me. Especially with the run of away games we have at the start.

Not quite as scary as the prospect of Kevin Long as immediate back up if we weren't to bring anyone in. Boden has suggested that we're after a defender but not neccessarily a centre half. Someone like Carl Jenkinson would appear to fit the bill, obviously I don't know if that's at all realistic in terms of wages but a player that could cover centre half and right back would be ideal.

Saw that Callum Chambers was available.

Then saw that Arsenal wanted £20 million.

Forgot about it again.

Palace reportedly offered £16 million for Chambers

Lancasterclaret wrote:Saw that Callum Chambers was available.

Then saw that Arsenal wanted £20 million.

Forgot about it again.

When clubs see that Burnley got £25/30m for Keane then they will start asking similar for their CHs. They will rate their players as much as we did ours.

Whether you pay it is another matter.

mee and tarkowski will be fine, they just need a good run of games together, same as any centre half partnership.

the problem with tarkowski and long together was that they are both novices at PL level and were playing in what were essentially dead rubbers (bar the west brom game).

Isn't Kevin Long our only current international CH? Not bad cover in my book.

Agree, we do need cover for both CHs.

UTC

ClaretTony wrote:I'm sure we'll bring in another central defender but we'll start the season with Tarkowski and Mee

Just to play devil's advocate for a moment an injury/illness too Ben Mee implies it would be Tarkowski and Long and we all know that pairing are way below par. I thought a central defender was THE priority since last season ended but it appears to have been put on the backburner which I find both incredible and unacceptable.

quoonbeatz wrote:mee and tarkowski will be fine, they just need a good run of games together, same as any centre half partnership.

the problem with tarkowski and long together was that they are both novices at PL level and were playing in what were essentially dead rubbers (bar the west brom game).

It's true that. Tarkowski came in away at Palace alongside Keane and had a great game, then didn't play with him again. I hope we get Dawson too but Tarks has gone from the saviour to hopeless on the back of a couple of games with Long when everyone had pretty much gone on their hols anyway.

Silkyskills1 wrote:Just to play devil's advocate for a moment an injury/illness too Ben Mee implies it would be Tarkowski and Long and we all know that pairing are way below par. I thought a central defender was THE priority since last season ended but it appears to have been put on the backburner which I find both incredible and unacceptable.

You must know more than I do if you think it is on the back burner.

Not to sign a proper cb would be a massive mistake. I think tarks will be fine alongside mee. However long will never be better than 4/5 choice at PL level. He is not comfortable on the ball at all.

Long did ok enough to be 4th choice CB.

I'm sure we will have another one in by the time the season kicks off.

Tarkowski has too much of the David Luiz about him, and it was uncomfortable watching at the end of the season, despite his previous good games.

His overconfidence on the ball and general laid-back demeanour will be his (and our) downfall, unless it gets sorted out. He's a bit too Bikey.

Kevin Long is a League One / lower end Championship player at best. He lasted about 4 games at the start of the 13/14 season before SD dropped him. Nothing against the bloke, fair play to him for managing to earn a decent living for so long with us, but anyone who thinks he can play at Premier League level is serioulsy misguided, accident(s) waiting to happen.
Let's not be distracted by this "he's an international footballer" rubbish, seriously ?

I definitely hope Kevin Long is cheap, for the living he's stolen from BFC in the last 8 years.

UpTheBeehole wrote:Tarkowski has too much of the David Luiz about him, and it was uncomfortable watching at the end of the season, despite his previous good games.

His overconfidence on the ball and general laid-back demeanour will be his (and our) downfall, unless it gets sorted out. He's a bit too Bikey.

He played well alongside Michael Keane, particularly at Palace, but alongside Kevin Long in those last three games I thought he was dreadful.

I don't know anything,CT. I did say 'it appears' in reply to you stating 'we'll start the season with Tarkowski and Mee'. I would have thought that any central defender(of quality) brought in in the next few weeks would expect to be in the starting 11 at Stamford Bridge.

Tarkowski will be fine alongside Mee; at least in the short term.

We're obviously looking for a new CB- that things are quiet at present doesn't bother me in the slightest. Just like the Cork signing came out of nowhere for most of us so too will a CB signing. I somehow get the idea that we're waiting for other clubs to make moves before they'll release their players to us- which is good in some ways as it means they still rate these players rather than being desperate to get rid of them at the first opportunity.

Whilst I like the idea of Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal he is primarily a RB tather than CB (although on the right of a 3 man defence he could be a good choice!). I think that we're more likely to be in for Craig Dawson as an immediate challenger for the first team plus a young player to be on the edge of the first team squad and vie for the 4th choice spot with Kevin Long (before displacing him!).

ClaretTony wrote:He played well alongside Michael Keane, particularly at Palace, but alongside Kevin Long in those last three games I thought he was dreadful.

He'd given virtually perfect performances when I'd seen him before, I think it was the Sunderland cup replay where I came off enthusing about him.

Mee is not averse to doling out a rollocking though, and I can't imagine Dyche enjoying seeing Tarkowski doing Cruyff turns with a PL striker bearing down on him, so maybe with some shackles on he can concentrate on defending and playing the simple football we ask from our centre halves. He's undisputedly the Keane successor from within the squad.

I would like to see us make another sound investment to replace Keane though, a good chunk of money on someone with the attributes to sell for £20m+ in a few years.

If you're a player with no PL experience playing at centre half, how much difference will it make having Ben Mee alongside you compared with having someone with no more experience than you and more limited ability?

We need a reserve centre half, that's certain. I don't reckon we need to replace the two we have in the first team, though getting someone better than we have would obviously be a bonus.

Tarks and Long have taken some grief over the last 3 matches. Apart from being a new partnership themselves they had a mish mash of a midfield in front of them. Add to that the fact the whole team let their standards slip once safety was guaranteed.
I agree we need a CH and Dawson would be my choice, he chips in with goals, but Tarks will be fine and Long on the bench doesn't worry me.

Long on the bench doesn't worry me.[/quote]

I suppose if that's the best we can hope for.

Silkyskills1 wrote:Long on the bench doesn't worry me.

I suppose if that's the best we can hope for.[/quote]

You seem to know something, that we are not going to be bringing in a new central defender. It's certainly not my take on the situation.

Going round in circles here,I think. I've absolutely no 'take' on the situation, no information and no idea apart from what I read on here.

In truth we are not going to be able to buy a proven PL CB, who is better than what we have and is happy to sit on the bench. Certainly Dawson won't be happy with that.
Tarks has waited for his chance and Mee is first choice.
The best we can hope for his a young highly rated lower league CB who is happy to wait for his chance but will be unproven at this level.
If Tarks doesn't step up this season, we could struggle with no back up plan.

Ilkley claret wrote:In truth we are not going to be able to buy a proven PL CB, who is better than what we have and is happy to sit on the bench. .

Sign someone who is better than what we have and play him then

Ilkley claret wrote:In truth we are not going to be able to buy a proven PL CB, who is better than what we have and is happy to sit on the bench. Certainly Dawson won't be happy with that.
Tarks has waited for his chance and Mee is first choice.
The best we can hope for his a young highly rated lower league CB who is happy to wait for his chance but will be unproven at this level.
If Tarks doesn't step up this season, we could struggle with no back up plan.

Tarkowski has to be given his chance but there has to be a back up plan should things not work. There will be a back up plan. I can't believe we won't bring in another defender.

Starting the season with last season's back up in the first team is regression. We can't stand still, let alone go backwards. We should be signing someone better than we have. We've got the money.

Tarks has waited a long time for his opportunity. I would expect him to be at his absolute best when the season starts as to take it.

I thought out of the 2 it was Long that looked the more comfortable in those last few games. I certainly can't remember him doing that much wrong

UpTheBeehole wrote:Starting the season with last season's back up in the first team is regression. We can't stand still, let alone go backwards. We should be signing someone better than we have. We've got the money.

You're not in favour of signing young players and training them up? Keane spent time in the reserves before replacing Duff, but it wasn't regression when he was picked. Ings and Vokes both weren't much in the first XI when they were signed, but they trained up and improved and came into the first team - it wasn't regression when they were picked. If you're going to reject Tarkowski as an option simply because he wasn't as good as the man playing for England, then you're very much limiting your options.

Only one person on this thread making out they're in the know from what I can tell....

ClaretTony wrote:I'm sure we'll bring in another central defender but we'll start the season with Tarkowski and Mee

Jakubs Tash wrote:Only one person on this thread making out they're in the know from what I can tell....

And it's certainly not me. I am just assuming we are going to bring in a defender but got the impression someone knew we weren't.

Fingers crossed we have had a look at the lad that was at Hull last season, Ranochiia or something like that. Looked very capable at both ends and don't think it would be a signing to break the bank....think he was available for 8million

Long wasn't good enough in the Championship. If your team is only as strong as your weakest link then I don't want Long anywhere near it.

I wouldn't lose sleep about long on the bench either. I can see Dawson joining (hopefully soon) or a £10 million or so, champ cb like lees. Be happy with either or both.

Holtyclaret wrote:I wouldn't lose sleep about long on the bench either.

I would if he was the only back up CB we had

Rumbletonk wrote:I thought out of the 2 it was Long that looked the more comfortable in those last few games. I certainly can't remember him doing that much wrong

There wasn't many at Bournemouth to see it, but both Long and Tarky had shockers.

If Kevin L8ng plays with any regularity for Burnley Football Club, then we are going back to 2010.

He's 4th choice at very best.

ClaretTony wrote:And it's certainly not me. I am just assuming we are going to bring in a defender but got the impression someone knew we weren't.

So how do you know we'll start the season with Tarkowski and Mee at Centre Half?

SkiptonClaret wrote:Not quite as scary as the prospect of Kevin Long as immediate back up if we weren't to bring anyone in. Boden has suggested that we're after a defender but not neccessarily a centre half. Someone like Carl Jenkinson would appear to fit the bill, obviously I don't know if that's at all realistic in terms of wages but a player that could cover centre half and right back would be ideal.

Long looks more of a natural centre half
Not a better footballer.
Tarks got his positioning all wrong at the end of last season
Long seems faster to me
Both are good in the air
Tarks plays best in front of the 2 centre halfs
Early days yet for both in terms of premier league experience.
Currently one is a more natural footballer but one a more natural defender

dsr wrote:You're not in favour of signing young players and training them up? Keane spent time in the reserves before replacing Duff, but it wasn't regression when he was picked. Ings and Vokes both weren't much in the first XI when they were signed, but they trained up and improved and came into the first team - it wasn't regression when they were picked. If you're going to reject Tarkowski as an option simply because he wasn't as good as the man playing for England, then you're very much limiting your options.

Yes but that was in the Champuonship. We can't really afford to blood players in the Premier League.

MACCA wrote:There wasn't many at Bournemouth to see it, but both Long and Tarky had shockers.

If Kevin L8ng plays with any regularity for Burnley Football Club, then we are going back to 2010.

He's 4th choice at very best.

I saw it on one of those new fandagled telly boxes. I've just watched their goals again against Bournemouth. The 1st King (I think) gets goal side of Ward and Tarks and the 2nd Tarks dives in after he'd got goal side again

Tarkowski probably needs a season in the championship to be up to standard and if we play him as first choice then he will probably get it.

We need someone like Jenkinson who can also cover RB and Kalas who was superb when on loan at Fulham. We can then offload Long and Darikwa.

SkiptonClaret wrote:Kevin Long is a League One / lower end Championship player at best. He lasted about 4 games at the start of the 13/14 season before SD dropped him. Nothing against the bloke, fair play to him for managing to earn a decent living for so long with us, but anyone who thinks he can play at Premier League level is serioulsy misguided, accident(s) waiting to happen.
Let's not be distracted by this "he's an international footballer" rubbish, seriously ?

So your basically saying our manager is "seriously misguided" ???