Steven Caulker

[Drew Peacock]

I would play 3 at the back like this

james

carey caulker fontaine

rose skusey johnson elliot albert

haynes stead

Be happy with that except for Rose & Adomah at wing back. As far as I know neither have played in that position, and two inexperienced youngsters out wide in unfamiliar roles will cause the back three to get pulled all over the place to cover and we will get slaughtered. Would prefer Ribiero & McAllister out there and Adomah instead of Haynes.

[Ron]

Id like to see Clive Platt do the back 4 from the half way line with this kid at centre-half.

[BS15_RED]

Very highly rated by Yeovil fans.

http://www.footballforums.net/forums/showthread.php/265549-FAO-Yeovil-fans

[spudski]

Give it a rest, of course you're entitled to your opinion but every post you have made on this thread has been negative and it's getting rather boring.

Personally I think this lad will be a improvment and a good addition to the team when he was at Yeovil he was quality and by far their best player according to a mate of mine who is a Glover's ST holder, look forward to seeing him in action on Tuesday if he start's not ust thrown in late on.

I apologise for coming across negative, and in a perfect world, i'm all for bringing youth through.

But at the end of the day, what has he got to do with us. He's here to prove to Harry Redknapp that he's good enough to make the Spurs team. The same goes for Rose. They'll be off before you know it. And we will be back to square one again.

I made a point in another thread about our squad lacking Championship quality. The signing on loan of these two players, bears witness to that. We are desperate, and bringing in a youth player on loan to bolster a poor defense is going to help?...think about it.

If we need a Spurs Youth player, however much he's rated, to improve our defense, then we are in a bigger mess than i originally thought.

I don't want to be negative, i'm just seeing it for what it is.

People putting up probable formations before we've even seen the lad play is ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, i love this Club, but i'm sick to death of it being run by in such a poor way.

We are desperate, to survive. We just don't seem to be able to progress. One step forward, two steps back.

Regardless of this seasons results, we have been going backwards for the last two seasons.

[Robbored]

Regardless of this seasons results, we have been going backwards for the last two seasons.

I wouldn't say City were going backwards for the last two seasons, more like stagnating. Poor signings, too many short term and hopeless loans, unbalanced squad, manager losing the dressing room all contributed.

Add to that an injury disrupted pre-season and managerial up-heaval.

No-one can expect Millen (or any other manager) to repair all the damage and have the team clicking into place after all the difficulties mentioned above. Millen has had an accumnination of problems to address and he's going about dealing with them bit by bit. The signing of a talented young defender is a step forward, particularly as the defence has been shocking far too often over the last seasons and into this one.

See it for what it is - a positive step in the right direction.

[spudski]

I wouldn't say City were going backwards for the last two seasons, more like stagnating. Poor signings, too many short term and hopeless loans, unbalanced squad, manager losing the dressing room all contributed.

Add to that an injury disrupted pre-season and managerial up-heaval.

No-one can expect Millen (or any other manager) to repair all the damage and have the team clicking into place after all the difficulties mentioned above. Millen has had an accumnination of problems to address and he's going about dealing with them bit by bit. The signing of a talented young defender is a step forward, particularly as the defence has been shocking far too often over the last seasons and into this one.

See it for what it is - a positive step in the right direction.

I agree with many of your sentiments...but is bringing in, a Spurs Youth team player a step in the right direction? Are the rest of our Championship defense, so poor, that a Spurs Youth team player is seen as a step in the right direction.

We need to wise up as a Club. From the top to the bottom.

Imo, the whole 82 affair, hangs over us like a bad smell. Because of it, we are overly cautious in the market, for our aspirations.

If we were a S****horpe or Doncaster, I could understand it. But all this talk by our Chairman of a new Stadium and Premier League football, can't be done on a shoe string in this modern climate. Just because he's a fantastic businessman doesn't mean he's a fantastic judge of Football.

If he came out and said, we are happy to survive in this division, and build from within, I could understand. But he doesn't. We have grandeous ideas above our Station, that are expected to be achieved on a shoestring.

This gives the fans an expectation of the Club, that isn't realistic. Then when results don't go our way, the pressure builds and it has a negative knock on effect.

Don't get me wrong, i think SL is a terrific Chairman and we are lucky to have him. But i get fed up of the big Love in. Most City fans are apathetic, because of it. No one deep down, reckons we are ever going to be Premier League quality, hense the apathetic nature of our fans. We are living a pipe dream.

But...Most fans need to realise, that we are seen by most of the Footballing fraternity as a below average, Championship side, run poorly on the playing side. Yes we pay our wages on time, but our facilities and coaching staff have been inadequate for years.

Millen might be a nice chap and so may be everyone else, but we need some frigging quality.

Seeing everyone so happy that we are bringing in a Spurs Youth player, just goes to show how desperate we have become.

And yes, this season has 'Lennartson' written all over it...but who do we blame for that?

Poor judgement from the top in my book. We may have learnt about pay structures, but we sure as hell haven't worked out how to make a progressive successful Club, above League 1 standard...

Rant over...tin hat on.

[REDOXO]

An injury disrupted pre-season and managerial up-heaval.

Millen has had an accumulation of problems to address and he's going about dealing with them bit by bit. The signing of a talented young defender is a step forward

See it for what it is - a positive step in the right direction.

The saliant points of course!

We may not be top six this season (although I wouldn't give on that quite yet), but we do have to rebuild. If bringing in the likes of Caulker and Rose gives us some better options (Ergo a more offensive back four/three/five with some extra power and pace and a left winger/central midfielder with a premier league experience it gets my vote) then more power to KM while he looks for more permanent/long-term solutions. (Dont forget Andy Cole came on loan originally things in football can change quickly and if Spurs bring in another player these two could become surplus to requiremants very quickly)

While I understand what people say about experience these two have got quite some considerable amount of that for youngsters and what I like about building a team with youth is they tend to play with less fear and often have little respect for the big names...And Until a Norman Hunter, Clive Whitehaed or a Joe Royal come up for loan we'll have to travel down this road a little more I suspect which is the big advantage of Steve Wigley...he knows where all the good ones are.

Keep faith with Mr. Millen and Mr. Wigley they obviously have the contacts and that is exactly what we need right now to create competition for places in the first team and build a more attractive winning side.

[Nibor]

I agree with many of your sentiments...but is bringing in, a Spurs Youth team player a step in the right direction?

Absolutely.

Imo, the whole 82 affair, hangs over us like a bad smell. Because of it, we are overly cautious in the market, for our aspirations.

The fact that we lost nearly £10m last season, over £6m the season before, have a wage bill of around £12m and have spent an average of about £3m a season on transfers at this level kind of makes the idea that we are overly cautious in the market quite ridiculous IMO.

The reverse is true.

[Robbored]

Poor judgement from the top in my book. We may have learnt about pay structures, but we sure as hell haven't worked out how to make a progressive successful Club, above League 1 standard...

Rant over...tin hat on.

To summarise your post. You would like Steve Lansdown to spend big and get in a top drawer manager and hand over a huge war chest full of millions to buy the best players possible.

Buy success in other words.

Problem is that regardless of how many millions your benefactor might have and be willing to part with, unless he's billionaire of Romans magnitude, money is not always going to gaurantee success. Chelsea were under RA's control for several seasons before they became the juganaught they are now. They still haven't won the holy grail yet....

City have made progress in the last few years and Lansdown continues to build our club gradually and the new stadium is a huge part of his master plan. Ashton Gate is a Div 1 stadium after all and needs replacing.

[FanaticRed]

If Spurs have offered him a new 3 year deal, then i'm sure he's a good player for the future.

But his presence, didn't stop Yeovil finishing only 3 points off relegation from League 1 last season.

Imo...this is not the answer to our present problems.

Hope he proves me wrong.

What a load of rubbish, they finnished near the bottom 3 because as a team they were obviously poor, yes the other 10 players who play along side him! we never made the play offs last season, yet maynard could easily play for a top championship club/lower prem! plus you dont win 4 out of 5 end of season awards at 18 if you havent got somthing about you? give the boy a chance he cant be any worse than what we already have, carey is way past his best and is extreamley slow, caulker would sort this problem out streight away! i watch him against Arsenal and ill be the first to admit he didnt really "stand out" for me, which ive said in another post above, but everyone else seems to rate him so mabie im wrong? baring in mind i made that comment before i knew of his former loan spell with yoveil! he can only improve out squad.

[FanaticRed]

I would play 3 at the back like this

james

carey caulker fontaine

rose skusey johnson elliot albert

haynes stead

Im scratching my head and wonder why no one would start Ribiero? hes been out best player since returning from injury. if i was to go with a back 3 it would be:

Ribiero, Caulker, Fontaine.

[FanaticRed]

Id like to see Clive Platt do the back 4 from the half way line with this kid at centre-half.

My thoughts exactly!

[spudski]

I'm not having a go at the new lad...I'm having a go at the Club, which has spent and been mismanaged unwisely in my opinion.

As quoted...Look at the amount of money that has been spent by us...on what? Apart from Maynard, all we have left on our books are some promising youngsters and some over paid, under achieving, below average Championship players. We don't spend big compared to other Clubs, that want it more. QPR are giving each player a £3.2 million bonus to each player, if they achieve promotion (25 games played). That's what we're up against.

The Club are at fault, not the players. They are what they are. See it for what it is.

I don't like speaking about the Club i support, in this way, but i'm fed up of listening to the Bull that comes out of our Club, and the blind optimism of our fans.

Yes, we should get behind Millen and the lads and support the team. But when are we as fans going to wise up and realise that our Team is being run poorly. We just don't have any idea, and at the moment, we are in survival mode.

All the talk over the past 3 years of Promotion and new Stadium is Bullsh1t. We are, where we are, because of poor decisions and mismanagemnt, from the top. Where else does the buck stop.

We can't blame everything on SC, it was going really bad, way before then. Poor decisions throughout.

[WellRedPhil]

The fact that we lost nearly £10m last season, over £6m the season before, have a wage bill of around £12m and have spent an average of about £3m a season on transfers at this level kind of makes the idea that we are overly cautious in the market quite ridiculous IMO.

The reverse is true.

Exactly. It's a myth that we haven't spent money, we've just not spent it that wisely.

[Nibor]

I'm not having a go at the new lad...I'm having a go at the Club, which has spent and been mismanaged unwisely in my opinion.

As quoted...Look at the amount of money that has been spent by us...on what? Apart from Maynard, all we have left on our books are some promising youngsters and some over paid, under achieving, below average Championship players. We don't spend big compared to other Clubs, that want it more. QPR are giving each player a £3.2 million bonus to each player, if they achieve promotion (25 games played). That's what we're up against.

The Club are at fault, not the players. They are what they are. See it for what it is.

I don't like speaking about the Club i support, in this way, but i'm fed up of listening to the Bull that comes out of our Club, and the blind optimism of our fans.

Yes, we should get behind Millen and the lads and support the team. But when are we as fans going to wise up and realise that our Team is being run poorly. We just don't have any idea, and at the moment, we are in survival mode.

All the talk over the past 3 years of Promotion and new Stadium is Bullsh1t. We are, where we are, because of poor decisions and mismanagemnt, from the top. Where else does the buck stop.

We can't blame everything on SC, it was going really bad, way before then. Poor decisions throughout.

QPR are offering £3.2m in total bonuses not per player. If each of our players has a 15-20% bonus on promotion (not unreasonable) then ours won't be too far off that.

The facts are that we are comfortably in the top 8-10 spenders both on wages and transfer fees.

If your argument is that we don't spend enough, then your expectations here are the problem because they are ludicrous - SL put his hand in his pocket for £10m to cover our losses last season.

If your argument is that we don't get value for money with what we spend, I'd argue that only the three clubs promoted will feel like they did. It is hard to pick out the right players and land them and a manager does well to get every other signing right. Again, your expectations would seem unrealistic to me.

[spudski]

QPR are offering £3.2m in total bonuses not per player. If each of our players has a 15-20% bonus on promotion (not unreasonable) then ours won't be too far off that.

The facts are that we are comfortably in the top 8-10 spenders both on wages and transfer fees.

If your argument is that we don't spend enough, then your expectations here are the problem because they are ludicrous - SL put his hand in his pocket for £10m to cover our losses last season.

If your argument is that we don't get value for money with what we spend, I'd argue that only the three clubs promoted will feel like they did. It is hard to pick out the right players and land them and a manager does well to get every other signing right. Again, your expectations would seem unrealistic to me.

You prove my point...totally mismanaged. Money spent unwisely, for what we have, where we are, and what we've got to look forward in the near future.

Personel, playing staff and coaching staff, are all well below what is required, for the money we pay out.

[Mclovin BS14]

Im scratching my head and wonder why no one would start Ribiero? hes been out best player since returning from injury. if i was to go with a back 3 it would be:

Ribiero, Caulker, Fontaine.

I know that ribiero is a cracking player but that back 3 has no proper experience. And we are in need of a left footed player and fonts is as close as we can get with that so thats my reason.

[Davros]

Maybe...

................James

Carey....Caulker.....Fontaine

Ribeiro...Skuse...Rose...Elliott...Albert

.........Stead...Haynes/Pitman

Not for me this points to a 4-4-2

----------------DAVID JAMES-------------

Riberio---Carey---Caulker--Fontaine

Albert-----Skuse----Elliot------Rose--

------Stead (Pitman/Haines)-----------

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Give the lad a chance.

Caulker was highly rated at Yeovil. He has real pace which no-one else in the back 4 has and the bottom line is that its the defence thats been a problem for ages and he'll certainly give Millen some alternative options.

City have been desperate for a defender for ages (and still need a decent left back) and when Millen brings in a player with loads of talent you see it as a desperate signing.

Glass half empty again?

or glass full of centre backs and half empty of left backs.

[mikeymm55]

I am a season ticket holder at the gate and at Yeovil Town so i have watched Steven Caulker many times. He won 4 out of 5 of the fans awards at Yeovil last season because he was simply head and shoulders above the rest. It is true he is a 400 metres champion and you will be impressed by his pace and physique, he has all the attributes required for a top class defender. When you watch him play it will not be apparent that he is only 18 years of age. He is the current England under 19 centre half. All you doubters can relax, we have got ourselves a real gem, credit to Keith for scouting him and getting him. You will be impressed.

Last season he played central in a back four, no he doesnt play left back! He is right footed and would make an ideal partner for Fonts.

The only fault i could see is he occasionally has a tendancy to play too much football as if it is beyond him just to kick it in the stand, dont be surprised to see him carry the ball forward, he can play. He will not be outpaced by anyone in the Championship. Cant wait to see him again, this time in a red shirt.

[Nibor]

You prove my point...totally mismanaged. Money spent unwisely, for what we have, where we are, and what we've got to look forward in the near future.

Personel, playing staff and coaching staff, are all well below what is required, for the money we pay out.

You seem to have changed your point to suit since before it was that we don't spend enough.

I think the problem is your expectations.

[WellRedPhil]

I am a season ticket holder at the gate and at Yeovil Town so i have watched Steven Caulker many times. He won 4 out of 5 of the fans awards at Yeovil last season because he was simply head and shoulders above the rest. It is true he is a 400 metres champion and you will be impressed by his pace and physique, he has all the attributes required for a top class defender. When you watch him play it will not be apparent that he is only 18 years of age. He is the current England under 19 centre half. All you doubters can relax, we have got ourselves a real gem, credit to Keith for scouting him and getting him. You will be impressed.

Last season he played central in a back four, no he doesnt play left back! He is right footed and would make an ideal partner for Fonts.

The only fault i could see is he occasionally has a tendancy to play too much football as if it is beyond him just to kick it in the stand, dont be surprised to see him carry the ball forward, he can play. He will not be outpaced by anyone in the Championship. Cant wait to see him again, this time in a red shirt.

Well I think we're all hoping you're right!

[spudski]

You seem to have changed your point to suit since before it was that we don't spend enough.

I think the problem is your expectations.

I probably didn't make myself clear enough. My fault.

I don't have any expectations for this Club, in fact i think we are going no where. Personally i think we have paid money out, that in theory should have given us an average Championship side. No more, no less.

But i think, we have bought unwisely, paid too much for below average Championship players.

I expect us to be in the bottom third of the league with the staff we have,unless changes are made and more quality bought in.

With the money that has been spent, I would have expected us to have a playing staff and manager, that was capable of being at least a top 12 side.

Apologies if i have come across as a know it all, but i really do feel strongly about how poorly run this Club is. And i really do feel we as fans, are being hoodwinked into believing we are something more than we are. The Stadium issue doesn't help, and neither did the appointment of SC and to some degree DJ...as i believe it made fans feel we were really going to storm this league this year. In fact many bookies and pundits had us down as Dark horses to go up...amazing what a couple of well known names will do!

As soon as Millen was appointed, that view changed, even though we have the same playing staff. Amazing how fickle football is...

Anyway, the great thing about this forum, is, that it just goes to show how difficult it is to run a footie Club, as we all have different ideas as to what is good or bad.

But we all want City to do well...C'mon you Reds.

I think we have spent unwisely on the wrong players. Maynard and James aside.

[Clarky89]

http://www.skysports...6396731,00.html

We REALLY need to be in for this kid. A few of my Spurs mates rate him very highly and expect him to come through in the same mould as Campbell and King. It's clear that our back line is sub-championship standard, and although he isn't going to add experience, any sort of quality is desperatley needed.

He did look very good against a strong Arsenal side in the week.

Hahaha!!! When I started this original thread I didn't expect us to actually sign him. I strongly believe he will be the best centre-back in England outside the Premier League given a good run of games at our club.

Caulker and Rose will be very good Premier League players one day, so lets hope they can give us a glimse of their promising futures.

Seriously, this will be the best signing we made all Summer, he is a class, class act.

[bristolcitysweden]

Hahaha!!! When I started this original thread I didn't expect us to actually sign him. I strongly believe he will be the best centre-back in England outside the Premier League given a good run of games at our club.

Caulker and Rose will be very good Premier League players one day, so lets hope they can give us a glimse of their promising futures.

Seriously, this will be the best signing we made all Summer, he is a class, class act.

I think you are correct.

[BCFC Jordan]

Out of all the signings we've made so far, I think Steven has got the most positive ratings. Not heard anyone say anything bad about him on various forums. I think he really can be the boost our defence needs even if he isn't a LB.

[citylad05]

defending like he did against Arsenal...stick with Stewart ... but then again highly rated give the kid a chance hopefully he wil be a great asset to us

[megansdad]

It says on Wikipedia that he was 400m champ for his borough when at school. Hopefully, he'll bring a bit of pace to our backline.

I would say we have plenty of numbers rather than real options.

This lad has some quality and pace about him.

Sums up what Millen said on player he brings pace to the back line something we certainly have lacked this season. Coventry's first goal.

Comfortable on the ball, pace and power

He put these three as his key attributes and at over 6ft should be help with the aerial problems we have had at the back - Coventry's second goal.

Decent young player.

Good to see we are actually building a relationship with a decent perm club instead of just saying we are......

Well done mr millen

A sign that others rate our set up highly.

I would play 3 at the back like this

james

carey caulker fontaine

rose skusey johnson elliot albert

haynes stead

Same for me accept ribs on the right, Rose left and Albert alongside Stead.

[Guest Parson St Station]

James

Carey Caulker Fonts

Albert Skuse Ribs Elliot Rose

Stead Pitman

Johnson, Haynes,Cisse,Stewart,Hunt,Gerken as bench

[reddogkev]

This young un sounds exciting, cannot wait to see him play. Wonder if he will also chip in with a few goals from set plays. Because we could certainly do with more aerial power in the box.