Is Bikey on his bikey?

[rabidbee]

Duberry is less spectacular but more consistent and focussed. I just wish he could stop making so many pointless fouls.

[rhroyal]

The lack of pace from Ivar and Duberry was the reason for our goal conceded today. Bikey would have kept up and made it a far more difficult chance. Doobs have both individually been solid and consistent lately, but it's important to have a bit of pace in the backline. If we go up those 2 would be exposed even more so, Bikey must stay and go back into the team.

[Woodcote Royal]

Totally agree about the need for pace in the backline.

Not only will we get hammered next season if we go back up with a simliar set up, it was a major factor in us getting relegated in the first place.

Sonko pre-injury bailed out Ivar and Murts on countless occasions but after he did his cruciate Coppell refused to pick Bikey even after the slow coaches let in 7 at Portsmouth.

Our manager may not care for Bikey's laid back style but his extra yard of pace (and that's being kind to Doobs & Ingimarsson) gives him much more time to play with.

It's high time Steve Coppell, Mick Gooding and large swathes of our support stopped giving Ingimarsson 7 out of 10 for every match regardless of performance.

We need Bikey's pace at the back and Ivar needs more than length of service not to be the one to drop out.

[No Hoops]

He was on the bench for B'ham but has missed the last two.

Previously Coppell has not played players who he knows are on there way, so our thoughts are that he could well be gone.

[RoyalBlue]

I really hope that those predicting Bikey's departure are wrong.

It will be a big and expensive mistake letting him go. If nothing else (and there are plenty of other things) he adds considerable strength in depth to our squad. That strength in depth will be needed for the second half of this season.

[Hoop Blah]

He was on the bench for B'ham but has missed the last two.

Previously Coppell has not played players who he knows are on there way, so our thoughts are that he could well be gone.

Players like who? Sidwell? Oster? Shorey? Halls?

I'm sure that Bikey hasn't been in the squad because of two factors, firstly that he's had a bit of a knock or secondly that Coppell doesn't see the need to have him in there when Federici hasn't had anything of any real note to do since Duberry and Ingimarsson have been infront of him.

Coppell obviously has doubts about Bikey. That's why he's never really established himself in the side. I tend to agree with that to a certain extent despite the fact that he has the most potential and the best raw attributes of any of our defenders. It's how he applies them that scared Coppell.

Bikey may well leave, but I don't think that has any bearing on him not being in the side at the moment.

If we do go up could anybody seriously contemplate a pairing of Duberry and Ivar one year older?
Surely we have not only to try to get back up but start planning a side and method for the Premier League.

Totally agree. I really hope we get a couple of players in during Jan that look like they can hold their own in the Premiership, just in case we pull it off this season.

We've seen over the last few seasons how difficult we find it to bring in quality players and how long some of our signings take to find their feet but looking at the squad we have now, it's weaker than the one we took up in 05/06, and weaker than the one that came down in 07/08. It will need some pretty major strengthening this summer if we go up (even if we don't to be honest) and it's better if we can start some of that by getting in the right type of player in this window if possible (the likes of a good physical midfielder, a different type of centre forward etc etc).

[Royal Lady]

I made the comment on another thread a few days ago that I reckoned Bikey is off. There is absolutely NO reason not to be playing him. There were comments coming out of the club at one stage that he was "injured", but nothing more has been said about that. I am convinced that he is off, the club have already made a deal and they're not playing him in case he gets injured. I 100% hope I'm wrong, however.

[Royal Rother]

If he does go (personally I don't think he will) how much might we expect to get for him? £3.5m perhaps?

[Hoop Blah]

If he does go (personally I don't think he will) how much might we expect to get for him? £3.5m perhaps?

I'd say between £3m and £5m.

He's all potential, despite what some might think he's not proven anything yet and so anymore would be over priced in my eyes.

I hope he doesn't go as he does have that potential, but if his head has been turned and we can cash in AND get in a decent replacement who is perhaps a little more consistent then I'd be happy. That's a big AND though...

[Vision]

Surely the issue is as much about bedding our new keeper in as much as anything else. He's come in and has just got familiar with the current back four so can't really see why we would change it. Its not like we've been leaking goals or a myriad of chances since Bikey was out .

I'd agree that as an individual Bikey is the best defender we have but just like Marek being the best individual midfielder we have, it doesn't necessarily mean he's a part of the best defensive unit available to us at this time.

People seem to be forgetting that just prior to his sending off Bikey was starting to display some of his old bad habits.

We've a relatively new and inexperienced keeper bedding in so I can totally understand why Coppell wants to get some familiarity and continuity in front of him.

[Woodcote Royal]

I understand your logic but the fact is we failed to win our last 2 games and had to come from behind to scrape draws.

I didn't go to either game but lack of pace at the back seems to have been a factor in not only the 2 goals we conceded but also our inability to gain the upper hand for much of both games.

In much the same way as many of us look at our current left back and think "Nicky who?" and still can't believe that we lost at least 4pts at the beginning of the season with Hunt in the back four after Coppell spent the summer knelt on a prayer mat begging Shorey to stay, it's just possible that our strongest defense includes Bikey but not Ingimarsson.

[Stranded]

I understand your logic but the fact is we've failed to win our last 2 games in both cases having had to come from behind to scrape draws.

I didn't go to either game but lack of pace at the back seems to have been a factor in not only the 2 goals we conceded but also our inability to gain the upper hand for much of both games.

In much the same way as many of us look at our current left back and think "Nicky who?" and still can't believe that we lost at least 4pts at the beginning of the season with Hunt in the back four after Coppell spent the summer knelt on a prayer mat begging Shorey to stay, it's just possible that our strongest defense includes Bikey but not Ingimarsson.

Not sure about the Soton goal but lack of pace had absolutely nothing to do with the Cardiff goal.

I would like Bikey in but the fact is we're not losing and don't look like conceding that many goals - those in the side are playing well as a unit and have possession of the shirt so at the mo, he has to wait his turn.

[Royalee]

Based on the four or five games I've seen this season and added to last year where I saw every game, Ingimarsson is getting to that stage where he's barely good enough to warrant a place in the starting eleven. Add to that Duberry being of a similar age and it would be absolute madness to sell the best centre back in the division who is about ten years younger than these two. Doyle and Bikey have carried the team at times and if either leaves in January then you can kiss promotion goodbye.

[Woodcote Royal]

I understand your logic but the fact is we've failed to win our last 2 games in both cases having had to come from behind to scrape draws.

I didn't go to either game but lack of pace at the back seems to have been a factor in not only the 2 goals we conceded but also our inability to gain the upper hand for much of both games.

In much the same way as many of us look at our current left back and think "Nicky who?" and still can't believe that we lost at least 4pts at the beginning of the season with Hunt in the back four after Coppell spent the summer knelt on a prayer mat begging Shorey to stay, it's just possible that our strongest defense includes Bikey but not Ingimarsson.

Not sure about the Soton goal but lack of pace had absolutely nothing to do with the Cardiff goal.

I would like Bikey in but the fact is we're not losing and don't look like conceding that many goals - those in the side are playing well as a unit and have possession of the shirt so at the mo, he has to wait his turn.

We've just conceded 2 goals that not only prevented us from winning the last 2 games (one against a team who would have been bottom had they lost) but also neccesitated last ditch efforts to scrape draws, one from our goalkeeper in the 95 minute

Did I imagine Routledge leaving his man for dead just before their goal?

We like to play with attacking full backs and it's very difficult for them to bomb forward with neither centre half having any pace.

Both Cardiff and Southampton caught us on the break regularly.

[Hoop Blah]

We've just conceded 2 goals that not only prevented us from winning the last 2 games (one against a team who would have been bottom had they lost) but also neccesitated last ditch efforts to scrape draws, one from our goalkeeper in the 95 minute

Did I imagine Routledge leaving his man for dead just before their goal?

We like to play with attacking full backs and it's very difficult for them to bomb forward with neither centre half having any pace.

Both Cardiff and Southampton caught us on the break regularly.

It's been our inability to score that's almost cost us the last two games. Defensively I think the last few games have actually been our stringest performances of the season as Federici hasn't had more than a couple of half decent saves to make since he came into the side.

The difference is that, Birmingham aside, we've not been the same side infront of goal that we were when we were beating teams by a couple of clear goals every week.

The fact that Doyle has only scored in 1 of the last 7 games, and Noel Hunt in only 1 of 6 (two brief appearances in that 6 to be fair, but then the goal was a free kick and so isn't a 'real goal') is more of an issue than which centre back pairing we employ when conceding 4 goals in 7 games.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Bikey is better than Dubbery.

[Vision]

I'm with Hoop Blah. We don't look any more likely to concede (or vulnerable to the counter attack) than we did with Bikey in the side. In fact I'd argue that Federici has had considerably less to do than Hahnemann did in the games leading up to Bikey's Cardiff dismissal. I'm not necessarily saying i wouldn't have him in the side but people are talking as if we are only now starting to give up chances when in my opinion there is little difference to when he was in the team. I'm merely pointing out that with a new keeper, continuity amongst the back four is probably seen as the steadier option particularly when you consider that Bikey for all his strengths is still something of a loose cannon.

For the record in the 7 games since Bikey's suspension we've conceded 4 goals and in the 7 games prior to his suspension we also conceded 4 goals so given the Federici factor I'm not convinced its a foregone conclusion we're better defensively with him.

One thing where i think he would help though is that his distribution from the back is better than the other two which may help us in terms of keeping possession . That said, he's hardly Franz Beckenbeuer.

[PlasticRoyale]

This debate about CB's in all very fine and dandy but there is a serious lack of puns...

D+ Must. Try. Harder...

[PEARCEY]

I'm with Hoop Blah. We don't look any more likely to concede (or vulnerable to the counter attack) than we did with Bikey in the side. In fact I'd argue that Federici has had considerably less to do than Hahnemann did in the games leading up to Bikey's Cardiff dismissal. I'm not necessarily saying i wouldn't have him in the side but people are talking as if we are only now starting to give up chances when in my opinion there is little difference to when he was in the team. I'm merely pointing out that with a new keeper, continuity amongst the back four is probably seen as the steadier option particularly when you consider that Bikey for all his strengths is still something of a loose cannon.

For the record in the 7 games since Bikey's suspension we've conceded 4 goals and in the 7 games prior to his suspension we also conceded 4 goals so given the Federici factor I'm not convinced its a foregone conclusion we're better defensively with him.

One thing where i think he would help though is that his distribution from the back is better than the other two which may help us in terms of keeping possession . That said, he's hardly Franz Beckenbeuer.

You argue your case very well and its difficult to challenge what you say. I do think though that lessons have to be learnt. Our centre backs were desperately exposed last season. Neither of the current incumbents would cope in the Premiership next season and I'm not sure either would in the Championship a year down the line.
Bikey is by no means perfect BUT he raises his game against the better sides. Pretty much everyone accepts he has the potential to be our best CB by some distance. If thats the case its about bloody time Wally Downes worked with him to get a more consistent level of performance out of him.
It also seems to me that it doesn't take too much for Copps to drop Bikey and as Woodcote has pointed out despite the obvious defensive frailties of last season SC was very reluctant to play Bikey.
I hope he stays because to let him go for £3 millon or whatever it is we would get for him would be plain stupid.

[Vision]

I'm with Hoop Blah. We don't look any more likely to concede (or vulnerable to the counter attack) than we did with Bikey in the side. In fact I'd argue that Federici has had considerably less to do than Hahnemann did in the games leading up to Bikey's Cardiff dismissal. I'm not necessarily saying i wouldn't have him in the side but people are talking as if we are only now starting to give up chances when in my opinion there is little difference to when he was in the team. I'm merely pointing out that with a new keeper, continuity amongst the back four is probably seen as the steadier option particularly when you consider that Bikey for all his strengths is still something of a loose cannon.

For the record in the 7 games since Bikey's suspension we've conceded 4 goals and in the 7 games prior to his suspension we also conceded 4 goals so given the Federici factor I'm not convinced its a foregone conclusion we're better defensively with him.

One thing where i think he would help though is that his distribution from the back is better than the other two which may help us in terms of keeping possession . That said, he's hardly Franz Beckenbeuer.

You argue your case very well and its difficult to challenge what you say. I do think though that lessons have to be learnt. Our centre backs were desperately exposed last season. Neither of the current incumbents would cope in the Premiership next season and I'm not sure either would in the Championship a year down the line.
Bikey is by no means perfect BUT he raises his game against the better sides. Pretty much everyone accepts he has the potential to be our best CB by some distance. If thats the case its about bloody time Wally Downes worked with him to get a more consistent level of performance out of him.
It also seems to me that it doesn't take too much for Copps to drop Bikey and as Woodcote has pointed out despite the obvious defensive frailties of last season SC was very reluctant to play Bikey.
I hope he stays because to let him go for £3 millon or whatever it is we would get for him would be plain stupid.

If it was August and we'd just been promoted then i'd agree with you but my response was really to the idea that "there is no reason not to be playing him now". I'm merely of the opinion that given the current situation with Federici i can totally understand why Coppell is going with a settled and more experienced back four. If we'd been leaking chances and goals left right and centre then I could understand it , but as things stand we're no more vulnerable now than we were with Bikey in the team.

How Bikey may or may not play against better sides in the Premiership doesn't have any bearing on whether under the current circumstances he should automatically start right here and now. We're getting ahead of ourselves in my opinion, we should of course always be looking to improve but the priority is getting out of this division first. Until we do that i think any talk of what we did in the Premier League or what we need to do in the Premier League is irrelevant.