Gary O'neil

[Brownie]

Yes, I do think playing your best central midfielder outwide is a horrible idea. Your only ‘creative’ central midfielder gets pushed outwide for Tim Cahill, Phil Neville and Marouane Fellaini just so Tony Hibbert doesn’t get embarrassed by every wide player who has a bit of trickery about them and can cut inside.

If it’s like for like then fair enough, if we sign a Fernandes, a Moutinho or a Defour and move Arteta outwide then I’d accept it. There players who have Arteta’s strengths and can compliment Arteta as a wide player.

But this is Cahill, Neville and Fellaini where talking about? Half decent midfielders at best and none of them can do what Arteta can do. Unless your happy jack of all trades, master of none midfielders, fair enough. I’m not, if we want to get the best out of what we’ve got (limited resources) then having a player who can control a game is a must and that’s always been the case, all the best sides have a dictator, a conductor of the orchestra.

And who’s to say moving Arteta outwide would protect our right hand side? He’s good defensively in the middle but like Osman he suffers from being a central midfielder playing outwide. Naturally, he’s going to come inside and leave the fullback slightly exposed.

Arteta’s impact has continued to diminish outwide, almost to the point where he was unhappy there. He saw little of the ball, he had no one to link with and we didn’t have a central midfield that could get him the ball enough. Our play is very left sided (even when Arteta played on the right) so again we’d be wasting a very talented player.

What about playing O'Neil centrally and move Mikel out wide?

 

[davek]

Southgate: No bid for O'Neil | Middlesbrough | English League Championship | Football News from TEAMtalk

 

[Neiler]

Just a rumour then according to Southgate.

 

[Azzbot]

His nose is a rumour.

 

[Robert Jarvis]

Forget O'neill, not good enough for what we need.

 

[micknick]

I rate O'neil, hes a good honest player that would give us something different on the right hand side- in that he is actually a right midfield player. Much better than Osman and is pretty industrious to help out the right full back.

 

[steevie]

I rate O'neil, hes a good honest player that would give us something different on the right hand side- in that he is actually a right midfield player. Much better than Osman and is pretty industrious to help out the right full back.

Yeah, and we will probably only sign him before the window closes despite him suffering with an hernia problem. Fuming here!

 

[micknick]

Yeah, and we will probably only sign him before the window closes despite him suffering with an hernia problem. Fuming here!

Do you knowanything about hernias?! They are one of the most straight forward operations going and take about 3 weeks to fully recover.

 

[heatmeiser]

We're not mentioned as being interested this time but I've got a horrible feeling we'll be in for him if they decide to sell.

Oh goody, another lightweight midfielder.

 

[Deleted member 28206]

I wish this rumour was a rumour. Cack.tripe.poo.plop.crud.

 

[The Executioner's Bong]

Pretty average player to be honest, he wouldn't improve what we already have.

 

[bluebloodinmyveins]

I thought he was dead, or retired or something.