Only the USA may tempt him, get Beckham on the phone

I have to say, I really don't get the Benteke hatred. The guy is serviceable, he scores a few goals, he plays with a smile on his face, he's clearly a net plus in the dressing room, and given that we don't really play to his strengths, he never complains. It seems some are stuck expecting him to return to the player of the Villa years, or have silly expectations because he came from Liverpool. It's somewhat similar with Ayew, another player who gets a ton of stick on here yet for me is consistently one of our better performers and who never fails to do what it says on the tin.

Sometimes I wonder about some of our supporters. Yes, every fan loves the flair players and Zaha, Gallagher, and their like will always win the hearts and minds first but the negative comments about Benteke and Ayew (among others) really rankle with me. A SQUAD is the sum of its parts; it takes all sorts to build a strong one; some stars, some leaders, some role players. In the latter category, Benteke and Ayew in particular deserve far more respect because they're by and large very good at the roles they're asked to play.

I have to say, I really don't get the Benteke hatred. The guy is serviceable, he scores a few goals, he plays with a smile on his face, he's clearly a net plus in the dressing room, and given that we don't really play to his strengths, he never complains. It seems some are stuck expecting him to return to the player of the Villa years, or have silly expectations because he came from Liverpool. It's somewhat similar with Ayew, another player who gets a ton of stick on here yet for me is consistently one of our better performers and who never fails to do what it says on the tin.

Sometimes I wonder about some of our supporters. Yes, every fan loves the flair players and Zaha, Gallagher, and their like will always win the hearts and minds first but the negative comments about Benteke and Ayew (among others) really rankle with me. A SQUAD is the sum of its parts; it takes all sorts to build a strong one; some stars, some leaders, some role players. In the latter category, Benteke and Ayew in particular deserve far more respect because they're by and large very good at the roles they're asked to play.

Ah Sydtheeagle, I find your posts eminently well reasoned, and accurate in their assumptions. Not this one though, it's as off target as a wayward Benteke missed sitter.
Ayew? Gets through a load of unglamorous work, supports the full back, presses hard, and couple of season ago scored more goals than Benteke in a team that wasn't renowned for scoring many. Benteke? Let's for a change not talk about cost or wages, let's talk about what he does on the pitch as a centre forward. Now for me a centre forward who misses as many sitters as Benteke does isn't much of a centre forward at all. He is often way off the pace, probably trying to find the pockets in his Benteke edition shorts while the action passes him by.
There's no comparison between Ayew and Benteke.

Edited by southnorwoodhill (20 Jan 2022 8.41pm)