Jaffka's gossip thread on the ins and outs at the 'Bok

[the-Bowtun-Warrior]

The best footballing CB i've seen in a white shirt.

Don't know what he's like now but if hes 60/70% of what he was, i would have him back in a flash.

[truewhite15]

The best footballing CB i've seen in a white shirt.

Don't know what he's like now but if hes 60/70% of what he was, i would have him back in a flash.

What? Better than Our Gaz?

[Wandering Willy]

Anyway, the only reason we're being linked is because the Daily Mail is stacked to the rafters with fat, drunken, slobbering hacks who read in The Sun that he was having a dispute with Portsmouth and then, through a drunken fug, vaguely remembered that he once played for us.

Aren't they food critics?

[Lord Kangana]

They phone both jobs in from the same pub.

[Wandering Willy]

I am in.

[Lord Kangana]

Are you racist, sexist, homophobic, think beating children should be an Olympic sport, blame all our problems on immigrants and pregnant teenagers, really can't get past may 1945 and just generally think that if we all reverted back to Empire and "how it used to be in my day", it'd all be alright?

[Chrisfu]

Daily Mail says we are interest in Ben Haim...

I really, really hope and expect that's just a load of bollocks. The guy could have left Portsmouth without stealing a living from them long ago, and found a new club immediately on a decent wage. Instead he's really milked the situation for all it's worth and left himself looking pretty much unemployable.

Wouldn't touch him with a bargepole these days.

If he still has anything like the quality he had in his last spell with us, I'd have him back in a heartbeat. He was absolute class. The fact that he's a money-oriented mercenary does not make him unusual in the footballing profession.

It doesn't, no, but it pretty much goes against the grain of every single thing the club has been doing to reduce costs and lower the average age of the squad.

When you look at the likes of Gregg Wylde and the rest of the other high-earners at Rangers who walked away from their lucrative contracts to help the club out of a messy situation, it makes Ben Haim look like a complete tit.

If we're just talking football reasons though, he's past it and has looked shit for Portsmouth anyway. He's never reached the form he had whilst with Bolton, and likely never will now. Not worth the risk.

[the-Bowtun-Warrior]

The best footballing CB i've seen in a white shirt.

Don't know what he's like now but if hes 60/70% of what he was, i would have him back in a flash.

What? Better than Our Gaz?

In my opinion, Yes.
Gaz scored more goals granted but personally if offered both in their peak (of their BWFC careers) i'd want Ben Haim.

[BWFC_Insane]

The best footballing CB i've seen in a white shirt.

Don't know what he's like now but if hes 60/70% of what he was, i would have him back in a flash.

What? Better than Our Gaz?

In my opinion, Yes.
Gaz scored more goals granted but personally if offered both in their peak (of their BWFC careers) i'd want Ben Haim.

Ben Haim wasn't even the best defender in the Bolton side at the time!

Cahill has a champions league winners medal.

Haim just has a failed career.

[truewhite15]

The best footballing CB i've seen in a white shirt.

Don't know what he's like now but if hes 60/70% of what he was, i would have him back in a flash.

What? Better than Our Gaz?

In my opinion, Yes.
Gaz scored more goals granted but personally if offered both in their peak (of their BWFC careers) i'd want Ben Haim.

Ben Haim wasn't even the best defender in the Bolton side at the time!

Cahill has a champions league winners medal.

Haim just has a failed career.

Agreed. Cahill is, was, and forever shall be streets ahead of Ben Haim in quality.

[Puskas]

Eh???

Newcastle and Fulham are eyeing the 19-year-old Bolton striker Sanmi Odelusi,

From the Guardian's Rumour Mill (a round-up of other paper's rumours...)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012 ... r-berbatov" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Why on earth would they want one of our youth team - someone who's behind even Eaves and O'Halloran in the pecking order?

Still, we'll have Michael Owen to replace him, so that's all OK.

[Lord Kangana]

Is he about to negotiate a new contract.

[Tombwfc]

Daily Mail says we are interest in Ben Haim...

I really, really hope and expect that's just a load of bollocks. The guy could have left Portsmouth without stealing a living from them long ago, and found a new club immediately on a decent wage. Instead he's really milked the situation for all it's worth and left himself looking pretty much unemployable.

Wouldn't touch him with a bargepole these days.

If he still has anything like the quality he had in his last spell with us, I'd have him back in a heartbeat. He was absolute class. The fact that he's a money-oriented mercenary does not make him unusual in the footballing profession.

It doesn't, no, but it pretty much goes against the grain of every single thing the club has been doing to reduce costs and lower the average age of the squad.

When you look at the likes of Gregg Wylde and the rest of the other high-earners at Rangers who walked away from their lucrative contracts to help the club out of a messy situation, it makes Ben Haim look like a complete tit.

If we're just talking football reasons though, he's past it and has looked shit for Portsmouth anyway. He's never reached the form he had whilst with Bolton, and likely never will now. Not worth the risk.

Portsmouth attracted players to the club by cheating, offering them contracts they couldn't afford. I don't blame Ben Haim at all for wanting what he's owed.

Outside of that though, never in his lifetime has he been close to the player Cahill is currently and he hasn't played well at all for about six years. Also, why would we buy a fifth centre half?

[Worthy4England]

We could argue at length about his merits compared to Cahill. I personally don't think at TBH's peak there was that much in it.

What's difficult to argue is that at his peak, he was head and shoulders above owt we've currently got (with a get out of jail for Mills who I haven't seen enough of yet, and possibly Ream).

That said, it's been that long since he was "at his best", I don't think I'd take the risk.

[officer_dibble]

No I don't fancy signing Ben Haim...been a while since he were any good. We need a hard bloke at the back anyway, some 6 foot 4 beast who actually wins headers and bossess the centre forward.

I'd sign a left back first though.

[Tals-biggest-fan]

Ben Haim's career went down the shit after leaving us, don't want anything to do him nowadays.

[Harry Genshaw]

At his peak Ben Haim was one of the best defenders I've ever seen at Bolton and what puts him ahead of Cahill imo is he could comfortably play anywhere across the back 4.

However as someone said - like a lot of folk who leave us, he's been bobbins ever since and I wouldn't touch him with a bargepole. He'll still be looking for more than we can afford to pay anyway

[irie Cee Bee]

With Wheater out for at least the first couple months of the season, we are a bit thin with only 3 CHs. One of them get hurt then we are down to 2. Thats a dangerous game to play.

The decision then is do we go loan (Boyata?) or sign (Ben Haim?). Take your pick. I say loan until Wheater recovers fully. Ben haim is not the same player we had. He went backwards when deciding to go to Chelsea. Is he good enough to make our team ? Maybe yes, but it would not be money well spent. spend it on a forward.

[Lord Kangana]

Still think Faye would have been a better bet. Like a modern day Chris Fairclough, if you will.

[officer_dibble]

Faye is more gerry taggat surely?