David Bell

[Realist]

What were your overall impressions of Bell while he was here last season ? If we had stayed up, would you have liked to have signed him permanently ?

 

[Uncle Connolly]

Certainly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - David Bell was probably the only Leicester City player last season to consistantly perform well.

The sad reality is with other Championship clubs fishing for his signature, I cant really see him staying and he will probably move to somewhere like Cov or Norwich.

The last thing I heard however the deal isnt dead in the water, and if I were Milan, I would be going all out to get him in permanent.

 

[Fox Fan]

I wasn't that impressed. Levi was better than him, and he should be back for the new season.

 

[Jeff]

I wasn't that impressed. Levi was better than him, and he should be back for the new season.

Levi won't solve our right wing problem (the on the pitch right wing problem...)

Hopefully Max Gradel will get a chance, he's done well in this division. He made more crosses than any other player in the division last season, despite missing a lot of it.

 

[drew]

Where are those stats from Jeff, sounds promising. 5 goals in 17 games as well.

 

[Jeff]

Where are those stats from Jeff, sounds promising. 5 goals in 17 games as well.

I heard the crossing stat on the radio. So if BBC Cumbria is like Radio Leicester the stat is probably wrong.


It was 9 goals from 31 games in the league.

 

[drew]

Good return for a winger.

 

[Steven]

Certainly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - David Bell was probably the only Leicester City player last season to consistantly perform well.

The sad reality is with other Championship clubs fishing for his signature, I cant really see him staying and he will probably move to somewhere like Cov or Norwich.

The last thing I heard however the deal isnt dead in the water, and if I were Milan, I would be going all out to get him in permanent.

Not sure about the quality of the final cross.

 

[Jeff]

Not sure about the quality of the final cross.

Or the quantity.

 

[Steven]

From the Foxes trust. What the Bournemouth Trust thinks of Gradel.

In the third of our series on the progress of our young players loaned out last season, Rob Trent of the AFC Bournemouth Trust reports on the fine season that Max Gradel had with them under the most difficult of circumstances.

“Season 2007-2008 wasn’t the best season to be an AFC Bournemouth Supporter. The trials and tribulations suffered by long-serving fans got significantly worse this year. Even the most hardened of cynics who would have you believe that things could only get better had to re-evaluate their thoughts. Mind you, at least there was Maxi Gradel, loan signing from Leicester City.

Manager Kevin Bond started the campaign riding his luck on the fact that family ties with chairman Jeff Mostyn seemed to outweigh a rather poor conclusion to 2006-2007, including an early FA Cup exit to League 2 side Bristol Rovers.

Bond waited until late in the summer to move to develop his squad. Fans viewed the signing of ex-Celtic full-back Paul Telfer, and experienced striker Lee Bradbury, as an indication that we may have at least made the play-offs.

Things started fairly well. An away draw at Forest, and a victory at Doncaster gave fans hope. Maxis debut at Forest being a particular highlight. Less convincing however were performances in front of our own fans. As the season progressed, the away form dipped, and by December we still hadn’t achieved a single home victory.....

Kevin Bonds response to the poor performances was to draft in loanee after loanee. It became apparent that the fans were finding it difficult to recognise the players, and in fact the players had the same problem.

The exception to the loan signings was of course Max. His tricky wing-play was clearly something that League 1 journeymen were unaccustomed to. Max continued to impress.

However, off the pitch Max had other issues to worry about. The death of his mother, and the fact that he was now responsible for his younger siblings back in France meant that there were periods when he was unavailable. For such a young man these must have been very difficult times, but Max always gave 100%. The supporters by now had taken him as one of our own.

I don’t intend giving a game-by-game account, but prefer instead to remember the incidents which highlighted just how Max really appeared to care for his adopted club.

At the height of a particularly torrid time for Kevin Bond, we found ourselves losing in the FA Cup to non-league Barrow. An injury time equaliser gave us a life-line. Near the end of that extra time, and facing a penalty shoot-out, the ref awarded us a penalty.

Brett Pitman, the clubs allotted penalty taker then stepped up to do the honours. However, Max beat him to the ball! What followed was an incredible two minutes of squabbling and arguing over who should take the penalty. Pitman looked to the captain and then to the manager for support. Despite all this Max came out on top!

History shows of course that he scored, and we scraped through. Despite how unprofessional that incident looked, it certainly placed Max most definitely as a fans favourite.

The blow of a ten point deduction for going into administration seemed to galvanise the team. At one point in March we were fourteen points adrift of safety. Bond was finally picking a team made up mostly of permanent signing, plus Max. The occasional penalty was given in our favour and a similar dispute would follow, although each time Brett Pitman would put up less of a fight!

We were relegated. But Max, along with the others, did themselves proud. We like to think that Max enjoyed his stay here. We hope that you let us have him back, but if not, that you make use of his experience at our level.

Most of all though, Max did himself proud as a footballer and as a person. We wish Max all the best in whatever the future holds.”

 

[bocadillo]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - David Bell was probably the only Leicester City player last season to consistantly perform well.

Aye. He was consistent for 539 minutes of a 4140 minute season.

 

[WALSHIESTACKLE]

Max Gradel has already proved himself in this division so why would we need Bell anyway. We really need to give the talented kids a chance this season. They are the future of the club IMO. Would he even be first choice on the right side anyway with Gradel there? If he was then we would be wasting a flourishing talent.

 

[Steven]

Max Gradel has already proved himself in this division so why would we need Bell anyway. We really need to give the talented kids a chance this season. They are the future of the club IMO. Would he even be first choice on the right side anyway with Gradel there? If he was then we would be wasting a flourishing talent.

Exactly. :icon_wink

 

[Hazzman]

Because the last time I looked you needed more than one right winger in a squad

 

[WALSHIESTACKLE]

Because the last time I looked you needed more than one right winger in a squad

But the point is will we buy him and then not play him? Of course not. We will then be hampering a player who is a potentially very good talent. I would rather see our youth teamers given a chance than have yet more permenant signings to the already over large squad. Of course we may need new faces once the transfer market gets going dependant on who goes but with Gradel there we will need to strengthen in other places first. e.g a quality goalkeeper.

 

[Hazzman]

Bell for the record can play on the left wing......and did for us a few times during his spell here.

Whilst I support the claims to use more of the academy lads - only one of them has had a successful loan spell, this rest haven't pulled up any trees. You've got to have a balance.

 

[Biffa Bacon]

Bell for the record can play on the left wing......and did for us a few times during his spell here.

Whilst I support the claims to use more of the academy lads - only one of them has had a successful loan spell, this rest haven't pulled up any trees. You've got to have a balance.

He's also supposed to be a pretty effective centre midfield player, if we can offload some of the higher paid and less effective options we had there this year and can persuade Bell that he'd be better off with us than a championship team I'd try to sign him. Problem is that other clubs have seen his potential as a utility midfield with some talent and we maybe too late.

 

[homer]

He's also supposed to be a pretty effective centre midfield player, if we can offload some of the higher paid and less effective options we had there this year and can persuade Bell that he'd be better off with us than a championship team I'd try to sign him. Problem is that other clubs have seen his potential as a utility midfield with some talent and we maybe too late.

I'd love to listen in on that conversation :icon_lol:

 

[Biffa Bacon]

I'd love to listen in on that conversation :icon_lol:

I guess it would have to involve wages with a few more noughts at the end than anyone else will offer. :icon_bigg

 

[Mystery benefactor]

Bell looked a bit crap for the first two corners on his debut, but that was probably nerves. After that he hardly put a foot wrong. And I agree he was one of best players last season. I think we ought to keep him and get Max Gradel back, and hopefully get Levi Porter fit again. He was brilliant last season. Three decent wingers might be a boon in league 1. HOPEFULLY Alan Sheehan will come back as a free kick taker, but I wouldn't hold my breath, I am under the impression he wants to stay at Leeds.

4 Decent wingers would be nice, although I think the balance might be wrong. I think the chaps I have mentioned might be 3 left, 1 right. But thats better than our usual quota of 7 right backs I suppose.