Tim Cahill

[Senior Flange Technician]

Can't get a game in the a league.

Next.

 

[LowerBridgfordHerts]

Older than Hendo 'n all.

 

[SLM92NF]

I fail to see what Cahill would bring other than a big name to list on team sheet. I hate to be ageist but the guy's 38. Even if his body can still do it, at the end of his career how much desire do you think he's going to have to leave Australia and play for a middling Championship side.

I don't care what his Twitter account says, it'll be just another pay packet before he hangs up his boots. Seen it all before.

He will go to Millwall anyway. They need him more, he'll get game time there and he's well loved down there. He needs minutes and he won't get it in our side as he wants somewhere to play to ensure he'll be fit and ready for the world cup squad this year for Aus.

Frankly if it's true we are in for him and given the lack of activity to date it really would start having alarm bells ringing for me.

It also would throw this incredible initial theory that MW and his team were removed as they did not want to spend that much money!

 

[MASE]

It's beyond stupid how we are even on for him.

If he turns up it would be beyond pathetic

Two Championship managers in for him have win percentages in the mid 40's.

Who's judgement do we trust. :think:

 

[Raymondo Ponte']

Two Championship managers in for him have win percentages in the mid 40's.

Who's judgement do we trust. :think:

All well and good Mace but you and I know and anybody with about one brain cell it's a futile signing. Utter lunacy.

Sign NOBODY.

 

[MASE]

All well and good Mace but you and I know and anybody with about one brain cell it's a futile signing. Utter lunacy.

Sign NOBODY.

I get the theory, but something tells me we need to realign our thinking or stop clinging to managers.

How many times have we took our foot of the gas & paid for it with a sacking?

Mate, we need to assume every game counts, irrespective of whether we may feel it don't represent VFM.

 

[valspoodle]

If we change our thinking how about going for a young player in Leagues 1 or 2 who's on fire and will give his all for a pittance? Just a thought.

 

[puds1970]

Yes he's 38 but he'd bring quite a lot of experience to a young and at times naive team. He's not coming back to England to slack off, he wants to make sure he's in Australia's squad for the World Cup.
He's left Melbourne last month because they weren't giving him the opportunity to do that. If he was coming in until the end of the season, then I think it'd be a pretty solid signing.

The same argument about age could of been made for Murphy but when we was creating chances, he was scoring regular. Aside from Murphy, we don't really have anyone up front that can win headers and score with them.
He wouldn't play week in, week out but I see him a little bit like Darius Henderson in that when perhaps you need to go long or get a little scrappy, then every now and then he can get you a goal. We've not had that kind of striker for a while.

I’d have to question the logic of thinking he would be worth giving him more time in a tougher league than a club in his own country would give him. Especially if you take into account how popular he is there and the World Cup carrot. Although I can see why some think it would be worth it.
I personally think it’s money that could be better spent elsewhere. For me we lack pace, drive and someone who can dictate the tempo of a game. As well as someone who can pick a forward pass.
Tim Cahill is more of a midfielder that gets on the end of such work.

 

[Matt]

If we change our thinking how about going for a young player in Leagues 1 or 2 who's on fire and will give his all for a pittance? Just a thought.

But we have that already! Yates, Osborn, Bouch, Bridcutt - what we need is another Vaughn, not another young lad. We have plenty of young talent.

 

[Steve Stone's Mullet]

I'd welcome Cahill. He is certainly getting on, but we desperately need someone like him around the club.

 

[account deleted]

I think having both Murphy and Cahill on our books would be a mistake. I'm all for experience but one 35+ striker is enough for one squad.

 

[Matt]

I think having both Murphy and Cahill on our books would be a mistake. I'm all for experience but one 35+ striker is enough for one squad.

Cahill is a midfielder, btw.

 

[account deleted]

Cahill is a midfielder, btw.

Wherever he plays it would be a mistake signing him

 

[Matt]

Wherever he plays it would be a mistake signing him

My opinion is this:

Karanka has looked at the spine of our team and seen that we have the skill and ability to win matches - but our only source of solidity comes from Bridcutt and Vaughn, two very similar players and one of them isn't able to play week in week out.

He's seen seasoned international and model pro Tim Cahill is available - he gives us a different option to Bridcutt/Vaughn at the base of midfield, won't cost the earth and has bags of experience and mental strength.

It makes sense.

 

[Steve Stone's Mullet]

Wherever he plays it would be a mistake signing him

A minute ago it was a mistake if he was a striker, now it's a mistake even though he isn't a striker.

Is it because he's 38? Because I think it's possible to be 38 and still be exceptionally fit.

I think we have a lot of young lads who need to learn the game more, to play smarter and need to be led by example at times. Player like Cahill will make them more accountable.

 

[Redemption]

My opinion is this:

Karanka has looked at the spine of our team and seen that we have the skill and ability to win matches - but our only source of solidity comes from Bridcutt and Vaughn, two very similar players and one of them isn't able to play week in week out.

He's seen seasoned international and model pro Tim Cahill is available - he gives us a different option to Bridcutt/Vaughn at the base of midfield, won't cost the earth and has bags of experience and mental strength.

It makes sense.

You'd play Cahill at the base of midfield?

IIRC, I haven't seen him play for 6 years, he is a forward?

 

[Heffing Psycho!]

My opinion is this:

Karanka has looked at the spine of our team and seen that we have the skill and ability to win matches - but our only source of solidity comes from Bridcutt and Vaughn, two very similar players and one of them isn't able to play week in week out.

He's seen seasoned international and model pro Tim Cahill is available - he gives us a different option to Bridcutt/Vaughn at the base of midfield, won't cost the earth and has bags of experience and mental strength.

It makes sense.

While I agree I'd love him to sign for us and I think he brings some much needed qualities, he's definitely not a defensive midfielder, he's an attacking midfielder or a forward. He is a good tackler and aggressive however but he does that from the front.

 

[account deleted]

My opinion is this:

Karanka has looked at the spine of our team and seen that we have the skill and ability to win matches - but our only source of solidity comes from Bridcutt and Vaughn, two very similar players and one of them isn't able to play week in week out.

He's seen seasoned international and model pro Tim Cahill is available - he gives us a different option to Bridcutt/Vaughn at the base of midfield, won't cost the earth and has bags of experience and mental strength.

It makes sense.

Valid arguments MXJ but that's assuming those come to fruition. Every time we've signed someone like him on this basis they end up being a massive damp squib (Cole, Boateng to name a couple). Mostly because they know it's their last gig and can't be bothered.

I honestly don't see his motivation at thirty eight for coming here, is he going to graft when he plays (assuming his body even holds out)? I have my doubts.

 

[Rzar]

If he does come in (which he won’t) he will more than likely be used in the last 10 mins when we are chasing a game. The Dele Adebola role.

He’s smaller but if your throwing balls into the box he’s going to get on the end of one, he’s made a career out of it and he’s still doing it now.

That’s my logical thinking behind it, anyway.

Oh and he isn’t a holding midfielder he’s a striker.

 

[Heffing Psycho!]

Valid arguments MXJ but that's assuming those come to fruition. Every time we've signed someone like him on this basis they end up being a massive damp squib (Cole, Boateng to name a couple). Mostly because they know it's their last gig and can't be bothered.

I honestly don't see his motivation at thirty eight for coming here, is he going to graft when he plays (assuming his body even holds out)? I have my doubts.

The motivation is to be picked for Australia for the World Cup. He left Melbourne to play a better level of football to make sure he is picked.

 

[Rzar]

I honestly don't see his motivation at thirty eight for coming here, is he going to graft when he plays (assuming his body even holds out)? I have my doubts.

A World Cup place in the summer.

 

[account deleted]

So are we arguing that we should sign someone because their motivation is to play in the World Cup rather than play for us? Sorry but that's daft. It'd be Jara all over again.

I still think it'd be a mistake. Seen too many ageing players at this club who've done f*** all. That's all I have to say on it.

 

[Redemption]

Whereever he's going, he's going there to get gametime so throwing him on for the last 10 mins hardly seems to match his intentions.

At the peak of his game - the 8 seasons he had for Everton - he never scored more than 12 goals in any season but his average was about 8, or 1 goal every 4 games. Yet he left Everton having just scored 2 goals in his final season 35 league games.

He's hardly prolific.

We have 17 games left. It will take him 3 or 4 of those to get match sharp.

I can't work out the merits of this at all.

And for all those claiming 'he'll mentor the young players can anyone ever recall another player saying "I learned so much from Andy Cole, Neil Lennon, etc"? No, me neither.

If Krackers wants him, that fine, but I don't get it.

 

[Matt]

You'd play Cahill at the base of midfield?

IIRC, I haven't seen him play for 6 years, he is a forward?

He's a box-to-box midfielder.

While I agree I'd love him to sign for us and I think he brings some much needed qualities, he's definitely not a defensive midfielder, he's an attacking midfielder or a forward. He is a good tackler and aggressive however but he does that from the front.

Box-to-box. Sorry, I wasn't clear in my original post - I would play him alongside Bridcutt or Vaughn, not instead of. So your partnerships would look like this:

4231: Vaughn/Cahill (with a combined age older than the rest of our starting 11 lol)
4231: Bridcutt/Cahill
4231: Vaughn/Osborn
4231: Bridcutt/Osborn
4141: Bouch + the above

Valid arguments MXJ but that's assuming those come to fruition. Every time we've signed someone like him on this basis they end up being a massive damp squib (Cole, Boateng to name a couple). Mostly because they know it's their last gig and can't be bothered.

I honestly don't see his motivation at thirty eight for coming here, is he going to graft when he plays (assuming his body even holds out)? I have my doubts.

As it's been said, he's a model pro and he's looking for gametime to get into the Socceroos this summer. Incidentally he's competing with Jackson Irvine for that spot, who we all agreed we'd have liked to have spent a significant sum of money on in the last transfer window.

Whereever he's going, he's going there to get gametime so throwing him on for the last 10 mins hardly seems to match his intentions.

At the peak of his game - the 8 seasons he had for Everton - he never scored more than 12 goals in any season but his average was about 8, or 1 goal every 4 games. Yet he left Everton having just scored 2 goals in his final season 35 league games.

He's hardly prolific.

We have 17 games left. It will take him 3 or 4 of those to get match sharp.

I can't work out the merits of this at all.

And for all those claiming 'he'll mentor the young players can anyone ever recall another player saying "I learned so much from Andy Cole, Neil Lennon, etc"? No, me neither.

If Krackers wants him, that fine, but I don't get it.

He's not a striker. He's not here to score goals, he's here to add steel to our midfield, add confidence to our team and allow our younger players to express themselves without fear.

If he adds a goal threat, great. But IMO that is not his primary purpose in our starting 11 as I see it.

 

[MASE]

My opinion is this:

Karanka has looked at the spine of our team and seen that we have the skill and ability to win matches - but our only source of solidity comes from Bridcutt and Vaughn, two very similar players and one of them isn't able to play week in week out.

He's seen seasoned international and model pro Tim Cahill is available - he gives us a different option to Bridcutt/Vaughn at the base of midfield, won't cost the earth and has bags of experience and mental strength.

It makes sense.

Think there's more than a few rash assumptions in there.