Dan Bentley: Will he be seen again at Roots Hall.

[chapperzUK]

I'm thinking of 4 scenarios happening with Bentley here in order from worst to best. Think Paul Smith will leave at the end of the season no matter what.

1) We fail to gain promotion and it is certain he will leave.

2) We gain promotion, but get a very tempting bid for Bentley. His new club won't allow him to come back on loan.

3) We gain promotion, get a very tempting bid for Bentley and put in a clause to get him back on loan for a season.

4) We gain promotion, some how we keep Bentley through a mixture of poor bids and/or Bentley wanting to stay.

With 1 or 2, we either sign a new keeper or have Luke Chambers and Ted Smith fight it out for the number 1 spot. Could be a very risky move having 2 inexperienced goalkeepers with none to little professional game time.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Haven't read the previous pages but I'd say there's around 112 hours before Benters "reappears" at Roots Hall ..... :omg:

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

i tweeted saying we need to enjoy him while we can, he favouited it but wouldn't reply when I asked about him leaving. hes a great prospect, very good at this level so lets just enjoy him while we can, hes not long for us

 

[bazzashrimper]

What? Ron, sell Bentley - no chance. He would have to get a bus everywhere

 

[Jam_Man]

Absolute tripe.

I don't think Bentley's going anywhere this window, but at some point we'll cash in - hopefully we'll do a 'Barry Fry' and talk the price up first. But I've said before that we're in the rare position of having the 2 best keepers in the league - if Bentley went tomorrow, we're as well covered as we can be. The real issue here is that by the summer we probably will have cashed in on Bentley, and Smith is also out of contract. If you look at the dross we play against each week you'll see what your average league 1 / league 2 keeper is like - that's what we have to look forward too unless we can pull something out of the bag. You'll be back to cheering some little fat boy like Belford because he's a good lad and will have a few beers with you.

I await a chorus of people telling me Paul Smith doesn't come off his line much, and am yawning in anticipation.

Sorry but thats insane.

Whether you like Smith or not there is no way he is better than every other keeper in league two.

He might not be as bad as some make out but he is not a quality keeper, if he were then another club would have been interested and he wouldnt have made do with warming the bench.

That said if Bentley were to leave (and I dont think he will) I dont think he has that much of an impact that the whole team would suddenly collapse.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

Massive potential, but he's only played half a season of professional football. I don't think you can really gauge how good a keeper is until they've let in a couple of soft goals and the crowd gets on their back. It happens to all of them throughout their career, but the really good keepers stay strong and turn it around. Dan is part of a team that is doing well, with a good defence, but there's a long way to go. Hopefully, next season he'll be in Div One with us and we'll find out if he can go to the next level (that'll put the scouts off, I hope :winking:)

 

[rlb999]

Sorry but thats insane.

Whether you like Smith or not there is no way he is better than every other keeper in league two.

He might not be as bad as some make out but he is not a quality keeper, if he were then another club would have been interested and he wouldnt have made do with warming the bench.

That said if Bentley were to leave (and I dont think he will) I dont think he has that much of an impact that the whole team would suddenly collapse.

Don't think it's insane at all. Who's better than Smith? McCormick probably, and the Chesterfield lad is decent for this level, but apart from that I've not seen an opposition keeper for a few years that looks anything special. I agree Smith is a bag of nerves, but did you see him at Brentford - that's what he can do when he's in the mood and doesn't have 200 "supporters" criticising his every contribution. His predecessors were Evans, Morris, Belford, Mildenhall and that's what we'll go back to. Smith is better than the lot.

 

[bazzashrimper]

Did you see him against Dagenham when he dropped 2 clangers? He's better than his performance vs Dagnam, but then his game vs. Brentford was also very much a one off.

 

[Bobby dazzler]

i can't be the only one old enough to know it was 'Shut that door'

 

[rlb999]

Did you see him against Dagenham when he dropped 2 clangers? He's better than his performance vs Dagnam, but then his game vs. Brentford was also very much a one off.

I've seen Bentley drop clangers this season. Your point is?

 

[Jam_Man]

Don't think it's insane at all. Who's better than Smith? McCormick probably, and the Chesterfield lad is decent for this level, but apart from that I've not seen an opposition keeper for a few years that looks anything special. I agree Smith is a bag of nerves, but did you see him at Brentford - that's what he can do when he's in the mood and doesn't have 200 "supporters" criticising his every contribution. His predecessors were Evans, Morris, Belford, Mildenhall and that's what we'll go back to. Smith is better than the lot.

Well it might not beinsane, thats probably a bit harsh, but you are seriously overvaluing Smith.

I dont know as I have little knowledge of League Two keepers as only get to see them all once a season, but the facts speak for themselves

There are 23 other managers in League Two who havent fallen over themselves to get him and if he is so good why is he happy to sit in the reserves?

If we are saying Bentley is seriously in danger of leaving for a big club and the next best keeper in this league is Smith then why isnt he being sought after by Championship, or even League one clubs.

If he was as good as you claim then we never would have gambled on Bentley in the first place.

Smith did have a good game against Brentford, but thats one game.

Better than Mildenhall ? Id rather have Mildenhall.

Wasnt a massive fan of Belford, but would rather him too and he is non league.

Im not saying he is as bad as some say, but he is no way the 2nd best keeper in this league because if he was he would be playing somewhere and not rotting away when he only has a few seasons left at best.

If Bentley was to go next week then that would be a massive disappointment and Smith could come in, but if he was as good as you think then why is Brown so keen not to lose Bentley?

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Did you see him against Dagenham when he dropped 2 clangers? He's better than his performance vs Dagnam, but then his game vs. Brentford was also very much a one off.

He wasn't alone in having a shocking game defensively that night; however the other "off" players appear to have been forgiven and their faux pas forgotten. For sure Smithy and whoever is defence in front of him do seem, at times in the past, to have different strategies for common situations. I would not dismiss Smithy nor would I fear his reemergence if Dan is sold. It is time people got of his back and behind the whole squad as each player has merits that we are likely to need before the end of May.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

He wasn't alone in having a shocking game defensively that night; however the other "off" players appear to have been forgiven and their faux pas forgotten. For sure Smithy and whoever is defence in front of him do seem, at times in the past, to have different strategies for common situations. I would not dismiss Smithy nor would I fear his reemergence if Dan is sold. It is time people got of his back and behind the whole squad as each player has merits that we are likely to need before the end of May.

Well said.

A player can have a bad game (or two - see Straker last season for instance :omg:) and can still be a good player after all .......... and so it is with goalies. One bad game doesn't mean that Smith is suddenly a disaster zone.

If we are 4-0 up against Hull on Saturday with 15 minutes still to go, it wouldn't be a bad thing to do something unusual like bring off Benters (to an ovation) and give Smithy a few minutes trying to keep warm between the sticks. :unsure:

 

[southendkid]

Well said.

A player can have a bad game (or two - see Straker last season for instance :omg:) and can still be a good player after all .......... and so it is with goalies. One bad game doesn't mean that Smith is suddenly a disaster zone.

If we are 4-0 up against Hull on Saturday with 15 minutes still to go, it wouldn't be a bad thing to do something unusual like bring off Benters (to an ovation) and give Smithy a few minutes trying to keep warm between the sticks. :unsure:

Straker still has terrible games, on a bad day he doesn't look good enough for the conference south, we play him because when he plays well he is far too good for this league. As a goalkeeper Smith isn't allowed to have as many bad days as Straker, if Straker plays badly the rest of midfield can make up for his faults, if the goalkeeper plays badly then we concede 2 or 3 goals and most likely lose the game. Smith to his credit sounds like he is helping Bentley massively in training so it's worth keeping Paul around, but I don't feel confident having him between the sticks.

 

[bazzashrimper]

My point was not to castigate smith for his shocker vs daggers, it was in response to a post justifying him as the 2nd best keeper in the division as he played exceptionally well against brentford last season. You can't have it both ways. The reality is that his normal performance is between these two standards and it's not 2nd best keeper in league 2 in my opinion

 

[Bobby dazzler]

In all honesty Smith is a great shot stopper but worries me with crosses and his kicking. Having watched every home game last season from the South I was able to see close up Smiths attributes and faults.
The goals we conceded last season where Smith refused to come off his line were shocking but his all round game was pretty decent. I still have nightmares of the game where he was sat on his arse as the ball rolled slowly past him into the net due to miss-communication.
This said, should Bentley go I would trust him to be a solid cover and his confidence on coming for crosses could be worked on.
2nd best in the league. NO ! Panic buy to ensure Smith doesn't go back in goal. NO !
Hes good enough to help us cross the line.

BIG UP to Smith though for the encouragement and the backing he gives Bentley before the game which says alot for team spirit and Smiths charachter.

 

[southend4ever]

If he goes in this window, he will get loaned back for the rest of the season. Everyone wins :)

Can't we loan him back for the next 2 seasons if he goes to a Prem club!!??

 

[Ex-SouthendUnitedEmployee]

Sky Sports have rated him one for the future in their 'Scout Report' - They estimate his current value to be around £1m and if he carried on progressing he could command a fee of £10m depending on how far up the leagues he went. So he must be highly rated in football circles, unless the author is a Shrimper:

http://www1.skysports.com/transfer/news/15198/8929908/scout-daniel-bentley

 

[undercovershrimper]

Sky Sports have rated him one for the future in their 'Scout Report' - They estimate his current value to be around £1m and if he carried on progressing he could command a fee of £10m depending on how far up the leagues he went. So he must be highly rated in football circles, unless the author is a Shrimper:

http://www1.skysports.com/transfer/news/15198/8929908/scout-daniel-bentley

Old news this Bobs your uncle (and in my case he is) not sure how they value him at £1M but if anyone makes an offer in that region Uncle Ron will be very tempted to sell in the summer

 

[rlb999]

In all honesty Smith is a great shot stopper but worries me with crosses and his kicking. Having watched every home game last season from the South I was able to see close up Smiths attributes and faults.
The goals we conceded last season where Smith refused to come off his line were shocking but his all round game was pretty decent. I still have nightmares of the game where he was sat on his arse as the ball rolled slowly past him into the net due to miss-communication.
This said, should Bentley go I would trust him to be a solid cover and his confidence on coming for crosses could be worked on.
2nd best in the league. NO ! Panic buy to ensure Smith doesn't go back in goal. NO !
Hes good enough to help us cross the line.

BIG UP to Smith though for the encouragement and the backing he gives Bentley before the game which says alot for team spirit and Smiths charachter.

Fair enough, but I repeat the question - who is better than him at this level?