It’s always interesting to see what fans have to say about an outgoing player when they’ve just left to join your club.
With Matt Targett completing a deadline day loan move to Newcastle and Dan Burn also arriving on a permanent deal, we looked to see what supporters at Aston Villa and Brighton have had to say about our new defensive duo.
Starting at left-back, here’s what we found on The Villa Talk forum about our new No 13:
Aston Villa fans on Matt Targett:
Targett was excellent for us last season but hasn’t kicked on this season for whatever reason.
A loan is really disappointing – helps them and doesn’t help us at all.
He enjoyed playing in the empty stadiums as apposed to a crowd. Bearing that in mind, why does he want to go up to SJP. Their fans are awful when things not go right for them. Goes with my best wishes though. Been a good servant for the club.
Targett is a good defender with a very limited game going forward. At times last season he was sublime, interceptions, blocks, tackles, the full English. He doesn’t have the attributes Gerrard needs for his system, but he’s no mug and did a decent job for us in the main. Trust the club to arrange things as well as possible regarding loan/sale situation, but no doubt he’d be an asset to the Geordies.
It is annoying, particularly on loan. They go from having a bottom 3 left back to a mid table left back. And no permanent cost to them. It’s like this window they’ve built a mid table eleven, which will be enough to keep then up.
I think at best this season he’s been barely competent. And mostly awful. Subbed at half time against a **** team the first game of the season, and rarely improved from there.
He isn’t really going to work in a Steve Gerrard set up. He is on his day a fairly solid full back but lacks the physical pace to keep running up and down the wing. He is a trier and I have nothing against the guy but I can see him leaving us either today or in the summer. And if we make some money on him its happy days.
He was our player of the season last year and is an excellent defensive fullback, in my eyes he’s a very important squad player
Don’t really like us playing a part in helping Newcastle stay up. We have a lot more to gain from them going down this season.
Only benefit of a loan is he won’t be able to play against us in a couple of weeks.
I wouldn’t be too sure about the good signing for them part. His biggest struggles have come in front of intense crowds with no defensive cover in front of him. The Newcastle fans can be ruthless and Sain-Maximin won’t help him out defensively.
I can see why we are letting him go. He seems a good professional and a nice lad. To tell him he ain’t going to Newcastle to warm our bench for some of the reasons fans have mentioned would seem a bit harsh.
For sure, he definitely deserves respect for his part in keeping us up and then helping us kick on. I’ve nothing bad to say about him – he just doesn’t fit into our style of play, really.
I think Grealish protected Target immensely. Teams didn’t commit down that wing as Grealish would have destroyed them. With Grealish gone, Targett has been so badly exposed this season. For two games in particular, a pub player would have done better.
Targett played out of his skin last season. This season he was largely poor.
I don’t get why we would Loan Newcastle Targett. He’s a very good defender.
The guy has been bang average/poor this year so it’s not like they’re getting an in-form player. Newcastle will probably stay up, with or without Targett.
He is good without fans. I just think he is one of those who can’t mentally cope well with the pressure that comes with fans back. And Newcastle fans are one of the most intense crowds in England.
Would’ve thought if they stay up they’ll be going after higher calibre players than Targett (with all due respect to him). There’s a huge difference in quality between Targett and Trippier for example. I reckon they’re just trying to get him in as a stop gap to help keep them up and no more.
Brighton fans on Dan Burn:
Always gave us 100% and turned into a very good CB this season! Gone to his home town club, that he supported as a lad and we have been paid top money for his service!
I’m sad he’s gone; when he was good (more often than not) he was very very good, and when he was bad he was (very rarely) horrid.
I can’t find it in my heart to dislike Dan Burn, so I hope he has a wonderful life, but also completely forgets how to play football and helps get Newcastle relegated.
Sad to see Dan go, especially to an outfit I have no respect for. I understand the pull of home for him and personally wish him the best and am grateful for the memories: being applauded by Aguero for his control, marking Lukaku out of the game in what has turned out to be his last game for us at the Amex, a couple of great ‘job done, so what, back to work’ understated celebrations after assisting goals, his involvement in bursting out of defence for some great team goals, particularly the last minute own goal winner against Everton and of course that heartwarming winning goal against Man City. He’s been a great pro for us, never hiding, even when there have been tough moments. Good luck Dan. I hope you get to play a big part in a Newcastle promotion season next year, after Howe’s been sacked for taking them down.
Thank you Dan and good luck. Gutsy, hard working and surprisingly skilful player. Will miss him.
It’s funny to see Newcastle fans who argued that Lascelles was better than Dunk celebrating the signing of Dunk’s understudy as a potential replacement for him...
Disappointed by this. Could dress it up with all the great business for the club, double his salary, comes from Newcastle stuff but it doesn’t stop me thinking he’s gone to a bunch of mercenaries after his best spell for the club and completely mastering Lukaku.
Sad to see him go, but a good deal for him and a good deal for us. Newcastle are getting a quality player, Graham Potter has improved him out of all recognition.
I’m amazed everyone thinks this is such a great deal for BHA. £13m for an experienced top 10 PL centre-back who’s got a good 4-5 years in him, is playing regularly, and is (was) an important member of the team, particularly with his versatility. When we don’t need the money, and have got a desperate club loaded with cash. £13m in todays market is ****.
Gutted to see him go, and I still think he’s underrated by many on here. The contribution hes made for us has been immense. There can be no greater testimony to this than the fact that we’ve had arguably our best run of performances and results while Dunk has been out injured – in no small way down to the performances of Dan.
WHAT a job he did for us. We’ve now lost that versatility – a hugely underrated attribute we had down the left. That’s now gone. The Saudis will be benefiting from it instead of us. And they’ve gone and got it for buttons. I can’t remember a sale I’ve been more annoyed about. We’ve been humped.
There is no defender in our club who is as truly versatile as Burn. He’s not the best, but he is the most adaptable. Can slot straight in at LB/LWB/CB, great aerial presence, had Lukaku in his pocket, and for all those reasons, he is worth more than 13 million to our club imho. We just wont find, someone as accomplished, as physical, as versatile in multiple positions, south of 30 years old who can slot into the first team for £13m.
I am certain that he will look **** under Howe and the Geordies will be saying he was a waste of money within a couple of months. Potter makes him look better than he is.
A few on here seem to be crediting all Burns ability and performances to Potter, I just want to point out that Leeds fans thought Bielsa had fashioned a player called Ben White out of a piece of rubbish we sent them on loan. It wasn’t true of Ben White, and it isn’t true of Dan Burn.
He’s had four or five really good performances this year which are seriously clouding everyone’s memories and rationality. It’s a great deal.
I hope he does well and becomes a fans’ favourite at his boyhood club. I also hope they crash and burn, so it will be a tricky conundrum for him to solve! Wish him well, anyway – for sure he’ll be a wealthy young man now.
Comments taken from Brighton’s North Stand forum.
