5. He's a liability and causes additional pressure to his own defenders and whole team. (but when my heart is not in my mouth - he's entertaining)

I think he will be gone tomorrow with Morgan being backup for SSL and Mills.

What makes you think he'll be gone Burbage?

I hope he doesn't go if not just to avoid a sermon from Johngee on how Pearson forced him out with his poor man management and negative tactics!!

Being Ivorian in its self means that Sol will never be a traditional British no-nonsense centre back. Sol will never be Matt Mills and Mills will never be Sol Bamba. He is part of a very good Ivory Coast team which is yet to concede a goal in the ACN. The Ivorian coach says the team is built around a solid defence, Sol and solid defending don’t always go together according to some LCFC fans. I think Sol is a very talented central defender who’s talent and vision and sometimes flair don’t always suit the riggers and row Z style of the English Championship. It’s all down to if you think there’s room for this type of player in this league. I’m sure many British managers would say there isn’t lets face it better foreign players than Sol have failed in the British system but that don’t make then bad players.
I’m sure if he were Brazilian and not Ivorian we would all be saying how fantastic he was, and he would be worth 2 or 3 times what he’s worth being Ivorian.
I say stick with big Sol the championship needs some of these players, maybe that’s why the gap between here and the Prem is so big.

Mersey, the Morgan rumours are getting stronger and with SSL seeming much happier something is happening otherwise why sign Morgan.

I may be wrong but Sol is a luxury that we dont need to get out of this division , if we can get a few quid for him it gives the owners some confidence in owning a football team.

5 for me- but whilst I feel that he makes our defense look weaker I would like to suggest as I have many times that he could make our side stronger And not poorer, simply by playing he in midfield.

I think in the last three games SSL has helped mills and the full backs look more assured due to him being solid and have better positional sense but the main reason is he never ever stops talking to his team mates where as Bamba seems to make people guess what his next move will be.
But then Bamba has many other qualities which we need further up the pitch, he is a ball winner and a great header of the ball which neither of our centre mids in the last three games excell at, not that they are poor just not their strongest part of the game. He also brings a lot of flair and can pick a pass out to unlock a defense and is good with running with the ball, the only problem being at the moment he tries this when he is the last line of defense and if he loses it we would be in trouble where as if he did this in midfield we would still have cover at the back.
I think Bamba needs to remain in the team just in a different position.
My strongest team would be with the current players we have after the ANC:
Kasper
Konchesky
Peltier
SSL
Mills
Dyer/Kennedy
Drinkwater
Bamba
Danns
Beckford
Nugent

Lets settle for second best and get a good old solid english defender who gets beaten by pace and skill.
We dont need defenders who come out of position to intercept the danger before it happens. no we need the thin blue line bloodied but unbowed.

Is that ironic enough my fellow 606'ers

You mean like the one's who have just kept 3 clean sheets Nev?

Good post Trish. Having read your description of Bamba, I even started thinking this..

.. we need a strong, tall mobile centre forward don't we... why not give it a go!!! Get Dion Dublin and Steve Walsh down to coach him a bit!!

Nev - I understand you like Bamba. I also rate him in some ways, but I still stand by the idea that one moment of genius is not worth the 2 goals we've conceeded elsewhere because our other defenders are oblivious to what's going on in Sol's mind!!

It's a bit like David Luiz at Chelsea - undoubtedly a talented footballer, just costs Chelsea a goal every other game?

I personally prefer my defenders to stop the opposition scoring as their first criteria but hey, that's just me!!

i agree Mersey and i have seen Bamba antispation back that happen.
Three clean sheets blue excelent not knocking it Forest and Swindon hardly the best opposition in the world and even then Kasper had to mael world class saves to keep us in the game.

The defence are playing better yes but the key is the midfield (all two of them on Saturday)and the strikers are closing down hgher up the park giving the defenders more of chance.

When I think about mistakes or moments of indiscipline that have directly cost us games this season I think of SSL’s error against Bristol City and Mills’s two sending offs as much as anything that Bamba has done. Yet it seems that Bamba is the man that costs us games and points.

Everybody is now getting excited that we’re winning games and not conceding goals. I would argue that the energy, closing down and team ethic of our recent performances has as much to do with better defending as the individual performances from the two centre backs. Certainly the midfield is functioning much better than it has done, which is bound to protect the back four.

If we let Sol go, as some are advocating, I’m convinced he’ll turn up in some Premier League side and look pretty comfortable. If I had to make a prediction I’d say:
Bamba will be a Premier League player within 2 years
Mills might be a PL player within 5 years
Shaun St Ledger and Wes Morgan will never be PL players
But we shall see ....

I both love and hate Bamba in equal measures.

At my reasoning is this:

As you stated, he pulls his fellow defenders all over the place, and is so unpredictable, im not sure he knows what he's going to do half the time, so his teamates can't have a clue.

However, technically, he is brilliant, he's good in the air, he puts in superb tackles, gets back on his man if he's turned or gone past, and in that respect is solid.

I think my second point is why many fans are calling for him to be put in midfield.

What i will say is this: As exciting as it is to have him in the team, we've looked much more solid without him.

Flawed genius. He has all the skills you'd want from a centre back - He's big, strong, dominant and wins a lot of balls outright from attackers. Add his pace and ability on the ball to that and you've got a very strong defender and a tough proposition for strikers.

The flaw, as has been mentioned, is his positioning. The most noticeable thing to me is that we seem to get far fewer offsides while he's in the team and that can't be coincidence. However, since Pearson arrived his marking at corners has improved, so it's possible his new manager could add the extra element to his game.

Personally I think he's great to have in the team and I'd like to see him stay and see if he can improve.

I therefore vote 2, just to be awkward.

5 for me I'm afraid.

Great fun to watch but a central defender he ain't.

But I do somehow agree with Joby in that I can see him playing in the Premiership - possibly by next week ! He will look great for a few weeks but it would be interesting to read the 606 boards after he has played half a dozen games.

His style makes his him a liability in the championship, and yes he does cause weaknesses in the defence cos of his lack of discipline.

But the times hes able to clean up in defence by himself with ease in this league are a joke, hes just too good at it! And that makes me a massive fan of his.

Hes just not suited to the championship, his co-defenders, and probably the Nigel Pearson way. But if we are still looking at the prem in the near future - we need to keep him.

Incidentally, I just dont get this Wes Morgan signing. I can only hope NP is doing this cos hes seen enough of Bamba in the DM role.

Look, I'll say now that I'm a fan of Bamba and I'd be disappointed if he left. Unless he wants to, I think we should keep him were there to be interest.

I think he has every technical attribute you would require in a defender but he just needs to get the mental side of his game right with things like decision making and positioning. I actually feel that under NP's management, Bamba could really flourish because he will help to iron out those flaws.

I also don't understand the ones who say 'he isn't NP's type of player'. First of all, Nigel's the one who told him not to change his style and to carry on playing like he does and also, Nigel's played Bamba for every game in which he can do (I think he was suspended for his first game).