Best Fire news I've read in years! I always wrote that although using Rolfe at RM was okay for a quick fix, he needed to be up top where he belonged, especially with McBride. Very happy to see Frankie intending to put him there. With a bit of luck, this team could actually do something and go somewhere this year.
I am hoping for the best. I think he will be a better fit with DO than he would have been with BMB. Rolfe was alwys more of an outside shooter. He reminds me of Papa (but much better IMO) in the way he can just shoot a loose ball and get a goal out of nothing. I think this contrast well to DO's style. I do not think he has great ball skills, but may be one of our best finisher ever. Let the fun begin.
Considering we're an MLS team and can rarely deal for the big names, this looks to be a solid deal. A proven, experienced commodity that wants to play for the Fire and not just collect a paycheck. As far as his health, well, we can keep our fingers crossed...
We certainly can deal in big names if our owner wants to. And he did at one point. Blanco, McBride, Ljungberg, Castillo (I know, I know . . . but he did cost a pretty penny. It could have been much better spent elsewhere but . . .) I'm not sure what Chris is making this time around, but I would agree that this is a great deal for us. We can do more, however.
It has been a problem the past many years, that Aalborg always end up doing much worse than expected when they reveal their annual accounts... so when they expect a fairly big profit they usually end up with a very small profit or even a deficit, so the financial crisis has really been tough on Aalborg... in fact they have lost around $32 million over the past 3 years (from 2009 to 2011), so their Net capital that looked very good after they had played Champions League group stage and also reached the Europa League Round of 16 against Manchester City in 2008-09, is now all but gone, and they really struggled to pay their players wages a few month ago, but was saved by their youth and amateur department, that gave them a bit more than $1 million, so they could continue paying wages... and you are really in deep trouble and close to bankruptcy, when the professionals are getting financial help from the amateurs, since it of course should be the other way around. Brøndby seemed interested this winter, but they were suddenly forced to cut their wage budget by 15% and then yet another 10% in the next summer transfer window, so that deal never happened... According to the AaB director of sport, his contact was going to expire on 1. January 2013. You are partly correct.... but the Danish tax rules have recently been changed, so that it is no longer 25% income taxes the first 3 years, but now is 26% income taxes the first 5 years the players stay in Denmark, so AaB could have resigned him, if they had the money to do so. The tax rules can also be used by EU based players and Danish players who have lived abroad and not paid Danish income taxes the past 10 years. However, the minimum wages has to be $160k a year for the players to be able to use this special tax rule, so less talented foreign players or young talents who earn less than $160k have to pay full Danish income taxes (most likely between 40% to 50%, which include the mandatory 8% health insurance ). .
Yes... this is exactly how it is.... the tax rules are aimed at getting top quality foreign (and Danish) players to the Danish league and not the more average low wage players.. so they get screwed.. .
Regarding the tax rules you have to understand that Denmark is not a socialist or capitalist country as such, but a country of "shopkeepers" who mainly look at the bottom line of their profit or paycheck... so the tax rules mainly favor what seem to be the most sensible regarding the cost and benefit... if you can get good public health care insurance paying only 8% more taxes, then this is the most sensible to do financially, just as it seem sensible to attract better soccer players by giving them a lower tax rate... .
Hmm. Blanco was signed by AEG, and the jersey sponsorship paid for him, is what I understand. Looking back, not much a risk that he actually didn't even take.
Only the Great One can come straight to the states on an already worn out body, don the red-and-(not)white, and score a goal in his first appearance only a few days later. Chris is good, but not that good.
When did Jackie Gleason play for the Fire? I will admit that would be an intimidating force in defense and would send the opposing players "to the Moon" but I doubt he would score many goals. Or, did you mean Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson?!? Didn't he call himself, "The Great One"?!?
I meant Blanco, of course. He had just finished a grueling season with the Mexican league and international appearances, came to town and that weekend scored a sick goal for the Fire in a friendly against Celtic. And Andy had absolutely *nothing* to do with his signing.
From Yanks Abroad: Rolfe Excting For Homecoming http://yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=9069 .