News: Source: Frank Lampard will play for the Los Angeles Galaxy

No, people do stupid things when they're 22, rich as hell, pampered, famous and drunk out of their minds. How Lampard and the others behaved that day would have been atrocious behavior for a 12-year-old, let along a 22-year-old who clearly should have known better. 22 isn't that young. No need to be making excuses for him.

 

If it was part of a lifelong pattern of douchery (John Terry), then I could hold it against him. I don't know a ton of 22 year olds who have a lot of perspective when they're hammered. It's not excusing what 22 year old Lampard did, per se, but I don't think it's the sort of thing you hold against 34 year old Lampard.

If people held what 22 year old Editor In Chimp did against 33 year old Editor In Chimp, I wouldn't be thrilled with it.

 

True... Lampard isn't a total d-bag like Terry. And true, it was apparently a one-time offense. And I don't hold it against him.

But I do get irritated by the "boys will be boys" defense. I am willing to bet 22-year-old Editor in Chimp never did anything as egregious as what Lampard did. Most people don't behave that way at the age of 22.

 

Most people aren't at the top of their profession, one that is fawned over and fantasized about by nearly everyone, at age 22. Lampard hasn't been part of anything remotely close to that since then, so he get's a pass.

 

Maybe it was that day that the man realized his limitations

 

I'm not saying this didn't happen, but it sure sounds like an urban legend, albeit an unspectacular one. You sure it didn't involve your son's friend thinking Frank Lampard was going to rob her, and him buying her flowers to make up for it?

 

That's it, that's the sort of cachet Franky has been looking for: " Frank Lampard; Urban Legend!"

 

No, it was all quite uneventful as I understood it. I guess not worth bringing up. I do believe it is quite attractive for the Beckham's, Henry's, Frings, Keane's etc to be able to play in North America and not have to worry about being mobbed wherever they go.

 

It's still not something to get bent out of shape over.

 

Knock on wood nothing happens between now and when he arrives, but it's a bit like if Beckham came in without having injured himself in his last game with Real (and didn't play hurt on it for a PR friendly, against coincidentally enough Chelsea).

On the upside, there's so much more visibility for the game these days that many more of the people this type of signing is designed to reach out to will be familiar with the player than would have been the case 10 or even 5 years ago.

On the other hand, one might worry that the primary people they'd be going after with this sort of move--you might call them the 'EPL Pub Crowd', the kind that are willing to get up early in the morning to see the Premier League but aren't enthusiastic about seeing MLS live in prime time in their own back yard--those people might be among the most likely to dismiss Lampard as washed up, as illogical as such a belief would seem to me.

 

This doesn't hold up to critique though. The guy is tearing it up for Chelsea right now and the f'ing fans are flipping out about the team's stance on not offering him a new deal. He's clearly still got it.

Going to be a Robbie Keane-esque signing IMHO. If they can stay afloat early in the year, i think they will again be red hot down the stretch. He's a big, big signing from an on-field perspective. If Keane/Donovan/Lampard are all combining and moving around, they are going to be unstoppable.

 

I agree, Lampard will be more efficient in the mid field than DB. Also, if Donovan does returns and with a Keane well rested and determine, Omar turning into a force, Juninho doing his hard work, it will be tough to stop them. I just hope other teams start reinforcing with real quality players such as Galaxy becuase if not, there wont be any parity to talk about. Seatle may have the attandence, Portland the energy, RSL the patience and NY the ...the.... but LA is getting all the hardware. Lets not forget, LA started pretty pathetic but even that, still turn out champions. Remember Schimid said there are DPs and then there DPs.

 

A reply which you have yet to actually address with any substance.

So, are you saying that he meant something else? If so, what exactly?

What is not subjective is another assertion of mine to which you have taken offense and yet not even attempted to dispute: That that the older DP's to which Fiosfan objected (no matter how you choose to define them) are the exception rather than the rule in MLS.

The point that flew over your head (that was the source of the whooshing sound you heard while you were busy pretending to be above "getting all bent out of shape and launching personal insults") is that characterizing MLS as a retirement league based on a small minority of its players is idiotic. Now, would you care to dispute that "without personal insults"?

Says the guy who labels a discussion that he doesn't like as "a shit storm...due to some complex." Glass house much?

What Fiosfan did say was:

Disputing this assertion is NOT "inventing an argument," lol or no lol.

If your devotion to civil, fact-based discourse really were as complete as you're so desperate that everyone believe, you would have noticed that I challenged Fiosfan to define his terms, to list the DP's that back up his disagreement with the idea that the type he objects to is not a league-wide phenomenon.

Even though I was talking to someone other than you, feel free to do the same. It seems important to you.

 

Here's the thing about a "retirement league". It's not just "a place old players go". It's "a place old players go to coast". Any player who thinks he can come here, half-ass it, and still look good in comparison to his teammates and opponents is utterly delusional. A star DP is going to have a big target on his back as all the young players trying to get noticed take him on. How much time did Freddie Ljungberg spend knocked on his ass? Look how often Henry gets fouled.

MLS is a highly physical league, and by now I think the rest of the world understands that. Any older player would have to be a fool to come here to retire.

------RM

 

Fwiw, Henry in the 2012 regular season was fouled less often than his teammates Cooper, Lindpere, and McCarty.

(Although Henry didn't commit fouls as often either unless one looks back to his 2010 half-season in MLS.)

Stats are here:
http://www.mlssoccer.com/stats/seas...S&op=Search&form_id=mls_stats_individual_form

 

Did he ever apologize for that?

 

Starting for, scoring for, and captaining a top 3 club in the EPL obviously shows the man is too old and certainly does not still have it. Wait, what?

 

You want to know when he's going to lose it? The second his signing with MLS is official. If anyone stays in Europe they are too good for MLS. If they come here and fail they were clearly washed up. If they come here and succeed then it proves the league is a joke. It's the ultimate in confirmation bias.

 

Correct. I've been saying that for years. Most people have already confirmed in their head what MLS is, so they will use whatever happens as an argument in their favor no matter what. MLS team plays a friendly against a Euro team and it if the MLS team wins it is because it is a meaningless friendly; Euro team wins and it is proof that MLS is crap. MLS player goes to Europe and succeeds then he is the exception to the rule; player goes to Europe and fails then MLS is clearly crap. At this point I don't expect it to change, but I'll just point out how wrong they are.

 

MLS = Retirement league for old footballers.

 

You spelled Serie A wrong.

 

He's waiting for a call from Oprah's booking people.

 

He'll probably never hear from OWN, but I'm sure Piers Morgan at CNN will have the time to talk to Lampard this summer.

 

To be fair is not only MLS, same is said if the player goes to the Middle East, China, Australia, shit even the Brazilians that go on loan to Brazil are talked about them not being good enough for "Europe" anymore.

It is probably the understanding that they are stepping down on the level of play.

Anelka, Ballack, Del Pierro probably could have played for say PSG and made the same/similar amount of money and still be able to play in the Champions League if they wanted to, but they had their reasons on why they chose to play in lesser leagues.

But is not like they now suck because they play in MLS/China/Australia. It is as you say fans/media showing their own bias to the lesser leagues.


I imagine the same would be said about Landon Donovan/David Beckham if they surprise everyone and signed with say the New York Cosmos in the NASL. It would not that they are now lesser players, it is just that Cosmos found a machine to print fake money and they are giving trucks load of cash to them.

 

Agree, this mentality is getting old and boring. I will accept that those were the early years of MLS but now its a different beast. Really washed up players that came thinking they could just walk around (Denilson, Ljunberg, Nkufo, Gallardo, add to list, etc) paid their price.If Lampard is really coming, good for MLS & good for LA. I really think it is fear from MLS haters of accepting that the giant has awaken and soccer is shifting. MLS is becoming competitive. Liga and EPL are at thier peak. Italy, now that league has really old players but because it is in Europe, it is top level right? May also, it may be that other countries only has 1-2 poor sports that nobody cares about to deal with. The world know that MLS is not even the top sport in US but can you imagine if that would happen? replace MLS with NFL and you have the top soccer in the world. I know that another topic, ok MLS haters now you can start critizing...