I agree, Bradley since he started playing for the NT, has been probably our most highly respected CM in europe, because of his minutes, and what he did in Holland. But that still for me, doesnt make him the cemented midfielder. He earned it though, and scored many great goals.... But he still to me isnt a CM, with possession and calm. Dempsey actually plays that role better IMO and contrlols the pace better.... but he isnt a CM. Like i said, Bradleys intention to score, and his ability to body guys really wants me to see him as a supporting striker, while the CM position could be used better with a more 'possession' guy like holden, torres, or feilhaber... or 2 of those paired in the middle somehow or tried out. Edu too needs to be tried more as a starter. But like stated before, MB has to be found to play somewhere, cause his play is invaluable to our NT. He may disappear for sometimes most of the game, he always comes through though with goals when you least expect it. Anyways, my point is, I just want us to see how we would do with him taken out the middle, just to see. Cause the central midfielders are the guys who dictate the pace, and style of play. Bradley isnt much of a possession guy who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, holding off a couple guys. I'd like to see CM's that are more so.
Well, you see, it's much, much easier for fairwitness to make stupid and ignorant comments than it is for him to actually do some g-damn research into who possibly could have played CM for us and who was healthy. This is the same guy (fairwitness) who said that M. Bradley was one of our worst players in this World Cup. Fairwitness is a posting prodigy, that much is clear.
Is it fairwitness' fault that Bradley nepotically arranged the ages, abilities, and health of the CMs in the US pool to benefit his son? An impartial coach would have plucked Torres off of Pachuca's bench in 2007 and made him a starter realized that Edu's injury in 2009 wasn't serious enough to keep him out of international play for six months (Edu was injured in Scotland, not the Americas or Africa, and so the injury wouldn't have affected him during WCQs or the Confed Cup ) held a gun to Paul Jewell's head to make him play Feilhaber (and then treated Feilhaber's later injuries the same as Edu's) gone up in space and flown backward around the Earth so that he could go back in time to prevent Jermaine Jones from being injured gone the other way in time, to the future, to bring back medical technology from the year 2154 that would have extended Mastroeni's international playing career through 2010 (as well as allowed him to steal several nearly mature genetic supermiddie clones from the FootyLabs, Inc. and bring them back to 2003, so they could be naturalized as Americans in time for 2010).
Exactly. I normally don't go out on a limb to highlight a specific poster but this guy's comments about M. Bradley are just too far beyond bizarre to even rationalize. Like I said, he posted that Bradley was one of our worst players in this past tournament, that really speaks for itself. We all have players in the U.S' pool that we don't care all that much for but if said player plays well then you have to eat some crow and admit such, this guy/gal just keeps going on and on about how bad Bradley is. It's pretty ridiculous.
Donovan, Dempsey, and Howard are the three players who respectively possess the combination of club career, age, and international performances to be 'untouchable' in the the team. His stint with National Team is reminiscent of his time with the Red Bulls; he was force fed minutes for much of that second and last season, then came good for the last quarter and doing well in the playoffs. Bradley is a central midfielder and nothing else. In 4-4-2 he needs to be paired with a dm. For 4-4-2 to run effectively with him in there the outside mids need to run the offense. That's the way it was at Herenveen and is such with Dempsey and Donovan running the offense for the NT. If a better distributor is required in 4-4-2 then obviously Bradley needs to take a seat. Those Feilhaber/Bradley, Torres/Bradley pairings were ineffectual on the defensive side of play. Hopefully the team will get to see more of Torres, Feilhaber, or Holden paired with a d-mid.
Gee, with all those injuries, and with guys being too young, too old, not-quite-in-form, not good enough defensively, not good enough offensively etc etc etc (pick any random excuse) - spanning 4 years - it's amazing BB was even able to find a 2nd CM to fill the one available slot alongside Automatic Mike. There were dozens of opportunities to pair Feilhaber, Edu, Clark, Torres, Maestro and others in the middle. Never happened. Not in the first half. Not in the second half. Mikey started the game. Mikey finished the game. Period. For 4 years, starting the day Bradley took over as coach.
As I wrote before, it's a free country and you are welcome to believe anything you like. Sarcasm doesn't replace facts and real examples of real times when real players were healthy and in good form. Let me do some of the work for you: 2007: Available CM's were Donovan, Mastro, Clark, Feilhaber, and Bradley. That's it. BB bet on Feilhaber and Bradley, using Mastro as a transition figure, switching Donovan (correctly and effectively) to second striker, and using Clark at times. I think Clark should have gotten more of Mastro's minutes. But BB used Feilhaber more than anyone else in 2007 and he was correct to try. MB was the second best option after Feilhaber, and he got the 2nd most minutes, especially after becoming a high-scoring starter for Heerenveen in the Fall of 2007. I don't see a problem here; it's all totally logical. 2008: Available CM's were Mastro, Clark, and Bradley. Feilhaber imploded, both with horrid form and an injury; he couldn't even earn a starting spot with the Olympic team! Edu was an unproven 1st year pro who BB actually brought in late in 2008. Torres was a nobody 1st year pro subbing in Mexico, although BB actually took a look at him late in 2008. Holden was a sub outside midfielder in Houston and outside mid for the Olympic team. I don't see a problem here; it's all totally logical. 2009: Available CM's were Clark, Bradley, and Feilhaber's health finally returned and he started playing LEFT MIDFIELD for 2nd Tier Aarhus. Torres began starting often in Mexico and BB brought him in. Holden began starting for Houston as a CM and was quickly brought into the Senior Nat's with the Gold Cup and fall qualifiers. Edu was hurt a majority of 2009. Mastro was correctly phased out. BB even got desperate and took a look at the mediocre Beckerman!! I don't see a problem here; it's all totally logical. Feilhaber, the subject of this thread, really only deserved to start as a CM in 2007, which is exactly what happened. Otherwise, he never actually been a CM for anyone. The ONLY consistant player, the only one playing at a high level all during this period, was Bradley. The other guys were not getting it done or were just barely starting to show that they deserved time as an international central midfielder. The only guy who has a legitimate complaint about playing time was Clark, and that was instead of Mastro, NOT instead of Mike Bradley. You sarcastically mock the idea that Bradley was the only healthy, performing option at CM. So, please do some work and identify a series of games in which some other SPECIFIC pairing of central midfielders made more sense than using Mike Bradley. No critic of how MB was used has EVER identified a series of actual games with actual healthy alternatives that make any sense. Feel free to give it a go, though. Maybe you can be the first.
Over a span of 4 years? Uh, yes, I certainly do mock that BS claim. You're completely delusional if you actually believe that to be the case. Over 4 years, there were dozens of instances where some pairing of Maestro, Edu, Feilhaber, Torres and Clark was possible, either in half number 1 or half number 2. In virtually no instances did it happen (unless Mikey simply didn't dress). Mikey was the automatic starter. Mikey played all of half #1. Mikey played all of half #2. If a center mid was going to be subbed, it sure as hell wasn't going to be Mikey. Game after game, year after year, regardless of the options on the bench. Regardless of commentators repeatedly saying "It wouldn't hurt to give Bradley a rest." Sorry, those are the facts, although it's a free country and you can choose to believe whatever you want. ;-)
OK, I'll ask again -- please identify the specific games and the specific players. If there are dozens, you should have no problem finding a handful at least. Otherwise, it's all just hot air.
responding to original title question: in general, because bob bradley doesn't like to play with a player in that role. That is he's a central attacking midfielder, a creater and, a passer. Bob tends to like to have two defenvively minded players in the center of the field. in a 4-4-2. It's the same reason torres hasn't been starting much either. Which means these players (often Freddy Adu and Stuart Holden too) tend to end up being played largely wide which means they compete to start with Donovan and Dempsey, and they will lose that battle with both players in good club form. Personally i'd love to see Benny and torres start with Edu or Michael behind them in a three man midfield. or some combination of those 4 or even dempsey in there. Many people say oh this guy sucks or that guys crap. I think often it's an issue where the coaches style doesn't easily fit the player's style and there are players in the way. For example i think if, say Manuel Pelligrini became the US manager he'd pub a big emphasis on ball possession and passing (according to Jozy's comments on villarreal training) so i would think benny's skills in possession and several other players (holden's in possession then i noticed before), may be more valued then say Ricardo Clark's defending.
FairWitness thinks M. Bradley sucks but he wanted to see Mastroeni in there more?........................................ What a joke. He also seems to think that Edu has been healthy this entire cycle. lol
The entire schedule from the past 4 years. How's that? So right back at ya. Please identify the specific games where Bradley had no choice but to play Mikey in the middle for the entire 90. Otherwise, it's all just hot air. Face it. For the past four years, game in, game out, Michael Bradley was the least likely person on the team to start on the bench and the least likely person to be subbed (Donovan included) - not because the guy's indispensable (not even close) or any kind of amazing talent (again, not even close) but, rather, because he's the coach's son.
Your refusal to actually substantiate your argument is, quite frankly, impressive. I mean, it's rare to see someone so dismissive of the need to provide actual evidence. At this point I actually hope you don't give in and just keep responding with sarcasm and unfounded generalities. Stay strong. Keep fighting the... um... well, just keep fighting the fight.
I must admit, fairwitness is doing the best "plug your ears and go 'la, la, la'" you possibly can on the Internet.
Good post!!! These are the numbers (double check someone though... I could always be wrong lol ): Out of 59 games. Bradley – 37 - 63% Clark – 21 - 36% Feilhaber – 19 - 32% Mastroeni – 14 - 24% Kljestan – 10 - 17% Beckerman – 8 - 14% Edu – 7 - 12% Pause – 5 - 8% Torres – 2 - 3% Donovan – 1 - 1.7% Holden – 1 - 1.7% Amazing that Bradley almost has twice as much as the second place guy, clark!
Not really amazing at all. Not when you realize that Feilhaber imploded professionally in all of 2008 and Edu was injured for most of 2009. Not when you realize that Mastro was being properly phased out. Not when you realize that Holden didn't become a starting professional CM until the spring of 2009. Not when you realize that Torres didn't become a regular starter until 2009. Not amazing at all. Indeed, it is totally logical that the ONLY healthy, regular starting CM playing at the highest level of any US CM, the US's highest scoring Euro-Club CM of all time, played in 63% of US matches the last 4 years. Totally rational and logical. What is amazing is Fairwitness's moaning when there were 22 games in which Bradley didn't even appear. What is amazing is that Feilhaber played as a CM in 32% of these games, when the guy has NEVER BEEN A STARTING CENTER MIDFIELDER FOR ANY PROFESSIONAL CLUB HE HAS EVER PLAYED FOR. Now THAT is amazing. ****** Now that JJxvi has done the lions share of work for Fairwitness, let's see if he can actually find a dozen games in which Mike Bradley played CM for the US in which two better starting options were healthy, available, and in good form for their clubs.
You do have a point, again I dont think Bradley is a not a fit at starting for us.... but I want to see a more central distributor midfielder tried into our midfield. Take away a forward and let us play with a 5 man midfield, throw feilhaber, Edu, and Bradley in the middle, with donovan and Dempsey on the wings, or you can start torres over feilhaber... we just need that style of playeri n the middle!! If anything, I would have Bradley hover higher and almost as a supporting striker in the middle.... his strengths are his finishing! I just hope our next coach tweaks with our midfield, because we can be VERY strong, if we can get it to play right, and really have most of the goals come frmo midfielders like donovan and dempsey, and bradley basically.
FYI, you should probably also factor in that for some of those games where Bradley didn't start/play were games in which he was not available or not called up, such as "Camp Cupcake" games.
LOL. Nice try. So in how many of those games was Bradley dressed and sitting on the bench? Any? Why wasn't he there? Yeah. Feilhaber stinks. Shouldn't even be on the roster, as we saw from his performance in SA. Never understood why Low included Klose and Podolski on his squad either (national team performance aside). They're both bench-warmers for their clubs.