Michael Stephens - European Adventure

Discussion in 'Yanks Abroad' started by BostonRed, Jan 28, 2014.

  1. SpencerNY

    SpencerNY Member+

    Dec 1, 2001
    Up in the skyway
    Caveat emptor!
     
  2. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Testudo and Tom Collingsworth repped this.
  3. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  4. Fanatical Monk

    Fanatical Monk Member+

    Jun 14, 2011
    Fantasyland
    shouldn't friendlies be used to test stuff?
     
  5. Dr.Phil

    Dr.Phil Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Any updates
     
  6. @ringo

    @ringo Member

    Jan 6, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    :)

    He has started in all 3 games this season, and obviously has Bobs confidence.

    Personally I don't think he raises the quality of the squad. We could have found similar quality in the 2 or 3 tier here in Norway.
     
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  7. Sevens7ar

    Sevens7ar Member

    Apr 17, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    He was impressive in his first match during his trial; very good energy and aggression, great off the ball with smart runs and good positioning both offensively and defensively and quick on the ball with simple yet meaningful passes. I don't think anyone who watched that game saw a diamond in the rough or anything like that but I do believe everyone saw a player with qualities the team needed to complement the rest of the squad (midfield).

    One game is obviously not an adequate basis for evaluation and he has not played at the same level in any game since. I can't say for sure why but it could be the fact that the opposition in that game was horribly bad, or it could be that he has later been moved around in less fitting positions/roles, or maybe he was just super eager to prove himself in that one game and played at his absolute top level while his form is not yet good enough to recreate it week after week.

    As of now I have to agree with @Ringo that we could have found similar quality on the 2nd or 3rd tier in Norway. That first game gave hope that he could become an important player for us. And Bradley certainly seems to have faith in "his" signings, maybe more so than presumably better players signed before he came to the club. As long as he gets results it's hard to be too critical but it's also a bit hard (at least for now) to see how players like Stephens and, even more so Henderson can be starting players at this level.

    One thing I do believe Stephens has contributed with already is a more professional attitude in training. I think Bradley saw the need for some players who really raised the bar in training and brought in a tougher mentality. Our former coach was a very mellow and easy going personality who I suspect did not demand enough from our young squad. I think the attitude in training and off the pitch has been too relaxed in recent years. Bradley could probably improve that all on his own but a little help from some new players who have experience with a tougher mentality and higher demands can't hurt. I believe (I really do not know, this is merely an assuption) that Stephens has been one of those guys and in that sense made a valuable contribution to the team.
     
  8. Mario Balotelli

    Mario Balotelli Member+

    United States
    Feb 28, 2012
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Welcome. It's always nice to get the perspective of local supporters. :)

    I have a question not related to Mikey Stephens but rather from the Mix thread. Who would you and ringo consider the elite/first tier of players in the Tippeligaen?
     
  9. @ringo

    @ringo Member

    Jan 6, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    Not Mix for sure!

    Personally I rate him to be an ok tippeliga player, not more, not less. He would be in the starting lineup at most teams, but is not a given starting XI player in top teams like Rosenborg or Strømsgodset.

    I think most would rank Bjørn Bergmann Sigurdarsson in Molde as the best player in the league.

    Personally I have some other favourites like Bojan Zajic at Sarpsborg 08 and Steinthor Thorsteinsson at Viking FK.

    Then you have the combination of Storflor and Villsvik at Strømsgodset, and Abu in the midfield once he gets back in form.

    Reginiussen and Gamst-Pedersen in RBK are both top tier.

    Barrantes if he has not passed his past due date. Is top of the crop.

    And if you rate by professionaliam you got to include Frode Johnsen who at 40 is still going strong.

    And there is certainly many I've forgotten.

    The point still remains, Mix is no where near the top tier in Tippeligaen.
     
  10. Mario Balotelli

    Mario Balotelli Member+

    United States
    Feb 28, 2012
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks.

    I've seen Sigurdarsson a few times - definitely a talented player. Barrantes is a regular for Costa Rica...technical player with a great passing range and powerful shot from what I've seen. I'm surprised he never played in a bigger league in Europe.

    About Mix - he posts in that thread so we try to take our evaluations of his game to the USA Men forum. :)
     
  11. afgrijselijkheid

    Dec 29, 2002
    mokum
    Club:
    AFC Ajax

    Hmm. Mix has started over 80% of the RBK games he has been fully fit for and many of the sub appearances and DNPs were somehow related to the additional USMNT time he procures from the club. And his first half-season with RBK, he was the third highest rated player by VG (last season, 36th). I think he is a bit more than a standard "okay" player in that league.
     
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  12. @ringo

    @ringo Member

    Jan 6, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    Hepp, but sadly VG's ranking is very unreliable. They had Henderson as man of the match against Sogndal, when he was by far our weakest player in that game.

    Sometimes I suspect them of not even having watched the game as their ranking seems sort of random. And if you are the type of player media fanciess you are likely to score high, so in some respects you could regard VGs ranking as much as a popularitey wote as a ranking of real quality.

    Take a look at the number of goals and assists, keeping in mind that he is an attacking oriented midfielder, his scores is less than impressive.
     
  13. Sevens7ar

    Sevens7ar Member

    Apr 17, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    Do you also think your opinion based on some selective numbers is a more accurate interpretation of facts than that of someone who has seen probably 90% of his games? No offence but just because someone plays 80% of the games they are fit for does not mean they are above average. Lots of players start the majority of the games. Are they all above average? Of course not.

    I am not saying Mix is not above average in the Norwegian league; personally I think he is, however marginally. I also think he is one of the players in the league with the highest potential but struggles to improve and has pretty much stagnated since he was 19 and not yet become the player I though he would.

    For me some of his best moments on the pitch was when he played right midfielder for Stabæk with Vegar Eggen Hedenstad (now playing in Bundesliga for Freiburg) behind him on the right back. The chemistry between them was really good. They also played together on one of the best junior teams we've ever had. He has honestly not improved since then and still looks like that very talented teenager who can be brilliant in some games but rather average over a whole season.

    ("VG-børsen" is a joke by the way.)
     
  14. afgrijselijkheid

    Dec 29, 2002
    mokum
    Club:
    AFC Ajax

    1 - Actually, I watch about 50% his pitch time over a full season myself and talk to people who watch every minute.

    2 - First of all, you skipped over the little part about how extra time with the USMNT understandably cuts some of his club playing time. It was that way with Genk and now with Rosenborg. And it is no secret. However... a player that starts 80% of games for the second best team in the league is pretty well by definition better than average by my math.

    3 - Okay. Then why are you challenging my assertion that he is better than average?

    4 - I was not making any judgment on VG ratings. However, they are the most easily available ratings that cover all players in the league. And, my friend, when someone is rated third in the whole league having just joined a new team, it cannot be too terribly far off. These guys, as dumb/drunk as they may conceivably be in the press box, are not rating the average nobody player as third best in the league. Or 36th, for that matter.
     
  15. afgrijselijkheid

    Dec 29, 2002
    mokum
    Club:
    AFC Ajax


    Heh. So you want us to throw out the comprehensive if not also somewhat faulty player ratings as not being a true indicator and judge solely on two statistics? Very clever. :)

    Besides, Mix has been a kinda hybrid #8/#10 for most of this RBK time. I would not say he has been an outright attacker right behind the striker in most games. He gets his hands dirty in midfield.
     
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  16. Sevens7ar

    Sevens7ar Member

    Apr 17, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    Because I don't agree that it's as obvious as you seem to belive, and because I find your arguments very flawed. Would you say Nicki Bille Nielsen (started 25 of 30 for Rosenborg last season) and Tobias Mikkelsen (started 24 of 30 last season) are also above average? Because 99% of everyone who's following Tippeligaen agree they are both garbage. Getting lots of starts for some of the best teams does not necessarily mean the player is not below average in the league. Soccer is not as black and white as that.
     
  17. @ringo

    @ringo Member

    Jan 6, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    Indeed, they give a just as good indication of his qualities as the VG børs ranking.

    opta keep statistics for Tippeligaen, the database is not made available to the public but VG publish a selection of statistics each week like top 10 tacklers, driblers, players with highest passing accuracy etc. I do not recall seeing Mix on either of these lists ever. However, I can not rule out the posibility that my memory serves me wrong, but he is certainly not a frequent visitor on these lists which I would expect him to be if he where a top quality player.

    So I find that the stats support my opinion. He is ok, noting more, nothing less. But I will admit that he has his moments of grandure, but so does most ok players...

    You are certainly free to disagree, I'm not looking to convert anybody.
     
  18. afgrijselijkheid

    Dec 29, 2002
    mokum
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    1 - Seems much ado for a quibble, but okay.

    2 - Well, there are actually two arguments I have made, do not confuse them. One was that Mix has mostly been a regular starter at RBK and the objective numbers kinda agree with me, even before we factor in starts missed because of a USMNT trade-off. The second is that he is better than the average Tippeligaen player, which you generally agree with. So umm okay.

    3 - I did not say it was an automatic A = B situation, there are always exceptions. But typically, yes, many if not most of the regular starters on the best couple of teams in a league will be better than average players in that league. This seems like one of the least controversial claims ever made on BigSoccer.
     
  19. afgrijselijkheid

    Dec 29, 2002
    mokum
    Club:
    AFC Ajax

    Small problem with all that: I never said he was a top quality player. I said he was better than an average player in that league.

    Also, I would never expect to see him on the top dribblers or tacklers. Not his game.
     
  20. Testudo

    Testudo Member+

    Jan 29, 1999
    Arlington, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  21. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
     
  22. Gorky

    Gorky Member+

    Jul 28, 2006
    NYC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Stabaek were up 3-0 when he came on and then gave up 2 late goals. :(
     
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  23. @ringo

    @ringo Member

    Jan 6, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    Sorry,

    But there was a clear connection between Sthephens entering the pitch and we giving away the initiative in the game. He runs a lot, but he is like a sceond or two late on arrival each time. He never does anything creative with the ball. He only pass the ball sideways and backwards.
     
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  24. Bolivianfuego

    Bolivianfuego Your favorite Bolivian

    Apr 12, 2004
    Fairfax, Va
    Club:
    Bolivar La Paz
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    The bread and butter of average americna players. Hard workers, but lack on the techincal/creative side, but have a lot of effort to their game on fitness and 'effort'.
     
  25. @ringo

    @ringo Member

    Jan 6, 2014
    Club:
    Stabaek IF
    But he is probably important in training with his work rate and attitude.
     

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