You also have to consider that Danny can play on the back line, which gives him added value. Birchall is pretty much a one-trick pony, despite Warzycha's dreams of him being a winger.
I fyou think that Danny is MLS quality center back then fine. I don't. He may be able to "fill in" but we would have to be down to bare bones if he is ever started there.
He's a decent fill-in at full back, too. And by all impressions, it sounds like he's one of our leaders in the locker room, and he's a guy that's been around for a while, so he's still a link to the good ol' days. I said he can play on the back line, I didn't say he's any good. I'm trying to think this through from the FO's perspective.
Likely--and we know for sure that as a DP, Higuain has a cap hit twice that of last year (as he will be here for the whole season). That has to have an impact. I think it's $350K or has it gone up?
Good points. I completely forgot about Danny being out of contract. As far as player pickups being a responsibility of the TD, yes, I agree, but he still has to work within the confines of RW's vision for the team - limited as that is. I'm sure that there is discussion between them on that vision, but it still ends up being RW's vision nonetheless.
And he's local. I would not discount that. He might take a lower salary to play at home and he's valuable in a PR sense because he's local.
"Hey Columbus! Come see Worthington's own Danny O'Rourke at the Crew's Pine Ridin' Days festivities!" When you have Frankie roaming the metro area in his capacity, DO'R as a PR tool is minimal. I still see us bringing him back at a reduced rate because he can fill-in at either CB position, DM or (in case of Mayan Apocalypse) LB/RB. As mentioned, not great but serviceable for a game or two if somebody takes a knock in some of those positions and still provides that veteran leadership in the locker room.
Honestly, I don't know that he's THAT big of a PR bump because he's local. I could be wrong, but with the homegrown stuff, I think that impact has been minimized.
I can see why DoR would be kept, but I just hope that it was not at the expense of Birchall. I am sure there were more factors involved than a straight DoR vs Birchall decision.
Perhaps--but he's also an example to the homegrowns that a local kid can make it. Still, since he's local, the Crew might be able to sign him more cheaply than a guy like Birchall, who *can* go to the U.K. and make decent money as he doesn't have to worry about a work permit.
Eh?? Just pointing out that Birchall has more options in a better paying environment than Danny does--and everyone knows that. So I'd expect the Crew to try to keep Danny on the cheap. Easier than trying to keep Birchall, as he'd be able to command more money given his options.
I think it's more of Danny going to local soccer camps and showing the kids that they can make it to the big leagues, too. Danny helps show the kids that they can do it more than a guy with an accent from a different country.
Birchall > DO'R ergo Birchall's Salary > DO'R's Salary Which is EXACTLY the reason we'll pursue DO'R.
Yes, really. You don't think a kid from Worthington would relate to someone from the same town more so than someone from a different country?
No kids on my youth teams were yelling "Tackle like Danny!!" They were all referencing Schelloto or Messi, C. Ronaldo, or even Rooney at times. But not O'Rourke.
weird, I was thinking of the "beckham effect". Dak77. but that was not your original point. You compared DoR to "a guy with an accent from a different country". That's not the same as saying DoR vs a guy from another city, which is what you said in response.
I think a local guy inspiring kids isn't completely ridiculous, I agree that kids can look up to foreign players, however this comparison is just specious. I can't imagine what the main difference between these guys and Danny O is? Could it be goals?
If goals is your barometer, then you could also replace any of the aforementioned players with "Hesmer".