Re: VWFC 2011 Roster [IN: Mattocks] Here's a rumor. If Philly really does sell Le Toux to Bolton, maybe Philly goes after someone else's forward... Like Hassli. Some in Philly really want this.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Knighton, Mattocks, Bonjour] I can't see a Hassli trade. Hassli loves Vancouver, and Vancouver loves Hassli. Even though Camilo scored more goals, I'd bet more fans would identify with Hassli as the face of the team over Camilo. (And with good reason in my opinion: Camilo signs a contract with us then suddenly wants a massive raise and bitches publicly, and seems to exude an entitlement/mercenary attitude.) I get the feeling that Hassli is a Vancouver Whitecap who plays professional soccer; Camilo is a professional soccer player who happens to be in Vancouver - for now. That's not to say Eric doesn't want money, and lots of it (indeed, he's making a small fortune), but the way he has come to really be part of the Whitecap culture and embrace Canada is all the more reason to like him.
Re: VWFC 2011 Roster [IN: Mattocks] I think Rochat has dual citizenship? He counted as one of our 3 Canadian players last season. I would be choked if we dealt Hassli away, and cannot see the club doing so. I for one loved his style of play, and he won me over despite his numerous cards and that jersey incident. If Hassli was able to stay in more games, it could be argued he would score more. Losing Camilo sucks too, his ability to score on free kicks is very needed. Does anyone know if the incoming players come with this skill set?
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Knighton, Mattocks, Bonjour] And we just added another player: Jun Marques Davidson, a dual Japanese-American citizen. So with all of these ins, when will we see some more outs?
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Knighton, Mattocks, Bonjour] Next signing: Marques Davidson. Not a splashy player, but quite a solid one.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Knighton, Mattocks, Bonjour] so. are you guys changing the team name to Vancouver WhiteHawks? Vancouver RailCaps?
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Knighton, Mattocks, Bonjour] Rumour has it that we will be synthesizing the two nicknames to R-iteC-awks. Wait a minute. Sh**.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Davidson, Knighton] OUT : Jarju and Davies! Mustapha Jarju and Phillipe Davies have been released. Shudder to think Jarju was signed as a DP, doh!
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Davidson, Knighton] woooo, I guess Mattocks will take his place on the field. Camilo, Hassli, Mattocks, Salgado, Harris, and Tan are a strong contiguent of strikers. Another move today was the acquistion of an additional international roster spot till 2015 and a second round super draft pick. Going the other way went allocation money.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Davidson, Knighton] Whitecaps end Jarju experiment [and Davies option not picked up] - The Province Just to have an official source. =) So Jarju is bought out which means we eat the entire amount of his salary, but it's not on the books to count against the salary cap which means roster flexibility. (A lot of people were wondering how we were going to afford LYP, etc carrying Jarju's salary. Now we see it all worked out.) So the owners lose (literally: money) but the team doesn't. That's good. Davies option simply wasn't picked up but somehow we still hold his MLS rights...even though the club released a statement wishing Davies well. Which makes me wonder if they are releasing him on a free transfer to a non-MLS club, or if they are going to try and trade his rights to Montreal (for allocation money, I would think, since the Whitecaps seems to enjoy allocation money). It also makes me think that the Whitecaps are optimistic about the players coming our of the Residency program - if they clear one young player, I assume they are clearing the way for more Reserve squad young players.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Davidson, Knighton] Umm Davies hates the impact so I don't think he would want to go there.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Davidson, Knighton] He was born in La Belle Province, so I thought the Impact might be interested in trading for him if they want to push the Quebec angle.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] Rennie: Jarju simply didn't fit into Vancouver's plans http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/01/21/rennie-jarju-simply-didnt-fit-vancouvers-plans
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] The comments by Rennie seem disingenuous at best. If Jarju was really good - had, say, scored 5 goals - Rennie would have jetted him just as easily? I find that hard to believe. So it is not simply that he didn't fit into Rennie's preferred style, rather that Jarju isn't worth the money he was being paid. And there's nothing wrong with saying that (although he could have said it even more nicely than I did. Something like "In a league like MLS, salary cap considerations are a primary consideration when we examine our roster.") so why not just get to the point? =) Yeah, I'm that bored tonight. Also, one of my 2012 resolutions is to post to this board at least every other day. If we all contribute to the conversation just a little bit more, we'll have a thriving board in no time.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] I'm guessing it's some of both - that Jarju isn't somebody he would want as much as a slightly lower-producing player he could work with better, but Jarju also isn't producing the results he needs. You'll find Rennie is happy to comment negatively on his team's performance to the press (memorable quote to reporters after one game Carolina shouldn't have lost: "There are times when you just have to hold your head up and say, 'That was nowhere near good enough'") but he doesn't seem to like to say anything negative about any individual player. As his job is to coach them more than it is to work with the press, I respect that attitude a lot, but "Also, Jarju isn't good enough for the dough we were shelling out" is the sort of thing I can very much see him leaving unsaid. (Not that it isn't completely obvious.)
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] It's one thing to make a negative comment about your players after a bad performance, it's another to make a negative comment about your employers after a bad recruitment decision. I think Rennie is just being respectful not to say anything disparaging about the decision to sign Jarju. Also, there's simply no reason to shit on Jarju after releasing him - The Whitecaps have nothing to gain by acting in such an unprofessional manner. In short, MR was being diplomatic - and therefore not completely honest.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] That too. But I've also never heard him make negative comments about specific players rather than about the overall performance of the team. Yup. I don't think he's saying anything untrue, but I think he's showing his professionalism by letting certain very obvious things go unmentioned.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [IN: Knighton, Mattocks, Bonjour] With Jarju's salary and DP spot gone, I see the possibility of another signing, actually--an experienced big-name player for the central mid role. I thought they'd go after someone for the defensive mid role, but with the addition of Davidson, I'm not so sure. They may go after a more offensive option, someone who can play central mid in the 4-3-3 style that Rennie is said to prefer. Remember, we've only got Chiumiento as a possible starter in the attacking creative central mid role. And if he can't be consistent, I don't see Rennie holding on to him. In that case there has to be a fall-back option already on the team. I've been hoping for a while now that they would sign someone big for that position, but I was starting to think they'd audition Jarju for that role, given his salary. And we haven't seen anything from Rennie's Christmas scouting trip back in the Old Country, so I figure we're due for at least one more announcement. I don't see many/any more cuts until after training camp, when the coaching staff sees how these guys all play together. So far they haven't all been in the same room, never mind on the field.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] I actually think he kind of did get to the point, but from a different angle than Jarju not being worth the money. In the article, Rennie's quoted as saying “He’s [Jarju's] at a stage where he needs to be playing and I can’t guarantee that” right after the quote where he says Jarju didn't fit into his plans. To me, that second quote seems to say that Rennie recognizes Jarju may work out if given the playing time, but that Rennie wants a proven performer in Jarju's position instead of waiting for Jarju to develop into an MLS performer. Given the huge hole all through last year in central mid (with Koffie the only real performer), I see Rennie's attitude (if I'm right about what he means) as prudent. And I don't think the fans would have had the patience to wait for Jarju's development, especially with his price tag. With Jarju's salary and DP spot gone, bring in a proven player. Sadly, had the Whitecaps signed Jarju for less, I think he may still be here. But because of his salary, he was put in a situation where he needed to go if he didn't perform. And I couldn't see him renegotiating his contract for a fraction of what it was, and then continuing to play here. That would have been humiliating. Better for him to take a sizeable buy-out, and take the money and himself to another league, and forget Vancouver ever happened.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] There was a good interview with Rennie today on Whitecaps FC Daily on Team radio. He talked about Jarju and hinted at further plans for the midfield, among other things. Here's the link to the podcast: http://www.teamradio.ca/podcast/whitecaps_daily/WFCDaily_Jan_23_2012_Powered_by_Kingsway_Honda~.mp3
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] I'm listening to the podcast right now and was just about to post the part about Jarju! *lol* Interesting that as much as he admits money was a consideration, he sounded just as concerned about the international slot. Which is good to hear because it likely means he has plans for it.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] Yeah--a beast of a DP for central mid would finish the roster nicely methinks!
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] I also found it interesting that he drew his conclusion on Jarju during the post-season training camp. Like the rest of us, he saw absolutely no flash of brilliance that would demonstrate that he deserved a DP status. Also interesting to hear that they use Prozone for their analysis of players' performance.
Re: Whitecaps 2012 Roster [OUT: !Jarju!, Davies; IN: Davidson, Knighton] I'm getting bullish on our roster. Not to win a championship, but to perform reasonably well and push for the playoffs. We've upgraded or maintained every position, added better quality to the bench, and (in my opinion) have added a better coach. Throw in that we are in a facility that I think the players will play better in (changing in a portable versus taking the field in a world-class facility, in my opinion, is worth something psychologically) and (knock on wood) assuming we don't get gutted by injuries and suspensions this year (Hassli, DeMerit, and Harris primarily) and things look good. My guess for now: [LINEUP-4-3-3]Camilo, Hassli, Barbara, Harris, Chiumiento, Koffie, Rochat, DeMerit, Bonjour, Lee, Cannon[/LINEUP-4-3-3] Having said that, if Chiumiento plays the CM in a 4-3-3 (which Rennie just said yesterday he prefers for Dede) where the hell do you put Koffie? Create 2 DM positions behind Dede? Then what do you do with Harris? Put him on LF, bench Barbara, and bring on another DM? Plus I have a feeling we are going to sign another starter.