Is the grass REALLY greener, on the other side? [Other Teams Thread] [R]

[Scally]

Don't you think it's strange that shitty players who can't get a sniff in the top leagues in Europe can roll the top team in the world and outclass Brazil's all star squad for a half?


Such is the nature of tournament football

[The Grimster]

Don't you think it's strange that shitty players who can't get a sniff in the top leagues in Europe can roll the top team in the world and outclass Brazil's all star squad for a half?

The US probably would have won if one American (who shall remain nameless) hadn't sent a celebratory text message at half time!!

;)

[thebigman]

so now the us players are all quality cus they played well?

what about all the senegal players that played vs the then current euro and world champs france and beat them?

sometimes big teams lose to worse teams, whats landon donovan done in his career?

id argue the careers of howard, dempsey, gooch, de merrit and even bradley are to be held in higher regard because theyve performed at higher levels without being ************** and going back to the us with their tails between their legs

america is a good, organised nt that is fit and strong

lets see what happens in 2010

[thebigman]

doesnt mean he isnt, just my opinion.
i have just seen him do it, against the best players in the world, too many times, over a long period of time.

ya, he doesnt play in europe all season long, but he does it for the national team.

theres been a few players like that, perform at int but cant do it regularly for club

podolski, healy, swine-steiger (lol) etc

not world class at all unless u do it at a high leve consistancy

[thebigman]

yep.

again, its just my opinion.
i think donovan would do just fine at any major club in europe.
obviously, he is some sort of pariah or scapegoat amoungst american soccer "fans". the best ive ever seen personally.

over board

he doesnt play often at bayern does he?look how poor they were this year

[thebigman]

I've got respect for Donovan. He obviously doesn't care about the money, or the glory, he just wants to play the game. He never got a fair shake in Germany and he likes the Cali lifestyle. Can you blame him? Even Klinsmann didn't want to go back.

Pele never played in Europe either. Does anyone give a shit about that?

your comparing pele and landon?

differnt periods of time mate, plus the bazilian league wasnt exactly cack

pele won world cups and was ahead of his time vision/technique wise

donovan is a decent fast winger in a world full of decent fast wingers

[DaPrince84]

I wouldn't call Donovan world class, but f--k the lables anyway. He was outstading in this tournament. He, Howard and Bardley were all the top performers for the US, but Donovan stands beyond them imo. Easily one of the top players of the tournament.

If no decent European team is interested after this, then nothing will impress them
dont forget Clint... the guy was brilliant the last 3 matches... almost every touch he had, something positive came from... and the goal he scored yesterday was a world class finish (not calling him world class :p)

im just proud of this group, and proud that Bradley showed he is malleable tactically...

[thebigman]

have the usa played attacking football like that before much?

seems alot better than the solid systems and grinding

[kanonier]

I'll just say this: there was a time when I wouldn't consider owning or wearing a Donovan jersey. I'll happily wear one now, and forever more, as I think he's more than proved himself -- both in skill and heart -- for the national team.

[Match-Debater]

I fail to see what a player's price has to do with his footballing impacts. If I pay 20 million for a player when you think he is only worth 15 million... That doesn't change anything about the player. Eto'o is a great footballer who still scores goals at an amazing rate. They offer him a very large contract to get him to come there instead of a bigger club. It makes sense on every level for a club that has the money to spend.

Last I checked, Man City wasn't taking on debt to finance this... They're just spending the money of their very rich owners. I don't see what any of it has to do with Premier League debt numbers. They have the money, they can do what they please with it until all the clubs come together and decide that it is in their best interest to cap the spending - which I don't see anytime soon.

As alluded to earlier there's a certain amount of risk with the potential capture of Eto'o & even taking into consideration the ambitious Arab owners' insane wealth, they're not in this just for laughs, they too will expect major returns on their spending.

As with practically all of their recent signings however, not to mention those that got away, they've had to spend/bid massively over the odds. Evidently In Samuel's particular case this prevailing trend clealry has no intentions of shifting.

It must be fantastic when you've got cash to burn but my point was simply that viewing the figures being touted alone, Eto'o is not worth that.

Even in the economic asylum of the non-reality Prem I would question it.

That's all, anyhow at their rate Man City will soon have the highest wage bill in the game but with no-one from the very top-drawer & perhaps zero silverware to boot. Plus, if their wish list receives the desired ticks then will Sants Cruz even play & how easy will it be to off-load, if necessary, Bellamy & co. when accustomed to galactico's style earnings.

Yeah & my point about debt was about the league in general, not specifically Man City.

[dynamo_gunner]

I'll just say this: there was a time when I wouldn't consider owning or wearing a Donovan jersey. I'll happily wear one now, and forever more, as I think he's more than proved himself -- both in skill and heart -- for the national team.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/06/29/amd_donovan-dejection.jpg



I would wear one too, if instead of his name, I could get 'SAD PANDA' put on the back.

[And_ROOS]

Such is the nature of tournament football

France 2002 thread.

And cockbite Sepp Blatter is out to curb Premier League spending after its been reported Citeh failed to lure Eto'o to the Eastlands Garbagetip.

Ironically a Manc and Pewl couple i know were saying how wrong it is for Real to spend so much money when their club is in debt... God i love irony...

[Shibby13]

dont forget Clint... the guy was brilliant the last 3 matches... almost every touch he had, something positive came from... and the goal he scored yesterday was a world class finish (not calling him world class :p)

im just proud of this group, and proud that Bradley showed he is malleable tactically...

I'm glad someone else recognizes that Deuce played a hell of a tournament. 3 great goals, and took home the Bronze Ball trophy as the 3rd best player in the tournament, behind Kaka and Luis Fabiano. There is no question he is an integral part and arguably the best player on the team.

I've also been very hard on Donovan in the past but he played amazing the whole tournament and worked hard every match. Donovan, Dempsey, Gooch, Bradley, and Howard form a pretty strong core for the next several years.

[kanonier]

I am a bit concerned about the overall expediency with which red cards were doled out to the US players.

[TerpSoccerFan]

As alluded to earlier there's a certain amount of risk with the potential capture of Eto'o & even taking into consideration the ambitious Arab owners' insane wealth, they're not in this just for laughs, they too will expect major returns on their spending.

As with practically all of their recent signings however, not to mention those that got away, they've had to spend/bid massively over the odds. Evidently In Samuel's particular case this prevailing trend clealry has no intentions of shifting.

It must be fantastic when you've got cash to burn but my point was simply that viewing the figures being touted alone, Eto'o is not worth that.

Even in the economic asylum of the non-reality Prem I would question it.

That's all, anyhow at their rate Man City will soon have the highest wage bill in the game but with no-one from the very top-drawer & perhaps zero silverware to boot. Plus, if their wish list receives the desired ticks then will Sants Cruz even play & how easy will it be to off-load, if necessary, Bellamy & co. when accustomed to galactico's style earnings.

Yeah & my point about debt was about the league in general, not specifically Man City.

I still don't see how any of that matters.

Who cares if some of their players don't play? Why does it matter if their payroll was even a billion dollars? They have money, they spend it, they will put eleven players on the field 38 times next season like everyone else. Whether Barry or Robinho or Eto'o (probably not, but maybe) was "worth" what they paid won't make them any more or less of a player. They might all suck and you know what? They'll still have enough to come back and do it all over again.

Sure, you can laugh at them and say "you spent all this money and haven't won a thing!" but two seasons ago they couldn't score a goal for about four months and looked one of the most awful teams in the league... now their success or failure is whether they make the Champions League and win trophies. They're doing ok for themselves.

[TerpSoccerFan]

so now the us players are all quality cus they played well?


To a point, I agree with you. I think it is silly to judge a player off of a couple games in a tournament when you have whole seasons of games these players (most of them at least) have played to judge them by. For example, I don't think DeMerit is any better just because he had a couple great games in the Confed Cup. He has played to a decent but unspectacular level in England for several seasons now and that is the player that he is. It can open your eyes to the qualities a player had that you had never noticed or had the chance to see though. Davies, for example, has had very little exposure because of where he has played.

In the other case, it can just affirm for you the qualities you believed a player to have that weren't as broadly recognized - Landon Donovan, for example.

But the other side of that - as pointed out - is the difference between international and club football. Seeing as Arsenal probably isn't looking to sign any of these guys, all I really care about is how they can do for the USA national team. Sure, I'd like to see them go on to great things in their club career, get big game experience, win at the highest level, etc. But if Landon Donovan can shred Brazil for the USA, it doesn't really bother me that he plays for LA or that he might not shine on a Champions League level in Europe.

[antifan]

so now the us players are all quality cus they played well?

what about all the senegal players that played vs the then current euro and world champs france and beat them?

sometimes big teams lose to worse teams, whats landon donovan done in his career?
id argue the careers of howard, dempsey, gooch, de merrit and even bradley are to be held in higher regard because theyve performed at higher levels without being ************** and going back to the us with their tails between their legs

america is a good, organised nt that is fit and strong

lets see what happens in 2010
What's he done in his career, lets see. All time NT leader in goals and assists, five time NT player of the year, three league championships, three CONCACAF Gold Cups, World Cup quarter finals, Confederations Cup runner up. Not bad for a 27 year old. But you hold Gooch in higher regard because he spent six months at Newcastle?

[thebigman]

and he plays for a vastly improved team in belgium

and an all time leader for usa? come on, look at the standard of opposition you are playing generally

[antifan]

your comparing pele and landon?

Why not? Both of them spent more more time playing in the US then they did in Europe.

[thebigman]

but one of them was an all time great, ahead of his time and the best player in the world for years

donnovan.....