See link, toward bottom of the page.... http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5385566 Any merit to this or just a bunch of hogwash? Pure speculation: Mchead getting older but having a really good year. Might be time for Coleman to cash in on Mchead while he is in demand. If so, what do you think the price tag would be? Thoughts?
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? Indeed, though if I was ManU, I'm not certain that selling RVN wouldn't be such a bad idea -- they seem to have a glut at the forward position and could use the $$ on purchasing a competent midfield.
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? Not something that Fulham would or could do, they only have 3 strikers with first team experience
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? Three, if their manager was worth a damn and actually knew how to develop a young player, rather than banking on two older, vastly experienced NT stars.
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? Coleman will be great in a few years (if he gets a few years) but he suffers certain lapses that can only be attributed to not "being there before." DC United fans can see the same thing in Nowak. Both guys have the ability to be geniuses and morons at the same time.
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? I'd like to know one way that Coleman could be considered a genius, either off or on the field. He didn't scout any of the first teamers right now except Bridge (oh that was tough one, really going out on a limb!) and Elliott - and the jury is certainly still out on Simon. Helguson was, I believe, Keans' suggestion. Don't know who scouted Papa (timing is off for it to be CC). But he did get rid of Lee Clark and kept Pembridge! Oh, and he got Drobny, and Elrich, and Nicky Jensen! Winners, the lot of them.
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? Well, you are 9 points above the drop and your goal differential is very respectable considering you were a preseason favorite to spend next season playing Burnley & Luton. Regarding player moves, I have a hard time blaming the manager of a small cub regarding moves not made. Proof of how tough it is for Fulham is the Reyna deal that fell apart at the last second. Fulham were a signature away from getting a midfielder who starred in the last world cup when City swooped in. I imagine that sort of thing happens all the time to small clubs without us ever hearing about it. Where I will blame the manager of a small club is when he overspends for a player and further puts the club in a hole. Has Coleman ever been accused of this?
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? The fact that he continually plays Zat Knight certainly doesn't suggest genius.
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? As much as I completely agree with you that Zat Knight doesn't deserve a starting spot, I will agree with the other posters who defend Chris Coleman's managerial skills. Coleman has time and again helped Fulham overachieve what the pundits consider Fulham's chances. I know fans will disagree, but when everyone is saying they'll be relegated, but instead they're 9 points clear, or when they're competing for a European spot before ManU steps in and buys their best player, if only to eliminate a challenger (which is an entirely different topic), you can hardly say they have a lousy manager. I think CC has done very well for his first roll as a manager, let alone at the premiership level.
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? Its an interesting question, Coleman's transfers. He hasn't made any huge money deals that were terrible (that was Tianga's specialty. Sava, Van Der Sar (we still lost money and didn't gain much), Marlet is the classic example). But there's a disturbing trend as he gained more and more control of the club. By period, they were: Summer 2003 - Moritz Volz (great), Mark Pembridge (bad), Billy McKinlay (abysmal), Mark Crossley (good) January 2004 - McBride (great), Collins John (not sure), Bocanegra (good), Ian Pearce (poor). Summer 2004 - Bouba Diop (brilliant), Andy Cole (good), Claus Jensen (not sure, good when he plays, which is never), Radzinski (poor). This is where it kind of falls apart - when Coleman really had the reins for a full season... from here on out it gets shaky. January 2005 - Nothing Summer 2005 - Drobny (abysmal), Elrich (abysmal), Nick Jensen (bad), Warner (fair), Christenval (abysmal), Helguson (great) January 2005 - I guess the jury is still out but it seems, on surface, as a good but costly transfer period - lots of money but no answered long term questions. Elliott (good), Bridge (great but a loan), Brown (very expensive and was injured after 45 minutes of his first game), Niemi (great). The summer of 2005 really wrecked a lot of people's confidence. We spent money on players that were terrible, with the exception of Helguson - who Coleman wouldn't even play in the first team for months upon months. So it doesnt really answer much for us. Some great, some poor, most of his best work was at the beginning of his rein.
Zero. His contract runs out at the end of the season. Portmouth has money too but will have to stay in the Prem first. Of course, Brian knows Everton well, having twice played for David Moyes. Fulham still has first dibs, I bet, but they can't go too cheap here. The last time they were offering something around $1.7M for one year. IMO, Brian's performance deserves $2.5M-$3M easily.
Re: Mcbride move to Portsmouth/Everton?? See, thats a decieving thought. Coleman took Tianga's big money team, lost Finnian and grabbed Volz, and finished 9th with them. It wasn't that big of a suprise. The season after, he did lose Davis and Saha - but signed Bouba Diop, Cole, Radzinski, Claus Jensen, etc. Losing Saha was a blow but nobody thought Fulham would fight against relegation last season - but they did, for the majority of the year. A respectable run of form at the end saw them finish 14th... which I would certainly argue is an underachievement coming down off 9th. This season some did pip them for relegation, but that's just because they signed a bunch of terrible nobodys (Helguson being the exception), and lost their only offensive force, being Andy Cole - and their keeper VDS. Those who were honestly thinking they were going down (especially on BS) were likely putting too much stock in some meaningless friendlies. The fact remains that they're a bit lucky to be as high as 16th right now considering they're the only team in all of England who still hasn't won an away match this season. Since Coleman's been in full charge they've been dumped out of the FA and League Cups consistently by lesser teams. He stubbornly sticks with tactics and sides that are proven not to work, his substitutions are uninspired, he flies off the handle at his players when its not their fault, then fails to do so when it is. I like him and all but Coleman is no overachiever.
I imagine Brian will want to have a deal in place before the World Cup because he would be an injury away from retirement. He'd be crazy to risk playing in the World Cup w/o having a job lined up for the next year or two. I would think the only way he gets lured away from London is if he gets a longer term deal than what Fulham or any other London club are offering. With respect to money, I doubt he gets much more than he currently does, considering his age.
Most 34-year olds don't get 2-year deals ... then again, Dennis Wise just won the Colaship Player of the Month and he's almost 40. (Eddie Lewis was one of 2 other nominees, btw)
Could you guys be anymore spaztastic? He's getting regular playing time at a top-flight club and performing well. Be satisfied with the way things are, for once.
While I offer high praise for spaztastic, I wonder exactly to whom you referred? Thus far, in response to a printed rumor, the reaction here is that it's not going to happen, and then quite a bit of discussion about whether cookie can cut it. More importantly, however, would spaztastic be a noun or adjective?
I'm of the opinion that not every wild rumour that the tabloids decide to print merits commenting. And I'm so glad you like spaztastic. I'd say it's an adjective.
Though I understand you opinion, I would point out that a "wild rumor" would probably be a middle-ground basis for starting a thread in this forum. Relative to threads querying which American was the most stupid for going to Europe and debating, without any source, the likely receipient of an Onyewu transfer next year, I think this thread appears to be founded on a solid footing. Albeit, a touch silly, perhaps.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Most of the time we shut really out there stuff down. But hey, it's Monday.