Bottom line for me on Adi - It's the first time in many years we actually have a legitimate backup striker - other than the ones we had starting for us of course. In general, I have no problem with a coach (or boss for that matter) bringing someone on board he/she has experience with. They know what they are getting and whether or not they will fit/fill a role within the larger vision. Personal history is a factor that improves the odds a bit, given every new signing is a risk and an unknown. Granted, the Guzman disaster doesn't support my philosophy. But it was remedied. Nothing is permanent and we kick things off in a month. I'm glad Adi's on the roster vs. not.
If you are lucky. If. It's like being a left-handed pitcher in baseball. They carry value often in excess of their ability. Strikers are a funny thing. You really can't coach it--either a player has the knack or he doesn't (you can get better with work, however, but to quote "Chariots of Fire": "You can't put in what God left out"). Everybody needs strikers--that's why they get more chances than the average player.
So did George Best. In the long run, it was problematic in many ways. But when he was on....and in the short term....
Wow. Where in there did I say anything about not questioning a damn thing? That's just a ridiculous reaction to a post wherein all I did was point out that a) this is what ambitious management and ownership looks like and b) some of these deals will work out and some will not. If you disagree with either position, feel free to dig right in, pal. But it's simply absurd to claim that I said no one was "allowed to question" things. That's ridiculous, totally false and, frankly, stupid.
My first pro team I followed was the old Atoms. They had an interesting combo--a striker, Jim Fryatt, who was 6' 2", and his partner, Andy Provan, who was 5' 4". They called him "The Flea". Drove defenders nuts. Size is nice up top.
Anyone can, and does, question anything and everything. There are just some that, based on nothing more than a dislike of the coach, tend to go overboard with criticism when it really isn't warranted. I, for one, an glad we finally have an owner that seems to be willing to spend and a GM that isn't hamstrung by a cheap-ass or absentee owner. All coaches get fired eventually and I don't know how long Porter will be around but if he and Bez think a player will be a good addition, or at a minimum is simply worth giving an opportunity to, I'm not going to poo-poo that unless it fails.
What? I can't think of anyone here who does that. I still don't like the Adi move until I'm proven wrong (which could definitely happen), but I agree with this sentiment that you and Bill seem to be expressing: Better to have management that will sometimes fail because they swing and miss than to sit around and wait for stuff to land in your lap.
Nothing all that new or surprising From Arace in the dispatch on Trapp: “Midfielder Wil Trapp, the captain, has long been in search of a ticket to Europe. No news there. Nor is it news that Trapp has been on the trading block. Rumors about a deal with Vancouver ran hot a few weeks back, but have since cooled. Stay tuned.” https://www.dispatch.com/sports/202...-crew-under-tim-bezbatchenko-and-caleb-porter
Of course I want a FO that makes big signings, who doesn’t? Signing this particular player isn’t wise IMO. Resources could have been used better.
You give everyone this Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm routine, but you can find the space between the ribs with a sharp knife as well as anybody around
No one knows that until the number is public. People have written on this very forums that they’ve read no one else was interested. Other people have written on this very forum that they read others were indeed interested. There could have been a bidding war, or not. Who knows? We could have paid the minimum. We could have paid 25%. We could have paid 50%. We don’t know. That number has a huge bearing on how this move will be viewed. And it can’t be had both ways, that the dude is a prolific stud we got for pennies, and that we were the only team that was interested. If he’s so good, surely others bid for him, and we didn’t pay the minimum. And if we did pay the minimum, and no one else could be bothered, what does that say that everyone gave the idea a hard pass but one team? The number is a mystery for now.
It can absolutely be the dude turns into a prolific stud we got for pennies because no one else was willing to take the chance. It could also be that we overpaid in a bidding war and he sucks. We won't know until the season moves along, but any of the combinations are possible.
Yes, the number us a mystery for now. But, no, there could not have been a bidding war. Broadly speaking, when does MLS ever develop rules that allow bidding wars for players? That would be never. But more specifically, if you read the procedure about how waivers for a player with a guaranteed contract works, it basically says that teams have 48 hours to submit a number to the league (i.e., the salary number the club is willing to pay for the player) and, generally, the team with the highest offers gets the player. The player's former team is on the hook to pay the rest of the salary. So the Crew made a bid and were the highest bidder. They may also have been the only bidder. Who knows? Regardless, they sent a number to the league, and that's the salary they'll be paying Adi in 2020. Period. FCC's owners will pay the rest.
The lack of self awareness in this post is something to behold. Its been a consistent strain of one note praise from you for any and every move that the Crew has made in the offseason while leveling personal insults at those who dare disagree. Whereas midway through last year you consistently and vocally questioned Porter's coaching ability, you now offer unadulterated praise and disown yourself from former positions. It's been quite the transformation, pal.