lol, screwy aint it. Again, says loads about their opinion on him if this rumor is still lingering even despite his lengthy injury. Would be sad to see him go from club standpoint, but nat standpoint, if hes starting at Villa, it would be impossible for him to be anything less than a number two. That is unless some other right back emerged and signed with an annual UEFA Cup place contender.
The right back who's the starter and sometimes captain of a UEFA Cup contender is..........Steve Cherundolo. That guy has to be one of the most underappreciated American players of all time.
no doubt Dolo is the #1 choice right back for the USA right now. I am just frustrated that Simek has barely gotten a chance to show that he is THE #2 USA right back (when he was healthy at least) Much in the same way that Jay Demerit (who in my opinion is the best USA CB) has not gotten much of a chance. Of course this is a different debate for a different forum. Hopefully Simek's injury is not too serious, would love to see him in the colors of the Villa.
Simek's has had several long-term injuries in a row, and has been unable to play for both club and country. But before we bash Bob Bradley (which I realize is a past-time for some people) for not calling him up more often, please remember that the closest we've had to our "A" team all together under his leadership was the 2007 Gold Cup. Frankie Simek was indeed a member of that squad, and played in the final versus Mexico when Spector got injured. Simek is clearly part of Bob's plans, but has barely been healthy since that Gold Cup.
sorry, an attempt to make a jab at Bob Bradley's national team selection....obviously didnt get the point across. My point was, no matter how well Simek does at Villa, Bradley will probably never select him anyways, seeing how he has an obsession with lesser players. (in my opinion)
Your assertion is at odds with the known facts. I didn't like the Bradley hire at the time and still don't like it, but I don't use Simek to make my point.
I'm not sure what the whining is about here. As far as I know, Bob has picked Simek ahead of Moor when the former is available (e.g. the Gold Cup). AFAIK Simek's had the misfortune of not being available for just about every fixture since thanks to a run of injuries.
Now what do you mean by Bob's '' obsession with lesser players ? '' Bradley has taken looks at almost every player deserving of a look in the US player pool , including Simek. if you are referring to his continuous call ups of Eddie johnson , look at the circumstances . With Olympic qualifying and the MLS schedule, Bob doesnt have a lot of choices , like we saw during the Poland and England games. Bob will call in Simek ( like he has already done ) if he shows that he deserves it.
I came in at the end of this thread and am just curious: Does this extend to every player in the pool, or is this Simek-specific (the concept, not the thread)?
Well, I was just about to come on here and drop a semi-witty line, like "With Frank moving to the Premiership, can Drew Moor be far behind?" Obviously some people have tried to beat me to it. To be fair to Hardworkin' Bob, I think Simek would have had more caps if he had not been injured. That said, if in six months we're still playing Hejduk and Moor while Simek (and maybe a healthy Spector) earn starting spots at right back in the EPL, expect it to quickly become a heated topic. But we should wait til we get there. Anyway, hopefully this goes through. It would be great.
I agree with you. If Simek had been healthy, he would have gotten more call-ups, remember he did play in the Gold Cup final. As for Spector, he seems like he's becoming something of a utility player us and West Ham. He's played at RB, D-Mid, and CB. Plus, he has his problems with injuries as well. Regardless, the fact we have depth at this position, as well as others, bodes well for US Soccer. I hope this move comes through for Simek. I think he definitely is Premiership-quality.
i haven't seen enough of simek to rate him, but i do hope he gets a chance to play in the BPL and stay healthy while he's there. i agree that cherundolo is a lock as the starting RB, and i'd like to see someone emerge as a lock as the #2. whether it's moore, spector, simek, etc. frankie can't play forever...or can he?
The thing that really stands out about Simek was that lockdown 15 minutes on Guardado in the Gold Cup championship. One of the best 15-minute sub performances we've seen from a Nat in a long time. If he were to earn a starting spot with Villa, would he be the American field player who starts on the highest-caliber club? Villa is usually on the upper end of mid-table, correct?
If Jozy started for Villarreal, I'd put him on top. Of course, that probably won't happen, but as long as we're dancing with hypotheticals....
Not to cast a negative pall on the proceedings, but it would be a real shame if Frankie's injury issues turn out to be chronic. We do have depth at the position, but he seems to be the most natural young RB that we have.
Yes, I'd have to give it to the Rangers, close but consistent CL appearances (and lately doing very well) wins. I also couldn't see Villa getting as far in the UEFA Cup as the huns.
If Walter Smith is right and not blowing smoke up people's arses - and there's no reason he can't do both - Gers can't afford £4M for Villa's cast-off Steven Davis (currently with Fulham). With the Prem financial muscle, clubs of the AV level will feature a $15M min player at every position. SPL, even Gers and Bhoys, can't compete with that.
In terms of best team, that might well be right. In terms of playing for the best team in high-caliber competition week in, week out, that's another thing.