Official “Is Brad Friedel bad at his job?” Thread

Discussion in 'New England Revolution' started by Feldspar, Aug 28, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. dncm

    dncm Member+

    Apr 22, 2003
    Boston
    Feldman was on SiriusXM Counterattack with Meola and Dunseth.

    He was asked what were the bright spots" Pointed to Caicedo (although hate his comparison to Kante that he loves to throw out), and Penilla.

    He then brought up Turner while then saying Knighton has gotten the last couple and might finish out the season.

    This prompted Meola to interrupt and ask - what was the deal there. My opinion, there was a tone of confusion to his question.

    Not sure if this caught Feldman off guard, but he alluded to Tony's experience as a goalkeeper trajectory and that Feldman is trusting that the "gaffer" (Feldman's words) felt it better for Turner to watch some games from the bench, and Knighton is so great to come in and be a backup and his experience and he did it last year with Cropper......and then he started kinda rambling all over the place.

    Again, Knighton contract up at end of year. Fascinated to see how Friedel handles this situation.
     
  2. TOAzer

    TOAzer Member+

    The Man With No Club
    May 29, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Those two are pretty damn big.. but I would add Kelyn Rowe as a player he seems to not particularly value.
    Of the players he inherited, the only player of skill he has given space to is Fagundez, and as time passes his isolation on a team of hoofers and pounders and hackers seems to have made him less effective.

    But, hey, it's Brad's World ...and we just live in it.
     
    Crooked repped this.
  3. TJFtbl

    TJFtbl Member

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Aug 20, 2018
    Rowe isn't the same caliber player of some of those guys. His end product leaves a lot to be desired. People mention his versatility but Nguyen is already playing better in a new position with LAFC than Rowe plays anywhere.
     
  4. TOAzer

    TOAzer Member+

    The Man With No Club
    May 29, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No, Rowe is not of Nguyen's caliber. He is however more skilled and creative than almost all the guys Brad is starting out there. That's the point. We had just enough creative and skilled talent under Heaps to be able to make things interesting on a consistent basis. Brad decapitated the side, and brought in mostly lunkheads. And Rowe is, and will be elsewhere, better than those lunkheads.
     
    Crooked and Cannons repped this.
  5. TJFtbl

    TJFtbl Member

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Aug 20, 2018
    I'm really not sure where Rowe fits into the team. As a #10 Diego has been more productive and Rowe hasn't been productive anywhere else. Time to move on in my opinion
     
    tsb11 repped this.
  6. TOAzer

    TOAzer Member+

    The Man With No Club
    May 29, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And that's exactly what Brad says.
     
  7. Cannons

    Cannons Member+

    May 16, 2005
    I dont think we can afford to lose any more good players. All we get in their place are hacks
     
  8. RevsRule

    RevsRule Member+

    NE Revs, LAFC
    Jun 9, 1999
    N. Eastern, Mass
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What was going on with Juan last night? Was Friedel punishing him for some reason? What did he get? 5 minutes? Makes no sense
     
  9. rkane1226

    rkane1226 Member+

    Apr 9, 2000
    Club:
    Stade Brestois 29
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So, what do people think Brad’s internal thinking is now that his inaugural team is eliminated from the playoffs? Many opinions read to me that he was expecting this as this was never a season where he (or the Krafts) expected to do much anyway. So no frustration? No worries at all? There will be denials but I don’t think he feels any pressure from this sad campaign.

    Let’s all keep in mind moving forward that he is starting the “rebuild” early. He is starting in October (although the vaunted new scouting team should already be ahead of the curve). So, are Brad and Mike going to coast or are we going to see the 7-12 signings this team needs to become a first division team again?

    My money is more mediocrity (not all of it chalked up to Brad). Paging Rober Kraft. Paging Rober Kraft. Did you happen to notice your soccer team sucks? What? Too focused on the Sunday Night Football game to care? I thought so.
     
  10. pwykes

    pwykes Member

    Apr 18, 1999
    Auburn, MA
    Apparently Friedel has big plans for the off-season- https://www.revolutionsoccer.net/po...nges-2019-hopefully-we-have-great-things-come

    I’ll believe it when I see it.
     
    Feldspar repped this.
  11. tsb11

    tsb11 Member+

    United States
    May 31, 2018
    Haha yeah, it'll be really exciting when they scramble to replace caicedo and penilla, start zach herivaux as a 10, and start the season with only 22 rostered players
     
  12. Minutemanii

    Minutemanii Member+

    Dec 29, 2005
    Abington MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Be sure to get your kicks at the NFL barn down Rt. 1 in Foxborough! They have great promotions... mug for shots with the stadium cam, play bubble soccer at halftime, catch a T shirt from an air cannon and what-not. Pay no attention to the below par MLS roster and the passionless absentee owners :)
     
    TOAzer repped this.
  13. rkupp

    rkupp Member+

    Jan 3, 2001
    What, in reality, have these guys done that make these things a mystery?

    Rowe has committed a defensive gaff or just about every good offensive thing he's done - and Agudelo has gotten good scoring chances all season and has ... how many goals?
     
  14. a517dogg

    a517dogg Member+

    Oct 30, 2005
    Rochester, NY
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    I have read elsewhere that Agudelo is headed to Europe (again) after the season and his contract is done. Given that, it makes sense to give his minutes to people we expect to be here next season.
     
    NFLPatriot repped this.
  15. NFLPatriot

    NFLPatriot Member+

    Jun 25, 2002
    Foxboro, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    TOAzer repped this.
  16. rkane1226

    rkane1226 Member+

    Apr 9, 2000
    Club:
    Stade Brestois 29
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Your post got me thinking. I don’t think there are 11 players I hope are here next year.

    1. Turner
    2. Caicedo
    3. Penilla
    4. Fagundez
    5. Mancienne???

    I hope we replace everyone else with someone better. You used “expect.” I fully expect others to remain (Caldwell, Cropper, Rowe, Farrelll, Bunbury...) but I’d sure be happier if they dealt them to attempt to improve.
     
  17. a517dogg

    a517dogg Member+

    Oct 30, 2005
    Rochester, NY
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Everything depends on what salary they're at and whether they're starting or not. I'm using 2018 numbers for this. For comparison, NYCFC has 14 players at $250k/year or more, so under $250k should be considered a depth player salary. Even top-heavy Toronto has 11 players at above $250k/year.

    We are cheap at GK - I don't expect much movement there unless Cropper wants out and they trade him.

    Dielna and Somi are clearly gone. Anibaba and Bye are cheap, Farrell is middling but still worth keeping for his versatility IMO, and Delamea is fairly expensive but worth it. Mancienne is hugely expensive, and it remains to be seen if he's worth it (he's clearly good, but is he $890k good?). So for defenders, I'd keep Anibaba, Bye, Farrell, Delamea, and Mancienne. Left back is our clear position of need, regardless of whether Tierney comes back (he's also fairly cheap and I'd keep him if he's healthy).

    Caicedo at $300k IMO is worth every penny. Zahibo at $545is not. Rowe (258k), Fagundez (190k and Caldwell (140k) together made $588k. I know all 3 are frequently criticized, but each one of them is cheap enough to successfully carry as a backup/spot starter. I have no idea what Machado makes but since he doesn't play, it doesn't matter. So for midfielders, I'd keep Caicedo, Rowe, Fagundez, Caldwell, Herivaux (minimum salary) and Angking (very bright future).

    Penilla is a must-keep clearly. Agudelo's likely gone. That leaves Bunbury ($260k), and Wright and Femi, both on minimum salaries. Again, Bunbury is not an expensive player, borderline starter/depth player salary level. FWIW if Agudelo wants to stay I'd happily re-sign him to a non-allocation money contract. He's a dangerous attacker, especially if he's the third head of a 3-headed monster with Penilla and some new DP arrival (Fagundez could also be that role).

    That leaves us with 18 players assuming Agudelo leaves. For starters, we need a left back, we need a Penilla-level scoring threat, we need a midfield partner for Caicedo.

    I honestly hope most of these guys return for next year and I really enjoy rooting for them (especially Farrell, Rowe, Fagundez, Caldwell) but I'm also rooting for the team to bring in players to take away their starting spots.
     
  18. rkane1226

    rkane1226 Member+

    Apr 9, 2000
    Club:
    Stade Brestois 29
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    For every one that stays, I bet you don’t get a new player to take away their starting spot.

    I named the only 4 players to keep and let start (all IMHO) and I’m shaky on Mancienne. So at least 7 starters need to be signed. Nearly 3 to 4x Mike Burns’ capacity.

    If Herivaux is on the roster the Revs/Krafts will have reaffirmed that they just don’t care one little bit.
     
  19. NFLPatriot

    NFLPatriot Member+

    Jun 25, 2002
    Foxboro, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would hope that Herivaux spends all of 2019 in Hartford.
     
    a517dogg repped this.
  20. A Casual Fan

    A Casual Fan Member+

    Mar 22, 2000
    This "who to keep" exercise is difficult when the Revs multi-year inability to attract top talent looms over it all. With that dynamic in the mix, each decision about whether to to jettison a player is inextricably interwoven with the question of whether any better player will be acquired to fill that newly created roster slot.

    If you ignore that reality, and you can pick players to keep, along with at the same time assuming that any/all the players discarded will be replaced with upgrades....

    (especially if you assume the upgrades will unlock the remaining players' upsides, or at least compensate for their shortfalls)

    ....well, then, then it is a very different and far easier exercise.

    If only it were that black and white.

    ----------------------------------------

    In any case, Caicedo and Penilla and Turner are the simplest choices for me based on their current talent level alone. I posted elsewhere a cost-related analysis of this question that goes to which players might be worth keeping as depth or complementary pieces, but I cannot locate it right now. I recall that I had Anibaba and Teal on that list, cant recall the rest.
     
  21. TOAzer

    TOAzer Member+

    The Man With No Club
    May 29, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes, Brad, I expect great changes before next year. I just don't expect them to be for the better.
     
  22. a517dogg

    a517dogg Member+

    Oct 30, 2005
    Rochester, NY
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    I'm not saying what I expect to happen, just what I'd be happy with. I agree, Burns & the Revs organization doesn't have the ability to bring in the talent necessary to really compete against Atlanta/RBNY/NYC/Tor next season.

    I disagree about Herivaux. His career has (so far) been totally mismanaged by the Revs, but he's on a minimum salary and he's shown real ability in the past. He has literally no cap hit and there is no benefit to cutting him (why have an extract empty roster spot?). On the flip side, there are plenty of late bloomers in MLS.
     
    rkupp repped this.
  23. tsb11

    tsb11 Member+

    United States
    May 31, 2018
    Here is a quote from Freidel on the issue:

    “We’ve basically started our preseason tonight and that’s what I told the players,” he said. “And everyone’s going to be fighting for their spots and the players that are with us are going to have to be very good and mentally and physically tough. And the one’s that aren’t, I wish them well when they’re not with us. And the ones we bring in are going to be excited to play here. So, hopefully we have some great things to come for the club.”

    At first glance it seems like a bunch of coach speak that doesnt mean anything. Then you notice the bit about "[players we bring in are going tonbe excited to play here". Considering there are 0 players excited to play in new england, I'm leaning toward 0 players being brought in this offseason. Long live Zach Herivaux
     
    TOAzer and pwykes repped this.
  24. A Casual Fan

    A Casual Fan Member+

    Mar 22, 2000
    Ouch, that's painful.
     
  25. ToMhIlL

    ToMhIlL Member+

    Feb 18, 1999
    Boxborough, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The problem with the Revs is that they have rarely brought in players at the top end of the roster who will push the current mediocre starters to a reserve role. We're good at bringing in "depth" players but that's like agonizing over what shade to paint the half-bathroom when you haven't even built the house.
     
    tsb11, Feldspar, BrianLBI and 1 other person repped this.

Share This Page