Spector Wonderland - The West Ham Revelation

I imagine both sides are just keeping their options open. They'll definitely offer him a contract if they get relegated and I see no reason why he wouldn't take it. He'll be getting lots of playing time and West Ham will most likely be back up in a year anyway. They're moving into the Olympic stadium in 2014 and I don't think they want to do that in the championship.

Who knows what will happen if they stay up though. Grant will be gone and they might want some fresh faces.

 

I would think one of the newly promoted teams would be interested in his services.

 

Spector will stay in Europe not saying he will be in England but WHU would probably want him around if they religated but don't be surprised if he ends up on the continential with Germany and Italy possibilites.

 

I think if West Ham promise him a midfield position in the Championship, or simply stay up, then he will be offered a new contract relative to division we are in. He certainly has earned himself the backing of the supporters after this season, not just because of a his play but because of his full-hearted commitment that seems to be lacking in other players more and more as seasons pass.

As an American who has long pushed for Specs to play a center midfield role and taken a fair bit of stick from the WHU community, I'm just glad he's doing what I expected and more. He's actually shown a good amount of technical skill and an eye for a pass while on the dribble -- something I can't say about Parker, Hitz, or Noble. Also intelligent off the ball. Frankly I never though of him as anything but a holding midfielder.

Folks talking about him going to Denmark or German second division, just can't see that happening. If he doesn't stay then I expect him to join a side like Stoke that prefer hardworking midfielders and can pay well, or one of the sides coming up.

 

I know Parker and Oneil are out for long term. I saw Noble go down the last game and the stretcher was needed. is he a long term nix too? if so that forces the issue of Spector in the middle id say.

 

Parker should be back by the weekend, the following weekend at the latest. There's also the return of Jack Collison but either way we're probably looking at a midfield three of Hitz-Parker-Specs for the near future.

Honestly I prefer that because Noble has the pace of a three footed elephant and slows our counter attack down a great deal if he doesn't see a pass quickly. Specs on the other hand is a more willing runner and provides more balance to the styles of Parker and Hitz than Noble does.

 

Spector is more technically skilled than Hitzlsperger? Did I wake up in some parallel dimension or something?

 

Did anyone say that? One person said he was better at making passes while on the run, which is a tactical assessment more than technical, IMO.

I don't watch West Ham often enough to know whether it's true or not, but that statement hardly equates to "more technically skilled."

 

Spector's situation does not resemble Bradley's at all. Spector has a decent shot to get another contract with a Premiership side whereas Bradley does not.

 

At this point in his career, I wouldn't see the point of joining a newly promoted PL side if West Ham go down. Why try to break into another line up just to end up in another relegation fight? Much better to stick with the Hammers (assuming they want him, and I'd have to imagine they will), and get plenty of starting minutes in the Championship.

He's not going to break into the rotation at CM for the NT, so it doesn't really matter in that respect. As a defender he'll still be useful because he's so versatile, and it's not like the USNT is above playing Championship level players.

 

Good point. We don't need him to be a starter in the Premier League. Going to another club and fighting for playing time won't any better than starting in the Championship. He's not a starter for the USMNT anyway, his best contribution to our team is for depth. The Whitbread and Spector-types have plenty to offer the USMNT.

 

yep I'm sure that because of 2 appearances for AV one of which was only a few minutes, every team in the premier league will decide he sucks and discount everything else he's done in his career. It's good to see you back around the boards making over-the-top statements without any real knowledge of whether they are true or not. The Strawman Cometh.

 

The sentence as it was written implies that Spector has technical skill and Hitzlsperger does not. If that was not intent, fine, but that's how it's written. It is possible that he was only referring to the passing bit, but as it was written, it is ambiguous. Even so, having seen plenty of both, the only offensive where I would give Spector the edge would be heading. He is certainly not a better passer of any sort.

That aside, I would like to see the Hammers stay up and Spector stay with them. I think he has done enough to get a job somewhere else if that doesn't happen.

 

the good thing as yank fans is spector is going to have a big hand to play in this teams survival outcome be it at center midfield or right midfield with the depletion of their midfielders due to injury. he will have a stay in them staying up or not. their fixture list is as follows;

@ man city
blackburn
@wigan
sunderland

man city away is gonna be a tall ask as City play much better at home than away, but Blackburn showed just how easily their backline can be had, they should have scored a few.

 

You're right, looking back it does look like I meant both but I only meant the point about passing while pushing forward. Hitz is definitely a better passer, but like Noble, tends to ponder on the ball and be more methodical. Parker tends to drive forward but rarely places a decent pass -- I think I can only remember one over the last few months.

 

*sigh* Gotta love that you manage to do the exact thing you are lamenting, in the same paragraph.

My question was a simple one, not made to make you look bad, but Bradley and Spector's situations at this point are fairly similar. Bradley has been climbing from the bottom (MLS), up. Wheras Spector has been falling from the top (ManU) down. To the point where they are both bench players with premier league squads. They are right now at essentially the same point, with no real difference in age.

Being a bench player with a premier league squad is a massive step up from MLS and your assertion that Spector should go back to MLS is asinine. If you truly believe that, than the same should apply for Bradley. To be clear, I think they are both far above the MLS standard and could eventually earn a starting role in the prem, or a slightly lower European league, which would provide a lot more money and better competition than the MLS.

Spector has played exceedingly well in some of his few opportunities this season and his prospects to get a good contract look bright to me. The Bradley comparison aside, please explain in greater detail exactly why you think MLS would make the least bit if sense for Spector at this point.

 

It is what it is. Spector took his route to the Premiership- nothing was given to the kid. He had absolutely no contacts or connections at Man U. Everything earned. He went to the youth/reserves and worked his way
up the ladder. He paid his dues by doing well enough in limited appearances at Man U, showing well enough at Charlton on loan to start many games, and then over many years, has started close to 1/2 the games at his career at West Ham (over 70 starts!). Because of a good decision by Grant to look at him at central midfield this season, it has added value to the Spector argument and opened up a whole new position, career for him with some Prem side potentially. He looks at his best in central midfield.

This is a great success story, Spector's.

 

I thought this thread was about spector, not bradley, right?

 

Is it not fair to draw a comparison with any player in a similar position to our protagonist?

If we were discussing two similar American goalkeepers in the EPL and someone suggested one of them go back to MLS, would you care if we compared them?

I think not.

 

No. This isn't a thread for airing the Great Michael Bradley Debate. We've already got any number of threads for that.

 

Fair enough, let's just make sure we're making our comparisons with the focus more on spector than on x, y, or z player. sometimes I get the feeling that isn't happening here.

 

The "debate" is irrelevant since your three of your posts are based on the thought that I am claiming Spector SHOULD go back to MLS. I never said that. "Viable destination" does not equate to "best destination."

I said, multiple times now, that MLS probably isn't a bad place for Spector anymore. 2 years ago? Definitely. Now? Not so much. Can he still play somewhere in Europe? Obviously. I never made the claim that he didn't.

There are so many reasons, least of all the moderators wishes, to not compare Spector to a younger, far more successful player with more potential.

 

Bradley's a little more than a year younger, not exactly Zeppo to Spector's Groucho.

 

Why specifically bring up a return to MLS at all, if that is not the level you feel is appropriate for the player who is one year older than and actually plays for his EPL team, unlike the "far more successful player", with more potential, who does not make the bench for his EPL team?

Or to put it another way, what was the point of your first post then, if not to infer that Spector should go to MLS?

In any event, I feel that Spector could possibly earn a starting role as a CM in the EPL at some point and most certainly could earn a starting role as a CM at a club in Europe that would offer both more money and better competition than anything he would find in MLS.

 

Understood. Any team needs a good mix. I think whatever happens, Spector can latch on in some European first division. His versatility and German passport make him an appealing addition for a lot of teams. I think it's way too early to talk about him coming back to MLS.