Robbie's resume isn't impressive in any way more than Ream's for convincing an appeals board. If anything it's less so.
He has one year of MLS games, a few US games where he played miserably. He has no Olympics, no World Cup qualifiers, no MLS Allstar awards. What am I mssing?
I think you are missing the potential he has. Wenger tried to sign him, now Coyle, Hodgson liked him - none of these teams tried to sign Robbie Rodgers, who was available for free. In Addition, I am sure that Klinsi will come with full support. The exception to the 75% rule is for talent and potential impact, not resume.o He also has 2 years of MLS games, not that I would disagree with you that he's overall pretty inexperienced at the pro level.
I think its going to boil down to how much pull JK has as well as the pull of his new team. This will be interesting. I hope Tim gets in.
It will come down to precedent. Bolton will supply a list of similar cases that have recently been successful, of which there are several. He should be fine, although ultimately it comes down to the mood of the immigration officials on the day.
The appeals panel is made up of former coaches and football officials, not random immigration officers. So they actually know something about the game.
That's not fair at all. "Played miserably" in his NT games? I guess you "mssed" his very solid performances in his early caps against South Africa, Chile, Paraguay, and Canada.
The appeals panel make a recommendation to the UK Border Agency who hold the final say. Obviously if the panel feel agree a player deserves a WP it's almost certain they will get it. As said, Boltons case will come down to precedent and should include Tadanari Lee getting a WP the other day with 9 Japan caps playing in the Japanese league.
I hope this deal goes through quick. Bolton are on good form of late and it'd be best for Ream to come in when Bolton is confident and doing well.
It will be a big benefit to the USMNT if Ream can get his permit. We should hear something this week.
Ream undoubtedly has the talent and potential to play in the EPL. The fact that the same could be said of about a handful of young American CBs shows the growth of American soccer, and the role that MLS has had in this growth. Will Ream prosper in England? Who knows. There are many superior CBs to Ream that are floundering in bad club situations, just as there are many inferior CBs (to Ream) having success on their respective teams. What is required of a player is (all the cliches of sport) that they put their head down, be a consummate professional, a good teammate, and a righteous dude. Beyond that, there are so many things that are out of a players' control. I just don't see any reason why Ream can't hack it at the EPL level. I've never seen a player like Zac Whitbread play in person, but from what I've seen on television, I can't say that he is definitively a better player than someone like Ream, John, Gonz, Cameron, et al. He's worked his ass off in the EPL / Championship system for years, fighting through injuries and a couple of different teams, to find a great current situation for himself. Nor can I say that a player like Zac Knight has anything other than (inexplicable) EPL experience and a 6'6" frame, to keep a player like Ream off the field. If Zac was Costa Rican and not English, do you really think he'd have had the same career as he's had? We (as a soccer-playing nation) are much better than we, and sometimes others, give ourselves credit for.
extraordinary young talent rule? Scotland seems to be much more lenient in their WPs. But Robbie Rogers getting one certainly gives one hope.
Scotland is covered by the UK Border Agency, same as England. There is no 'exceptional talent' rule as such, on WP appeal, if the appeals panel feel the applicant is 'of the highest calibre' and 'able to contribute to the advancement of the game' they will get a WP.
Yep. That was his worst year for the Galaxy. His performance was noticeably worse than the prior year, he seemed to be making a fair number of mental errors and mental lapses during games, poor positioning seemed to be a bit more frequent, gave up a couple penalties, and didn't seem to be able to get his head on a ball as an attacker during set plays. Moreover, during that year is when people started taking notice of his poor distribution skills. The next year was a marked contrast, improving in every way. That's not to say that he was a "bad" player during that year, but for him it was noticeably worse.
from a bbc reporter: "BBC sport understands Bolton Wanderers have been granted a work permit for Tim Ream. " Let's hope he does well
Reports coming through that Tim Ream has been granted a work permit ahead of his move to Bolton Wanderers from the New York Red Bulls
According to Ives... "Bolton on a transfer worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 million, which would become the highest amount ever paid for an MLS defender" Im rooting for you Ream I really am.