Has anyone even heard of this dude? Seriously, with as bad as DC needs/wants to bring in Gazza with our discovery option, why didn't we shoot for something higher? I swear, Jim Smith is shooting blanks, and Andrulis gets the money shot.
no, i think its just more that the league doesnt seem to really value columbus... theyd much rather have better players and teams in bigger markets. afterall, we draw 20k saps per game and they see a ************ product... its a joke.
Well who is responsible? Does Andrulis say "Give me Namoff...I could use him" and Jim Smith says "You're the coach" or does Jim Smith say "We're getting a guy called Namoff, hope you like him" We need to find facts before we point fingers.
andrulis isnt THAT brain dead. im sure andrulis did something like "hey, MLS, we want Pope" or something to that nature and the league goes "nah, youre columbus. you get namoff"
Brian Namoff is a stiff. He's a midfielder they picked up in the Dispersal draft just a coupe guys before we got Dunseth and Denton. He's played very little, for the worst team in the league. The only time he's EVER started was last week when they played us and they were obviously "showcasing" him for Andrulis. Even at that, I think Hudson took him out at a little over 50 minutes. He was just too putrid. So essentially, Columbus is getting a benchwarmer from the worst team in the league. A guy who can't get on the field for a lousy side. This is an insult. A disgrace. We have sunk to the point where we are HELPING a division RIVAL by letting them have a big star player that Hudson at least thinks can get them into the playoffs AND taking a bum off their hands in the process. This is disgusting, and the Crew is run by idiots.
I don't see how this can be. It is OUR discovery option. We do NOT have to go out and get Gazza ourselves and then trade him to DCU for that Namoff stiff. If Smith actually DOES agree with this move, it's time for a massive fan revolt.
it has to be the league. we wouldnt help them. and the league probably wants gazza in dc, so, they wont let us put our foot down and actually get a fair shake.
It is not OUR discovery pick. It is 51% MLS and 49% Crew discovery pick. Single entity strikes again. I think the Crew should have asked for the first round draft pick. But all we would receive was Namoff anyway.
I want to see some backup on how the "discovery option" works. Some factual backup. Tried to find it on MLSNET.com but no such luck. I simply can't believe that the MLS can just screw with the Crew like this. I can't.
I know there are issues with Smith on this board, but in all honesty, do you think he has that much to do with the actual personnel decisions. When he came on after Rootes left, we heard dozens of times that the Fitz was going to be primarily responsible for player personnel, Smith was there to get asses in the seats. Is there any reason to believe it's changed that much? Sure, they may say that Smith has learned about the game, players, etc., but I have to believe that Fitzdrulis has the final say on who stays, goes, etc.
If it's Namoff for the pick, and I were the Crew's negotiator, I'd say "thanks, but no thanks", grab my hat, and head out the door. If it's Namoff and Mapp, I'd have that deal closed up quick before DC's negotiator came to his senses. I mean, screw this season's playoffs - if I could get Mapp and some defensive cover, I'd take my chances at making the playoffs this season at the benefit of getting two solid youngsters, one of which is a P40, and neither of which make very much bank. Free up cap room for Berhalter next season. Besides, it's entirely possible that Namoff is better than his minutes show - as good as Hudson was at Miami last season, his younger players never saw the pitch. Ever. Kyle Beckerman (now at Colorado) has played in 12 matches (5 starts) this season, but in 2001 he played just 14 minutes in just one appearance. Justin Mapp has played only ONE minute this season, and he was a 1st round draft pick and more highly rated by the Crew than Martino. Andy, we've been screwed before, and likely will be screwed again. MLS controls every aspect of roster management. If they want Gazza in MLS playing for DC, they'll bend over as many other GM's as necessary. (Witness NY's parade of all-star players who most definitely never fit under the cap (and stunk to high-heaven to boot), the whole Albright-to-DC business a few years back, and the convoluted way that Donovan ended up in SJ.) We, being the "small-market" team that draws better than the defending league champs even when we suck ass, will continue to be the easy target for league execs.
I agree wholeheartedly with your opinion about Mapp. Hell, I'd take Mapp straight up. We honestly have no use for Namoff, no place to put him. While I'm sure the Crew will either lie and call him a "defender" or say that he's "versatile" the fact is that he's a midfielder. And at Miami last year, Hudson was loaded with veteran stars and they were winning. In DC he's got nothing and they suck. And while Mapp is just a kid in need of some seasoning, Namoff is in his second year. Namoff is 21. Mapp is 18. If Hudson had anybody who could contribute, he'd be out there. And if a guy can't contribute in DC, how will he contribute in CBus? The real point has to do with what Merz wrote before the last DC match: Although Dante Washington wasn't around for the glory days of the Crew-D.C. United battles when they met for the Eastern Conference championship three years running, he understands the passion of the rivalry. "It's like the Cowboys-Redskins or, around here, Ohio State-Michigan. See, I'm learning,'' he said. The Cowboys don't send gifts to the Redskins, OSU doesn't do favors for Michigan and the Crew shouldn't be gift-wrapping stars for DC. It's idiotic.
Ya know, I stay away from the boards for a day and I come back and read this. It's actually quite sickening. I donn't know how many of you saw that DC v NE game on shootout this weekend. DC DOMINATED that whole game. Convey looked very good. When Olsen was in he looked dangerous as hell. Even without Pope in the back their defense looked solid with Prideaux looking especially good. Yeah I know it was new england bur remember, new england beat us 4-1. In short this team, in this bizzare season can still do some damage, in my opinion. And we are about to GIVE them something that they have wanted all year. Does anyone believe that Namoff will come on in here and immediately solidify our defense? Okay, didn't think so. In reality what may happen is that namoff will come over, and in an effort to show the fans it wasn't a ************ deal Andrulis will give him some time in a few games when he gets over. So about 20 or so games into the season we will still be playing musical chairs with our back four. Meanwhile, DC will start playing a bit better and our playoff chances will come down to the final two weeks home and home v Chicago. Not a good senario if you ask me. This deal makes no sense. Idiotic is right.
Are the Crew currently pursuing anyone that would require a discovery to sign? If not, I don't see how this is so bad, since you only have 8 games left in the season. Unless you're ready to sign someone immediately, I don't see you guys being able to bring someone in to help this year. As far as Namoff is concerned, he's an average MLS player. He's not terrible, but it's hard to see playing time behind Reyes, Prideaux, Pope, Nelsen, or McKinley (ok, I can't even understand that last one). He also doesn't fit in DC's plans, since it appears Hudson is going to a 3-man backline permanently. He'll make a decent right back with the potential of moving to D-mid at some point. He also earns peanuts. Basically, I'm saying that you might as well get something for the discovery if you're not planning on using it this season. Namoff also is OK, and won't kill the cap. If you don't agree, please explain how this is bloody murder? (Besides not wanting to help DC)
sad, but true. One of MLS's ideas since day 1 (IIRC) is to put big name players in bigger cities. El Pescadito in LA, Mathis in NY...... That way, supposedly, many more people can be able to see the big name player on a regular basis. That's also why we've been stuck with the Lappers, Yeagleys and so forth. As to why 20K people are seeing a ************ product in a good stadium, I can't help you there.
I say we have DC pay us directly for the discovery option. Then we take the funds and use it to buy beer for long-suffering Crew fans.
But at the same time, those idiots can't do anything because the league controls the player's contracts. (this is where single-entity may be good. imagine how we'd suck if greg and jim had FULL control over these things)
Weasel; Please allow me to address your last point first: Although you put it in parenthesis as an afterthought/good natured jest, it really IS, IMO, a consideration. As it stands now, CBus has 25 points, NE has 22 and Dc has 20. To put it more bluntly, we are clinging desperately to the 8th and final playoff spot. What's more, we're heading into a difficult last 8 games, with Metrostars, Quakes and Fire and two other road games, and Gals, Revs and Fire at home. In other words, we're going to be pretty hard pressed to stay where we are. It is not at all unreasonable of us, again IMO, to not particularly want to provide one of the only two teams trailing us with any substantial assistance that they can then use to win a few games they might not have otherwise and send us packing early. And if your contention is that us getting Brian Namoff is worth missing the playoffs for, I would respectfully tell you you're nuts. Furthermore, and you would be in a better position than I to comment here, but Namoff is listed everywhere I've seen, without exception, as a "midfielder". Now he might very well in time turn out to be a tremendous asset as a defender, although the odds are heavily against it, but right now he is, to put it bluntly, of absolutely no help to us down the stretch. The bottom line, to me, is this: Your contention seems to be that we might as well let you use the discovery because we weren't using it anyway. But does "Since you're not using it, give it to DC" make any sense at all? For my money, I would rather use the discovery to bring in Bozo the Clown, or somebody to cut the stadium grass, than to give DC some material assistance in their effort to pass us in the playoff race. And frankly, there isn't a team at any level in any country on earth who couldn't get some use out of Gazza. Can you say the same about Namoff? So any way you slice it, we get the short end of the stick.