Roster Shuffle

Discussion in 'New England Revolution' started by firstshirt, Oct 19, 2009.

  1. firstshirt

    firstshirt Member+

    Bayern München
    United States
    Mar 1, 2000
    Ellington, CT / NK, RI
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know the season is not over but I was bored at work and started jotting down a few things. The team has alot of holes to fill and the current roster is not exactly made up of players that can fill those holes. Lots of questions going into next season. No matter how you slice it, it will be a rebuilding year. My take on who stays and who should go. I am sure people will disagree but to each his own.

    Keep:
    Twellman: When healthy he is dangerous scorer and demands attention from defenders.
    He has done enough for the team that we should allow him time to heal.

    Joseph: With the proper cast he should be left to do what he does best and that is roam the midfield and break up plays. He is getting older and slowing down. The Revs can not afford to run him ragged like they did this year.

    Barnes: This guy is the Revs CB for the next few years. Lots of potential

    Alston: Lots of speed and has shown he can cover anyone in the league. Right back for years to come

    Reis: Mixed season full of ups and downs. Still a serviceable keeper but needs to work with his defenders better

    Knighton: Big keeper and has shown he is a decent back up

    Heaps: Older player but still can play. Terrible distribution out of the back but has had a decent year. Should be kept as a starter/bench player

    Ralston: Big question of the upcoming season, will he be back? Was having a decent year before the injury. Keeps himself in great shape, hope he is back by the All Star Game

    Nyassi: Cheap player, very young and has potential. Makes a lot of bonehead plays but has shown improvement from last year.

    Dube: Ideally a 3rd striker forced to take on more than he is capable of doing. Cheap player who has shown he can put the ball in the net. Perfect player for MLS

    Osei: On loan and the Revs will probably try and buy him for the right price. However he has had a few moments on the field that makes you scratch your head and say WTF was that! If he and Reis can ever communicate, Osei could be a decent pickup

    Mansally: See Nyassi

    Larentowicz: Contract is up on this 34k man. NE certainly got their monies worth on him. Time to resign him but how much is he worth in MLS standards and how bad does he want to leave? Offer him 100k take it or leave it. By MLS standards be is probably not worth much more.

    Need to Earn it:
    Shuttleworth: No chance yet to see him play so he will need to earn his spot in training camp probably against a draft pick

    Igwe: His GA safety net will probably be taken away and that leave him and his 108k salary handing by a thread. Too much money to pay a guy with 580 minutes of PT. He needs to beat out Heaps or look for another place to play.

    Colaluca: Same situation as Igwe with same salary. If he can’t beat out Thompson he needs to pack his bags and head back to RI

    Assengue: No idea what he has to offer but he barely collects a paycheck so lets keep him and see what he does this coming year. If he does not show anything in Preseason then he needs to be waived to free up that SI spot.

    Vidiera: Inconsistent play from a player who had a lot of hype going into the draft. This guy needs to earn a spot on a team with not a lot of talent. He will be counted on a lot early in the season with Ralston out.

    Nice Knowing you:

    Jankauskus: A skilled player but alas, too little too late in his career. He brings with him a hefty paycheck along with his fragile body. Too much to pay for a player who will spend more time on the trainers table than on the field.

    Albright: Too much money to pay a bench player and with Alston on the team, that is all Chris will ever be. See you in Philly

    Thompson: Time to sever ties with the famous Wells Thompson. His play has been disastrous since he came here. No signs of improvement. Time to move on.

    Tierney: Not a bad soccer player but not fast enough or good enough for MLS

    Phelan: See Tierney

    Castro: Too slow to play out wide, injury prone and easily pushed off the ball. Taking up a valuable SI spot. Time to move on and find another more serviceable player.

    Badilla: Basically healthy for the past two plus months but can not crack the line-up.
    Every MLS team needs at least 5 strong defenders and Badilla has the pedigree and skill to be a starter in MLS. Big question here is what happens with Osei. If the Revs can sign him what will it cost? Will he be more expensive than Badilla? Is he that much better than Badilla? Will Badilla want to sit on the pine for another year if he can’t beat out Osei? At 138k a year, he is too expensive to have on the bench plus he takes up an SI spot.
     
  2. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Feb 16, 1999
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think Jan is worth keeping. Put another good guy up front and a quality midfielder behind them and he's going to more than earn his keep. He's big, capable of imposing himself on the game, and a constant threat when he's on the field, even if he can only put in 60 minutes.

    He's our Stoitchkov. We need to build around guys with that kind of experience, physical build, and knowledge of the game instead of shucking them for cheap bits.

    MLS offers a long offseason where players can recuperate and get themselves into better condition, this is something that European leagues typically are unable to offer. Chances are good that our offseason will be longer than usual.
     
  3. JMMUSA8

    JMMUSA8 New Member

    Nov 3, 2001
    Webster
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't think you can waive a GA.
     
  4. jwoo

    jwoo Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    West Newton, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think alot of the problem with Jankauskas this year is that it always felt like he was mobbed by defenders. It looked like the plan for defending against NE in the box this year was to give bearhugs to EJ & SJ. Another striker and a dangerous AM will free up for some space for him which should make him much more effective. That aside, you still have to ask whether he still has it in the tank and can he stay uninjured. I would keep him, if it was up to me.

    The same applies to Dube (lack of space, not injuries or age), although I think he was easier for defenders to shutdown than EJ or SJ.
     
  5. rkupp

    rkupp Member+

    Jan 3, 2001
    If the Revs think that they can put Jankauskus through an off-season conditioning program that will make him more durable next year, then I'd like to see him back.

    I'm pretty sure that he was basically semi-retired when the Revs signed him, so he probably didn't have the core fitness to stand up to mid-season play.

    I don't expect to see it happen, but I think he showed the requisite skills to be an excellent attacking mid in this league. As a holding forward, he often had to control the ball and bring it into midfield and then distribute to players making runs forward. I thought this one of of the best facets of his game. He can hold, protect and distribute the ball in the center of the field - put two real forwards in front of him and decent wings alongside and he could really generated some offense.
     
  6. firstshirt

    firstshirt Member+

    Bayern München
    United States
    Mar 1, 2000
    Ellington, CT / NK, RI
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    chances are they will not be GA's after this season
     
  7. firstshirt

    firstshirt Member+

    Bayern München
    United States
    Mar 1, 2000
    Ellington, CT / NK, RI
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My only issue is with his health. At the reported salary he is making, to me, with the issues he has had he is not a good return on the Revs investment. I am sure you might be on to something with him being out of soccer then thrown right back into in. He has shown skill and can put the ball on frame but his age and health issues worry me
     
  8. Revs in 2010

    Revs in 2010 Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Roanoke, VA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think health is clearly the issue (and the only reason he's available in MLS as other than a DP). However, the injuries he's had this year (as opposed to the ones that caused him to fall off the map originally) are not the structural kinds of injuries that come with age, they've been much more "fitness" injuries, primarily pulled muscles. I'd be thrilled to see him back next year. I also think while he's an ideal target forward that he could fill in as a withdrawn striker pretty effectively, depending on what you want out of your amid.
     
  9. peabrainedidiot

    peabrainedidiot New Member

    Nov 21, 2005
    wessagussett
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    it's funny. while I don;t agree with everything here, I do think you made a lot of really good point. I come up with a very different list though. (repped, btw)



    Twellman: Dump- (only if we can get something for him which we should) we need a more reliable number 1 in case he doesn't come back. his salary is too big and his concussion issues are too big of a question mark. he would have enormous value to another team potentially. but we can't live and die with a guy we may not have healthy.

    Joseph: agree. he's essential. must keep

    Barnes: agree- This guy is the Revs CB for the next few years.

    Alston: agree. gotta keep him. he can play left and can play a bit of attacking mid. would like to see us try him at the lm spot

    Reis: agree- Mixed season full of ups and downs. Still a serviceable keeper (need to think about his replacement)

    Knighton: agree- a decent back up. we may need to rely on him more in the future

    Heaps: agree- leader in back. Older player but still can play. Should be kept as a starter/bench player

    Ralston: ********ed with out him and SJ- his distribution is critical for us to find the net.

    Nyassi: dump- I see no potential here. his crossing is worse than khano's. he runs at goal are awful and always result in a take away. he's worse than last year. he's a very transparent 1 trick pony.

    Dube: agree- Ideally a 2nd or 3rd striker forced to take on more than he is capable of doing. needs a very good number one to create space for him. a good partner to a proper #1

    Osei: better thanalbright and bench options. deserves another year

    Mansally: a question mark for me- gut says dump him him but- much better in his natural position than where we were playing him. however same problem as nyassi- running down field into defenders and having ball taken away. not a starter. he needs to figure out how to find net otherwise, he's not of much use. sub at best. but for the cheap $ I'll give him another yr depending on how the draft goes.

    Larentowicz: keep (if we can afford) probably the most underrated dm in the league. we may have to pay him a buck 80. would probably be worth it.
    Need to Earn it:

    Shuttleworth: agree-No chance yet to see him play so he will need to earn his spot in training camp probably against a draft pick

    Igwe: dump- for $108k he needs to be a starter not a bunch player. this was his yr to earn a spot. he didn't.

    Colaluca: agree- Same situation as Igwe with same salary. If he can’t beat out Thompson he needs to pack his bags and head back to RI.

    Assengue: agree- No idea what he has to offer but he barely collects a paycheck so lets keep him and see what he does this coming year. If he does not show anything in Preseason then he needs to be waived to free up that SI spot.

    Vidiera: I'm unimpressed. dump


    Jankauskus: -keep. like dube needs a guy to take the pressure off. he was a victim of our crappy line up. he deserves another yr.

    Albright: dump him. too much $ for an aging injured player. we have better options.

    Thompson: depends on draft. he's an ok sub. in a position we are thin in. he has a place until we have a better option. he's on borrowed time.

    Tierney: young. I'll give him 1 more season. I'm not encouraged though

    Phelan: adios.

    Castro: keep- Borrowed time. he needs to stay healthy. needs to contribute quickly. we should be looking for his replacement though.

    Badilla: keep- borrowed time also. when healthy, he was good. a good option for a 4 man backline. needs to get back and make an impact quickly
     
  10. Revs in 2010

    Revs in 2010 Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Roanoke, VA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Generally spot on, although I have a few differences. The biggest is Twellman -- really depends on an accurate evaluation of his health and potential durability, but if you trade him for pennies on the dollar (you can't just dump a player who's is out injured) you are potentially making a Dan Duquette/Clemens kind of mistake.

    Is Knighton the guy you think is going to be the keeper of the future? If not than find that guy and he'll become your sub. There's little reason in MLS to keep a guy as a backup that will stay in that role. I think they're still evaluating whether BK is going to be able to step up, so I'd give him one more year (his numbers this year have been worse than his play deserved).

    I view Nyassi and Igwe as the same kind of problem. Lots of potential with little of it realized so far. I would keep both if there's a way to make the salary for Igwe work should he be off GA. I would *much* rather have Nyassi as my energy guy off the bench than Wells.

    Castro is a good player, in my mind, but is on the wrong team for his talents. Unless we are going back to a possession, wing-oriented style of play, he's got the wrong skills. I'd like us to go to that strategy, so I'd like for him to stay, but for now, he reminds me a bit of Cancela, albeit in a different role, and his lack of fit with SN's style.

    I see a lot less in Tierney than I do in Videira.
     
  11. rkane1226

    rkane1226 Member+

    Apr 9, 2000
    Club:
    Stade Brestois 29
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Badilla, Castro... If we believe what we've been told about their injuries, I think the best thing they could do is let some one else handle his off-season conditioning program.
     
  12. Revs in 2010

    Revs in 2010 Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Roanoke, VA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Agree 100%. I really think the #1 thing the Revs have to do this off-season is address the conditioning/injuries issue. Whether it's new personnel on the training staff or a new program of conditioning, something is wrong -- 2 years of this being a pretty consistent problem provides more than enough evidence to make a conclusion. There's probably not much you can do about the TNT and Ralston injuries, but the nagging stuff just shouldn't happen often with today's training technology.

    I also think that overall team fitness has not been a strong point for the team for the last couple of years and it was in the past. I'd really like to see us back at a point where we're the team with energy at the end of the match and can take it to the other team late (remember all the late goals and comebacks circa 2005).
     
  13. peabrainedidiot

    peabrainedidiot New Member

    Nov 21, 2005
    wessagussett
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    great point about castro!
    (and knighton)

    I'm betting no one will agree with me on TnT. That's ok;)
     
  14. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Feb 16, 1999
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Duquette was entirely correct about Clemens. The only thing that allowed him to make a resurgence was massive reliance on steroids.

    Twellman needs to be dumped period. Presuming that he's going to get healthy enough for you to get anything certain in return is ridiculous. If he's going to be that healthy then come next March you'll be saying he should be starting all year, and he'll go down after 45 minutes again. The guy isn't even a question mark, he's a massive liability that removes huge amounts of flexibility from your ability to construct a roster. Any team that's willing to put up with that deserves what they get. You need a player with more than a 1 in 30 chance of playing a full game during the season.
     
  15. Revs in 2010

    Revs in 2010 Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Roanoke, VA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have the answer, let's all chip in and get Twellman steroids.:rolleyes: Knowing how you feel about TNT, we won't ask you to contribute.:)

    I realize that every circumstance is different, but there are plenty of stories of players coming back from major injuries and returning to form. A recent local example would be Patrice Bergeron, who missed just about a year recuperating from a single (cheap) hit and the concussion/whiplash that occurred. Since Twellman is an instant difference maker (did you not see the difference in the team during the two halves that he played this year), I'm willing to take a risk on that possibility.
     
  16. firstshirt

    firstshirt Member+

    Bayern München
    United States
    Mar 1, 2000
    Ellington, CT / NK, RI
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If you had your way Twellman would have been gone the day after they drafted him
     
  17. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Feb 16, 1999
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I find the entire idea that he was in the draft ludicrous given the rep he rolled in on.

    I wasn't living here in 2002 so I didn't really have an opinion on him at that time. I definitely don't like him though. I seriously don't understand how people can continue to support him when he's spent about a season and a half on the bench now.
     
  18. patfan1

    patfan1 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 19, 1999
    Nashua, NH
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Because he got punched in the head trying to score a goal is his fault?
     
  19. Revs in 2010

    Revs in 2010 Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Roanoke, VA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Even better, he got punched in the head, scored the freaking goal on the play, got five stitches and remained in the game!! Why would we want a player like that?:rolleyes:
     
  20. REV-OKe

    REV-OKe Member

    Apr 4, 2001
    his style of play is admirable, effective, and prone to injury.

    you can't complain too much when one season it gets you an MVP, and another a DNP.
     
  21. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Feb 16, 1999
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Who said it was his fault. He's still riding the pine.
     
  22. patfan1

    patfan1 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 19, 1999
    Nashua, NH
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The implication you're throwing out there (and this is how it comes across to me) is that he's not playing of his own volition. I really doubt that.
     
  23. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Feb 16, 1999
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's not the implication that I'm throwing out in this thread, but I have thrown that implication out in the past (because I don't like him).

    From a purely statistical perspective, he's put in about a half season's work over the past two either because he has a real and persistent injury or because he's not interested in playing for this team. Either one means that he shouldn't be on our roster next year.

    I didn't like him 18 months ago, and he hasn't done anything since (more accurately since the end of Superliga 2008) that I would imagine would improve his stature with anyone.

    I really don't think that my fandom or lack thereof in regards to Taylor Twellman is particularly on topic here though.
     
  24. NFLPatriot

    NFLPatriot Member+

    Jun 25, 2002
    Foxboro, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So he has value to another team that would have to trade something to get him, but no value to us? That makes no sense.

    By your argument, the Pats should have dumped Brady, since he only played half a game last season.

    You can't "dump" an injured player, so their options are to wait for him to heal, or talk him into retirement.

    I can't find the post, but I agree with whoever said it, loan Twellman out to Plymouth for the winter, let him prove he is healed while he helps Mariner avoid relegation.
     
  25. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Feb 16, 1999
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes, I know, I had Brady in my head when I said it as the precise example that someone was bound to bring up since there are multiple huge Pats fans on this board.

    The reason that you can't dump an injured player is that no one will take damaged goods unless they know something about them that you don't. There is an implicit information asymmetry and everyone else is naturally going to suspect that you're trying to pawn off something that's even more of a lemon than it appears to be. Getting draft picks for Twellman would be hard at this point, and waiting isn't a much better option (he's either going to be healthy or he's not and you're going to spend yet another year with him eating up your salary budget and taking up a roster spot).

    I think that the sending Twellman to Plymouth for the off-season option is a reasonable half-measure, but I'd be shocked if he played a minute for them (this is probably my dislike talking, but that's my sense of it).

    edit:

    Does the Colaship have any significant rules on player loans and work visas? Would Twellman even qualify to appear for Plymouth in any case? He hasn't been with the nats in quite a while.
     

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