Re: Jermaine Jones update Here's another story. USSF talking about the Jones decision. http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=4797
Re: Jermaine Jones update It depends on the system you play under Bob Bradley. http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/spieler/1321/jermaine-jones/profil.html According to TM, he's a pure defensive midfielder ... however, I'd rate him as a "Nr. 8" like Michael Bradley due to his scoring ability (he once started as a striker in Frankfurt). If they play together, one of both will surely have to take the more defensive part. What he surely can't do, is playing on the wings or on the playmaker position. Although his 3 appearances for Germany were pretty crap, he'll definitely be an asset for your national team in my eyes! Btw: Here's one of his typical goals. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqWtFAvIIII"]YouTube - jermaine jones Goal against cologne 6 - 3 - 09[/ame] And did you know that he's probably the only BL soccer player to discuss with the fans in the official club forum (when he played for Frankfurt)? So take care, maybe he's gonna do the same on this board soon...
Re: Jermaine Jones update Yeah, he also opened a blog on his website THREE months before the season ended in which he was stating that he wanted to leave, too!!!!
Re: Jermaine Jones update A good strike. What about the guy who backheeled the ball? Does he want to switch?
Re: Jermaine Jones update Well lets see why did he miss the Qualifier against Honduras Hmmm.... and the Gold Cup final?. Has he ever strung two games together at OLYMPICS youth WC without getting one? thats exactly why we need Jones and the depth
Re: Jermaine Jones update Maybe Jones' inability to keep his comments to himself is a good thing. What other player on the US squad has ever called out the US's head coach. If BB makes stupid moves and Jones' complains about it, maybe it will begin to put the spot light on him more.... If only Jones were at Saprissa: (In the WCQ match against Cost Rica, after BB pulled Torres from he match even though he was clearly the best player....) Jones: "Wtf, is Bradley's problem? Did he realize that the game was on the pitch and not on the bench!?!? Did he think he was subbing Torres off of the field to get in the game going on on the benches!?!?!" (all in German of course) lol... this could be hilarious.
Re: Jermaine Jones update Oh, he will speak his mind - all the time. Be ready for that. I actually remember when he said this, It is a good thing he isn't running for Miss America....
Re: Jermaine Jones update Well, you have pretty much all reactions. Some say it's not a big loss, some blame Löw and feel he's the best DM Germany has at the moment and should be playing for us. Others feel players should not just change their NTs like their change their clubs etc. I won't give you links to the Schalke, Dortmund and Frankfurt message boards since they are hopelessly biased. Reactions Transfermarkt.de Hamburger SV Leverkusen Stuttgart Cologne fans No time to translate but babelfish should do an accetable job.
Re: Jermaine Jones update The man can eat babies for all I care so long as he does the business on the field. Music to my ears.
Re: Jermaine Jones update Thanks again for the links! I've noticed a lot of them say "the Nutella curse continues!" From this commercial I gather? [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fYTWe9C5_c"]YouTube - Nutella Spot[/ame] Can you give some more background on this? I find it hilarious (and I love Nutella also.) Agree that opinions are greatly varied. Another interesting thing I read that some posts were bagging on him for: apparently in an interview during the silly season he said he envisioned himself at Real Madrid or ManUtd and it won't be long before they came in for him but no interest ever materialized (something to that effect anyways) -- anyone know about that?
Re: Jermaine Jones update If any team got him, an English one would do wonders to acclimate him to the long ball we play. JK. JK! LOL!
Re: Jermaine Jones update Pretty hilarious for Germans fans to complain about taking players for national teams. Cacau, Klose, Asmoah, Kuranyi, Wosz, Neuville, just off the top of my head.
Re: Jermaine Jones update For some of those guys, like Klose and Podolski, I wouldn't describe it as "taking". They, while moving from a foreign country, did so at a very young age and were or almost completely developed in Germany. Blame communist Poland for being a place you would want to have your family escape from.
Re: Jermaine Jones update I don't see anyone complaining about that in these threads. Maybe you can show me? A few seem to have a problem with players "changing" NTs. Cacau: Never played for Brazil because he's not good enough. Got his German citizenship because he lived here for more than 8 years, not because of his footballing skills and is eligible because of that like any person with German citizenship would be. Klose, Wocz, Podolski, Boenisch, Polanski, Trochowski, Sinkiewicz: all born in Poland, all grew up in Germany Özil, Tasci: born and raised in Germany Asmoah: followed his family here to Hannover as a 12-year old (where do you draw the line?) Neuville: Belgian grandfather, German father, Italian mother, grew up in Switzerland. German citizenship since birth. Similar case to Kuranyi. Some cases are not only black and white you know.
Re: Jermaine Jones update You are the one who stated that this was some of the fan reaction: So I'll say it again: it's funny that Germans would have this attitude after poaching half of the best Polish players of the last generation. So let me guess, cases where Germany can benefit from poaching a foreigner migrant worker's son is never a black and white case, but when another country poaches a German, players should not change national team like club.
Re: Jermaine Jones update I agree with FA, you're missing her point. The German posters who've come to this thread have if anything been extraordinarily gracious. You are creating an argument out of nothing.
Re: Jermaine Jones update None of those "Polish"s players ever played for Poland, not even at the youth level so the only jersey they have ever worn was that of Germany. But no one here is talking about "poaching". In fact, most people are happy for Jones while at the same time, upset with Löw and the DFB becuase it is apparent that he has no freakin' clue what is going on in the DM department on his own team as he is still calling up the aging Frings and the over rated Rolfes!!! The US didn't poach this player, and I don't think you'll find a single German fan saying so...Jones simply went for the NT which would offer him playing time at the international level and it was obvious to all, when Löw did not select him for last month's Asia tour, that he was NOT in the Mannschaft's plans. At 27, he made the right choice and it is all because of FIFA's rule change, which a I do not agree with one little bit. I agree with Fräulein96 compleyetly, there should be a cut off date and at 21, it seemd like a good system. But that is not Jones' fault and not the USMNT fault...so I won't use words such as "poaching" nor "mercenary". They simply took advantage of FIFA's new ruling. As I stated before, in the end, the only person who should bear fault here is Löw for not calling him up for the NT and capping him. Idiot move by Löw! If you could site such case we can go over them for you if you like. And it is not so much to do with the US poaching a German player. Low and Germany DID NOT want him. The players in Germany's NT bar Cacau who was never even given a nod by Brazil, all came up through our youth system...and have never played the musical "change-your-NT-jersey" game. Even so we have lost a lot of players that came up through our youth system, A LOT. Players like the Kovac brothers, born and developed in Germany opting to represent Croatia, the Hamiltop twins and Nuri Sahin all born and raised in Germany opting to play for Turkey instead...and many, many more.
Re: Jermaine Jones update There are rules that determine who is eligible to play for which country and nobody complains that an association makes use of these rules. Whether or not the rules all make sense is a different topic... The debatable point here is that Jones - in contrast to many other players - already played for one nation. He did not suddenly detect his love for the USA, he just wants to play on some national team and doesn't make it in Germany. For Germany it's a minor loss as this position is well occupied. Jones is always playing to the max and there's hardly a game in which he is not endangered to be ejected (18 yellows plus three yellow-red ejections in the last two seasons). Therefore Löw will always prefer easier mentalities who are not endangering the team success. Right now Löw is only caring for the World Cup 2010, Frings is seeded at the moment and Simon Rolfes is the backup, plus Thomas Hitzlsperger is another alternative. When you are going into a tournament you need to make sure that your bench players don't make trouble as this is poison for the team - Rolfes and Hitzlsperger stay silent, Jones won't; that's why it is an easy decision. After WC 2010 there'll be a new situation, probably no Frings, maybe a new NT coach - it'll be an open race then but commonly Rolfes is considered to be the new #6 as he is a very smart player with excellent technical skills, entirely the opposite to Jones. As for Bradley / Jones. Many coaches play with a double 6 anyway but IMO Jones is defensively better and Bradley is the better offense player, so Jones could also serve as security for Bradley
Re: Jermaine Jones update Here is were we disagree. I would take Jones over Rolfes any day. Hell, I would take him over Frings right now to be fair. And Hitz, as much as I like him as a player I do not think he is NT matterial just because he busts a "hammer" every now and again and we know he is one of Löw's boys. I don't think the dept of DM is well occupied at all. Khedira is not a DM as much as a CM. The only player I would pick over all those players is Kehl, another player Löw seems to ignore.
Re: Jermaine Jones update The nice thing about soccer is that everything is subjective and in the end results say whether or not you were right... Frings is declining for sure, Hitzelsperger is okay but not oustanding. Rolfes in shape is the best of them IMO. I am neither a Löw fan nor do I care too much about the German NT but I am with him when not calling up Jones and Kehl.