The difference being that bobby would be playing in a midfield that has the likes of darren anderton and not two fat slobs who should have been the new hosts for the man show like etch and stoichkov. I am so pissed I had to watch DC this year for the absolute dog dirt that hudson put on the field. I am so tired of explaining it all. As DC fans we deserve better than we got. The most sportsmanlike conduct this season was from the fans in lot 8. Convey deserves more than your giving him here. I am sure that with a different midfield from dc's roster he would have impressed, just as he did on the mnt this year. ...Sorry i needed to vent.
Please, please take him. I'm tired of waiting for him to produce. I understand the level of his disappointment at not being allowed to play the EPL, but he had many, many opportunities here to contribute and he did precious little. He has been showcased on at least three occasions (over the past couple of years) as DC United's man in the middle and he's screwed the pootch each time. If he doesn't want to play here, get him outta here. Knave, for someone at an institution of higher learning, I would expect for you to know the definition of arrogance. Convey has done eff all for DC United and yet he's talking about continuing his good play -- a clear example of it. I found your response to my post to be not just a tad sophomoric, but at least you're consistent. Frankly, I hope you are right about him improving -- but I am not holding my breath. Happy Thanksgiving all. Thanks to you all for (generally) helping make this a dynamic place to 'discuss' DC United. GM
Re: Re: Convey interview in Dubai I was actually being sarcastic about the Keyshawn comment. I know the West Coast supporters are very sensitive about not "being there" compared to us, but I think your opinions of the "super Bobby" are way off base. I think if you were at the games you'd realize that he doesn't act nor interact with his teammates as a leader you suppose that he should be, the way Beninho, Diable or Ryan act. Instead Bobby acts like a arrogant little bastard who thinks he is better than the rest of the team. You can just see it. Ray Hudson wasn't off the mark with the Bobby= McDonalds All American basketball style of play. Look, I know I shouldn't speak for others, but I think Grill Master, McOwen and anyone else who is being critical of Bobby would agree, we want him to succeed. We want it as much as anyone else, but frankly most people are fed up with the excuses and the so-called "Potential" he has without him producing. And don't tell me he wasn't given the opportunity because he has. One thing I'm most sick of is seeing other players bashed or BS posters ridiculed because they don't agree with the Bobby-brigade that he is the best DC United player and RH or MAE or whomever sucks and is holding him back. Bobby is probably the most overrated DCU player ever. More than Chris Albright whom, despite the initial hype, after one season the general consensus was that he was worthless.
Convey Thanks. Many of the posts have been screaming for a response. Its a shame for DCU fans that Convey may be leaving mid way through next season after finally getting a chance with Etch and Hristo gone. DCs offense should be much more exciting. You could see marked imrovement in players like Santino and Eski as their game will be more natural instead of waiting for Etch to give them the ball. Someone said Convey is a ball hog!
As far as I am concerned Convey can go. He is a bit overated at this stage in his career so he may be better off as trade bait to get some decent players (goal scorer) in here. With that being said, I'm not convinced that the management of DC United can identify good young players (Adu aside, and that was given to them by MLS). Examples of this are Quaranta, Albright, and Alegria. It may be pointless to trade him if they can't identify talent in return. The more I look at DC United in retrospect, the winning years had to do with Bruce's talent for building a team only. The other management is poor at talent identification.
Re: Re: Re: Convey interview in Dubai I'm sorry but this is patently unfair.. Up until this season, Bobby Convey was one of the only reasons why some fans could look forward to attending United matches.. Watching him grow from a shy 16 year old kid to a now rather confident 20 year old international player has been rather enjoyable.. I do realize of course that Bobby had a most difficult season.. He had his dreams ripped away at the last moment and it obviously devasted him in more ways than one.. Anyone expecting him to simply forget that experience and move on would be deluding themselves.. But to insist that he is the most overrated DC player ever is simply ridiculous.. Bobby has played well for this team.. How else does Bruce Arena call him in if he doesn't do well at the club level? I think once the influence of Marco is gone from this team, we might very well see a definite overall improvement from several players, not just Bobby.. Let's see what happens first before we throw these players under the bus.. Remember, most people felt this season was finished after 7 games but we ended up playing some of the best soccer in MLS by late September only to have two key injuries set us back.. Let's be a little more patient please... If Bobby is handed the keys so to speak and he continues to decline, then by all means ship him off to wherever, but let's give him the opportunity first..
I don't want to get into the eternal argument over whether Convey's play is any good (I think it is quite good) I just want to point out the absurdity of posters who seem to think that at 20 years of age Convey's career is a written book. I looked on the MLS website and found some interesting info... 4 teams have NOBODY on their roster Bobby's age or younger (CO, Columbus, KC, & NE) 9 players age 20 or younger played over 200 minutes this season for an MLS club - 3 play for DCU (Q1, Q2, and Bobby), the others are Justin Mapp, Eddie Gaven, Mike Magee, Jordan Stone, Eddie Johnson, and Arturo Alvarez 1 player, 20 or younger played more minutes than Bobby - Mike Magee Only 5 midfielders 20 or younger played more than 200 minutes - Convey (1,576), Mapp (1,384), Q2 (1,179), Jordan Stone (1,057), and Eddie Gaven (691) 4 players 20 or younger had more points than Convey - Q2, Mapp, Magee, and Eddie Johnson - Q1 had just as many. Only 2 of these players are primarily midfielders And let's consider some of the "young" stars of MLS. Such as Kyle Martino, Jamil Walker, Edson Buddle, Logan Pause, Kelly Gray and Nat Borchers - all 2 years older than Bobby. Or Taylor Twellman and the rookie phenoms Pat Noonan and Damani Ralph, all 3 years ahead of Mr. C. Just a little perspective for the arguments regarding the suckiness of one Bobby Convey (and this seems to shed a little light on Q1, Q2, and the youth hating Ray Hudson).
If true, that's an incredibly unprofessional attitude on the part of Convey. Not to mention a very short-sighted one on his part. First of all, its axiomatic that when you are a young player trying to break into a team you need to be prepared to play a variety of positions and a variety of roles, consistent with your footballing abilities. Look at the example of John Harkes from his autobiography. He considers himself a natural left sided midfielder, but when he played for Sheffield Wednesday they used him as a right back, in part because their starting right back got injured. He worked hard at that position even though it wasn't his 'natural' one because he knew that he needed to prove he could do what his coach asked him to do. Even when he was playing at DC, he indicated he would have been happier playing in the middle (ie in Marco's role). Guess what ? That didn't happen too often. But Harkesy was willing to be professional and made a key contribution anyway. I could give you other examples from DC United of players who were/are willing to be flexible about their role - Tony Sanneh, Brian Namoff, Brian Kamler come to mind. Even David Beckham is playing a different role for Real Madrid than he did at Man Utd. Its just part of the game. If Convey wants Marco's spot he should aim to step up his play, dominate the left flank, and make it obvious that he's ready to play in the middle. I don't think you can say Convey's being played out of position on the left flank, either. As far as I know he's left footed and a midfielder. What is it about his footballing skills that make him so much less effective on the left flank as opposed to being in the center ? As for him not taking responsibility because he hasn't been given it, again if true this doesn't speak too well of his professionalism. Every position on the field carries a responsbility ! They gave him the whole *#*#*#*#ing left side of the field to make his own. You cannot just sit back and say 'I'm not playing my natural position, so I can't be bothered to make the effort'. Ok, maybe you can if you're Raul or Figo, who have actually proved themselves countless times at the highest levels. Otherwise, you need to do what successful players (and actually people in other walks of life too) and overcome whatever challenges are put in your way.
If it's not a fact it's pretty damn close to one. You don't know for a fact that he's going to leave. Huh? You didn't quote any part of my post (and I wasn't really responding to you in either one). So, frankly, I just have no idea what you're talking about. By the way, here's the second part of the interview: The Convey Conversation: Part II
Convey has been one of my favorite players since he joined the team. But if you can't admit that his performance in the 2003 MLS season was a big disappointment, then you just aren't being objective. I'd like to see him come back and play well, but if he can't do any better than he did this year, then he isn't worth the salary.
You're exactly right. He's got to step up and 2004 is THE year. If 2004 is another 2003 then ... well, he at least needs to be traded to another MLS team for his own good. HOWEVER, if you can't admit that Convey is stacked with talent (not fully developed, not mentally all there, but still stacked with talent) then you're not being objective either.
Fair enough. I am neither in the Sormun camp, not in the (former) Baby Jesus camp. I just want the team to stop sucking, you know what I mean?
I've never read or heard Convey say anything bad really. He's always been supportive of DC United and every USMNT he's been associated with. He doesn't berate players and he's not dissing anyone or any team. IMHO, he's been a perfect person. Off the field, he's been a good citizen. The only area you can criticize him for at all is on the field. As a central midfielder, he's been stellar--in MLS. He's scored goals and set up many chances. Yes, he's missed chances to score as well, but to suggest that he hasn't been productive at the position is naive. Any player requires time to adjust. For example, probably the best player in the league today is Donovan. Sure, there are other great players, but I think we can agree that Donovan is right up there amongst the best, most influential, and most productive when his team needs him. It took the better part of a season for Donovan to start looking special for the Quakes. Also, with the USMNT, it took quite a few games before he made his mark there. But given time at the position, he's adjusted. Convey has been very productive in central midfield in MLS, and yet, he keeps being yanked out of that position. He's a very good attacking player IMHO, but in the center, the team is forced to give him a lot of touches on the ball, and Convey has the opportunity to really stamp his mark on the game. And he's been effective. If given the chance to grow into that position, he'd be exemplary IMHO. Donovan is here and Yallop placed faith in him, and San Jose gave Goose a 3rd and 4th ring. If Hudson had done so, we might not have sucked for so long. There's always the danger that he'll go to Europe, but we can add an allocation to replace him if that happens. It's just foolish to waste an excellent attacker just because of fear that he'll go to Europe. IMHO, Hudson and Trask are clueless about attacking soccer, and have inhibited United's chances for success. But don't blame it on Convey, because he's not the problem, he should be the solution. Now it just depends upon who is coaching next season. -Digital
I tend to encourage the US players to want and try to make it in Europe. It's good for the American game as a whole. I hope Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Mathis cash in and hook on with good teams. I hope DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan get transfered to Euro clubs and bring the league a hefty transfer fee. I want to see Ryan Nelsen realize his dream and Bobby Convey too. That said, I don't like the idea of players leaving MLS in midseason. The MetroStars were able to handle the Howard situation but that was in part because A) switching GKs isn't as disrupitve as it is with a field player, and B) they were able to replace Howard with a GK who was just as good as he was. But, that is the exception, not the norm. The Convey situation was a huge distraction to DC United last year. I know it was complicated by his coming back but I don't want to see a scenario where he's playing a prominent role for the team from April thru July then leaves for the Olympics and never comes back because he's off to White Hart Lane or wherever else. I mean, it's not like top left fland midfielder and central attacking midfielders are a dime a dozen in MLS. Whatever position he's playing for DCU next year, he's gonna be hard to replace and the spector of him going to Europe will hang over the club all spring and summer and, I think, impact chemsitry. I mean, if Bobby is leaving mid-season, will be as tight with the rest of the guys? If he stands up in the lockerroom to give a speach about playing harder, are the guys gonna tune him out because, hey, he's outie come August? I'm not saying the players begrudge him leaving but it's not like they know he's in it to win it (all) next year. He's just killing time and staying fit. And, the players on the team I buy season tickets for should be here for should sign on with every intention of being here till the last game is played. Clearly, that won't be the situation with Convey next year. Obviously, Convey can't go back to England again till the summer. But, I don't think he should be back at DCU next year, either, (unless he agrees to stay for the whole year, which I don't see happening). I think Convey, his people, MLS and Spurs need to get creative and use a third party. Find some team in Holland or Denmark that will take Convey as soon as the transfer window opens in January and park Convey there till he gets his work permit approved next summer. Since he won't be working in England, I don't think the British government can stop Spurs from buying Convey and immedaitely loaning him out. If there is a rule against this, then Tottenham should find a club in Europe that is ready to serve as a middle man and have them buy Convey with an agreement being that they'll sell him to Spurs in the summer. Tottenham would likely have to compesnate the third club a little bit and that might mean MLS get a little smaller transfer fee, but at least it lets Convey move on and gets him that much closer, literally and figuratively, to Tottenham. Convey will get games in Europe and DCU will get an allocation and can close the Bobito chapter while Spurs will still get the player they want and no later than they'd get him if he was with DCU the first half of next season. Unless Convey agrees to stay in MLS all of next season, this is how I'd like this to play itself out and for the good of the team, it's how it should play itself out.
Middleman club is not an option. IIRC, FIFA regulations allow a player to be transferred no more than once in a 12-month period.
Great post Sandon, and I agree with all of your points except maybe Conveys situation being a big distraction to United. I think it was a HUGE distraction to Bobby. One from which he never recovered, but Uniteds season officially went in the tank the day Olsen got hurt. Convey has shown potential since day one with flashes of brilliance intertwined with long bouts of lackadaisical play. Some blame Marco, some blame Ray, few blame Convey. I think Bobby was helped in his development by having an Etcheverry as a teamate, who publically came out praising and supporting him from the day DC signed Convey. And if DC is going to put all their eggs in Conveys basket to lead this team next year, they better have a helluva a backup plan if he decides to bolt mid-season. Personally, I'd like to see Convey mature and play the game we all know he's capable of. I saw it when he played with the Nats. I would just like to see it consistantly.
Ladies and gentlemen, John Harkes was just cited as an example of unimpeachable professionalism, and as a practitioner of suppressing his own ego for the good of the team. Honestly, I hope for far better behavior out of Convey over the course of his career than what we saw out of Harkes. Note that the comments you cited are in his AUTObiography, not from an impartial source.
This is a really interesting post. I may have to revise my views about Ray and youth, as I have been a big critic of his on this score.
Good stuff. In the entire history of MLS, there have only been 10 U-20's who played over 700 minutes for a team that made the MLS playoffs. They are: Convey, Quaranta, Quintanilla, Beasley, Magee, Clark, Mapp, Donovan, Vaca, and Califf.
I didn't cite any 'comments' as such from Harkes' autobiography. The one thing I got from his book was that he started playing for Sheffield Wednesday as right back because Roland Nielsson was injured. Since it is common knowledge that he was very successful with them (goal of the year, FA Cup and League cup finals etc), I inferred that he worked hard at the right back position to stay in the team and achieve that success. The stuff about him wanting to play in Marco's role at DC United is not from his book at all, but was reported in the local media at the time. Are you saying he lied in his book about starting at right back for Wednesday to make his 'team player' image look better ? And what 'behavior' would you not like to see from Convey that you saw with Harkes ? Playing in two English Cup Finals ? Going to the World Cup finals twice ? Captaining DC United and the US National team ?
Good points...let's also remember that Convey led the Full MNT in caps for 2003 and is the current captain of both the U-20 and U-23 (Olympic) MNT's. Not only did Hudson remain confident in Convey's abilities but so did Arena, Myernick, and Rongen (at least two of which United fans should still have some respect for)