About a year ago I seen Landon playing with the US national side(not sure what game it was) and he was fantastic. I'd heard his name before but didn't know a thing about him, but he was the one player on the pitch that caught my eye. I said there and then that Celtic should sign him...but, alas, it's never happened. I can't see it happening anytime soon either...I heard a while ago that he was being linked with a move to Germany(Stuttgart i think) and I even heard that Rangers had been watching him. I just don't think Celtic have enough money to make any big signings right now. Your right tho about Henrik....god knows what we'll do without him. I doubt Maloney will be able to fill his place..so I guess we'll have to find money from somewhere and bring ina new face. Landon would be great, or maybe Robbie Keane from Tottenham. Anyway...nice hearing from a fellow Celt!
CelticBhoy...Landon is owned by Bayer Leverkusen. He has completed 3 years on loan here in MLS. Supposedly this will be his last year here. It was a two year deal originally, but was renewed for two more years last year. Portsmouth are trying to bring him in on loan, but the FIFA transfer rules seem to be killing the deal. Landon has risen to every challenge he's ever faced as a player. There's alot of criticism of him because he's "only" doing it in MLS. When he renewed the loan deal last year, I didn't think it would be good for his professional development for this coming season, and questioned whether it would be good last year. Anyway, he was awesome last season, clearly the best player in the league. And he matured and took on a leadership role. So it turned out to be a big plus. There's absolutely nothing left for him to prove here now. For his sake, I wish someone had come in and bought him this window. As to Walker...IMO he's got a tremendous upside. Probably smart for Celtic to bring him in, in case he develops as he might. That'll give them an edge. From what I've read, Walker was a defender most of his career, only switching to the front in his last year of college. (Quake fans will be able to tell you more.) What that means is that right now, he's just getting by on raw ability. The type of passing and dribbling and trapping required of him is very different now than when he was playing in the back. It's a long shot, but there's that slim chance that now he's found his true position, and he'll make tremendous strides as he adjusts his skills to the new position. The guy is fast as hell. He improved an amazing amount last year. If he does it again this year (a tall order, admittedly), then maybe he'll be good enough for Europe. Maybe not Celtic, though.
Greetings CelicBhoy from a fellow Tim. I was with the Quakes up until a couple of weeks ago and arranged for the kid to train with Celtic. This is a chance for him to improve his game but he has still a way to go before playing alongside Ghod. Good kid, great attitude, great speed, takes chances and a look inside "Paradise" can only help him get better. Martin knows all about Landon by the way and Landon can play anywhere in the world. I would love to see Landon in the Hoops but I have to say I love to see him in the Earthquake blue shirt even more(did I just say blue shirt??? well it is Our Lady of Lourdes blue. Hail Hail Johnny Moore
I would go nuts if Donovan signed for Celtic. I think he is ready for a step up, and any club would be lucky to have him. Why not Celtic? They're a big club, known worldwide, and could benefit from his services.
Johnny, All of the McQuaid Jesuit HS alumni send our gratitude to you for helping out our fellow alum Jamil to continue his good Catholic tradition with the Bhoys! Tom
Walker got the attention of the fans by poaching a few goals as a late sub. He definately plays his best when Donovan is alongside him. Walkers key ability is that he can receive the ball with his back to the defender and turn on him w/ball and beat the guy......rather than just touching it back to the mids.....a la Cerritos, Conteh, Graziani....etc. He not only has speed, he knows how and when to use it.....not all "speed guys" do. Like Wee Man stated, this kid still has a ways to go.
Thanks to everyone who has already replied to my questions about Walker. It sounds like the kid has a lot of potential. With his speed, I'd be interested to see what he was like being played as a winger - Celtic's first choice on the right wing is a guy called Agathe who, although as fast as any footballer I've seen, often seems reluctant to get forward - maybe Walker, with his experience as a striker, would enjoy the chance to run at defenders - just a thought. I'm surprised at the number of replys I've had from Celtic supporters over there. I knew we had a lot, but I thought they were more concentrated around the big cities in the North - Boston, New York, Philly etc. Didn't realise we'd spread as far as San Jose Maybe I'll hang around a bit longer than I planned - any place where Celtic fans come to chat is alright by me!
I don't think Walker has the prerequisite dribbling skills to be a winger. I just don't think they'll EVER be good enough. He's a great poacher though, and his ability to stretch the defenses is nonparallel (well, pretty good anyway ).
Re: Re: The Official Jamil Walker thread McQuaid alumn and you dont have Rhinos listed as one of your teams...so sad
Re: Re: Re: The Official Jamil Walker thread You're absolutely right, I feel shame. I will correct my error straight away. But regardless, go Knights! Where did you go Drew, and don't say Aquinas!
From CelticFC.net: Trailists Aiming to Impress {deleted crap about Danny Milosevic} Fellow trailist Jamil Walker, meanwhile, is anxious to shine under O'Neill's gaze and, though it appears likely he will return to assist in San Jose Earthquakes' title defence once the MLS season resumes, the 22-year-old is keen to return. "My agent at IMG set this up," said Walker. "it's been a great experience for me to come here and play with the likes of Henrik Larsson." "Hopefully I can come back in the US off-season and get more time to impress. If Celtic like what they see this week, they will probably ask me to come back and hopefully set something up for the future."
This is an urban legend with seemingly longer legs than the choking doberman. For some odd reason the Santa Clara Broncos website has him listed as a defender. I watched him many times for the Broncos and never saw him anywhere but up top. He led the Broncos with 15 goals his senior season. But still, he made a tremendous leap in his play during his first year with the Quakes. Everyone, from Yallop to Donovan has commented on that. If he has another year with that same rate of development, he could challenge Donovan. If his rate of improvement slows, he will likely still be a good MLS pro player. No one, not even Walker himself, knows where he will level out at.
from today's Marc Connolly: http://www.mlsnet.com/content/04/connolly0204.html Nice to see him get some recognition as well.
Jamil Walker's # I got in a discussion about Jamil Walker's jersey number. My buddy said it was 13 but I recalled seeing him wearing the number 22 in a photo on the internet. The Quakes website says he's number 13. Who is right?
Jamil Walker's # Both. Walker began the season as #22. He gave up the #22 to Rodrigo Faria when he finally reported last season and switched to #13.
That was a puzzling pick, given the expected flavor for Chivas USA. He was expendable anyway given that Ching and DeRo were ahead of him in the playing charts. I suggested on the preemie boards that he should be dealt to SLC for Erick Scott, who is from Costa Rica and would fit in easier with the Chivas brand.
FWIW, I will be sorry to see Jamil go. He may not have done much (anything) for us this season, but he really wasn't given a chance - Unless I am gravely mistaken, most of his games consisted of being subbed in after the 75th minute. I will always fondly remember the time last year that he challenged Zach Thornton for a ball in the box and ran into him full-speed. Zach was astonished!