Can you explain why you thought people were saying Brooks has mental problems?I have no recollection of that.
He should really give us an example of a post. It should also be from someone known to have overreacted to perceived unfair criticism of Berhalter.
The fact that Wolfsburg tried to sign Brooks to an extension for almost a year was widely reported and covered in Germany. The issue was reported as salary demands with JAB reportedly expecting a raise. All the outlets including BILD reported, I am not sure what other evidence is required. Even at the end Wolfsburg made it clear that it was essentially Brooks' decision to leave. "Brooks says he’s seeking a new challenge and Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schafer says they respect the center back’s decision to seek something different."
I’m gonna wait for the full list of prescriptions before I respond. Do you have a preferred font? Are there any grammatical requirements I should know about? OH, screw it. It is my sense that several posters have speculated that Brooks’ greed and or “difficult teammate” status is to blame for his inability (so far) to find a new team, and have blamed the latter for his exile from the national team. If I have misunderstood those posters, and nobody is intimating most things, then I can see why my remark might not make sense to you. However, I’m pretty sure people have intimated those things. But I will not be complying with your specific request to cite specific posts, etc. I hope this explanation provides some clarity to the post that offended you, however.
Nobody has used the word greed at all. I have no issue with Brooks trying to negotiate for as much money as he wants. There's no character or mental flaw there as far as I can see, and no one has intimated that he's a bad person or an idiot for trying to get paid. The fact is that he's not signed with a team yet. Either teams value him pretty well but he's holding out for a larger sum of money/compensation to see if he can get it (and go get that bag) or he's not holding out for a lot but every team thinks he sucks. I don't think the latter is true. But he's not worth a top 5 CB Salary in the Bundesliga anymore, either. He might get it from Saudi Arabia, though, and good on him.
Being a "difficult teammate" is not indicative of a mental problem. I'm just asking questions here,but how is his back?Didn't he have a back injury? Those are really tough to recover from.
To be clear saying Brooks' salary demands are a sticking point isn't saying he's greedy. There are a lot of free agents that are not getting the offers they wanted. Paulo Dybala is 2 years removed from being Serie A MVP and teams were not willing to meet his salary demands. He did finally sign with Roma but he was holding out for one of the Milan clubs. But Dybala would not go under 6 mil for wages. I think wage demand combined with Brooks player profile just limit his options. Now could rumors of being difficult play into it as well? Sure but I think that's less of an issue finding a club.
I'm not offended. I am completely enjoying this exchange. I am not aware of any post on Brooks being greedy or a bad teammate. (I'm guessing the mental health claim is off the table now?) Sorry, I can't help you there.
And on the bad teammate side of things, I have said I think there is a chemistry issue with the Nats. That happens all the time when players are in different situations. And even though I do think chemistry with the Nats was an issue I don't think Brooks having a bad attitude has an effect on him getting a club... unless you want to think the Kicker article from the winter had that big of an impact. I just think a combo of things (and again all rumors but using context clues I think there is some truth in there) have made a limited market for Brooks. Some are things he can control. Some not
Its all hearsay. Nothing I've read on this thread is even remotely evidence-based. I do remember the comments from Cherundolo about Brooks on the USMNT. But those are pretty irrelevant when talking about his club career. Basically.................nobody here has a clue what they're talking about. Including me. Why doesn't Brooks have a club? I don't have the foggiest idea.
I personally think that Brooks is past his prime and not a good fit for the current tactics. Essentially, he's slow and getting slower. I don't give a damn about his club situation and the relationship with the coach or team if the first is not fixed. Of course, it really can't be fixed if he doesn't get a club, right?
Personally agree. Teams are playing a much higher line and are wanting faster CBs. Thay doesn't mean there isn't a role for Brooks but I just think that limits the market as well
All valid points being made. And none of us know really what is going on with him finding a club. But 100% what we absolutely know for a fact. Not having a club and not even in training with a team is killing any even outside chance he had of going to Qatar. And every day this continues just is a bigger hole to dig out of.
Wait, so you’re the one creating and propagating the mental issues narrative that you are complaining about? That’s weird.
Your reading of the term “mental problems” is indeed off the table. I didn’t use the rm “mental health.” Precision isn’t your thing, is it?
For his prime, I decided last month after reviewing scholarly data and papers on when players peak. The question I had was if Brooks would be able to get back to what he was two years ago. According to data forwards peak at 25 and defenders at 27 approximately. Obviously, this isn't proof for Brooks' particular situation but I am not holding my breath waiting for him to get back on track either. For his fit to the game model, I was waiting for the draw to see if the US might want to change tactics and I could see Brooks used in a 5 man backline. After drawing Wales and Iran I think that we will see a high line and less use for Brooks.
The World Cup is getting further and further away from Brooks at this point... It's been eerily quiet. Rumors pop up every week or so and then nothing happens. He has to sign soon. - But he's in a bad spot. He's been without a club since May 14. He's missed the entire preseason. What is his form and fitness once he does sign? How long to unseat starters? https://t.co/P1Z4yHjCo2— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) August 11, 2022