2012 Pre-season Thread I - the Quest for Quality [R's]

Assuming he won't be a starter anymore and used as depth for multiple positions, I hope we keep him.

 

If the Revs don't offer him a contract, he will probably end up retiring or wind up playing for the Railhawks, Rhinos or some other lower level team. I doubt very much teams will be crawling over each other to get to him if the Revs pass

 

Depends on our ambition really.

 

If he is in the starting line-up next year, then that Revs will have no improvements. In Revland Utopia players at that level should only be bench players.

 

You're under the impression the Revs will actually agree to that amount. He may ask for more but much like the Revs did with Heaps and Ralston they'll offer him 65 and while they said see you later he might agree to it because he wants to be the hometown kid. He probably knows he won't start for any other team in the league. He and Phelan strike me as local kids that really push the starters and are called upon when there aren't any better options. I feel like for 60-65k you need guys like that on your team to make things competitive. Get rid of the dead weight, Lekic at 275k and Dube at 90k, same with Nyassi and Mansally, both making close to 100k and they've been at NE for five years and haven't improved. I hope they're not afraid to make wholesale changes. I've also heard a lot from some guys I know on the team and it seems that half the team would leave if given the opportunity. I don't blame them. Unless things change at the top why would a younger player (mid 20s and younger) want to stay with the Revs. There's obviously no value on development and it seems they don't really value winning from their recent performances, particularly the last game. I know the Revs pay Caraglio 54k and I'm wondering how much he still gets from his former team if any. I certainly hope they don't sign him for hundreds of thousands of dollars and call him a DP because he's shite.

 

My feeling about Tierney is he is useful to have on the team but useless on the field.

 

I agree, CM would probably be good for him.

 

I have to agree that his best position would be CM. I think it was the Crew game last year when Boggs scored 2 goals (everyone remember that actually happened), Tierney played very well at CM. My biggest thing with him is that he is so one-dimensional. I want to like as a player because he always does and says the right thing. If only he was a little faster and used his right foot.

 

IMO, the reality that he has been able to play so many positions reasonably well makes him more than one dimensional. I think any team is lucky to have a player with that flexibility on their depth chart. I would be shocked if the Revs don't resign him.

 

So what you are saying is that he is the playing equivalent of Bora Milutinovic. Bora, you may recall, could speak 9 different languages, although none of them coherently.

 

He is Jose Oquendo. Only in the league because he is a utility player who can fill in holes. He is not a quality player at any position. His touch is below average. He is not creative. His tackling is suspect. He is not fast. I'd say the only thing he is really even decent at is playing a long ball, or delivering a free kick, but even those are average at best.

He is a decent squad player. Someone who should be relied upon for 10-15 games throughout the season in various roles coming off the bench, or starting the occasional game during injury spells.

I don't think he is completely useless, but he isn't good, and should certainly not be counted on to provide any type of quality. His versatility makes him someone worth having around if needed.

 

CM? Wait, WHAT???

Has Pat Phelan really lowered our standards of what a central player needs? Have we really been beaten down by the below average play of our current crop of central midfielders that we believe Chris Tierny could play there? Wow. I'm totally floored by the calls for him to move to CM.

Chris Tierny has neither the skill, nor the vision to play in the center of the field. He is also not a very good ball winner. I just don't see a single attribute he has that suggests he should move to the center of the field. Work rate? Maybe is the only one.

Would he be better than Pat Phelan? Sure, but don't let our standards be lowered so far by the worst starting central midfielder in all of MLS.

 

Was on SI.com and noticed that this will be Alessandro Del Piero's final season with Juventus. Would the Revs be interested in bring him in for one to two years? He is 36 but could give this team the veteran presence and experience at the forward position. Plus he is a pure goal scorer that this team currently lacks. The only issue might be is that he would have to play on the FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium which could tax him throughout the season.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/10/18/delpiero.juventus.ap/index.html?sct=sc_t2_a15

 

I could think of a lot of issues like:

-Playing in the middle of nowhere
-Playing in an empty stadium
-Playing for a shitty team
-Playing with bad players


just off the to of my head

 

Pat Phelan isn't a starting central midfielder if that's who you're referring to. He used to be but most agree a Joseph/Feilhaber combination is much better. As for Tierney being better than Phelan in the middle I disagree. The Revs coaches like Tierney because he plays like a low skilled english player, gets some space and pumps it into the box. That might work if we had a Conor Casey or Brian Ching but guys like Schilawski or Fagundez aren't going to benefit from such service.

 

Playing with one dimension (decent crossing) in a variety of positions still makes Tierney one dimensional. He's much too slow, can only use his left foot, and has only one move to get around defenders or move the ball to his left foot.

What he's got going for him is he's domestic, local (some fans like that), is willing to play anywhere, has a good attitude, has little competition on this current roster at LM and LB, and has been cheap. If he asks for any kind of raise send him packing. If you keep him he'd better be dirt cheap and no more than an injury replacement.

 

The main reason is that his lack of pace wouldn't be exposed like it is on the wing. Between that, his somewhat high work rate, and his decent long passing ability, I think he'd be more effective than on the wing. Probably not starting quality, but most likely a little better.

 

CM, LD, LM whatever, Tierney is not the kind of player the Revs need in their starting line-up. He is a utility player that should only be rolled out if someone is injured. Since MLS benches are not that deep to begin with and Tierny is capable of playing a few positions albeit none not that great, he would still be a guy you would probably want deep on your bench. Come March, if guys like Tierney and Phelan are in the starting line-up, I could very well be done with the Revs

 

Tierney is an overrated player on the worst team in the league.

He can put in a good cross, if he has plenty of space or time.
He can't beat anyone in the league 1 on 1. It's painful to watch.

What's going for him is that there is so much dead wood to cut out before you get to him.

 

Del Piero?

Love to have him. He'd score goals in this league.

But, I can't see him playing on astro-turf in an empty stadium on rte. 1 in the middle of nowhere.


What's feasible is going down to Colombia, or some other S. American country and getting an established player who is grateful the paychecks cash, and he doesn't have to worry about getting kidnapped.

I also believe it's an easier cultural transition here for South Americans than some of these crusty eastern europeans.

 

IMO, the route the Revs need to take is that of an expansion team moving up to MLS; I think the model for this is probably Philadelphia. We need a LeToux, and 6-8 (new) young hungry players; and a Peter Nowak to build a team with no stars. We are nowhere near ready for a Del Piero. Anyone who isn't psyched to be here can go. Welcome to square one.

 

Completely agree.

- I'd start by making some trades within MLS, getting rid of our dead weight (the Gambians, Alston, Barnes, etc.) and bringing in some young players, draft picks, and allocation money.

- I'd also avoid signing any international players over the age of 30, make a push for signing another young DP or two (not big name players, i.e Caraglio, Chara, and Castillo).

- Re-sign Matt Reis and have him tutor a young goalkeeper (not Shuttleworth, maybe 2nd round draft pick).

 

I think this team needs to rebuild and make some big changes, but I also believe that they need to make at least one major impact signing to generate some more interest in the team. Lastly I do agree that maybe scouting in South America would be a great place to start in attracting young talent to New England.