At long last, some real news http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=348450&CPID=8&clid=&lid=2&title=United+striker+set+for+move Maybe England66 can now give us some details??
He's already told us that he will go out on loan but I highly doubt he'll tell us where until the deal is done.
I just noticed this, too. Hopefully "lower divisions" will mean the Championship, and not Div. 1 or 2. He has already been there with Oldham, and if he truly is the skillfull, technical player as we have been told then another spell in the same division would only be a waste of time. Although this quote from the article does give some hope... "Kenny has already been away but, if he needs to get away again, then it needs to be a good move."
Seems like there's a lot that's being unsaid here. While I know Man U wants the best for all its players -- even if the "best" in an individual case means not being at Man U -- I have to say that the club's commitment to finding a good, temporary, situation for a player whose contract is up at the end of the season still seems remarkable to me and I have to wonder whether they intend to re-sign him (or at least try to).
I think it would be shocking if they re-signed him for any purpose other than to try and get a small fee for him. They may see a ton of potential in him, but there just isn't much room for young players who aren't breaking into the first team.
Agreed. If he shows well, then maybe someone steps up and throws Man U a couple of dollars to get first dibs instead of losing him on a free. If KC goes and produces, and coach and management are happy with him, why not throw a few dollars Man U's way instead of getting in a possible bidding war. Of course KC has gotta produce. S Wed needs someone who can create and score. That's for damn sure. Would be nice to have another team with two Yanks.
Kenny can sign with anyone on a free right now... who'll pay ManU transfer money for that? Besides, the lowers leagues aren't exactly awash in money anyway.
Anyway, as I was saying... I'd be surprised if he was re-signed too, but basically just wanted to be the first one to suggest it! This season can't have gone as he hoped, but he's not ancient -- same birth year as Richardson, for example. I have no idea what'll happen. Just trying to read the tea leaves a bit.
Regardless, anything that gets him on the field in competitive matches right now is a good thing for the kid. Here's one who hopes he lights it up.
random thoughts while I ramble....In some respects the game has changed over the years and the use of strikers in a game is at the forefront of these changes. I was speaking the other day with Jimmy Melia (for those of you too young to remember Jimmy played for Liverpool and England in the 1960's, managed Brighton to an F.A. Cup final and now lives and coaches in Dallas) and Jimmy mentioned that during one of Liverpools championship seasons the team only used 15 players during the entire season !! (in those days 42 league games + F.A. Cup, League Cup (now the Carling Cup) and European Cup) these days most teams use all three subs and more often than not the striker is taken off......strikers seem to get about 60 mins, + or - and then are subbed and it seems difficult to have a real career in these circumstances.... .....look at Rossi in the Carling cup game at Birmingham last week.....he has a chance in the first half....hits the cross bar....and is subbed at half time.....doesn't even make the bench for the next game....had he scored instead of hitting the woodwork chances are he stays in.....he didn't so it's back to the back burner for him.... ...and this is the situation that faces Cooper, so it is very important that the right loan is worked out and he goes to a team committed to giving him a RUN OF GAMES, 6 or 7, to show what he can do (kinda like Crouch got at Liverpool, where, because of the $$$ invested he got a run of SIXTEEN games without scoring!!!)....this loan may be the most important decision he makes as far as his future in the game in England goes. Stay tuned
Crouch had an excellent 2,004-05, so he was expected to perform. It's not like you sit Barry Bonds if he goes 20 games without a homerun either. As a side( footsitter) note, if Kenny put in a dozen for a Colaship squad, he'd get a ton more respect also ... and maybe a call-up as well.
....and what the fcuk that has to do with the price of fish I'll never know.....how many subs are used in baseball ?? and how many games do they play ???
This is not 100% accurate. Does not give the whole picture. Crouch was largely a big flop before his run at SH last year. His streak earned him the Pool contract. That being said, 16 games for a striker is loooonngg time for a team like Liverpool. What if last year was a fluke? Rafa deserves credit for sticking with him, and it seems to be paying off now. Not sure most managers in his spot would have stayed with him that long, even with the money spent on him. I am definitely not an excuse monger, but KC did do very well in the reserves. He then went to another country and never got a shot it seems. He scored a few at Oldham and then the manager was switched and bam he is done. Yeah, he probably isn't the second coming, but he has shown some promise. KC has not gotten that run of games so I agree with Mike. This decision is probably THE decision. I wish him well, and I always felt the move out of the country was a bad one. Hindsight is everything. F Queroz. The Man U contract has opened doors, but in some ways it can be a hindrance too. Didn't take long for Karby and Simek to get signed with that Arsenal pedigree when they were a free transfer. I getthe feeling it will be the same for KC. SFS, so you think most moanagers in Rafa's shoes would have stuck with Crouch for that long? Honestly. Think about it.
You should take a closer look at his scoring record. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=21235 Not the worst i have seen by a long way.
Thanks. Great site. Better than I was led to believe. That's what I get for taking the word of Villa fans.
They have South Carolina accents also. Makes it even more amusing. Rule of thumb - Never ever take the word of a fan (fans) whose player is now on another team. Fool me once...
Ya, 'cos the guys wins a lot of high balls (almost all of them, in fact) and is a very very underrated distributor. He works hard too and was deservingly capped by SGE. As to cold players, this reminds me of one German commentator saying, "Klinsmann has a longer scoreless streak than Sepp Maier."
Point taken. I've seen it go both ways, and usually the hook is quicker at clubs with more options. I have loved Rafa since his Valencia days and he will turn the Pool into a top team. Doing it now. Hard to doubt him. Underrated even for all of his success IMO. The other personalities of coaching get the headlines, but this guy can flat out perform. I personally would take him over anyone.
I wouldn't take him over "anyone" but he clearly is a good manager. Who knows if anyone will ever compete with Chelsea again but I can certainly see him guiding Liverpool to a few 2nd place finishes.
absolutely!!! rafa could see he was continually creating chances for the team and his touch and distribution are not just "wonderful for a big man" anymore. they're just wonderful period! big men who can really play footie (i'm thinking tony adams here too) can be unstoppable if used correctly. by the way, good luck to cooper. if he lights it up in the colaship (not saying that's where he's going, just hoping) we still are suspect at the striker position for germany. a callup might be in the works.
Agreed. People are dead wrong when they call Peter Crouch clunk. Crouch is cursed by 3 stereotypes of cloddishness: he's English, he's very tall, and he looks physically awkward. So people assume he's a clod. But really, he's deft and clever. That's his game, along with winning air balls. There's a 5' 7" Portugese playmaker hiding in that big body.