For a second there I thought Dempsey hit Joey Barton in the face when he won that corner. ugh, what the hell Bullard you shaggy bastard?
I just don't like how Bullard plays. So many unintuitive decisions. Never passes when he should, can't really play anyone through, there's just no "there, there" for me with him.
yeah, that's why uefa and fifa often hired him to do research and talks on modern tactics in the game... because he has no brain because your current d-mid is on a yellow and looking like he might take a second? baird made a couple biting challenges... he wasn't there to pass, he was there to disrupt. guy was awful last year, he's allowed to have another opportunity... or should landon donovan not be allowed to set foot in top flight europe ever again?
Guys, Clint may not be starting (and IMO that's a mistake, Fulham looks a better side when he's on the pitch), but Roy's done a damn good job leading Fulham. They actually try to play football, they're improved from last year, and should avoid the relegation fight this year. It's only a matter of time before Clint play, he was dynamic today. He made a lot of crisp, smart passes and was good on the ball. Zamora's not scoring, Gera hasn't played the particularly well, Clint will end up starting consistently. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Clint is too good for Colaship. If he moves from Fulham, it should be out of the country.
Yeah, there's no need to trash Hodgson like that; he's a smart guy and he's done a lot for Fulham already. He's just incredibly conservative - reflected in Fulham having the lowest goal total in the league and I'd wager the fewest non-suspension related lineup changes in the league too - and that's not helping Dempsey get playing time right now.
he should go out of the country anyway. Hs style is def not a Premiership style. He is good on the ball, and would fit in beautifully in Spain. There is a reason there are so few Brazilians and Argies in England and it is not just the language.
I have not found the sombrero yet Here is the pass led to the penalty:http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1747394/
it's the work permit regulations, the change of culture, the inclination to want british players... ...oh, and what dellci said.
Sky's initial rating gives Dempsey a 4 and Nevland a 7. Do they even watch the game? The momentum was all Newcastle and shifted to Fulham when Deuce came in. He made the pass into space that led to the penalty, made several nice plays to take the ball upfield including his sombrero and muscling the ball off a Newcastle player. A perfect outing? No. But a "4"?
Agreed, I just don't know what he's perceived as. I don't know if anyone in Spain is really interested in having a player like Clint when he's taking up a foreign player spot. Ultimately, I think he stays with Fulham. Roy has to realize he's one of their most dynamic options, and Clint should feel himself above Colaship football. Perhaps Portugal, a club like Braga.
For the most part it seems people on Fulham's official message boards are pleased with Dempsey's performance and prefer him over Gera.
Skysports is the only rating service where I seriously question whether they actually watch most games or only check the scoresheet before giving out ratings. And, I'm not kidding at all there.
I thought Clint was just so-so today. The commentators noted that after coming in he went for a long stretch before they mentioned his name. They also noted that the ball to Johnson was actually 'poor' despite the fact that it ultimately drew a PK. He also gave the ball away cheaply a couple of times late. This is balanced against the very nice run he had after muscling the NUFC player off the ball at the half line and creating a nice break, and controlling the ball well and changing the field a few times. Beyond that, he wasn't all that involved. So, a 4? No. But probably a 5 and not more.
Most of Fulham's attack for that period was on the left. When they found it wasn't working, they shifted right. Then Dempsey was involved much more.
I thought the commentators were so-so. They didn't mention Dempsey because they were gassing with each other whenever he was on the ball. In particular, during the sequence when he took a driven ball that was over his head very nicely, put a good pass into the box for one player, collected a loose ball shortly thereafter and found Davies open near the 18 with a nice 30 yard square pass which resulted in shot, they were going on about Danny Mills and the experience he brings to the pitch (or something like it). And the pbp guy (Champion?) was blathering on about the good old days when Dempsey muscled the ball upfield to make another threat on goal. The color man at least lauded him for his "strinth". Also, they noted that they "hadn't mentioned his name yet" AFTER they'd mentioned his name for putting Johnson through on the penalty. Dempsey looked less good after Roy had them bunker, but then so did everybody else except Hangeland and Davies. Really, I think the whole "bias against Americans" shtick is hysterical nonsense, but the commentary today was not fairly representative of Dempsey's game. I'd give him a 6.
I have been listening to FSC for 7 years now. I thought the commentators were somewhat clueless. I am surprised that they did not rip into the ref crew more. The officials were poor today. It was a "poor ball" from Dempsey .... actually Dempsey quickly realized to give AJ a shot going direct in the penalty area .... nobody else from Fulham did it the entire day. Dempsey comes in and almost immediately changes the dynamic of the game. The rest of the game Dempsey has two or three great runs and passes ... and the reminder of the time he plays positional ball out on the right wing - presumably in accordance with Hodgson's scheme. I would have given him a 7 or 8. This is idiotic that he does not start and play more .... in the attacking role he is head and shoulders above Gera, Bullard and Hughes. His touch on the ball and finding teammates is sparkling. Note how Hughes heads for the corner where 50% of the time he gets trapped ... Gera just did not play well and Bullard - well his time has come and gone. I know - 1 out of 10 times he is going to hit a great free kick. The rest of the time he simply occupies a roster spot. Hodgson needs to pull his head out of the sand and start Dempsey and tell him and AJ and Zamora to attack and go at the opponents ... Dempsey is not going to provide you his edge from this wing positional scheme. Let Murphy and Bullard and Hughes hang back and control the defensive midfield.