Well, one detail: he was fired from Bayer . http://www.kicker.de/content/news/a...iga=1&saison=2004/05&spieltag=15&keyword=daum
Now it all makes sense... Seriously, you think highly of Donovan - I don't. And yes, I do understand Donovan's persona. We have someone just like him in Helvetia. His name is Hakan Yakin...
But Donovan didn't know this beforehand. Besides, Bayer had a series of top name coaches after Daum - Rudi Völler, Berti Vogts and Klaus Toppmöller - and was quickly back on top of the league. Bruce, come on ... while I would not categorically close on a possibility that the Daum saga played some part in his decision, it certainly doesn't appear to have played a major part in it. PS. Daum also landed on his feet. Once "rehabilitated", he'll be back in Germany again.
Well, I thought he already left for the national team but was never confirmed or something like that. Anyhow, he was leaving one way or the other.
what I am saying is that for the small period of time when Landon was even eligible for the first team, by the rules of the Bundesliga, Daum was doing drugs and the team was soon enveloped in problems.I have no idea what role this played in anything. But I was responding to hundreds of posts over several years that did not even realize that Landon was not even eligible for the first team for most of the time he was in Germany, and that the team had a lot of chaos.Landon had damn good reasons to be upset, and to want to get the hell out of there.Besides the weather.
Rusnak's column in the Ft Lauderdale Sun Sentinel pointed out today that Bayer's first game after the transfer window is vs Hannover!
Re: Donovan decides, will go to Germany. It's official I was trying to say that if Leverkusen wants to do slow buildups culminating in chucking the ball in the box or outside shots, Donovan won't do well. If they want to play a little more creatively and openly, he will -- though the inclusion of other creative players won't hurt.
You go live with a bunch of Germans as a 17 year old and see how you feel. Germans are Americans with an attitude. Like Americans, they are arrogant about their country's superiority, but unlike Americans, they tend to be formal and unfriendly. They also are the pushiest people in Europe; inevitably, if somebody's shoving you out of the way while you're standing in a Euroline, it's a German. Landon was a naive amiable 17 year old Californian without a clue. So he got steamrolled. This time around, he may know what he's in for. He can't think of his teammates as his friends. They aren't now, and they may not be for a long time, if ever.
He really had no right to be upset about that. That's something presumbbly he would have known before he got there.
Maybe I'm overlooking it but I still haven't seen Bayer make a formal statement regarding Donovan since the MLS conference call. This seems odd considering they have made so many statements in the past. The manager has been quoted as saying he'll believe it when he sees it, with respect to LD returning. That is a 180 from the last official word from the club. I may be reading too much into this but it seems like Bayer might be thinking about selling LD. I think most of us, myself included, would prefer LD playing in England so this may just be wishful thinking on my part.
I try. My wife and I have a game, by the way. Whenever we're in Europe and somebody pushes us out of the way, we say, "Entschuldige mich!" and glare at them. Most of the time, they do indeed respond in German. Am looking forward to '06. I'm sure I'll get along fabulously with the locals.
You probably should have quoted all of Bruce's statement - perhaps it would help you understand what he was actually saying. Basically, the gist was that Landon hung in there KNOWING he couldn't play until he was 18, and then when he reached that age, the team situation was chaotic, druggie coach, firings, etc. Bruce then speculates this is where Landon had enough with the situation - (in the last straw sense) and perhaps, just perhaps, Bayer realized it wasn't the ideal time, with all the restructuring, (including a new coach who didn't play anything that utilized Donovan's style) to develop a young talent, because that's when they agreed to the MLS loan.
Sorry, but I have to call "steaming pile of crap" on this post. This American (me) went and "lived with a bunch of Germans" (as you put it) from age 19 to 21 full-time. I loved it and thought they were very friendly. Of course, I was in the East, and "Wessies" might be different Saxony, on the other hand, is very nice. "Mein Leipzig, lob ich mir! Es ist ein klein Paris..." -- Goethe
Look, regardless of rights/wrongs...at some point, one has to shut tf up, and either live with it or move on. Landon has done more than enough public whining, bitching, moaning about this whole subject. Again, it is not a question of 'is he right?' vs. now its time to turn the page. So Landon does himself and everyone else a favor by not bringing this subject up again....no more 'prison' or 'the baddy Germans' or whatever. Just be quiet, play your game, and let the articles be written about your talent. Ganz einfach!
Landon and I outvote you, 2 - 1. Oh, and my high school buddy who spent a junior year abroad, at Gottingen. He came home and said, "It's amazing, those guys all think they know more about the U.S. than I do. Some of them have never been there but they tell me how life in the U.S. is." Don't tell me that's not a familiar story. At least a wee bit.
6 friends of mine spent a year in the USA, you wouldn't believe their stories but nevertheless I don't think that all Americans are fundamental religious, rascist, fat, dumb and ignorant people. See in you in '06!
This off their website under the "4 games till Christmas" story: "At the end of the press conference Klaus Augenthaler confirmed that he is expecting Landon Donovan to start training with the club in January." http://www.bayer04.de/en/index2.htm I imagine they'll do a "formal" presentation when he gets there. Plus, I've read articles in German publications (through Babelfish, mind you), where they have indeed confirmed it by saying it's nothing new; of course he's coming. It was on the Budesliga.de site as well as a sport1.de site. Funny, in one of the articles it mentioned Bruce Arena was happy on one hand but "crying tears" on the other hand; happy he'd get day-in, day-out pressure to perform, but crying tears about not having him readily available for all USMNT games, as he's been used to.
I've never been to Germany but everywhere I've been in Europe the locals poke fun at Germans for the very behavior that you described. That and the fact they wear speedos while in Mallorca even if they are fatter than hell. Disclaimer: Before I get seriously flamed by Germans everywhere, let me state that I am an American, which means that not only do people ridicule me everywhere I go, I tend to run a higher risk of beheading.
Flame Flame! Burn in hell! ;-) Seriously, do you think those Englishmen, wearing muscleshirts no matter how they look, than shorts, long white socks up to their knees and slippers look better? and it is a prooven fact that the average english looks worse than the average German due to worse food ;-) And btw, I bet you can find good-looking Germans all over the world except Palma de Mallorca (Lloret del Mar, anyone? ;-) ) Erm are we really that bad? My American Girlfriend liked it here (I hope), so that's a 2 to 3, right?
Actually, that will be a bit of a problem. Donovan is now a player like Reyna once was, where the US is likely to play a different style (and possibly but not necessarily a different formation) without him than it plays when he's there. And it is kind of annoying to go from one style in friendlies to another style in meaningful games.
Totally agree. I don't blame Landon for his actions as a 17/18 year old, but I will blame him if he whines as a 22 year old. He now knows what he faces at Leverkusen. Embrace the situation wholly and unreservedly, or don't go. One or the other.