Sorry but Cruyff would bounce off GAM like a ragdoll and be left on the ground coughing up lung butter....
Fixed your post. (Note to thread: There are a handful of players in history who's game/playing personna you just can't touch. You just can't go there. Cruyff is one. He was magnificant)
I used to watch Cruyff on television when he was winning three straight european cups with Ajax early in his career. I got to watch him play live for one season with the Diplomats at the end of his career. It is absolutely ridiculous to compare Johnson with Cruyff, on any level. And now, back to talking about Johnson...
And I'm saying, it wouldn't matter.....Cryuff met every type of opponent and destroyed them. Back in those days, you could almost kill guys w/tackles and not get throw out of games. You remember even as late as 86'...the kung-fu shite the Korea team pulled on Maradona? Not to mention the hacking Pele got.... In the ueber-talent category, size is a non-factor. Now, off the field, in a barroom fight...yes, I want Johnson by my side..
Yeah, you're right. I guess I have started to find these threads unreadable. I had just read the last couple of posts. I will keep my comments to myself in the future.
But Johnson would blow by Berti Vogts. In any case, I was talking about Eddie Gaven, not Eddie Johnson, in response to Johan Derksen's mentioning "a different Eddie" due to PSV/Ajax mentioning Eddie Gaven. I thought I'd mention that. And now I did.
OK, you've trapped me. I admit it- I was a medium-size thin dude who played center mid growing up. I idolized Cruyff....'cause he was the man. I even got down his step-over move, which was my 'money' move growing up. 90% effective (and 5% of the time I messed it up, the defender couldn't stop it). Having said all that.....I consider Cruyff one of the top 5 players of all-time too...along w/Pele, Beckenbauer, Maradona and a big ass tie for 5th Sorry for the tangent, but some guys are JUST WORTH IT!
I had a big ass tie once ... it was blue with white polka dots. It couldn't play soccer worth a damn though. [sorry - been a long day]
Der Bomber was my idol growing up. Still is. Below is THE moment of 1974: http://www.biw.fh-deggendorf.de/alumni/2001/wintermeier/weltmeisterschaft/bilder/gmueller.jpg
Are you now 50 lbs. overweight with a full grey beard too? My god, was Mueller ever 'money' in his day....a freakin' vaccuum cleaner of chances...I guess Ruud reminds me of him (somewhat) now...of course, Ruud is much more athletic looking
I am (well, 25 lbs). He isn't. Right on on the gray beard though. http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/img/26/0,1886,2371386,00.jpg
Wow, he looks great. That chance he took (thanks for that) was a GREAT strike, typical Mueller...he actually pushed the ball behind himself on the first touch, and I doubt hardly any striker in the world coulda turned/got behind ball at same time (and still get something on the shot) so quickly. A pure power goal- akin to a batter fooled on a pitch muscling the ball in the outfield. As you can see from the pic, a split second slower, and the shot woulda been blocked. Man, if EJ ever get an instinct like that close to goal...
Gerd's coaching the Bayern youth teams now. Many credit him with developing that 21-year Guerrero kid from Peru, who has looked very good this year for BM. I wouldn't mind if someone like Eddie Johnson got this sort of teaching. As I recall, when Rainer Bonhoff broke to the goal line, Müller tried to work it deeper but then popped up toward the "high slot" where Bonhoff found him. Der Bomber then settled the ball his left foot and twisted around to hit it with his right. The ball went between the Dutch defender's (Suurbier?) legs right into the side netting. The last goal he ever scored for Mannschaft. 65 in 62 matches. The best anticipation of any player. Ever.
Eddie Gaven made the MLS best eleven last year after turning 18 at the very end of the season. Eddie Johnson did not having turned 20 at the beginning of the season. So as good as Eddie Johnson is, that should tell you what kind of year Eddie Gaven had last year. He's not particularly big, but not small. Not really fast, but reasonably quick. Looks somewhat awkward at times, but is actually exceptionally comfortable with the ball, far moreso than Beasley. Here's a highlights clip to a game where he had a couple of goals, one of which was a piece of art: mms://a1503.v115042.c11504.g.vm.aka...4/open/gp/archive06/062304_nymlag_gp1_384.wmv I'm hoping he stays where he's at for a while though. This is a good situation for him as he's actually surrounded by some mighty talented folks (at least by MLS standards: Djorkaeff, Guevara), and is a lock to start when healthy.
[result]Johnson scored nice goal tonight for FC Dallas. Transfer value just went up $30 million dollars.[/result]