From Football365: http://football365.com/All_News/Premiership_News/story_81766.shtml Birmingham's American striker Jovan Kirovski has had enough of the Midlands and he wants to go home. Who gets him? Who wants him?
You can have him. Who does Kirovski automatically start for up front in MLS right now anyway? Maybe Dallas?
Kirovski to DC as allocation for Etcheverry retirement. Just an idea, and then Convey could try to catch on with Birmingham when his work permit goes through next year.
In MLS, unlike the national team, Kirovski will not be competing for playing time w/ Claudio Reyna. He will play is natural position at attacking midfield, and will be a quality addition to any MLS squad.
No, because his skills are sublime compared to most of the players drawing a paycheck in this league.
I dont know about tearing up MLS but he will definatly make a diffrence for any MLS team he plays for... he has proved himself to be a solid offensive player..
'twas in the rumors section at www.football365.com. And in relation to the post above - isn't Bobby Convey free to attempt to sign with another EPL team at any point? I thought it was only Tottenham that had to wait a year before filing another application. Sorry if I am mistaken and not that it necessarily matters, since it is plain as day to everyone who knows anything about soccer that he is not up to Premiership standard.
I know it was there, but they are just parroting rumors, etc.--like they do every day. I meant the root source.
Knowing Kirovski's past history, his agent will find him a team in Europe. It will probably be Real Madrid or Chelsea.
I don't care what his pedigree is. Even last season Jovan showed that he could score goals in the Premiership if he was given playing time. He just isn't good enough to build a team around at that level and his physical/all-around game isn't good enough to keep other guys off the field at Birmingham FC. After all, Stern John wasn't exactly frozen chicken in MLS and he is only a 4th choice attacker at Birmingham (behind Dugarry, Morrison and Forssell). With Figueora (sp) also in the mix, Kirovski would have to be a pretty special player to break into the lineup, as the top three attackers are established internationals for decent teams and Figueora (sp) is considered to be the second coming of Batigol. Jovan would probably do very well at Kansas City (working with Preki in the middle as long as they have a destroyer to protect them). I can also see him replacing Cienfuegos or Etcheverry. I would hate to see him pulling the strings for the Galaxy, given the forwards that they have. At this rate, Columbus or New England may have first crack at him. Another thing that folks forget about Kirovski in an attacking midfield role - he is not afraid to take a long shot. That is something that we don't see too often (this side of Preki or Mark Chung) from the better center mids (especially the no 10s) in MLS (Etcheverry, Cien, Guevera, Valderrama (in the post obviously) or even Kyle Martino). I am not a fan of Kirovski's game at the international level, but he has shown (even fairly recently at Crystal Palace) that he is an effective attacking player. Perhaps the equivalent of the proverbial AAAA hitter in baseball.
I think that Jovan could play for KC, DC, LA, Dallas or NE could use him. I think that he will be like Frankie in Columbus, a good player that contributes to the improvement of whatever team he is on. I like him as a player, and think that he can play. There must be some reason that he latched onto teams that he did.
Well, you might as well go on a bank robbing, mudering and raping spree now. Your place in hell is thoroughly secured. I am deeply ashamed for laughing this hard.
First, I think Convey's is overrated by most of his fans. Second, I think Convey very well could have played and started for Tottenham. Third, I think there is nothing incongruous w/ the first two statements. Finally, Convey was applied for a work permit with the British Home Office, a government agency similar to our INS. He was denied that work permit, and cannot apply for another year, regardless who is potential employer is.
Re: Re: Re: Kirovski to leave Birmingham? Well he did grow up in Encinitas, so he would be playing about 25 miles from home.
The problem is that the AAAA hitter in baseball doesn't exist except in the minds of people who think he does. Jovan Kirovski, however, does exist. There is no way Kirovski tears up MLS _initially._ If there's a defense for Kirovski, it's that he has _never_ earned regular first team playing time at the club level and may need to get some consistent action in to improve all the aspects of his game. Maybe after three or four months of playing, he might actually be able to use his skills to win soccer games. And as far as his skills go, while he has very good ball control, he display an absolutely stone-footed touch this summer for the nats. Kirovski needs to forget about the Nats, forget about Europe and just concentrating on getting first team time and improving. Once he does that, he can be revisited on the nats.
I am not going to argue baseball with you Voros, but there is still a place for the Brad Komminsks and Steve Balbonis of the world. We just have to find it. I think you are implying that if a hitter truly demonstrates plate management skills and bat speed at a AAA level, then he will be able to replicate those at the Major League level and that if he doesn't demonstrate those skills on the Major League level, he won't have the inclination or ability to truly do so at the AAA level. Maybe a better analogy for Jovan would be as a Dave Magadan without the big year - a light-hitting batter with decent on-base skills, but devoid of power and defensive skills . . . Also, if you look at my above post on this topic, I cite Kirovski's last successful stint at a club, which was the first half of his last season at Crystal Palace. He was a regular starter in an attacking midfield/withdrawn forward position. Incidentally, this was under Steve Bruce's brief and unfortunate management at Crystal Palace. During the middle of the season, Bruce quit Palace to join Birmingham. Trevor Francis (who was ironically sacked by Birmingham) joined Palace and purchased the execreble Adi Akinbiyi for £1,500,000 or some even more outrageous fee and consigned Kirovski to the bench without ceremony. I agree that Kirovski is not a useful player at the International level. Like Marco Etcheverry, he is the type of player that requires a team to be built around his skill set to really maximize his abilities. He is not a complementary player. He also suffers due to his lack of raw athleticism. The frenetic pressure and speed of the international game can sometimes mask the ball skills of a player who is more effective/comfortable at a slower tempo. But in the right situation, Jovan is a very effective attacking player. I think that in MLS, he would fit right in on some teams because they already employ a system that suits his skills. For instance, on the LA Galaxy. Kirovski would be an excellent replacement for Mauricio Cienfuegos. With Cobi Jones working hard on either flank and two strong forwards in front of him - Kirovski's passing touch and ability to strike the ball well from outside the box could make him a very dangerous addition to the team. I think his skill set would make Jovan an effective player in the Mexican league as well. Apart from his touch and passing skills, Kirovski has a good shot and he is excellent at moving off the ball in space. When playing in a withdrawn role - he is good at slipping past defenders and working his way into good positions. Longtime bigsoccer posters who watched Jovan play extensively in England have commented that he reminds them of a less athletic Paul Scholes - although his touch and skill on the ball is obviously not at the highly refined level of the Ginger Prince. I agree that he needs to focus on finding a club and getting first team playing time - but assuming the validity of this thread about Kirovski coming to play in MLS if only for the sake of argument - it would seem that Kirovski has recognized this very fact. He could easily continue to receive a fat paycheck and sit on the bench in the EPL. For Kirovski to give up that security and move his European wife to the US would be a commendable risk that would show his commitment to the game. I wouldn't suggest that he completely forget about the USMNT - not because I hold out hope for his eventual success - but because an attacking player needs a lot of self-belief and typically does better with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Jovan already seems to have a little too much complacency in his makeup. I would love to see him come to MLS and be a bit of a Paolo di Canio or Jardal (without the circus sideshow/depression element) - cunning and flair with an edge. There simply are not a lot of US players who could bring that to the table.
Re: Re: Kirovski to leave Birmingham? Or bellies (Jardel). I feel badly for Mario Jardel. He took great pride in playing for Brazil but was never in the right situation. Playing in the Copa America 2001 was not good for him. IMO, he hasn't really been the same player since. But I like your analysis on Kirovski's strengths. A shame that the player will not go to MLS.