Halftime score: Burnley up 1-0 on a 41st minute goal by Papadopolous. Lewis had a shot miss left in the 22nd minute, and a free kick hit the woodwork in the 29th.
Re: Re: Lewis: Preston v. Burnley 4/8 [R] Dimitrios. FT 2-0 Burnley. Lewis sounded like the best player for Preston today.
http://www.pnefc.premiumtv.co.uk/today/view/breaking_news_detail/0,,10362~368627,00.html Says the video shows Lewis' free went over the line. Was booked in the second half.
It's just great to see Eddie playing and playing well after his Fulham fiasco. Too bad PNE can't seem to win consistently.
prediction (not earthshaking): if lewis continues to play well, he'll be back in the premiership next season. several premiership sides need a lefty who can cross consistently and score off free kicks. remember who said it first!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by striker These same teams probably also want their midfielders to play decent defense. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gotta say, he isnt the best at tracking back, but I have been following him all season and he has by far been the bright light in the Preston North End season.....I second, third, fourth, or whatever number this is that Lewis makes a step back to the premiership next season at the outside mid..
When you say following him all season, what do you mean (i.e., what is your basis for saying "by far" the brightest light)?
You can follow all the action on for Preston North End on www.pnefc.net , you have to sign up and log in which takes a while but it is worth it, you get all the updates, write-ups, game reviews...etc that you could want.... Eddie is one of my fav US players because I play the same position as him, and constantly this year I read how his form has been on all season long... I also try to follow all the matchtracker threads that people post up here about their games... And now just about every us soccer website has a "yanks abroad" section, these are the best places to get info on him and the team.... And when I say brightest light I dont mean to take anything away from any other players, I just feel like it seems that his consistency has made him stand out more than anyone....cant wait to seem him get back in a national team camp
I've heard of the internet, but...aw forget it, I should have just said Welcome to BigSoccer - if you haven't already heard it.
I hope you do realize that these sections may not necessarily offer the most unbiased views of our boys. In spite of my less than totally rosy view of Eddie's ability, I would love to see him in the EPL. I am just not as willing as many other posters to overlook some of his deficiencies.
I hope you are saying this just to get our conversation going since I really dislike this line of reasoning. One can almost always quote an exception to the "rule" to try to justify a point. For example, poster #1 said LD really should gain some weight/strength to improve his game. Poster #2 could always say great player so-and-so (I think examples often used were Del Piero and Baggio) is even smaller than LD. Most players have multiple duties. If one is so very good at one of these duties (e.g., offense), often the team is willing to compensate for his/her weakness in other duties (e.g., defense). In my opinion, Eddie's offensive skill (by EPL standard) is not so superior that many teams would be willing to adjust for his defensive liabilities.
I don't watch the 1st Division, so I can't comment on how Lewis plays for Preston. For the USMNT, he has played defense well, even when assigned as the left wingback in a 3-5-2, a position that requires extensive defensive work.
Martin, I would have to disagree with you regarding Eddie's performance as a defender with our national team.
So Striker, All that guff about Lewis not playing EPL quality defense as a midfielder comes not from seeing him play for PNE, or anything written about his play at PNE, but from his play for the nats? Which game tipped you off? And all that complaining about the Giggs comparison . . . you just forgot about Wiltord, Viana and Kewell. Or, if you want ordinary EPL players on ordinary EPL teams, rather than very good players on very good teams, I really want to read your comparison of Lewis and Gronkjaer, where you maintain that the Dane really does play the better defense. Or, if you prefer, compare Lewis to that great defensive stalwart, Fabrice Fernandes. Or Keith Gillespie. Or Zenden. Or Greening. Another BigSoccer original. (You might pause to consider that not only do his club and national team coaches disagree with you, but that midfielders who cannot play defense ordinarily get even less playing time in the first and second divisions than in the EPL. Ask Kirovski or Thorrington what happens if a coach loses faith in your commitment to defense in the nationwide. Of course if you had seen Lewis play a lot in the past year, and could explain his defensive deficiencies in detail, you might have some reason for your combination of oracular judgments devoid of support and disdain for all other opinions.)
I've seen him play in two Preston games this season. Not a big sample, but he did noticably better going forward than when he was asked to play a more defensive role. In particular he got roasted by Glen Little of Burnley for a 25 minute period when Preston were attempting to sit on a lead.
My opinion on Eddie's defensive prowess came from watching him play with San Jose and USMNT and reading reports of him (here and elsewhere) playing in England. IMHO, Wiltord, Viana, Kewell, Gronkjaer, Fernandes, Zenden and Greening are all (to various degrees) superior to Eddie in their offensive contributions. I am less certain that Gillespie (of the current season) is better offensively, but he is more of a threat playing one on one (rather than just crossing the ball).