Steve McManaman is collecting splinters at Real Madrid (no surprise, wha with Figo, Zidane, et.al.), and has just been dropped from the English National team by Ericsson. He plays a wing, left or right, and will be 31 next February. When he is at his best I think he is fabulous. With a vacant SI slot, and money to spend, could Hudson talk him into coming to DCU? I know, it's somewhere between "unlikely" and "impossible," but what a coup if some creative financing could be employed, perhaps using MLS sponsors' money, to bring him here. With Convey in the middle supporting MAE we have an opening at left midfield that Mapp is probably not ready to fill, and we could lose Beninho again. What do you think? If nothing else, it's something to discuss while we wait for the personnel moves early next year. Also, I would rather have Macca than Gazza any day.
I would assume money would be a big issue. Even rotting on the bench at Real Madrid, Macca is still likely to make 10 times as much as he would in MLS. But if Ray could get him, I'd take him.
Nope. First, McManaman has already publicly said that he'd like to get back on the National side. Second, the way to view this is that we have about 2-3 maximum salary slots on each MLS team. Ideally, the guys in those slots would be at least one of your strikers (either a withdrawn forward or finisher), a creative midfielder, and a defensive organizer (such as a D-mid or sweeper). McManaman is a fine player who'd do well in MLS--no doubt. And it would be dumb to acquire him. We are likely to have only one maximum salary spot open. We can spend it on a striker/finisher or spend it on an outside mid? Oh--and there's that hole at D-mid (which becomes bigger if we move Pope). This team the past 3 years (despite different coaches and different styles of play and even some personnel changes) hasn't shown: 1. Finishing skill and consistency; 2. Organization (especially defending) on set pieces and at the end of the half or game. We give up cheap goals or mistakes or counters against the run of play (fortunately, much less of that than in prior years). We press but don't finish chances. I want more skill and leadership and ability in the middle of the pitch for this team. Striker, attacking mid, defensive mid. Any money created by trading or releasing players like Pope and Moreno needs to be spent on those areas.
Zero chance of him coming to MLS. Maybe in 3-5 more years, but not any sooner. Great player, but he's waaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of our league. For him a "step down" would be to make 5 times as much money as MLS and become a star for an English Premiership team that is in the bottom half of the table. IMHO, we'd have a better chance of getting Teddy Sheringham, and that is also not going to happen. -Tron
Honestly, I know there's not a chance of getting Macca, but I just wanted to start some rampant speculation. Macca can get playing time at many times MSL wages for an EPL team if he chooses to leave Real. Joe W's point that we shouldn't spend the maximum available except for finisher, D-mid, etc., is well taken. If Pope goes, I assume Nelsen is in the middle of a back 3, but what if we get Jolley? Could Nelsen be the D-mid in front of Jolley, wth Reyes and Prideaux outside defenders? Nellie played there several times and did well. Then we could focus on a top-flight (and perhaps top salaried) finisher.
Macca's way out of our price range. What about Finidi George? I think Ipswich is letting him go on a free transfer.
I was watching a game a week or two ago and they were talking about Macca and his lack of playing time. They mentioned that he has turned down offers to leave Real as he has no desire to leave. His reasoning was that even though his is sitting on the bench he still gets to play with Figo, Rinaldo, ZZ, and Co. on a daily basis.
No way should we go after McManaman. Marc Overmars is a much better left wing. But we're not going to lure any world class midfielders here.
McManaman isn't interested in leaving Real Madrid. Even if he isn't playing. As for rampant speculation, I'd rather speculate about what S.Americans are in Italy and aren't playing/likely to be dropped that might be available for United--especially as a finisher or D-mid. As for Nelsen moving to D-mid, I don't think that is in the cards. What DC United in our prime showed, is defensive depth matters. If you have a back 4, you need 5 bonafide starters. I don't think it's certain we get Jolley. Even if we do, if United went with 4 in the back, we still don't have great depth there--especially given that Nelsen misses a month of the season (due to international commitments) and Reyes and McKinley pick up cards so easily. Besides, we've got to stop thinking of our D-mid as an upgraded Richie Williams (a little faster, bigger and a tad more skills). I think Hudson is looking for something very, very different. I think he wants someone who will play D-mid like Reyna played A-mid for the USA in qualifying. Very deep, lots of touches, controlling the pace and flow of the game, dictating the direction of the attack. And organizing the entire defense, marshalling the mids and even front-runners on set pieces and in tracking back. Someone who does those things (ala Ian Bishop) would really allow Etcheverry and Convey to play up more (and Marco would be much more effective--he'd be a playmaker in the final third of the attack, not running the offense). I really like Nelsen but he doesn't do all those things. I think what's ironic is we're throwing around all these names and worrying about Gazza, Ginola, De Boer. I suspect we're going to end up with a finisher that doesn't have a great reputation but is a superb role player (ala Miklos Molnar was for KC) and a D-mid who was much like Moreno was coming from Middlesborough--not much of a known quantity (he'd washed out of the EPL for a middling team--who could expect much from that?). I don't have any inside info. It's just that I think Hudson has better contacts overseas and spends more time overseas than probably the rest of the MLS coaching staffs combined (or close to it).
Wait people, Macca has had an important role on Real this year because of the injuries the team has faced. If he is not starting, he is the first choice with Guti off the bench.
He just doesn't know what he's missing. He could be playing with Olsen, Convey, Nelson, and Rimando instead. Man, how shortsighted can one person be. TS.
If DC got a defensive midfielder who could control the flow of the game, make good passes from the back, and organize the defense, what would they need Marco for? The only thing Marco can still do that is worth anything is pass from the back. He's too slow and usually too out of shape to go forward with any authority. Convey could be that sort of attacking midfielder in the center or on the wings. But imagining Marco in that role beggars the imagination.
Well Gazza just blew off Gillingham's offer, so I think that Ray is going to sign him after he unloads the salaries of Jaime & Eddie and the little man we call Ritchie Rich. I think we're gonna get Gazza, guys. Geez. Lots of G's.