Is he really that much better then Lisi or Bradley for the amount of money he would be making ($150k minimum)? I imagine thats the question Lalas and Bradley have to be asking themselves.
this would be a great opportunity for all access to go in and do an interview with bradley, some coach staff, and neil. they could show some more clips of practice and how neil looks. but no chance that's gonna happen. all access has so much potential but they don't use it
You don't want to hype something that you don't have or may not happen, its basically pointless and brings up unreasonable expectations.
it wouldn't have to be hype. it's just that this guy may/may not sign with the club and it'd be nice to see something about him or talk to bob/alexi about what they think. they could do it to dispell rumors. that wouldn't be hype. just something would be nice. they could also show us the faces and maybe some of the goals in the reserve matches. i'm gonna start a new thread about this and stop hijacking this one
One last time.. we will not sign anybody that might possibly beat Mini-Bradley for his spot in our lineup. Take it to the bank!!! It is not going to happen with anyone. Rico
And I am sure the fact that we signed Gilberto last year who plays Bradley's position doesn't do anything to dispell your falsely held belief in nepotism?
After. The Metro always sign players after the season started. I dont think anyone looked at him as a d-mid.
I see critical thinking was a missing additive in your baby formula...... Let's see, Gilberto was brough in last year to play defensive midfielder, the same position Bradley now plays. Point against nepotism or favoritism. Gilberto won the starting position until he was hurt, then won it back again and played poorly, post-injury last year. Point against nepotism or favoritism. Gilberto was in camp this spring and Bradley repeatedly said that he was not impressing and failed to live up to last year's form yet still keeps him on board. Bradley was giving him a fair shake, a chance to prove himself. Point against nepotism or favoritism. Bradley is on record as saying that in Brazil, he will be looking for a few hard men in the mold of Gilberto. Would that make sense if he wants to start his son? Indeed, he brought several central mids into camp in Ecuador as well. Point against nepotism or favoritism. Gilberto makes an appearance in Colorado and several reserve games but does not distinguish himself. He is let go. Point against nepotism or favoritism. Suddenly, its Bradley playing nepotism for his son. FYI, Nicol is on record as saying he views Gilberto as good cover and not a starter. Yep, you guessed it, another point against nepotism or favoritism. FYI, Bradley was always billed as a central midfielder and not a defensive midfielder but he has been asked to fill this role and he's done it very well. He makes smart passes, defends well and does alot of dirty work. Look at the connection he has formed with Guevera out there. If Bradley really had nepotism in mind, he wouldn't have brought in Youri this year to "compete" at Bradley's true spot. The final point against nepotism or favoritism. Case closed, give me some positive rep people.
...whereas condescension was obviously a main ingredient in yours. Now, I'm not going to argue that Bob is guilty of nepotism or favoritism, but your arguments against that aren't as rock solid as you think. First of all, the fact that Gilberto was brought in last year to play d-mid, which is Michael's current position, says nothing. As for this year, you just keep on saying the same thing, that Gilberto had the chance to prove himself but failed. To you, this is a "point against nepotism or favoritism" - but all this shows is that Bob chose to play his son instead of Gilberto. Granted, Michael has performed better than expected this year, but how exactly is this a "point against nepotism or favoritism"? To me it seems like it weighs in the opposite direction. Finally, your contention that the introduction of Youri, an attacking central mid and occasional forward, somehow weighs against the possibility of favoritism is ludicrous. What you are implying is that if Bob ever brings in a new d-mid or central mid, then he can't possibly be favoring his son since these new players would be competing against him. BS. The only thing your "points" show is that Bob is not stupid. If there is favoritism going on (and I'm not saying that there is, just don't rule it out) it would be a lot less blatant.
Maybe we should wait until Gilberto plays his third MLS game post-injury before we say too much about his talent, etc. As I recall pre-injury, he was a hard-tackling yellow-card machine who passed the ball like Jeff Moore. Of course, the hard-tackling aspect of his game was a positive last year. And let's not forget, many of you want Neil Barrett regardless of his contract demands simply because he played in England and Scotland and probably says things like "pitch", "kit" and "arse." Forget that few among us could pick him out of a police lineup, much less give an educated assessment of his play. If he's looking for upwards of 150k, he'd better be more than just a guy who gets "stuck in." Cheers!
So my contention that Youri, who plays the same position as Michael, as noted above, has no validity but the "point" that somehow Gilberto was released just to make time for Michael is valid? BS.
Say that again. How do you equate the positions of attacking mid and forward with the position of defensive mid?
My whole beef with how this whole thing has gone down is that Michael Bradley is not a defensive midfielder and never has been. He's an attacking midfielder. We had natural defensive midfielders who have been dumped to convert an attacking mid to defensive mid. Thats makes little sense. Also, whether you think the kid is good or not isn't really the point. The thing about all this that should bother everyone is that a team is only better when there is competition for spots in the starting 11. Someone having no real competition for their spot is never a good thing.
Let me break this down, yet again: People claim that releasing Gilberto and not signing Barrett is a sign of Bradley's nepotism. I claim that signing Youri, an attacking midfielder who plays the same position that Bradley is supposed to play (and has played his whole life until this season) and would not only compete with Bradley for playing time but most people thought would keep him off the field is a sign that Bradley is not trying to force his son onto the field. So, in short, people argue falsely that releasing Gilberto is a sign that competition is being cleared for Bradley to automatically start. And I claim that signing other central mids shows the mindset that Bradley does not view his son as an automatic starter. Now, shifting gears, why would you sign Barrett, a player who is basically Mark Lisi, for twice what Lisi makes when you already have Lisi on the team? Save that money, allocations are few and far between in MLS and need to be used wisely.
Bear with me on this one too; but before I start, I agree with you on the competition factor, but just keep in mind that with MLS' salary cap, keeping a player like Gilberto on the roster eats valuable space. But I agree with the sentiment. Just because Bradley isn't a d-mid doesn't make him a bad one. Remember that Shalarie Joseph and Chris Armas did not start as d-mids. Now, Reyna is beginning to play d-mid for the national team. A central midfielder who has certain defensive qualities (which Bradley has) can adjust into that role.
Your contention that Youri was brought in to compete with Michael would be valid if this were back in February, when they were both still considered attacking mids. Now Michael has started all 16 games at d-mid, while Youri is a lock to start at a-mid, so they no longer compete. The fact that most people thought Youri's signing would keep Michael off the field - combined with the fact that it obviously hasn't - is by itself enough to refute your point. I never suggested Gilberto was moved just to make time for Michael. He was moved well after Bob had made the decision as to who the team's d-mid would be. If Gilberto was still with Metro, he'd be sitting on the bench (or playing for the reserves). The fact is, Youri and Michael are natural attacking-mids and Gilberto is a natural d-mid. The only one playing out of position is Michael. For the life of me, I still can't figure out how you think all this is evidence against favoritism.
He was given away to the Revs, who needed someone to replace their even worse Brazilian reject, Cassio. Gilberto cost half as much as Cassio and you have to believe Stevie Nicol felt some guilt for Clint Dempsey basically ruining Gilberto's career last year. This nepotism crap is the weak creation of some very warped people. Why the heck would an established professional coach jeopardize his career in order to get his son some games? Explain that one. This isn't freakin U-10 soccer we're talking here. You nepotism freaks have it in your heads that this is going on so you build up Gilberto to be Patrick Viera or somebody. Point blank, Michael Bradley is a better midfielder than Gilberto. All this labeling of D-Mid and A-Mid is just idiotic banter by soccer novices who don't know the first thing about the game. Little Bradley is tireless, has good vision, is an underrated passer and isn't afraid of contact. He passes well and is a strong kid. Right now he's the best option Bob Bradley has and that's why he's on the field. Does he make his mistakes? Of course he does, but that will come with 17. Those of you blinded by this nepotism lunacy can't be bothered to realize that a real qualiy player is developing. As for Gilberto. He was fearless and he could be clever with his passing, but he was hardly strong, great in the air or all that solid positionally, so why do people try and portray him like he's Claude Makelele? Is Neil Barrett the answer? I say no. I say go find a forward or another offensive-minded midfielder to provide depth in the attack(or get a big-named foreign defender who wants to play here) and if Michael Bradley or Lisi can't get the job done in the D-Mid then you slide Amado back come playoff time and move Youri into the midfield.
Again, that simple-minded and misleading question. If you bother to read a few posts, it's already been addressed.
I have bothered to read many posts and it has been addressed with logic and reason as opposed to the rationale of nepotism.
If I'm one of your "nepotism freaks" then you have misunderstood. I, for one, merely suggested that favoritism shouldn't be ruled out. I don't see how you can rule it out either, unless you are Bob's psychotherapist or something. By the way, lacing your argument with insults and hyperbole (nobody is equating Gilberto with Viera or Makelele) really undercuts your credibility.