Ok, he runs effective diagonals opening up triangles with EJ and Curtis, on both sides of the field, and holds the ball very well, providing a target that is extremely effective for the Burn. We saw the danger of an EJ playing wide right and offering the ability to penetrate with all-out speed, or cutting back and drawing two defenders to guard against his newly proven playmaking abilities. We've seen Curtis' ability to draw defenders wide with his tenacious, relentless runs. We've seen Davis play an effective defensive game, giving his teammates the confidence to push at all angles (a la Earthquakes). If Vaca can distribute and stay strong on the ball, he'll gel too. And with a disciplinarian like Clarke at the helm, we might get all-out effort and teammates supporting each other instead of destructive, finger-pointing attitudes. What are the chances of signing him long-term and solidifying an athletic attack (the kind I've been dreaming of for some time) for years-to-come?
this reminds me somewhat of the athletic forwards for columbus. the variety that curtis, johnson and nhleko bring to the table is impressive, especially if they can keep building on the chemistry they seem to be feeding on.
And if the MLS buys him from Brann, do we have his rights or will he go into the draft? And if we do have his rights what will the cost be or what was it? Never quite figured out how the whole discovery/allocation/draft thing works.
Nhleko is on loan until Dec 1st. At which point the Burn have an option to buy his current contract from Brann. I do not know the length of contract, but the $ value is enough to make him an SI even though he is young enough to be a trans-int. (See Andy Williams a couple years ago).
We need him, especially if these guys find a way to sneak us into the playoffs. With the speed of Cutis on the left and the speed of Johnson on the right, Nhelko plays a key role in holding the ball in the middle, and the 3 can have a dynamite attack. Now if they can just make sure to finish their chances we would be rich in goals. A little more work and we got some serious offense for the rest of the season (and possibly post-season )
I really enjoy watching Toni. He adds a demension that I haven't seen in the Burn for a while. But isn't Thompson the same type player? (Big physical forward) When will he be available?
Yes stylistically he is the same. Big, physcial, likes to play with back to goal, can hold up and dump off, and turn. But he is not as strong as Toni, and is just a touch slower in the long sprint. Jaosn needs to work on his feet, and his turn is not MLS pace yet. He is a bit raw, but he seems to be improving and has a tremendous shot when he gets space. Thompson is avaliable now, but is not ready for primetime. But I would like to see him get some monutes in a game to help judge just exactly where he is. When he was picked he was a project, and was set back by the knee.
Woohoo, this sounds very promising Hope the club is as eager to sign him as some of the people in here. Toni's contract with Brann ends in december 2005. When it comes to how much he'd cost Burn, I'm not really sure. Brann is most likely very eager to get rid of him since he's not good enough for our league, but he won't be free. Maybe half a mill or so? Not too expencive anyways.
One thing that strikes me ass odd is that I thought Eddie was left footed. Is Curtis also left footed and Eddie has a better right?
not good enough for 2nd division in Norway? Is this saying something bad about MLS or about the Coaches in Norway. C'mon all you gotta do is make the fat ass run
Oh, he was good enough for our b-squad / youth team, which is in the second division. I was talking about the a squad / first team. He clearly lacks the skills to make it there.
I'm still not satisfied, while I haven't ever watched Norweigan soccer, I would like to think MLS is better, but I guess we still got some growing to do.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think you can expect to get a whole lot for Toni. MLS clubs are certainly not rich, and, although some of us have been impressed with Toni, there's no way any team would be willing to pay half a million dollars for him. I think 3rd Degree said the option to buy was under six figures, which I think would be a lot more reasonable.
I suspect it has more to do with his need for a change of scenery than not being good enough for Norwegian football.
I think the difference between the Norweigan league and MLS is probably pretty insignificant also. Maybe a question of style, but I would imagine the quality is pretty close. After all, Wade Barrett has been struggling mightily just to keep a spot on a weak Danish team. It's my understanding that they play a much more physical style in Scandanavia, and so maybe Toni's strength and holding ability weren't such an asset in that league, as in one with a number of small, skillful latins and americans who stuck with soccer because they were too short for the other sports.
Here is what I wrote about a month ago..... ------------------- I asked about the option to buy on the Toni Nhleko deal. I did not get an exact number, but I asked if the deal was 6 figures... "About half that." says Jeffries. ------------------------ But that is just to buy his contract. I would guess his contract is in 200K range, based on the fact they made him SI due to his $$'s
Thanks again. I know his contract would be pretty high, but I don't the guy from Brann is particularly interested in how much we're paying Toni. All he cares about is what we're willing to pay his team (which is perfectly reasonable). I wasn't sure when I read that, half six figures means $50,000, not 3 figures, right?
Quite true $50.000? That's like.. nothing.. I'd be very surprised if Brann let a young player with NT experience and several years left of his contract go for that kind of money. More likely to loan him out another year and see if he's a hit in another team instead then. Of course, they might be even more eager to get rid of him than I suspect, but when we've sold other border-line NT players with contracts about to run out the past few years, we've gotten like $800.000 - $2mill for them. Of course, they were bigger hits than Toni, but still..
Look two posts up.... I got that number directly from Mike Jeffries. In the loan deal Toni is currently on, that price is the contracted amount of the buy out. That loan deal expires Dec 1.
According to a Brann supporter I was chatting with today, Toni's salary is in the $50k-$75k range. If true, I sure hope we get this done because I sure like our current front three set-up, especially if Curtis is replaced with O'Brien, and he seems quite affordable. Though, I suspect nothing will happen until a permanent manager is in place.
Toni makes less than $100.000? That's kinda uncommon for people with international experience over here, but maybe he didn't keep his salery from Brann when he went on the loan. Anyways, Brann received a mail from Dallas Burn this week, saying they wanted to keep Toni in their squad, but they didn't want to pay the agreed transfer fee. Brann, of course, turned this offer down. So, it's kinda undecided what'll happen with him I guess.
Interesting. I have been told by Burn the buyout is $50,000. And that toni makes $150K to $200K range. Hence his Senior Int status when he is Trans Int age.
Isn't it about time to hear some news on whether we buy Nhelko's contract? I thought the deadline was Dec 1. I can appreciate wanting to have a coach in place before making the decision, but unless it's Colin, that's not likely to happen. Maybe they figure they can get the same deal after the deadline as before. Any word on the proceedings?
I heard from Norway that the Burn came back to Brann asking for a reduced transfer fee from the loan option amount and Brann refused.
I am greatly dissapointed in how easily Burn fans are satisfied. With fans eager for the return of the B-team (Nhelko, Curtis, ) and thier F-team side kick (EJ), why should management go out and spend money on decent players. Evidently Burn fans wouldn't know the difference. Yes, this pork rind does hold the ball well. Remember how well he also holds a turkey leg. He showed up overweight and late. How many goals did he score? I need my forward to score goals, not post his left cheek on someone. He is a gimmick player w/ a lack of personal discipline or maybe lack of respect for this league. If he were a domestic player playing for his salary and no strings attached I would say yes. Give him a chance. As to burning an SI slot? What in the hell are you people smoking?