Not sure if this is good or bad news for you rapids fans or not but planetfootball.com is reporting that powell has signed a deal through 2004. Looks like his team was offering him less money and MLS/Rapids gave him the max which is about $270,000. Hopefully he works out for you guys.
I lose more respect for mls when i hear things like this.... Why does mls always think any has been in europe is sooo much better than american players. He hasn't even come to a practice and they will pay him that much money because he once played in europe? Why isn't he still over there then?
Plus he is still hurt and will take 6 weeks to get fit at which time he will get hurt again and on and on. Hanki is now panicking.
I think this is a bad signing, he's already talking about being loaned back to England after the season. Plus he's at league Max. the guy was in Division 1 on a bad team, sounds like the Rapids bought the first thing that was offered after Grimandi and didn't do any shopping. I can picture Jacky Chiles (Kramer's lawyer) saying "This is yet another of my public humiliations"
I think the news alone is just good for overall morale. This club needs energy!!! I don't care if the guy wants to be loaned back in the off-season, all the power to him. Here is a man who, by showing up and putting in a decent effort could turn a season around, it doesn't necessarily have to be single-handedly, this team has talent (and they're speculating 3 weeks, not 6) and go down in early club lore, seal his place in history. I see lots of reason for motivation. I'm going to go out on a limb (I know the Smiths say it's lonely there) but I think this losing streak is galvanizing the supporters and their support for the players, regardless of Hanki, and Counce, their fate has already been sealed in regards to their public images in Denver. I'm ready to win, and I pity the rest of the teams on our schedule that think the Rapids will be a free pass to 3 points from here on out... Hey Kids in 127, we're doing a good job of being asses to the opposing teams, we're on the right track to being Milwall twins... No One Likes Us... It's Beautiful!!!!!
No, it will probably be about 6 weeks and maybe longer because he still has to get a work permit. I would be very hopeful for him to be playing in 6 weeks time. Maybe sooner but I wouldn't count on it.
This just cam over a coaching site from a guy from England. He always makes non coaching posts on the site for some reason. Some of you might find it interesting. Title of the thread was "Wednesdays loss is Rapids loss." "ANY COLORADO RAPIDS FANS?? The Rapids have just agreed to make Darryl Powell a League Max player. He signed for Sheffield Wednesday only a few months ago and is one hell of a big headed player. He got a relegation release clause, so he's been wanting to leave, but now that he's realised that no Division 1/Premiership (I can't believe he expected that!) club was even remotely interested in him, he's suddenly happy to go over to the US and collect his wages over with you. I'm VERY happy over this - he's been messing us around loads and he's been messing the Rapids around too - waitin for something better, I bet he still is as big headed as he was before. I can't believe Turner (our manager) has been kissin his arse - trying to get him more wages to stay and even offered this guy the CAPTAIN's armband! What a joke! I was very nhappy about that, not the right message at all. He's clumsy, slightly dirty, average distribution, old and he's been injured virtually the whole time he's been here! quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jamaican international midfielder Darryl Powell has signed a deal with Major League Soccer through to the end of the 2004 season to join Colorado Rapids. The former Sheffield Wednesday player revealed that he has sent faxed confirmation through to Todd Durbin at MLS headquarters, and will head over to Denver in around three weeks` time. Colorado had noted that they were going to take the deal off the table if Powell had not confirmed his contract offer by Wednesday - a deal that sees him become a League Max player with the Rapids, meaning the club pay him the capped maximum salary within their salary cap space. Powell explained that the delay in making a final decision was due to what The Owls were offering him to stay in South Yorkshire. He also noted that there was interest from his former club Derby County, where he has been training recently. "It took a lot of deliberation initially and there was a good chance I was going to stay with Sheffield Wednesday because (manager) Chris Turner thought he was going to be able to offer me the same money (as last season)," revealed Powell. "However the chairman (Geoff Hulley) said no. "I've had no choice but to move on, but I'm looking forward to the challenge." Powell also noted that he would like to evaluate the possibility of being loaned back to England in the MLS close-season next winter before returning to play in the 2004 MLS campaign. Colorado manager Tim Hankinson will be pleased with Powell's signing, as he has been searching for a midfield replacement following Gilles Grimandi's walk-out before the beginning of this season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Having said that, I'd like to thank the fool working for the rapids who agreed to sanction this move and get him off our hands results with Powell: PNE lose 1-0 Derby draw 2-2 Pigs lose 3-1 Wolves lose 4-0 Norwich draw 2-2 Coventry win 5-1 Ipswich lose 1-0 Without him (and around the time he was here when Turner was in charge): Forest win 2-0 Rotherham win 2-0 Reading win 3-2 Bradford draw 1-1 Millwall lose 3-0 Watford draw 2-2 Wimbledon win 4-2 Portsmouth win 2-1 Grimsby draw 0-0 Brighton draw 1-1 Burnley win 7-2 Walsall win 2-1 really useful player good riddance!"
Powell? So Powell has SIGNED, but he's not here yet, hasn't played, and isn't homesick yet.........I think we have a lot of 'ifs' still to hurdle. This could be another in a series of Rapids well executed front office signee disasters. That said, Powell could turn out to be a gem, like Spencer, and then we'll forget all this contract on-and-off crap. If we look at the Jamaicans-Marshall, Harris, Dawes, Bent (joke)....they all could play, and Powell has a better petigree than the guys that we have had. Maybe there will be enough players left after retirements, firings, injury, trades, waivers, deaths, psychotic breaks, etc. to field 11 when he's ready to play. RLH
Re: Powell? Marshall was downright horrible when he was with the Rapids. He found a calling as a defender when he went to Miami, but anyone that witnessed him playing in scrimmages and exhibitions for the Rapids could see the guy was a complete mess on the field. "Petigree?"
Ladies and Gentlemen, May I present ...... Dan Counce! NOTE: Two teams I hate more than Man Utd: Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
He's signed: http://www.coloradorapids.com/site/goal.asp?cid=377&nav=1 Rapidfire subscribers will be getting an email any minute now.
I don't know why so many of you are so negative about the signing of Powell. The Rapids are winless right now. What have they got to lose? He could be the extra talent Colorado needs to improve their record.
OR, he could be a quarter million dollar anchor that gets benched the minute he makes a mistake, and then struggles to make it back on the field, and in the interim, keeps us from signing someone more useful. I am not saying that this is the case - I hope the guy does great and turns the team around. But a few things concern me - 1, that he didn't want to come here, BUT for the money (not inherently bad, but it still makes you wonder if we are his retirement home); 2, another player with injury; 3, this smacks of desperation - we have to get *someone* - ANYONE will do, as long as they have a European league label on their head. We shall see.
Powell was quoted in the News as saying he has a hamstring problem, 'but I'll be ready to go when I get my work permit'. In other news, after misunderstanding Counce's directive to 'get us some horses', Mr Hanki was recently spotted scouting the Arapahoe Park stable area. Rumor has it he will apply for a trainer's license, as he appears to have his eye on a couple promising $5000 claimers.
This brings up a memory of an ancient new orleans sportscasting legend, Hap Glaudi. I can't remember the exact teams, but this was 1974 or 1975 "The Baltimore Bullets traded the Elvin Hayes for to race horses, I mean thorough breds. what they for horses? What is this?" They traded for two young talents to replace an ageing veteran.
I don't see how this signing can make any of the Rapids fans too excited. Looking at his track record, he seems like he'll be an "average" signee, even though he's now getting the league maximum...I hope he'll avoid injuries.