I dont have a link, and it's probably just someones conjecture, but I read about a rumor of Rangers now being interested in Twellman.
It's not like MLS could magically change the rules to suit what it wants. MLS Rumors is a horrible site which is run by one of the biggest blowhards on BigSoccer. I wouldn't be surprised if someone completely made up that rumor for the hell of it.
In the early 90s, he had a net worth of -$1 billion. It is fun to play with other people's money. Cold calls are one of the worst ways to get noticed or sell your product. The time and energy people in the Revs organization spend going through unsolicited dvds could go to scouting actual professional players who are good enough to get noticed on their own. I'd be very curious to see if they have signed anyone who has contacted the Revs, not vice versa.
The rumors on their site are usually suspect but they are not to be faulted in how they reported this one. Did you read what they wrote? They made it clear that they felt the rumor was suspect and gave it a very low rating (unlikely).
The sad part about the TNT saga is that...if and when he goes it leaves us with a huge gaping hole in our forward line...and then what??? People forget too easily...Clint Dempsey was on the verge of a being a VERY disgruntled underpaid Revs player right before the Fulham transfer. SJ played an entire season "disgruntled". Now think about it...Noonan Gone..TNT possibly..SJ will probably get the itch again. And there's rumors of Figo??? Yea...so what??? Who's Figo going to pass the ball to? You know..even the great Pele and Maradona couldn't just win games single handedly. They needed good to great players to play alongside to make that brilliance shine... I realize MLS struggles to keep young talent in this league..especially if they have aspirations and the ability to give it a go across the pond. I'm just very curious as to how in God's name are we going to replace a Dempsey(waiting 2 years) a Noonan..possibly a Twellman..and who knows, maybe even a Joseph??? That's just way too many quality players to try and salvage with 1 DP and some untested signings...no?
Yeah, I read what they wrote. Unless they are able to independently verify the author of the email (my educated guess is they didn't) then they would be better off not publishing it if they think the rumor is a rating of "low".
Because on the field, he's the Revs answer to Manny Ramirez and his escapades. I'm never forgetting that free kick. Such acts make one look clueless and that has the ability to carry on off the pitch.
First, they just drafted one of these guys. Second, I don't begrudge them skipping 2-3 games that they could be scouting players in order to sift through resumes. It's something every team does (even in Europe)- it's just that most teams have scouts who do it for them. With that said, they have been woeful at bringing ANYONE in. I think Nicol, Bruns, etc are just afraid to tie too much money on a hit-or-miss proposition. I had no problems with the old strategy of dedicating their time to the draft, but with the recent departures and changes in salary cap/foreignor rules/DP slots/etc, I think the FO needs to adjust their strategy.
Isn't that the whole point of a rumor site? You know, to give us info on rumors big or not? If you wait until the rumor becomes "likely" then it becomes news that - in a perfect wolrd - we would see published at a reputable outlet.
Agreed. The last year or so has shown that, from a talent point of view, MLS is gaining respect around the world. A fair number of our players have generated interest from other leagues around the world. What it has ALSO shown is that MLS doesn't have the ability to pay a competitive salary for our better players. As such, FO's around the league are operating in a very different world than they were the first 8 - 10 years of the league.
There is no way Twellman warrants a 5-8 dollar million transfer fee. If Dempsey's transfer was 4 million, and that was the record for MLS, you'd have to say 3 million is a fair offer from TNT, especially when you look at PNE's budget. Of course, I doubt the Revs will do the deal because they don't want to commit resources (labor & financial) toward player acquisitions, but let's not pretend that there's something wrong with the offer itself.
I remember the free kick, but have no idea why this would translate to his failure to comprehend soccer politics. He's a school teacher, IIRC, not a pinhead. Meaning what, exactly?
I don't think anyone realistically believes that Twellman is worth 5-8 million on the open market but I think most of us agree that he's worth MORE TO THE REVS AND MLS than the 2.5 million offered. IMO, he's not going anywhere because no one is going to pay WHAT HE"S WORTH TO THE REVS AND MLS.
Khano is no Manny. He might have some of the looney antics Manny has, but he dosent produce anywhere near what Manny does.
You may be right about this, but the question it raises for me is: If he's worth that much to the Rev's, why are they only paying him $325,000 per year? I think a lot of Twellman's (understandable) frustration is that his salary is so far out of keeping with his apparent value to the team. I'm not suggesting that there's an easy solution or that making him a DP would be practiceable, but there are some very good reasons for him to be upset and feel hard done by in a "good business relationship" sense if not a legal one. It bothers me for two reasons, 1) I appreciate Twellman's contributions to the team over the years and sympathize with him 2) I worry about how this situation will impact his performance and the relationship between the FO and the locker room at large. Taylor's a leader, and I would imagine that the FO's treatment of him (and Shalrie, Noonan, Dempsey, and John) will be on people's minds when contract negotiations come up next time around.
Say he has a bad first touch if you want. Say he is useless on dead ball plays, and can't head to save his life. But don't hint at looney antics unless you can back it up. I've been paying reasonably close attention since Smith arrived, and I don't remember hearing about anything Smith did that could be construed as looney.
I'm not going after his character, jeez. All I meant was he does bizarre stuff on the pitch, crazy free kicks, and all kinds of stuff that makes no sense. I wasnt saying he was some kind of a bad guy or something.
Same here. Gosh all I was doing was poking a bit of fun (mostly at management and those Status Quo diehards that love management).
Maybe that was the wrong phrase, but I'm not taking the bait to start yet another argument between optimists, realists, and pessimists. Quite frankly I'm sick of it all.