Twellman remains patient By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff Revs' Twellman against changes By Gus Martins, Boston Herald U.S. nationals to visit Gillette By Gus Martins/ Revolution Notebook
Bench Twellman Question: Did Twellman do something to anger Brother Gus, or is he really that much of an unimaginative, spoiled prima donna? I can't imagine Nicol will be too pleased to read Twellman's comments. If TT can't figure Cancela out, bench him until he can.
Honestly when I read just his quoted statements, I see nothing the least bit controversial or incendiary about them. BREAKING NEWS: New England's star forward wants the ball in the box where he can score goals. Pretty common-sensical if you ask me (although Gus probably could-have/should-have gone a little easier on the headline). New England is a funny place.
On the April 7th "In the Net" Gus was on talking about places he was concerned about (check around 41'). He mentions that the team needs to get Ralston more involved like he used to be and how vital it is that Ralston "takes a lot of responsibility and initiative, because you really need that from an outside guy." He goes on to say that Pepe should hold the ball a bit less, not always go forward but sometimes head outside and to make a point to play Ralston into the game more. So in the interview these points are Gus' alone, he doesn't say "Twellman is concerned and I partly agree with him". So maybe Gus is playing up this whole angle a bit, to get some headlines and also because he seems to think that TT's point is an important one for the good of the team, so to speak.
Taylor Twellman and Daniel Hernandez, separated at birth? Will Nicol be consistent and treat them the same?
Well, IIRC our season was going nowhere last year before Pepe arrived. Other teams had figured out that if they shut down Ralston, they shut us down. I find the lack of imagination/flexibility by Taylor a bit interesting in this regard. True, you can't always stuff it down the middle, and coming down the middle does allow for some congestion on the part of the defense....but you can't ALWAYS come down the wing either. An offense that, as Nicol said, plays to all parts of the field, is a much better option.
More Rev News, 4/16 The Revolution return to home turf to take on the champions http://www.cybersoccernews.com/mls/revs/040416revs-sjeadv.shtml
Yes the Ralston-TT highway of old was figured out and goals dried up because of it. I like our new three avenues of attack: left-center-right. <doh!> You can't shut them all down by double and triple teaming.
Much ado about nothing. FYI, Gus Martins does not (nor does any newspaper reporter) write the headlines that accompany their articles. The copy editor/layout editor does that. Twellman wants the ball so he can score. That's his bread and butter. Ralston was the primary server of that bread & butter, but that is mainly because that was the only realistic option. With Cancela, that gives the offense more options, including Ralson and Kamler. Given the timing of injuries and arrivals, Cancela, Moore and Twellman have rarely played together. Give them a few games and they will do fine. Tom
If Twellman were actively trying to get out of NE for the last year or so then he probably would treat them the same, especially if someone like Shalrie outplayed him at his position.
When asked whether Cancela will have to adjust to forwards' movements, Twellman said he was almost secondary in that equation. ``In all honesty, he's there to serve Steve Ralston out wide and then get the ball in the box,'' Twellman said. ``That was our success in the past.'' Twellman's an idiot. He should just shut up and play. He thinks at the ripe old age of 24 or 25 he knows more than a coach who has played at the highest level of the game. And people ask why he's a "difficult" teammate ...
Twellman's current attitude is one of my fears realized. In his first year, he got paid for playing. He was a true team player with a great attitude. Remember all the times he would say that the scoring title wasn't important, that his goal scoring was only a good thing because it helped the team win. When a pass didn't go where he wanted it, he gave his little golf clap and kept plugging away. As I remember - and correct me if I am wrong - Twellman's new contract from last year was/is heavy on incentive bonuses. He is essentially getting paid extra for every goal he scores - and last season it showed. It got pretty old pretty fast seeing Twellman give his teammates exasperated looks, waving his hands around when the pass wasn't to his liking. I see Twellman's remarks in the Herald to be as simple as this, "Steve Ralston gets me paid. Cancela doesn't." When I heard about Twellman's incentive contract last year, I feared he'd become another Mamadou Diallo. OK, so he's not THAT bad. But I am haunted by the near famous Diallo quote to his teammates about getting paid to score goals and he wasn't going to pass. I think this incentive contract has gotten Twellman too focused on getting paid.
Hmmmm.... A western conference defender/midfielder? I can't see the Rapids giving us Mastroeni straight up for JMM, even though they both make about the same $$$ I can't think of anyone else offhand who might fit that description. I wonder if we could have thrown in a draft pick or some cap relief, or the old standby, "future considerations"? It would have been a nice move if we could have pulled it off, as much as I'd hate to see JMM go, that would be the way to do it. Tom
I can't say anything about the proposed trade (legal reasons obviously), but as for dealing Moore to a team for future considerations, which usually turn out to be draft picks and/or allocation, it wouldn't make sense for the Revs to do that. The reason why teams do that is for cap relief, hence the Brown trade. If the Revs want to get a big name defender, they are going to need to give up a big name player.
"The Revolution are understood to have recently offered Moore to a Western Conference team in exchange for a US international defender/midfielder..." Damn, that's a pretty short list of possible players who may fit that description, even fewer who might be offered in a straight swap. The only players that come to mind are Cory Gibbs and Pablo Mastroeni. Gibbs makes no sense, but I couldn't see Colorado letting go of Pablo either. Then again, the do have an opening in attack for the departed Chris Carrieri, but the club already has two starters in Spencer and Roberts. Nothing adds up. The Magpie
Sounds like a "fishing expedition" by the Revs. Dangle a player, name a guy you'd like but know is too "expensive", then move on to the "get real" stage ... Billy Beane, the guy who constructed the Oakland A's talked about one of his favorite trading tactics. He said he would never mention the guy he was interested in when opening talks. He would ask for guys he knew he couldn't get and try to manuever the discussion around to getting the other team to offer the guy he was really interested in. That way, the other team would think they were pulling a fast one on him.
Bergin's also got an article about Kansas City's offensive woes. Coincidence? Nick Garcia, Chris Klein, and Kerry Zavagnin are defenders and midfielders with international experience. Of the 3, I think it would be Zavagnin that fits the description best. Klein plays more on the wing. Garcia is a wing defender. Could be...
Late Edition, Revs News From the Eagle-Tribune Plenty of options, questions regarding Revolution offense http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20040416/SP_010.htm
I'm feeling sick... Its crazy, but see what we could get for Twellman. I'd rather see that little bitch flaunt his attitude somewhere other than here.