BEAST ED- tell me how you really feel. Ralston is a great guy to have on your team, and is probably the best midfielder in the league, but can you honestly say that he would be a better captain than Franchino? Do you really believe that he should be out of the team? WOW, Think about it would you want Franchino playing against you, and would you rather put Marshall in there based on these passed two games? Pretty harse, but from the outside it looks pretty biased and no way to support your player. Why don't you replay the first half of the dallas game and tell me how you justify your decision? I think there are teams out there that envy Franchino and you should beware of what you wish for. Noonan, has played pretty well as of late, but i think he is definitely not a mack daddy. he is hurt most of the time and to put all of your 3 pts together, it seems to me that maybe you should sign his brother!!!!!
becks - i agree with beasted. i haven't seen enough of marshall to say with 100% certainty ( or in practice), but from what i have seen, i like him over franchino. franchino is a known quantity, isn't getting better, and imho not quite the leader he should be. giveing someone the armband to keep him from picking up cards is not valid - this team needs a captain who can pick up the ball in ot and put it on the spot to lead the team to victory. defensivly - marshall and franchio are at least equal, with speed advanate (that we lack sorely) going to marshall. on crosses, advantage to franchinao - but franchino is not as good with the ball at his feet, has a horrible short pass completion rate, nor is he quick enought to make runs with the ball up the wing. one goal every 5 thousand free kicks doesnt tip the scale for me either. i think i'd rather see pepe (or jmm) behind the ball in those situations. plus, marshal will get better. despite the injuries that make this non-optional, from what little i have seen ( and this could change with more games under thier belts) i think i prefer kante & marshall over franchino and llamosa.
What grade are you in again? Note to Jesse: Perhaps you could install a spell-check. That may increase the credibility of many posts.
At the beginning of the season I felt that Joey's best spot was a D-mid in a 3-5-2, and I still feel that way. He's a very good ballwinner with limited speed. I don't know that I'd replace Joey with Leonard at this point in the season, due to Leonard's lack of experience, but there's not much of a dropoff while Joey's out. Leonard's looked good every time he's been out there lately. There was one play, I think in the middle of the second half, when Leonard was in a footrace with a fleet DC player (maybe Cerritos), which Marshall won. I remember thinking that there's no way Joey wins the race to that ball. One thing I would say, though. When Joey gets back into the lineup, I'd rather see Leonard sub in than Jason Moore. Other thoughts: Jason Moore really doesn't know what to do with the ball other than steam down his side. Someone should tell him that you don't have to beat someone off the dribble before you look to make a pass. Wasn't he talking earlier this year about wanting to be an attacking mid? For all the criticisms on this board, Rusty Pierce is the glue that holds the defense together. He has a great sense of when the other defenders aren't doing enough to get the ball out of our end, and taking charge of the situation. For some reason, Heaps seemed to do a much better job of staying in his spot. He's much more effective when he can wait for the play to come to him than when he has to close someone down. Joseph's really coming into his own. He's a lot more comfortable with the short passing game. I'd agree with the poster who thought he might be the best D-mid we've ever had. After 2 or 3 games, my son observed that not only was Cancela our best player every game, but he was the best player on the pitch for either team, because he's the best player in the league. I have to agree. Hearing that Noonan and Cancela were banged up explains the substitutions. I didn't care for any of them. From the mlsnet boxscore: Substitutes Not Used: Nick Downing, Tony Frias, Ibrahim Kante, Matt Reis. Ugh.
I remember saying to one of my neighbors in the 2nd half that Etcheverry was just begging for a card. I'm surprised it took as long as it did for him to get the one.
How about a captain that can put the ball down outside of the box at the end of the game and bend a free kick in over the wall to win the game. That's a little harder to do then taking a pk. Personally, I don't think the ability to do either is an indicator that a guy should be captain, but if we're going to use this argument, Franchino does come out ahead. I think the captaincy should be based on leadership. I haven't really seen Franchino exhibit a great deal of it on the field, he seems to withdrawn out there. Supposedly he has been a bit more forceful in practice. Just from watching the games, the guys who seem to be willing to take charge are Llamosa, Brown, Pierce and to a lesser extent Twellman. I can't see anyone suggesting Pierce as captain - he gets into too many fights with teammates for that to seem like a good idea. I would say Llamosa and Brown are the two best options, but this is just based on the limited information available from watching the games. Lee
Article about Revs new developmental player- Chris Bagley http://www.anselm.edu/athletics/Spo.../Bagley+Signs+With+New+England+Revolution.htm
Typical, New England...we start by being happy about being in the playoffs (2 pages) and then go to the negative stuff, which soon outweighs the positive... Well, I couldn't be happier that I will be able to use the playoff tickets that I received with the season ticket package. The team has once again demonstrated the heart, resolve and enough ability to make the run when it counted. While Franchino wasn't on the field this weekend, those attributes fit him quite nicely. There is a lot more to being captain than being the best player - knowing how to get into your teams' face while still maintaining their respect is a real talent. On the attendence issue, I agree, it is VERY disappointing and disconcerting to see the dropoff. This is especially true given that we have a team that made the finals last year and actually started the year pretty well. Go Revs....we will miss Taylor and Chris Brown (he of the highest average goals per games played as a Rev in history) but we do have other options. With a team that can win and control the ball in the midfield with a superior goalie, we can go far. There isn't anyone in the east that makes me think we can't make the finals again this year. I am not saying it's a given, just that we can compete with anyone. That's saying a bit given the history of the Revs and the number of injuries that we have. P.S. relative to 'available subs not used'. While that was a bunch to be concerned about, what was missing there were the people that were not available as subs due to suspensions and injury that will be able to play as we move into the playoffs.
Was anyone suspended? We've got TnT and Brown out for the year. Joey, Llamosa, and Moore are anybody's guess as to when (or if) they come back.
It did look like Llamosa was in uniform Saturday, which I would think means he was available in a pinch. I know Franchino was in street cloths, and I didn't even see Joe Max.
On which team was it that Olsen established his 'good guy' image? Apart from a short loan to Nottingham Forest, he has always been a DC United player. As far as "read my post again" . . . you don't give any evidence that demonstrates that Earnie Stewart has done anything beyond commit a bad foul in this match. There is a difference between chippy players who play the ball aggressively (Olsen or Petke) and players who are hacks (Kovalenko, Pierce or Franchino). Think about it. Llamosa gets a lot of cards, but is he a hack? Not really. And Stewart and Olsen don't even get that many cards (3 and 1 cautions respectively). And neither even commits that many fouls (21 and 47 respectively). Granted 47 is a lot for a midfielder, but considering Olsen has suffered 80, it is hard to fault him. Hard to really prove that either is much of a hack. On your side alone Heaps, Franchino and Joseph have more and they have tons more yellow cards and red cards than Olsen and Stewart. Kovalenko does match up almost as bad as Franchino and Heaps in the "bad boy" stats, though. A few more fouls and a few less cards. And you overestimate your powers of persuasion.
Do you have any evidence for this? The fact that you throw Pierce in the mix utterly undermines your credibility. Yes Llamosa is as much of a hack as Pierce or Franchino - probably more than Pierce. The facts just don't happen to support the assertion that Franchino or (especially) Pierce are hacks.
Maybe I should be finer in my terminology . . . I have seen Llamosa commit a lot of "tactical fouls" but I rarely see him commit violent ones. And (admittedly in little viewing) I have watched Rusty Pierce commit some violent fouls and a number of mind-numbingly stupid ones. But when I run the numbers . . . it does seem to bear you out pretty well. I still have to wonder whether or not a lot of Llamosa's cards are a factor of his declining speed, as he has seen a drastic increase in them during his later years. When he was closer to Rusty's age, he did not pick them up at quite the same rate. I also left out the playoffs, which would hurt Llamosa, as he had a terrible time last season with cards (though in his defense he was playing hurt, no)? Rusty Pierce Year GP FC YC RC 2003 19 24 6 1 2002 14 22 4 0 2001 23 48 6 0 2000 29 66 7 0 Total 85 160 23 1 Avg/g 1.88 0.27 0.01 Carlos Llamosa Year GP FC YC RC 2003 22 34 9 0 2002 14 28 3 0 2001 20 13 5 1 2000 23 55 8 1 1999 17 17 1 2 1998 18 29 3 0 1997 25 28 4 0 Total 139 204 33 4 Avg/g 1.47 0.24 0.03
You could look it up. Liverpool SC - You slay me. First of all, Kovalenko has fouled more than anyone on the Revs this year. Secondly, DCU is comfortably in 1st place in fouls committed and cautions. I guess by your logic (and mine) that makes DCU a hack team. Where is Revolution? 9th in fouls committed and 10th in cautions. Lucky for you, people don't die of hypocrisy.
Here are some totals and "rates" for some of the other players mentioned and some generally well-known hacks: Mike Petke GP FC YC RC 152 209 28 4 avg/g 1.38 0.18 0.03 Ivan McKinley GP FC YC RC 155 235 50 7 avg/g 1.52 0.32 0.05 Ben Olsen GP FC YC RC 104 195 9 1 avg/g 1.88 0.09 0.01 Richie Williams GP FC YC RC 211 436 44 2 avg/g 2.07 0.21 0.01 Jay Heaps GP FC YC RC 122 233 29 4 avg/g 1.91 0.24 0.03 Joey Franchino GP FC YC RC 138 217 38 1 avg/g 1.57 0.28 0.01
Re: You could look it up. Where did I say that DC United wasn't a hack team? I was never making an argument that my team plays more pure soccer than New England. I merely commented on individuals like Ben Olsen and Joe Franchino. Methinks you protest too much. Especially sense I even described Kovalenko as a hack in an earlier post on this thread. I even backed off a bit on my criticism of Rusty Pierce as a hack, even though tons of MLS fans consider him exactly that. I still consider Joey Franchino and Jay Heaps hacks, though. That doesn't mean that I think that is all they are (just like Kovalenko who is an example of a player who combines a lot of quality in the midst of his hackiness). I do think Franchino is a jerk, though. Also - something I should have mentioned above. Simply tabulating yellow cards and red cards and even fouls committed is not necessarily a scientific way of identifying a hack. I realize that Shalrie Joseph leads your team in fouls committed - but I don't consider him a hack. Plus, many cards come for non-hack type offenses. Plus, cards are given out very inconsistantly for some hacking offenses (although that probably balances out over a season). But it is basically all that we have to use as an objective criteria. Even some guys who have very high foul numbers in relatively non-defensive positions (such as forwards and wingers) should probably be excluded from the "hack" label. If I was Ben Olsen and I got fouled 80+ times over 20 games, I would probably be more likely to play my opponent pretty aggressively to. I would usually chalk that up as tit for tat more than as evidence of hacking.
I think if you stayed with the most recent numbers (last 2 or 3 years) you'd find the differences even slimmer. Carlos has definitely lost a step and is often left (especially when guarding quick forwards/midfielders) with letting his man go or committing the "professional foul". He's still a solid defender with support from someone with wheels, but can be a liability all by himself. Rusty Pierce quite frankly is not, and never has been, a particularly dirty player. His body language may make him look maniacal, and occasionally he commits a foul that Revs fans wish he had avoided. But the guy is one of the best man-markers in the league, has never injured anyone, never been in a fight, and only got red carded (actually a second yellow) for the first time this year - retaliating for a clear red-card foul by SJ's Mullan. The rap against him is unfounded, and it's a bit frustrating to hear it so often and uncritically repeated.
I am beginning to see your point. Whenever I have watched him play, he has sometimes seemed like he was borderline out of control and I just chalked that up to an aggressive nature, when I guess it is more of a wind-up toy (as in once he gets going he has a hard time stopping) kind of nature.
Joe-Max turned up on the bench in civvies when the game started. That doesn't bode well for a Metros return.... That's actually a very good way to describe Rusty, as having a wind-up toy nature. I might even go so far to say he's got an Incredible Hulk nature - precise and technically astute in Bruce Banner mode, but watch out if you get him angry....
It didn't LOOK remotely close to 12K. That statistic has more padding then all of the patriots helmets put togather. What a crock, further proof the Jacka$$es running the show are clearly delusional. That statistic is almost as funny as the letter I received from the Revs telling me what a GREAT YEAR the Revs are having and telling me of the great perk of a stadium tour if I pony up the cash for 2004 season tickets.
I know that I've wanted to gouge out my eyes far fewer times during this season than previously - it must be a great year....
Re: Re: You could look it up. Very true. Numbers don't prove out the 'hack' definition at all. Lots of fans in New England don't believe Franchino is a hack, but he's always scrutinized as such. Yes, Olsen was a good guy before the current DC demise in sportsmanship. If you ask fans around the league, you'd get the same response... it's like a disease that's spread to even the most respected players on the team (yet again, Cerritos will never fall into this category). Stewart was pissing and moaning, getting in-your-face... VERY similar to what's happened to Olsen. The POINT is, is that the change in DC's 'attitude' has been properly interpreted as endorsing a 'hack style of play'. And when Stoichkov and Kovalenko were in Chicago, the same was true. Now that they've stained DC, Chicago has been left with a great side, MUCH different than when the two asswipes were there. Again, tragedy... and it will STAY that way, until Stoichkov is gone (Kovalenko still has a chance to become a respectable, player... he certainly has all the skills).
Re: Re: Re: You could look it up. Again, tragedy... and it will STAY that way, until Stoichkov is gone (Kovalenko still has a chance to become a respectable, player... he certainly has all the skills). [/B][/QUOTE] Refreshing at least someone recognizes Dema not just for being a thug. Honestly I don't know about when he was in chicago, but from what i have seen he is hard nosed but not dirty. And he does attack, and personally I think the foul on Ronnie O'Brien that broke his leg was bad luck as much as anything, not anything to crucify him over. I don't understand why we automatically think that if someone sufferes a terrible injury that the person who made the challenge is automatically dirty. It's A PHYSICAL GAME, PEOPLE GET HURT. I've seen many worse challenges by hosts of players worse than dema's on O'Brien, but when no one gets hurt, then it's not as dirty for some reason. Just like there were lots of hits on quarterbacks worse than LT's on Joe Theisman.
Re: Re: Re: You could look it up. I'd have attributed much more of the DC behavior to Hudson than you did...
Re: Re: Re: Re: You could look it up. Actually, DC has led the league in both Fouls Committed and Cautions each year since the 1999 season. Before that, they were consistantly in the bottom third of the league in both categories. What happened between 1998 and 1999? Arena left and Rongen took over. Hudson's teams in Miami were in the bottom half of the league in both those categories. So if anything, I think that Hudson has failed to change an existing attitude (unwillinging or unable?) Someone who has followed DC through these years can probably better account for the drastic change between 1998 and 1999 and explain why it has continued. DC has done a lot of losing in those years and that breeds frustration. Also, I think the long-time ex-captain, Etcheverry, must shoulder some of the responsibility.