Davis played much better defense Sat night. He was involved, marking and ball winning, so ... he clearly can play defense. Maybe my problem was more with Jefferies 'system' than with Davis' ability to play defense.
remember, when you ask a midfielder to play defense in the defending third, much depends on the teamwork with the left side defender. even though gbandi has tremendous upside potential, he hasn't developed overnight on defense and communication. you'll see a greater degree of success with whomever plays the left mid position relative to behncke because of experience and more of being a dedicated defensive player. brad did play well defensively during the last couple of games with this unique lineup, but if vaca comes back into the fray, you may see davis out on the left again. if gbandi plays in his usual spot, then their may be more problems in that area. i hate to lay blame on either player, so i think it should be considered a developmental issue.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Silver linings - 11 reasons why this season isn't a total loss At least for the Fire game, Jason sat about 15 rows up in the stands behind the Burn's bench. It seemed a bit unusual to me since normally injured players sit with the team down on the Burn's bench.
Not always. Ronnie O'Brian sits in the stands at every game. I think if you are out for the season you can sit in the stands if you want.Sometimes a guy likes to sit up there with his family or some friends..
Tom, back slowly away from the Brad Davis poster and take a breath of fresh air. I do not beleive that Sandon was comparing Davis to Stone or Thomas. Rather, he was simply noting it will pay off for the Burn in the future to get these players a lot of minutes. Stone is a great ball hawk and wins it a lot. Stone, alas, can not hold the ball well and lacks passing skills. Should he develop these skills, he will be a tremendous player. Coming into the draft, Thomas was considered the player who could move most quickly into a starting line up. This did not trun out to be true, especailly in a defense so often lacking Steve Morrow's vocal leadership. I am firm in my belief that Thomas ans Stone will be high quality players. As good as Davis? Certainly not this year. Further, that is comparing apples to oranges. Davis should be (and has, and will) scoring goals. Stone and Thomas should be preventing them. As to Davis being a "cheap" player, right now, he is. Second year in the league, no player will be making a lot of money. While he might not count much against the salary cap right now, he certainly will in the future, and he deserves the high salary he will eventually get. His defense was poor up until the Shitcago game. You are right to note that the Burn play a zone defense, but when an opposing palyer comes into your zone, you mark him. Davis did not do that. I expect Jeffries never told him to do so, as he did mark his man well Saturday night. Very few players defended well with Jeffries at the helm. Davis started the season ineffectaully at left wing. He became dangerous when he started moving to the middle. The problem with this was that it left the talented by inexpereinced Chris Gbandi alone on the left. In his last five games or so on the left wing, he began to play the position very well. Perhpas Coach Haynes taught him waht the Burn expected from a left wing, perhaps Davis learned it himself. Either way, he derserves tremendous credit for his improvment at the position. Davis now has the target men, what he lacks is the understanding of his target men. No amout of talent can make up for this. He needs to know where EJ, Ali, and Big Toni will be. Similarly, the strikers need to know where Davis will serrve the ball. This comes only with time and practice, and it will come. In Davis, the Burn have a dangerous, rapidly improving, but inconsitent player. We have seen flashes of brilliance, strikes that 'keepers did not even bother to wave at, and one goal from an impossible angle. Still, he has yet to dominate a game. That being said.... If the Burn stick with the 4-5-1, Davis will absolutly flourish. He is next to the schemer, Pareja or Vaca, with a d mid behind him. This allows Davis to use his holding skills and to make long runs with the ball, and he does not have to make great passes, just efficent ones. Further, he should be able to find a little bit of space, and that is all his left foot needs. He should sometimes calm himself and concentrate on hitting the corners, rather than just blasting it, but again, that will come, just as it came to Jason. I have always been a fan of the 4-4-2, but a system has to fit the players, and Davis is a most fomidible player in a system that allows him to play his natural position. Well, Tom, you might think I have bashed Davis. Such was not my intention. Whatever tha case may be, in Davis, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. So move back to the poster and get excited, Tom, because Davis's best is yet to come.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Silver linings - 11 reasons why this season isn't a total loss Obviously, I haven't been following things this year very well. I'm certainly not going to wish an over-the-hill player on the lackluster Burn next year. But I'd sure like to see someone else besides Roy at the top of the all-time-goalscorer's list.