I can't believe that Nellie makes about 45K less than Petke! I like Petke, but the team captain, and a better defender, should certainly be making at least as much... Weird. --kravi
I believe Nellie is still on the contract he got out of Stanford, and why we're likely to have to pony up a lot more to re-sign him after this year. Petke's salary had to be based on what he was making with the Metros when he came here. It's a function of his being in the league longer. At the time, compared to Eddie Pope, he seemed cheap. Someone noted at the time that we got a player who was 80% of Pope in terms of ability for 50% of the cost -- a good deal.
Sort of wiggled with your post --I think Earnie boils down to the max salary issue, his lack of offensive production for two years now, and unlike Olsen (or to a lesser degree Dema) he has yet to (nor probably ever will) have a stand out season here. We all love him to death as a player, but we have to think he has been a bit of a disapointment. Even if he never has truly HURT this team on the field, we needed more help from Earnie.
Actually, I don't love him to death as a player. He used to be a good player. Now he has been mediocre, while earning maximum salary. This season, he has been about as useless as the 'A' in his name.
Simple answer. Benny is DC United through and through, we got him to start his career and except for his brief loan to NF he's been here his whole career. He's battled his way back to the lineup after a series of devestating injuries, has the heart of a champion and bleeds Black and Red. Earnie is a hired hand, a mercenary if you will. We brought him in for the end of his career to give us a short term boost ala Nowak or Stoichkov in Chi-town, but he hasn't delieverd the goods for the price we're paying. He may like DC or even love being here, but he isn't quite one of ours the way Beninho is. I like Earnie, but he isn't worth the money and if you ask me doesn't belong in our starting 11 this year (i'd liken his best usefulness to a Cobi Jones WC'02 sub to kill time at the end and that's about it).
Earnie needs to lower his salary to Olsen's level. And then his inability to score/make more goals would be tolerated and his other qualities which are just as valuable wouldn't be so ignored.
Am I correct in thinking that those salaries are from last year, and that there have been adjustments for 2004? If not, Namoff is getting screwed.
He is. Without question Namoff is severely underpaid. However, given Nelsen's comments at the awards (Namoff should be Defensive MVP), he is appreciated by his teammates. Payne & Kasper, do the right thing, give Namoff a big boost and make Stokes pay to play.
FWIW, both NY goals Sunday could be traced to defensive mistakes by Earnie. While the D-mids were helping out Freddy a lot more than Earnie, the first goal sequence originated IIRC when Earnie played a ball right to Gaven.
Maybe I'm thinking about a few seconds after you, but there was a fould at midfield. Maybe it was Earnie trying to win the ball back, and the Metros ran a quick restart/throughball to Gaven, that just found the defense all out of shape.
I think you are stretching a little bit. If you go back long enough, every goal can get blamed on someone, which is why we usually only blame someone if there is direct causality, and I don't think there was. --kravi
Unless you're related to him or his friend or something, why someone would be dying for Earnie to come back is beyond me He never was a fit here IMO. He's probably better off in Holland where they play his kind of game, good luck to him, I don't expect him back next year but you never know.