Wade Barrett try-out with IFK Göteborg

Interesting, do you yanks have any opinion about the player, playing history, strenghts and weaknesses etc?

 

Barrett's a left sided defender. Relatively athletic and works hard. In his mid to late 20s. Not the most skilled player you'll ever see though. Has 1 Cap for the National Team but remains in the national team picture fringes due to our weakness at left back. Haven't seen him for a few years since he left San Jose.

Having not seen the level of play in Sweden I wouldn't know how he'd fit in, but he didn't seem to impress too many people when he was in Denmark nor apparently in Norway. Was a good, but no better than that, player in MLS, but that also had a lot to do with the scarcity of fullbacks in MLS (for some reason we just don't develop fullbacks in this country).

That said, Brian West was an unremarkable player in MLS and has seemingly become a top player in Norway.

 

Cheers for the info...

 

Barrett's MLS career was perhaps a bit more distinguished than implied herein. As the culmination of his years at San Jose, he did help San Jose win a Championship, playing as I recall every minute of every game that year. He also was included in the Pepsi best 11 in MLS that year.

Perhaps left backs don't get a lot of individual attention. At Aarhus, he was brought in to help the club avoid relegation, and he did just that. On loan to Fredrikstad, he did exactly the same thing as well, joining them as they began to dig out from the cellar toward mid table. Clearly one player was not responsible for that, but he was part of a revamped back line that turned the team around.

At Aarhus, the coach that brought him in was relieved of his duties, but Barrett played as a starter for the new coach. That happened as well with San Jose, so he does impress enough to make the starting eleven.

Barrett is fast, a hard worker, crosses well, and will attack if that is the system used by the coach. He can shoot or cross with either foot (he played a lot at right back for Aarhus) and is an excellent man marker. He is only 5'8" so on occasion a coach would not use him if the wing on that side was very tall.

Overall, he has produced at every level. He should be an outstanding additon to Goteborg.

 

Bad sideburns.

 

I assume you're counting this as a strength and not a weakness.

 

Good times.

 

I seem to recall that Muttonchops had some injury problems in Denmark. But that's not a solid recollection.

When he left SJ he was very solid as a back. I agree more with the positive assessments of him than the negative.

 

AGF doesn't want him? So why would Göteborg? Is it a question of meeting unmet needs?

 

Denmark then Norway now Sweden. Boy, Wade sure is taking his tour of Scandanavia seriously.

After playing for IFK Goteborg one can only assume that he'll be heading east across the Gulf of Bothnia to play for Haka, Mypa or my favorite Finnish team, KooTeePee.

After that, it's off to Iceland where he'll team with Mark Schulte to play for IBV. While there, the native Minnesotan will preach the beauty of his home state to Barrett and Wade will finish his career, and his Scandanvian phase, kicking for the Vikings and moonlighting for Buzz Lagos on the Thunder.

All I gotta say is that if Wade doesn't end up with a tall, blonde girlfriend, he's doing something wrong!

 

I suppose Odd Greenland might figure into the tour as well (Even though it's not a separate league).

 

Or he may cross the Gulf of Finland and end up at Zenit St. Petersburg, which pays a little better than Levadia Tallinn, just due south.

 

how are the wages where Wade's playing in comparison to those of MLS?