News: Welcome Brek: Potter (Brek Shea at Stoke/ On loan to Birmingham)

Yeah, I'm not seeking to rag on Howard, its just an example that came to mind. I like Howard, and it was a good performance, just the record makes it seem like it was a legendary display.

I'll leave this now because I'm conscious of taking the thread off track, but I do think you can rely too much on statistics, which seem to have infiltrated football discussion a lot recently. Football is not such an easily quantifiable game, tackles per game doesnt show the measure of a player.

 

Soccer analytics are an important part of the game nowadays. Time to move into the second decade of the century. The incredulity over the creation of a goal, whose replay is available online, is however a bit curious . Assists aren't part of the new math.

 

. Terrific post, especially the part about Tim Howard. I argued that exact point with someone in a different part of big soccer, but the person I was arguing with couldn't seem to grasp that idea.

 

While it may not be fair to say Shea doesn't have the mentality to play in Europe after such a short stint, this is just silly. Is Shea going to have to play in every country on the continent to prove soccerusa's opinion (an opinion that could be perfectly valid based on evidence other than playing in Europe, England included)? Why do you need evidence from continental europe?

 

The hope is that he could go to the Netherlands (ignoring things like the salary restrictions) and learn to finally play soccer.

Or, maybe a shot on a very desperate Ligue 1 team

 

People rely on stats too much to evaluate a performance. Single assists are a waste of time. If its someone like Hazard and Fabregas who has a bunch of them, then yeah, he is obviously a creative player well involved with the side.

But the fact remains that you get one assist for skinning four men and putting in a lovely cross, and one assist if you hopelessly deflect the ball to a team mate who does the hard work. Di Maria has a couple of assists this season for mishit shots that others turned in.

Overreliance on stats leaves you with a skewed view of the game

 

That would be nice. But it's getting late to start learning. I don't see much soccer IQ in Shea and have doubt it'll get much better.

 

Because continental Europe for the most part is a different style than the English game, which I never really thought suited Shea best. There's also a long track record of players who didn't fit the English style but moved on to have success on the continent, which is also Europe.

Is Shea going to have to play in every country to prove that opinion? No. But get back to me when he's played in even two countries as proof of that opinion holding up. And in general, on BS far too many refer to Europe as England and make some weird argument that a player's two choices are England or MLS, while presenting it as Europe vs MLS. But I also get a number on BS don't like Europe and have a heavy bias against anything "Europe" while not watching anything outside the EPL in Europe, so I don't really expect them to understand any of this. There's an inability to decipher between leagues.

It's the same crap I read all over BS in regards to Jozy too. "Europe is bad for him, should come to MLS", as if England and MLS are his two choices going forward. Holland was good for him. France/Germany/Italy could also be good for him.

 

Very few suggest Jozy should be back in mls. Most talk about France, Italy, or a return to the Netherlands. There's plenty of evidence to suggest he's capable.

 

In his YA thread, yes, elsewhere on BS, not so much.

 

This is one of my gripes with USMNT observers. If the US wins, every player has high ratings. If they lose, every player sucked. Even worse, if a US player scores or assists, they always get a high rating no matter how they played in their other 89 minutes. Sometimes ( a lot of times actually) the goal or assist was off a deflection or lucky etc anyway. Wondo against Ireland was a perfect example...the guy had a terrible performance but had an "assist" so some people actually think he had a good game.

 

Not in the 18 today vs Forest. Lichaj starts.

Nice work Brek.

 

He's not in the club's plans, no need to stick around.

 

Confirmed, according to the official Birmingham City twitter feed.

November 29, 2014 @ 9:00AM EST
Check out @BCFC's Tweet:

THE TEAM: Here's how #BCFC line-up against @Official_NFFC this afternoon #bluesLIVE pic.twitter.com/AmDkmVClyx

— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) November 29, 2014

THE TEAM: Here's how #BCFC line-up against @Official_NFFC this afternoon #bluesLIVE http://t.co/AmDkmVClyx

 

I've been somewhat of an advocate for this guy, but he sure as hell wore out his welcome quick in Birmingham.

 

Damn dude didn't even get much of a chance to play shame he did ok in first two games and yea that's it no more games. I hope something good happens for this kid come January where he'll get the chance to truly prove himself. Does not mean he would have to return to mls just he can latch on a team somewhere in a European league equal or better compared to mls. Saga continues!

 

Castillo for FCD is a better player. Agreed.

 

Today, Birmingham Mail UK offered insights on how the rising football star David Cotterill impacts Brek Shea and few others in terms of playing time. It also provided Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett's reasoning.


Birmingham City: Gary Rowett lauds performances of star David Cotterill [December 2, 2014 @ 10:00AM GMT (5:00AM EST)
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spo...ews/birmingham-city-gary-rowett-lauds-8210347

Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett says David Cotterill "has been brilliant for us” as unbeaten run continues

The excerpt:

"Gary Rowett has hailed the contribution of David Cotterill following the Birmingham City star’s outstanding performance against Nottingham Forest.

The Wales international scored a spectacular opening goal, curling in from the edge of the area, and almost claimed a second with a David Beckham-esque 50-yard lob.

That sailed narrowly over Karl Darlow’s bar but the miss couldn’t obscure what had been an outstanding display from the 26-year-old.

Even before Rowett succeeded Lee Clark, Cotterill had looked to be one of Birmingham’s better summer signings.

And he is doing even better, feeding off Clayton Donaldson and swapping wings.

Certainly Rowett has appreciated his displays. “He has been brilliant for us,” the Blues manager said.

“I think he has created or been involved in something like 70 per cent of our goals so far.

“He receives as many balls as anybody in the game, gets as many crosses in and is well up there in the stats.

“Whilst he contributes to that, the other side of it people probably don’t appreciate is (against Forest) we have played him that side against (Michail) Antonio knowing he will also do the defensive duties.

“Athletically he gets back in, breaks the game up for us and doubles up. I think he nullified what was probably their most potent attacking threat. He had a great game against Forest.”

The Cardiff-born wide-man has started all 18 of Blues’ Championship matches and Saturday’s was his third goal.

Indeed Cotterill’s form has restricted opportunities for other players with Koby Arthur, Demarai Gray and even Brek Shea and Lee Novak battling to man the opposite flank. Rowett has only made one change in the last five games and is mindful that competition is building behind the first XI.

And he makes no apologies for his selection consistency nor not rushing into signing a host of loan players before last week’s deadline.

“I am not stupid enough to think we are just going to keep getting results every single week without something going not quite as well at one point.

“But they have shown they are good enough, we have got four, five, six, seven out of the side that are also good enough.

“Why disrupt that? We have proved that we can play at a level that is upper end Championship standard so let’s see if the team can do even more.”"

 

Fair player to Cotterhil: the team's signing at left midfield is coming up trumps. No need to disrupt things...

 

Cotterhil is that bald dude right? he looked sharp in the few Blues games i watched. Looks like the cream rises to the top.... or the rooster falls to the bottom. (or something like that).

 

Cant belive Cotterill is only 26, seems like hes been around for ever. Never really fulfilled his potential

 

I think you're thinking of Steve Cotterill ...

(I keed, I keed)

 

Brek Shea is in the substitute lineup, according to the official Birmingham City twitter feed.

December 6, 2014 @ 9:05AM EST
Check out @BCFC's Tweet:

THE TEAM: Here's how #BCFC line-up against @BlackpoolFC this afternoon #BCFCawaydays pic.twitter.com/E9ApkgiPmw

— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) December 6, 2014

THE TEAM: Here's how #BCFC line-up against @BlackpoolFC this afternoon #BCFCawaydays http://t.co/E9ApkgiPmw

 

Shea came on at 70' w/ Blues trailing 1-0

 

how'd he do?