Well it's pretty clear who the European target was

Discussion in 'FC Dallas' started by boomersooner027, Dec 21, 2008.

  1. boomersooner027

    May 13, 2004
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Bahamas
    Stephen Appiah

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2008/12/a_is_for_appiah.html#more

    *sigh*

    27 years old central midfielder in his prime. Good enough for AC Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea to look at, but not FC Dallas :rolleyes:
     
  2. mk71885

    mk71885 Member

    Nov 11, 2006
    NYC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    awful. disgraceful. management should be ashamed of themselves for not taking a shot at signing a player of his caliber. I'm utterly speechless right now
     
  3. jamezyjamez

    jamezyjamez Member

    Apr 27, 2007
    Dallas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Ick. File this under the category of things I wish I never heard about...
     
  4. cormaxtacy

    cormaxtacy Member

    Aug 11, 2005
    Little Rock, Ark.
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What this does make clear is the reason why Cooper won't be our DP - the team is searching for a big international signing like this instead.

    $2 mill on one player is too much for the cheap FO to bear, no matter how good a player, so no surprise the talks fizzled out. He might have been a good fit, since he could have played alongside Oduro and talked about Ghana.
     
  5. fc koshigaya

    fc koshigaya Member

    Jul 14, 2005
    Saitama City,Japan
    Club:
    Omiya Ardija
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    27 and a DP? OUTRAGEOUS!

    Our DPs have to at least have the wear and tear of 35 year olds.
     
  6. ElSpruceMoose

    ElSpruceMoose Member

    Aug 27, 2005
    Fort Worth, TX
    Wow.

    I'm not an expert on the guy, but I would have really loved seeing him here. Really seems like the kind of player who could make a big difference on the way the club plays and actually help the team win.
     
  7. PhillyMLS

    PhillyMLS Member+

    Oct 24, 2000
    SE PA
    I posed this question in another thread but I'll probably get a better response here. Is a center midfield really a position you need to fill? I understand that Appiah is probably superior to anyone you have on your roster but does he really fit a need? Would you hamstring being able to fill your pressing needs by signing a player (albeit a really good player) in a spot you may not need? I'm just curious as to how you saw him fitting in your team and what that would mean for signing other players this off-season.
     
  8. HoopsfamMM

    HoopsfamMM Member

    Sep 23, 2007
    Round Rock TX
    Club:
    Liverpool LFC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sigh.....man that would have been a nice pick up......but let's remember, this isn't about winning a championship or signing an impact player....it's about ticket sales and profits.:)
     
  9. TheGreatTrollKing

    TheGreatTrollKing New Member

    Aug 30, 2008
    Looks like this guy would have been great. Unfortunately, FCD doesn't have an unlimited budget and couldn't make it happen.

    Thinking about this, I don't know if SH approach of wanting to bring in older, experienced players is going to work. FCD can tie up young guys with upside, and if they pan out, then we have a really good player for not a lot of money. MLS is priced out of the market for known quantities unless they're on the downside of their career.
     
  10. JaySlick

    JaySlick New Member

    Jan 17, 2008
    Arlington
    wow! thats thinking big.


    im impressed with SH for a couple reasons
    1) this is thinking bigger than FCD has really ever thought,
    2) this pushes his financial limits, he knows when HSG will blink
    3) Appiah wasnt scared off from the prospects of playing in MLS or for us.

    friggin awesome job SH!!! its not your fault that HSG wont give you the funds you want to compete.
     
  11. ttujosh

    ttujosh Member

    Mar 9, 2003
    Dallas, Tx
    I wonder what the logic behind not be willing to pay 2 mil for a player of this caliber. Werent they willing to spend something like 1.5 mil for Denilson? I mean I would love to know what the max wage FCD is going to be willing to pay a player. Shit, with all the allocation money they have, you could buy this guy down significantly right? Sell Pablo to Mexico, sell Dax to LA and you have even more cash to buy him down, you have Toja money and potentially Cooper money. The league chips in the first 425k I believe, so they really wouldnt be on the hook for much if they really didnt want to pay for this guy. I think their real problem is he isnt a ticket selling name, ie another person to put the onus of selling tickets on. Why try to sell a winning team when we could get Jared Borgetti, Mexican salesman and occasional goal scorer...

    As to how he would fit in,PhillyMLS, I dont know if he could play the 10 spot, but even if he cant, we could play him in Richetti's spot and then give him his wish to move to a place that would increase his pay. Does it solve a hole? No, but you still have the whole offseason to fill those voids. Meanwhile you just got better at a key position.
     
  12. boomersooner027

    May 13, 2004
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Bahamas
    If the team passes on signing Appiah at $2million a year and signs Borghetti to a DP contract, I just might be done for awhile.
     
  13. ttujosh

    ttujosh Member

    Mar 9, 2003
    Dallas, Tx
    Agreed. I am already on shaky ground with the team, and that would be the last push.
     
  14. JaySlick

    JaySlick New Member

    Jan 17, 2008
    Arlington
    this may be treasonous around here, but id love for a prem or some team like what has been done by stoke in austin did a USL1 team in downtown Fort Worth. make FCD have to act like a top league club or fear losing its base.

    prob wont ever happen, and i love FCD but a dude like Appiah is exactly the type of player MLS and FCD need.

    i really think SH was trying to bring in both Appiah and Dario Conca

    throw in a solid defender and you are looking at a serious squad. one that has a chance to make a run. certainly a squad that has some of the best young on this side of the globe. especially if you keep cooper.

    i love what he seems to be trying to do. unfortunately i dont think HSG will let him.
     
  15. boomersooner027

    May 13, 2004
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Bahamas
    Conca was never very realistic. A friend of mine in Brazil says the news is that he is staying with Flu. He would've probably cost at least a couple of million and that's just transfer fee. No way he would've played for less than a DP contract. Appiah is available on a free, however.
     
  16. Easton FC

    Easton FC Member

    FC Dallas
    United States
    Jul 18, 2007
    Dallas, TX
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So now that HSG doesn't have the cajones to cough up the big bucks for Appiah or Conca, I wonder if Ze Roberto will be reintroduced into SH's mind. At this point, if he was willing to go for Appiah, why not try Ze? HSG might actually think HE'S worth the money, but who knows anymore with this FO.
     
  17. Wallydrag

    Wallydrag BigSoccer Supporter

    Jul 24, 2002
    Oklahoma City
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I could be wrong, but I think by now it's fairly clear that the Dallas market is going to respond more favorably to winners than it is to a big name on a losing team.

    FCD had a chance here that they may not have for a long while. A quality player, in prime, for a decent price, without having to pay a transfer fee.

    The days of spending big money on a big name past his prime to sell more tickets should be behind us by now. In Dallas it's a poor model. Of the people who really know and can appreciate who Player X is, maybe 25% or going to be willing to spend the money and make the trip to Frisco on a regular basis to see him. The number will dramatically go down to maybe 15% when those same people see Player X playing at a substantially lower level than they remember him playing and playing on a losing or .500 team.

    Surely with a consistently winning, competitive team showcasing an exceptional talent would bump up ticket sales at least 15% or more?
     
  18. Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer Thanks Rex

    Aug 1, 2007
    Plano, TX
    You would think from the experience in Columbus this year that HSG might have realized that spending the money to create a team that can win increases attendance and therefore gate receipts. I have lost all confidence in HSG - they don't seem to care about winning or making money.

    Hunts: please sell the club to someone who gives more than just lip service to giving a damn.
     
  19. cowtown

    cowtown Moderator
    Staff Member

    Dec 8, 2006
    Plano, TX
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Okay, I am willing to let this one go, but this is exactly the sort of player we should be going after. He is not a butts-in-seats kind of name, but like JaySlick said, this may set the limits. Schellas, go find us the best $1.5M player in the world.

    On a side note, a financially healthy USL1 team in Fort Worth would really test my priorities and spending dollar, but apart from the Cats, teams see to have real trouble making it in Fort Worth.
     
  20. Skeeter

    Skeeter New Member

    Jul 12, 2008
    Texas
    "However, management determined the $2 million salary figure was more than it would be willing to spend on a designated player and the situation fizzled."

    And in a related story, I've determined the $600 figure to renew my season tickets is more then I am willing to spend to support a pathetic organization that has no interest in putting a quality product on the field.
     
  21. JPB4

    JPB4 Member

    Feb 5, 2008
    Dallas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    You mean like they did with Kenny Cooper? Only they are going to lose him now to Europe? Coop is "tied up" at a low salary (though better than most people make, certainly at that age), and the FO would be tarred and feathered if they made him stick out his current contract without giving him a huge raise or accepting a transfer.

    It's just the realities of a growing league that is on solid but very, very thin financial footing, they need to be prudent, which means they will lose guys like Cooper and Altidor and won't be able to make big name big $$ signings for a while.

    This team, and this league, can be built and grow just fine with guys like Richetti, GB Schelloto, etc. while continuing to develop younger American players. Those 2 Africans NE signed last season (don't know their names) were good signings as well. I think MLS should focus on South American and African talent - guys that would absolutley love to move to the U.S. and make $75K - $250K per year living in the lap of luxury compared to their current conditions.

    My 2 pesos.
     
  22. jimbchr

    jimbchr Member

    Mar 3, 2008
    kcmo
    Shared sentiments from a devout kc chiefs fan. I've seen the hunts make inexplicable trade after trade and shitty draft after draft. worst. FO. ever.
     
  23. SeventhRowScreamer

    Jan 26, 2007
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    first of all I'd like to say on behalf of all the H$G team... we think you have upper management written all over you:p
     
  24. Scipio Gothicus

    Aug 6, 2001
    Cabo San Lucas
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If SH really wanted this player, then it suggests that SH is not as powerful as we once thought. Clearly, it is not the case that once SH wants a player, HSG will meekly grant SH's wishes.

    We might hope that this was simply the first option, and SH already had on the board his second option, and his third option. I certainly hope this is the case, or we will see more Bruno next year.

    Dead but dreaming,
    Scipio Diabolus,
    vox fatum.

    Contra.

    OU drew the short straw.
     
  25. soccercptn

    soccercptn New Member

    Aug 9, 2000
    Plano
    Coming from a very disgruntled perspective, this is actually heartening news. At least SH has a clue to realize that signing appiah on a free is a fantastic deal, regardless of salary, and that his skill is worth way more than 2 million per on the market.

    From a business perspective, not sure if I can justify the signing though. The quality of play would increase significantly, obviously, he is a great player and still young. However, he is a more physical, box-to-box guy. A true central mid, who doesn't really fit the diamond mid that SH wants to run (of course, neither does Guarda, but different topic). Fits better in a flat 4 mid or in the 4-2-4.

    We also have plenty of central mids and defensive mids, we need another striker if Kenny leaves, or we need an attacking mid. So, not sure if he exactly fills the need.

    While I would certainly look forward to see him play, not sure if he is going to create season ticket buzz. Which is what you want your DP to do. If you sign KC as a DP, you might get more season ticket holders to re-up on their packages, but you don't bring anyone new in. Your DP has to get everyone to sign back up and also attract new blood. Appiah, as good as he is, just won't do that.
     

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