• The KillerFrogs

2023-2024 European Football Thread

Chongo94

Chongo94

Active Member
Moose Stuff said:
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Will be interesting to see what happens. I’m pretty meh on this guy thus far. Think he slowed his development by staying in MLS, no offense to MLS, as I want the league to succeed. I just think he would be further along in ability had he gone to Germany when it was an original option.

He’s gotten good in MLS but I really do wonder how he’ll perform overseas.
 
Purp

Purp

Active Member
Chongo94 said:
Will be interesting to see what happens. I’m pretty meh on this guy thus far. Think he slowed his development by staying in MLS, no offense to MLS, as I want the league to succeed. I just think he would be further along in ability had he gone to Germany when it was an original option.

He’s gotten good in MLS but I really do wonder how he’ll perform overseas.
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He also spent a couple of those years in the infirmary. I'm right there with you in terms of my meh feelings about his potential with the Nats, but I'm not totally convinced he'd be miles better even if he'd gone to Germany after college. Between Stanford and the training room he's spent 4-5 of his most important developmental years in suboptimal places. Even if he'd gone to Bremen after college I'm not sure his 2-3 healthy years make him that much better than he is now. I'm not sure Swansea is going to make him the striker we need either. This is a very ho-hum bit of news for me.
 
Chongo94

Chongo94

Active Member
Purp said:
He also spent a couple of those years in the infirmary. I'm right there with you in terms of my meh feelings about his potential with the Nats, but I'm not totally convinced he'd be miles better even if he'd gone to Germany after college. Between Stanford and the training room he's spent 4-5 of his most important developmental years in suboptimal places. Even if he'd gone to Bremen after college I'm not sure his 2-3 healthy years make him that much better than he is now. I'm not sure Swansea is going to make him the striker we need either. This is a very ho-hum bit of news for me.
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Agree. Dude was walking wounded for a while. He also seems to, if certain murmurings are to be believed, has a bit of an attitude, which can be a good or bad thing and I’m not exactly sure which way on that scale it weighs with him.

Supposedly he likes Swansea for the play style...? I get that they are 2nd currently but unless they’re playing like Brentford or Norwich the last few years, I’m wondering about that.
 
Purp

Purp

Active Member
Chongo94 said:
Agree. Dude was walking wounded for a while. He also seems to, if certain murmurings are to be believed, has a bit of an attitude, which can be a good or bad thing and I’m not exactly sure which way on that scale it weighs with him.

Supposedly he likes Swansea for the play style...? I get that they are 2nd currently but unless they’re playing like Brentford or Norwich the last few years, I’m wondering about that.
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I half expect this to be like Landon Donovan's forays in Europe. Short term commitment to dip his toe in the water. If he's successful there then he can say, "See, the MLS is a really great league." If he has no success there he can say it wasn't the right fit and have almost nothing to lose.
 
Chongo94

Chongo94

Active Member
Purp said:
I half expect this to be like Landon Donovan's forays in Europe. Short term commitment to dip his toe in the water. If he's successful there then he can say, "See, the MLS is a really great league." If he has no success there he can say it wasn't the right fit and have almost nothing to lose.
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Right?! It really does have a scent of Donovan’s efforts and maybe mindset about it all.
 
Chongo94

Chongo94

Active Member
Moose Stuff said:
I could never warm up to Donovan.
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I couldn’t either. Do you think it was because of his rather bland delivery/personality? I’ve never been able to put my finger on it as to why I didn’t warm up to him.

Some of it had to be down to being force fed this idea by so many that he was the greatest American player ever while Clint Dempsey was doing his thing quietly and fiercely in my opinion.
 
M

Moose Stuff

Active Member
Chongo94 said:
I couldn’t either. Do you think it was because of his rather bland delivery/personality? I’ve never been able to put my finger on it as to why I didn’t warm up to him.

Some of it had to be down to being force fed this idea by so many that he was the greatest American player ever while Clint Dempsey was doing his thing quietly and fiercely in my opinion.
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I just never found him to be a likable guy. Wasn't that I disliked him, he was just so blah. Wonder how the perception changes if Dempsey chips the goalie vs Algeria and Donovan doesn't score that goal???
 
Purp

Purp

Active Member
Chongo94 said:
I couldn’t either. Do you think it was because of his rather bland delivery/personality? I’ve never been able to put my finger on it as to why I didn’t warm up to him.

Some of it had to be down to being force fed this idea by so many that he was the greatest American player ever while Clint Dempsey was doing his thing quietly and fiercely in my opinion.
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Yeah, if you give Deuce half of the PKs Landon took he ends his international career with more goals and assists than LD. Landon's stats were massively inflated by penalties.

I was never much of an LD hater. I think the only reason I liked him was because Mexico hated him. It's sorta like if Baylor hates someone he's most likely going to be my friend. That said, I always felt he was massively overrated. His work rate was elite, but everything else wasn't as good as people said. I don't blame Landon for that, but I do blame him for not challenging himself more to maximize his potential. It always irked me that he never gave a serious effort at being a legit star in Europe while he acted like people should treat him as if he was.
 
Purp

Purp

Active Member
Frog-in-law1995 said:
Antonee Robinson just crushed Fulham’s chances against Chelsea right before halftime. Horrible, horrible tackle hit him sent off in the 45th minute.
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Robinson created their best chance to score. Honestly, I still can't figure out how that simple tap-in was so badly missed. I'm really excited about him. That Fulham side have been in good form lately. I think they'll avoid relegation easy if they can figure out how to score.
 
M

Moose Stuff

Active Member
Purp said:
Robinson created their best chance to score. Honestly, I still can't figure out how that simple tap-in was so badly missed. I'm really excited about him. That Fulham side have been in good form lately. I think they'll avoid relegation easy if they can figure out how to score.
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5 years ago we would have been talking about him non stop as an American actually starting and playing well in Europe. Gets overshadowed now.
 
Chongo94

Chongo94

Active Member
Purp said:
Yeah, if you give Deuce half of the PKs Landon took he ends his international career with more goals and assists than LD. Landon's stats were massively inflated by penalties.

I was never much of an LD hater. I think the only reason I liked him was because Mexico hated him. It's sorta like if Baylor hates someone he's most likely going to be my friend. That said, I always felt he was massively overrated. His work rate was elite, but everything else wasn't as good as people said. I don't blame Landon for that, but I do blame him for not challenging himself more to maximize his potential. It always irked me that he never gave a serious effort at being a legit star in Europe while he acted like people should treat him as if he was.
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Very well said. The big fish in the small MLS pond also helped with that inflation of standing.

I don’t dislike him either but like you, it is tremendously irksome that he never appeared to seriously challenge himself overseas.
 

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