Re: [nas] [R] Fulham News (Yank related)

On 22 Dec 2007 at 11:05, big_dog@fastmail.fm wrote:

> Fulham sack Sanchez after poor run of results 

Well, they didn't get any better after today's draw with Wigan, even 
though they owed the result to Clint's clinical one-time strike late to pull 
FFC even.

Those were two horrible teams who played a horrible game in allegedly 
the "world's best league". OK, they were two relegation strugglers, but 
the if this league is so good, what explains the bad giveaways, the 
sloppy tackling, rec-league ball control, slack marking, poor finishing, 
and the hoof it up the park style that produced so much "head tennis" 
that it gave me a headache just watching it.

I was watching it on FSE late in the afternoon, and during halftime I 
flipped over to GolTV to watch Sevilla - Racing Santander and this 
game was a revelation compared to the 1980s "Wimbledon-style" 
football on show at Craven Cottage. In Sevilla, there was one-touch 
passing, creative midfield play, great goals, and skills galore even from 
the defenders. And this was from two mid-table teams in la Liga.

The larger point here is how much good does it do our Yanks to play for 
crappy teams in the Premiership? Sure, there's tremendous talent and 
world-class style of play among the top 4 or 5 clubs, and generally high 
quality among teams 6 - 12, but beyond that, most of the rest of the 
teams play the worst kind of aimless, frantic soccer on the planet. "Oh, 
but the Premiership is so exciting" the announcers keep telling us. But 
so's a car crash, but I don't want to watch one a couple of times a week.

I don't think it's an exaggeration that any of the top MLS clubs could 
have beaten Fulham or Wigan if they played against our teams the way 
they did today.

As for our two active Yanks at FFC (McBride was in the stands with his 
wife and, I hope, is on his way back sometime), Dempsey is an excellent 
player but he is complete wasted in that "system" and playing with the 
clodhoppers on that squad. They have nobody with the patience to hold 
the ball at midfield and move the ball to the forwards. Dempsey got 
horrible service for the first 70 minutes when he played as a 
"withdrawn" striker. He only got his goal after moving back to right 
wing where he had the space to run at people.

Boca has regressed badly, even though he can head in the occasional 
goal. He was ball watching on the Wigan goal and repeatedly hoofed the 
ball into the seats -- twice giving away corners -- instead of even 
thinking about playing it out of the back. He has no foot speed and is 
basically a liability against anyone with speed, skill or both. I'm afraid 
he's a taller, 21st century version of Jeff Agoos. If we go to South Africa 
with him in the starting lineup, we aren't getting out of the first round.

So, what kind of teams SHOULD our Yanks be playing for?

Discuss.

Cheers, Chris
-
Chris Allen   
c.s.allen@comcast.net
-
"Comrades, we always said it was a 5 year plan"
--NE Rev Fanzine "Pictures of Chairman Mao (1996-2001)

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