Canadians abroad: December 2-8, 2005

[Gordon]

I would only note that Yallop took DeGuzman, Imhoff, Hutchinson and Bircham to the Belize series. Of those 4, only the Bircham selection, looks even remotely questionable. The first three are still in their ascendency, and since the Manchester Camp, Aguiar is clearly on the downward portion of his career. As you may recall, he left Benfica - where he was a role player, and honest evaluation would admit his hard nose style fitted a need - didn't pan out in Sweden (where even Pozniak was a solid starter before leaving), and dropped to a division that is likely lower, and certainly no better, than both the Swedish and Swiss top division. Maybe Yallop was simpy the first to see what at least two other managers saw shortly thereafter.

Now, I am not a big fan of Yallop's player selection and man management skills. I have issues with the way he has ignored Fernandes and am as big a Nsaliwa fan as there is on this board. But Serioux, Grande and Leduc did not come into the NT picture until after Aguiar had blown off any future apperances for Canada. Perhaps he simply had a poor camp, and Frank felt that a role player for Benfica was an advantage over a proven English Championship level player (Bircham). Or perhaps Frank just wanted to go with the younger player with some alleged dead ball skills. Could we have used Aguiar? yes certainly. I suspect that he could have filled a hole at centre half in an emergency capacity quite ablely. But he choose to make hmself unavailable, and I am not convinced he was treated poorly after his three day camp or that Watson had anything to do with that.

[Blue and White Army]

quote:Originally posted by Blue and White Army

Hampton & Richmond Borough 0-0 Bromley

Haven't heard any details yet; will post when they're available.

Elliott Godfrey played the entire match, and Jon Henry-Hayden continued his usual role of "super sub", entering the match in the 78th minute.

Three quotes from Hampton's match report:

"McIntosh fed Graham Harper, his cross was met on the run by Elliott Godfrey inside the six yard area, Walker struck out an arm and the ball hit it at full speed, went up in the air, over the cross bar and lodged in the top netting, neither Godfrey or Walker could quite believe it! Godfrey twice tried his luck from outside the penalty area but both times sent his attempts wide."

"Godfrey tried to turn Yaku`s cross in but just failed to get a touch with his outstretched leg."

"Walker dashing out to clear from Jon Henry-Hayden, later Henry-Hayden shinned an effort wide."

Match report in its entirety: http://www.hamptonfc.com/Fixtures/20051206%20Bromley.htm

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by stacks

Aguiar has had a spiff with every National Team COACH yet(not Watson.

When Fernando came on here and posted he acted like a four year old. We don't need that immaturity in the NAtional Team System.

How old is he now, 38? 2nd or 3rd tier Portugal, He's done, give it up.

Exactly. Let's call up the sheepish wimps who do not perform, have no competitive edge, never complain, are yes men on and off the field, are afraid to put their foot in for a tackle, and have that slick virginal college kid profile some Voyageurs love. That is mature thinking.

But don't complain then that the team has no balls, can't keep a lead, is naive on the field, and that the coach has no dare, no drive to win. That he hides behind kids because the veterans intimidate him. Because that is what you are defending, sheep dog with herd of sheep in mountain meadow. Readily eaten by hungry Central American wolves come WC qualifying semis, with those starving faces that make nice Canadians nervous.

Your formula for "maturity", like others versions of "classy" are formulas for failure. If a player is respected by his club coaches, who see him day in and day out, and is played on a team like Benfica by a hard-nosed coach like Camacho, then I say the problem is not with the player, it is with the insecure coaches of Canada who have failed to fit his talents into the national team program.

In any case Aguiar is 33 and his team is three points off the lead in Portugal second tier (very tight division, lots of teams with chances to promote), while the team he helped keep up in top flight last year, Penafiel, is wallowed in last place without him. He has never been relegated, unlike a long list of Canadians now figuring in our national program.

Final comment regarding Sweden. He was injured in a knee in one of the first friendlies he played while being eased into the squad, and had arthoscopic surgery, was out for most of the summer when the team, Trelleborgs (where Matondo was), was playing for survival in top flight Sweden. After some accusations that he had signed with them already injured, which was not true, and the realization that the team was paying him without being able to get anything from him before the season would end in the fall, they decided to part ways. Aguiar returned to Portugal with the season already underway, signing with Penafiel because he had a personal committment, I think with the club owner, to do so if he ever returned to Portugal. The team with the smallest stadium and weakest budget in Portugal top flight, which kept up in Div 1 with relative ease in spite of these factors.

Conclusion: don't ever suggest that maybe Bras should get a look for Canada, that would undo all of the basic principles of our program.

Real opinion: let's not call up guys in 2nd division Sweden, Russia, Portugal or Norway when we have 2nd division guys in England and top flight players in Scotland that could deserve to be looked at first.

Doesn't anyone here miss De Vos? Or are we going to slag him to for rejecting the national program, for his age, for being in decline?

By the way, the player who has refused the last two Canadian call-ups is Paul Stalteri. Adored here, mind you, refusing to play for Canada lately but still adored. There is no way you can build for the future without the veterans committed to play on FIFA dates in games an hour or two away by plane.

[Cheeta]

But don't complain then that the team has no balls, can't keep a lead, is naive on the field, and that the coach has no dare, no drive to win. That he hides behind kids because the veterans intimidate him. Because that is what you are defending, sheep dog with herd of sheep in mountain meadow. Readily eaten by hungry Central American wolves come WC qualifying semis, with those starving faces that make nice Canadians nervous.

Wow. Jeff, I'm proud of you.

As a final interuption, I'd just like to point out to everybody that HE SAID IT FIRST!

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by Sigma

With regards to Stalteri....the second time he declined his wife was about to give birth to their first child. Certainly a good reason to miss a game.

Fair enough. Aguiar had to turn down the invite for the camp before the Czech game, I think it was, for the very same reason. His second daughter. But I can assure you that people here used that as added ammo against his "committment" to Canada.

What is legitimate for some is not for others. Lars can claim club obligations on a FIFA date, or injury, then go out and play the next week for his club and there is no problem. We still love him. Stalteri can stay home for Spain camp when he had absolutely no legitimate reason not to be there. No problem.

Others are not given the same margin of error. So I think it is right to think that the criteria are not applied in equitable fashion. And that is what all my ranting is about these days. Geez, my club has gone for 10 straight wins with 32 for and three scored against, the star is going to be named Fifa world player on Monday and maybe Eto'o will be named Africa player of the year today, I get to go watch them a subway ride away to boot, and here I am wailing on about selection criteria for Canada. What could I possibly have up my butt ailing me?

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

It is just that the results are not there to justify such screwing around, such pettiness. There is no way any nation with a serious soccer press would have allowed such B.S. to occur.

I agree with your point here, and, no, unfortunately we won't have a serious soccer press until Canada can be justifiably taken seriously by the press here (ie. consistently qualify for the WC).

quote:Are you happy with the way certain individuals run the program to their own personal benefit over and above the national sporting interest and the will of the fans?

I don't believe Yallop or anyone is consciously running the program to his own personal benefit, as I think he wants us to succeed as much as anyone else on this board (why else would he have left a relatively cushy job at San Jose - where he was being tipped as a possible future replacement for Bruce Arena as US coach).

The problem is that the results are not there, and the CSA has to take more of a wait-and-see approach with Yallop (because they quite frankly do not have the resources to buy out two consecutive nat'l team coaches contracts). Whether this is right or wrong is debateable, but I will agree with you that the results so far are discouraging (but perhaps not for the same reasons as you believe they are).

[Guest Jeffery S.]

Can't tell you all how much I would have loved to have seen Fernando get called up, see his contribution to be average but not definitive, and thus get this chip off my shoulder and help me shut up about it.

But when you think that he was being kept off for a while by Jason Bent, who was a fine player but nowhere near as strong a pro....

[Guest Ed]

quote:Originally posted by Rudi

I don't believe Yallop or anyone is consciously running the program to his own personal benefit, as I think he wants us to succeed as much as anyone else on this board (why else would he have left a relatively cushy job at San Jose - where he was being tipped as a possible future replacement for Bruce Arena as US coach).

The problem is that the results are not there, and the CSA has to take more of a wait-and-see approach with Yallop (because they quite frankly do not have the resources to buy out two consecutive nat'l team coaches contracts). Whether this is right or wrong is debateable, but I will agree with you that the results so far are discouraging (but perhaps not for the same reasons as you believe they are).

Seeing Watson hired as assistant smells of old-boys network to me. Watching established pro players passed over for prospective English Div 2 players (more specifically Ipswich players) smells of selfish interests even more so.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by Ed

Seeing Watson hired as assistant smells of old-boys network to me.

Most assistant coaches are 'old boys' of the head coach. Why is the Watson hiring an example of an old-boys network, but not Dale Mitchell, or Nick Dasovic?

quote:Watching established pro players passed over for prospective English Div 2 players (more specifically Ipswich players) smells of selfish interests even more so.

You could only be referring to Jaime Peters (unless you think Jason De Vos was undeserving, or not an established pro).

Peters shouldn't have been there, I'll agree with that, but he wasn't even an Ipswich player when he started playing with the senior men's team.

[BrennanFan]

Am i alone in thinking that WCQ 2006 was never taken seriously by Yallop or the CSA? I really feel that since Yallop was hired, the only goal was WCQ 2010. This would explain much of his hiding behind younger players, and his passing over of Aguiar, Bircham, Brennan, while favouring Simpson and Peters. I dont see any other way to justify giving an unproven 17 yr old kid his first caps during world cup qualifying. Also the seeking of friendlies leading up to WCQ was just embarrassing- totally indicative of the CSA basically throwing WCQ. It sure wasnt due to inability, as since then we've managed to get good matches together easily for almost every date, and im sure this will continue up to the next cycle of WCQ. Its sickening that the CSA did this to Canadian Soccer.