The Return of Dunfield

[Guest Can. in UK]

Terry Dunfield has signed with Maclesfield!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/6919004.stm

[BearcatSA]

Congratulations to Terry. I hope the injuries woes are behind him and he has a excellent comeback year.

[manutd1]

I met Terry once and I have to say he really is class act. So happy to see he has got his career back on track; if he plays like he can, he won't be in that division very long...

[N-A]

Thats great news hes a good player. If he gets some playing time and Macclesfield are pushing for promotion he might even get a call up to the National side.

[Grecko]

I was on the same flight with Terry when he made his official trip to Manchester City some 13 years ago and remember thinking about the future and what it held for him. He was about 13 years old. This young man has been through the ringer and then some. You want some insight about the trials and tribulations of squeaking out a professional career, I think Terry Dunfield would be an expert speaker. Consistently, the primary trait that surges to the forefront is Terry Dunfield's class, professionalism, and the fact that he is a "nice guy". People will give him a chance and he apparently will not turn one down.

I am pleased to see that someone had the insight to share this news with the rest of us Canadians.

I wish him the best.

[MikeF]

To N-A:

No way we should have someone playing in League Two on our National Team.

[manutd1]

Well we have a whole bunch playing for TFC so what the hell's your point? Just so you know, Terry played with SWP, Joey Barton and the England U-16's etc. and their youth team coach said he was up with the best who has come through Man. City's Academy. He's as a good a midfielder as we have produced when he is fit with the exception of JDG and Hargreaves. Maybe he won't reach the heights he could have, but why don't you f'ck off and give him a chance to actually play first after being out for 3 years..

[loyola]

quote:Originally posted by manutd1

Well we have a whole bunch playing for TFC so what the hell's your point? Just so you know, Terry played with SWP, Joey Barton and the England U-16's etc. and their youth team coach said he was up with the best who has come through Man. City's Academy. He's as a good a midfielder as we have produced when he is fit with the exception of JDG and Hargreaves. Maybe he won't reach the heights he could have, but why don't you f'ck off and give him a chance to actually play first after being out for 3 years..

euh.....It wasn't an attack on Dunfield, but more a comment about the level of play of League 2. He only said League 2 players shouldn't be playing for our MNT.

This is a statement I could agree with but there's some exception like Martin Nash and some USLer's.

[MikeF]

Yeah, I think you misunderstood my point. To me, League 2 is too low of a quality for us to draw from. This is, of course, IMO.

[manutd1]

I don't understand your point about not having league 2 players playing for the MNT?? The players on Toronto FC are mostly equivalent to League 2, the USL players we play for the MNT are USL, which, probably wouldn't cut it in the conference...nevermind the swath of MNT players who play in small european leagues.

You make player selections based on the quality of the individual player and their promise for development; following your logic would have meant leaving out anyone who played in Sweden, Norway, Russia, China etc etc. I'm sure glad you guys aren't the ones selecting the players...we'd have JDG and Radzinski as our our starting 11.

[Juby]

uhhh no, MLS is not like englands division 2, thats just ignorant, it's around england's coca cola champs league, some of there players come from that league. And you do have to let a players league comment on there quality, you improve by playing against the best, and if Dunfield is good enough for the MNT he will move up to a better league, by your logic, if mark watson played in the worlds worst league, and started scoring 10 goals a game, he should be called up.

[manutd1]

The majority of the players in MLS are not Championship level - that's crap. Some are at that level, 4 may be prem level. The average player in MLS is 2nd or 3rd division in England. I've lived in England and the quality is equivalent. Danny Dichio is a top quality player in MLS - well he wasn't a star at Preston, QPR, or Sunderland. If you took an MLS team to England's lower leagues they would be average overall due mostly to the fact that they don't know how to defend.

You make the point about Mark Watson scoring ten goals in a bad league and that my logic says he should be picked. Well he was picked and for about ten years and even then he was no star and played in the english 2nd division for only brief periods. The fact is he was about the best we could get in his position. The opposite side of that argument is we have a bunch of bench warmers in top leagues that get picked, rather than players playing week in week out in lower leagues. Is that smarter?

People who don't understand the game pick people based on where they play. David Beckham played in the 2nd/3rd division too, for Preston, but he was picked for the England U-21's, because coaches have something called vision, where they can see if a player is quality or not. Jocelyn Angloma and Guadeloupe schooled us at 40. But I guess he is crap because he plays 4th or 5th division in a caribbean country. Oh and his teammates are too.

In most countries, pro coaches don't care who you, whether you're too young, or where you're from: if you can play well, you can play. Period. That's why Gigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved, and Trezeguet can play in the second division and still be considered for their respective national teams.

If the best teams still do it, who knows, maybe Canada should try it too. We might also wait until we have a squad pool over roughly 20 players before we deny consideration to professional players outside the top leagues.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by manutd1

The majority of the players in MLS are not Championship level - that's crap. Some are at that level, 4 may be prem level. The average player in MLS is 2nd or 3rd division in England. I've lived in England and the quality is equivalent. Danny Dichio is a top quality player in MLS - well he wasn't a star at Preston, QPR, or Sunderland. If you took an MLS team to England's lower leagues they would be average overall due mostly to the fact that they don't know how to defend.

You make the point about Mark Watson scoring ten goals in a bad league and that my logic says he should be picked. Well he was picked and for about ten years and even then he was no star and played in the english 2nd division for only brief periods. The fact is he was about the best we could get in his position. The opposite side of that argument is we have a bunch of bench warmers in top leagues that get picked, rather than players playing week in week out in lower leagues. Is that smarter?

People who don't understand the game pick people based on where they play. David Beckham played in the 2nd/3rd division too, for Preston, but he was picked for the England U-21's, because coaches have something called vision, where they can see if a player is quality or not. Jocelyn Angloma and Guadeloupe schooled us at 40. But I guess he is crap because he plays 4th or 5th division in a caribbean country. Oh and his teammates are too.

In most countries, pro coaches don't care who you, whether you're too young, or where you're from: if you can play well, you can play. Period. That's why Gigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved, and Trezeguet can play in the second division and still be considered for their respective national teams.

If the best teams still do it, who knows, maybe Canada should try it too. We might also wait until we have a squad pool over roughly 20 players before we deny consideration to professional players outside the top leagues.

I understand you should look at player quality, and if you can't see them head to head it is hard. But every nation in the world draws their players from the highest possible level of play, it is extremely rare as you know for a nation with a top level league to ever call up anyone from the 2nd tier.

As is just counting players in the top tier of a top league we have half a team, and counting top levels of 2nd level leagues we have a team. Dunfield had talent, did not work out with Man City but obviously if healthy could play at a better level, but I agree we should not call in a player at that level unless we really did not have any other options in his position. And we have many others, proven at a higher level of play. Let Terry settle in, let's watch the team promote or him get offered a higher level contract. If what you are saying is true, that coaches look at player quality not level, by your logic if he is any good he'll be offered a contract by a club at a higher level quite soon.

As for MLS, your logic is partially correct. We have players coming from poor leagues in it doing well, and others from a higher level not doing so well. But MLS is higher than even League One England, I think the Championship comparison is pretty well right. I am rather shocked having watched the top three tiers of English football that you would even rate Championship so highly, I mean sometimes the level is absolutely atrocious, the football can really stink. Very much like MLS at times, which I find rudimentary, tedious, unimaginative, and a bit one-dimensional.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by manutd1

The majority of the players in MLS are not Championship level - that's crap. Some are at that level, 4 may be prem level. The average player in MLS is 2nd or 3rd division in England.

That's just your wishfull thinking. I doubt that players like Blanco, Beckham, Olaf mellborg, Reyna, Angel, would be playing or even considering playing in MLS if it were at the garabge level that you are comparing it to.

As far as Dunfield. Well, he had no interest in playing for Canada and went to England with the intention of one day playing internationally for England. He didn't play in the U20 WCQ in Victoria but then changed his mind and played in Argentina 2001 when, seemingly, he realized that he didn't have the stuff to play internationally for a side like England. In the end, he didn't overwhelm anyone while playing for Canada in 2001.

I am not crazy about the notion of calling into the squad players who choose Canada only when all else fails. Because ultimately, that means that we will fail

[N-A]

Just to let you know.....

I was only making a point or maybe wishful thinking that he might have a chance in playing for the national team.

Note

Carlo Croazzin played for a 3rd Divison(League Two) team and played for the National side.

So anything is possible:D

[nolando]

quote:Originally posted by N-A

Just to let you know.....

I was only making a point or maybe wishful thinking that he might have a chance in playing for the national team.

Note

Carlo Croazzin played for a 3rd Divison(League Two) team and played for the National side.

So anything is possible:D

And we were terrible back then ( soon to follow GC freak victory aside)and had a very small tealent pool and a very lower average skill level at the time - considering how far we have come since those days, and considering our current player pool, there is no way in a million years that we should be looking at a Terry Dunfield unless he is a 17 years ol up and coming phenom - it's only to waste idle time that he's even worth tracking or discussing, IMO.

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by nolando

- it's only to waste idle time that he's even worth tracking or discussing, IMO.

Seems to me that simply being on this computer is wasting idle time , let alone discussing Dunfield's comeback from injury. However, though I concur that his chances of getting back to the MNT are very slim, I still would be interested in reading about how he makes out this season.

[manutd1]

Yeah that phenominal talent pool that couldn't get past Guadeloupe and hardly had a shot on goal...right, those Canadian players are different class.

Man, one Quarter Final in a competition most of the world has no idea exists and we can suddenly turn up our noses to potential squad players. I mean we had Hainault playing in the Gold Cup, Gerba played for...Horsens? And who can forget..Martin Nash from the Whitecaps!

Yeah, definitely no room for Dunfield from League 2. Hilarious.

[Juby]

wow, your a logical genius, it makes perfect sense that canada's only as good as there worst game of a tournament they made the semi finals (sarcasm). Why don't we say roma sucks cause they got thrashed by man u and forget they beat lyon and How about we say man u sucks cause they lost to southend in the carling cup last year and forget that they won the league. Anyone can pretend to have a point if they only look at the points that fit there opinions, you just look like a douche to everybody who tries to take all factors into account when you try to pull wool over peoples eyes who already know the skivvy. BTW, the danish league and the czech leagues are > division 2 england, like honestly, your acting like macclesfield and yeovil and peterborough are actually worth a damn when you look at top flights, there not.

[manutd1]

Jason De Vos Darlington League 2

Carlo Corazzin Northampton League 2

Ian Hume Tranmere League 1

Paul Peschisolido Fulham League 1

Jason Bent Plymouth League 2

Mark Watson Watford League 1

Marc Bircham Yeovil League 1

Lars Hirschfield Gilligham League 1

Mark Rogers Wycombe League 2

Richard Hastings Inverness League 1/2

Sandro Grande Norway 2nd Division

Ante Jazic Saturn 2nd Division

Yeah, I'm just dreaming this stuff up. Didn't say he'd be a starter, just said we should we shouldn't ignore him, because, like these players, he might be able to do the job at some point. I'm not rationalizing his inclusion jackass, I'm disagreeing with his automatic exclusion due to his division.

[manutd1]

Jason De Vos Darlington League 2

Carlo Corazzin Northampton League 2

Ian Hume Tranmere League 1

Paul Peschisolido Fulham League 1

Jason Bent Plymouth League 2

Mark Watson Watford League 1

Marc Bircham Yeovil League 1

Lars Hirschfield Gilligham League 1

Mark Rogers Wycombe League 2

Richard Hastings Inverness League 1/2

Sandro Grande Norway 2nd Division

Ante Jazic Saturn 2nd Division

Yeah, I'm just dreaming this stuff up. Didn't say he'd be a starter, just said we should we shouldn't ignore him, because, like these players, he might be able to do the job at some point. I'm not rationalizing his inclusion jackass, I'm disagreeing with his automatic exclusion due to his division.

[redhat]

Chill boys, player inclusion is strictly the domain of the MNT coach.

I'd suggest agree to disagree ...

Let's not minimize where a Canadian player is playing. Some players start at the

lower leagues and may move up at a higher level. Dunfield was a Man City reserve

player before he got loaned out into oblivion. Just glad he's back.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by manutd1

Jason De Vos Darlington League 2

Carlo Corazzin Northampton League 2

Ian Hume Tranmere League 1

Paul Peschisolido Fulham League 1

Jason Bent Plymouth League 2

Mark Watson Watford League 1

Marc Bircham Yeovil League 1

Lars Hirschfield Gilligham League 1

Mark Rogers Wycombe League 2

Richard Hastings Inverness League 1/2

Sandro Grande Norway 2nd Division

Ante Jazic Saturn 2nd Division

Yeah, I'm just dreaming this stuff up. Didn't say he'd be a starter, just said we should we shouldn't ignore him, because, like these players, he might be able to do the job at some point. I'm not rationalizing his inclusion jackass, I'm disagreeing with his automatic exclusion due to his division.

Well I'll concede a bit here, you have made your point. Still, I think that with the current situation he would not be part of a call-up unless we were really starved for players. But it is up to him in the end, if he shines and is transfered up or the team promotes, that is the best case in his favour.