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Hoilett, Jono and Bunbury?


Seb of Mtl

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Here's the way I see it:

- Friend is a good target man/striker, but he needs good service to be effective. I don't think we have any wide midfielders currently in the mold of a set up man.

- Gerba is a pure poacher who can capitalize on defensive mistakes. The more broken the play, the more likely he is to score.

In my opinion, we'd be better off if we could find someone to set up Friend, but in the absence of that, Gerba needs to remain an option.

I think it's also worth noting that Friend is a very intelligent player who started the game late. I think, even at 29, will still continue to improve over the next few years - his situation at Hertha is one where he's in a position to be their feature striker and get them back into the Bundesliga. So he will be receiving more than good training, teammates etc ... but also building up his mental side of the game and leadership skills. IMO this will be invaluable to a squad trying to grind through qualification.

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Think regardless of what happens with those three making the hex (or last eight if they change the format) should probably be viewed as the goal at this point. Given Mexico and the United States are always likely to qualify and fourth place means a very difficult playoff there is very little margin of error for the half dozen or so countries chasing the last automatic qualification place (i.e. Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica, T&T, Canada, Guatemala and El Salvador) so none of the chasing pack are likely to emerge as a clear favourite at this point.

Definitely. What undermines us in that grouping of seven you have listed is our home form and that contributes significantly to the margin of error undermining our efforts for qualification.

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Just out of curiousity. I am wondering why a move to Mallorca would hinder his chance of getting called by the Dutch? I seem to recall Mallorca being a pretty decent side in La Liga. And, looking at the starting lineup for Holland at most games in the recent WC, I dont recall ever being so underwhelmed by the club affilaitions of players on a Dutch side. There were some dutch players starting at WC who were with IMO some pretty average teams. Something that I had never seen in past WC's in regards to the dutch sides.

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Here's the way I see it:

- Friend is a good target man/striker, but he needs good service to be effective. I don't think we have any wide midfielders currently in the mold of a set up man.

- Gerba is a pure poacher who can capitalize on defensive mistakes. The more broken the play, the more likely he is to score.

In my opinion, we'd be better off if we could find someone to set up Friend, but in the absence of that, Gerba needs to remain an option.

I'd definitely go with Friend, and I think we are half way there to having guys to set him up effectively. Johnson, Jackson, Hutchinson and Simpson, plus if JDG2 and Hoillet jin up then I think we have enough youthful guys to compete for those wing/second striker spots.

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Just out of curiousity. I am wondering why a move to Mallorca would hinder his chance of getting called by the Dutch? I seem to recall Mallorca being a pretty decent side in La Liga. And, looking at the starting lineup for Holland at most games in the recent WC, I dont recall ever being so underwhelmed by the club affilaitions of players on a Dutch side. There were a lot of dutch players starting at WC who were with IMO some pretty crappy teams. Something that I had never seen in past WC's in regards to the dutch sides.

They just entered administration for debt of about 50 Million, they have lost about their entire Starting XI and will be playing for relegation in La Liga this upcoming season. As for hindering chances the Dutch seem to just be such a deep country when it comes to his position and all the guys in front of him are playing domestic or at a big time euro club, and were born in Holland and aren't naturalized Dutch citizens. It is purely my opinion tho, and my hope as well.

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Just out of curiousity. I am wondering why a move to Mallorca would hinder his chance of getting called by the Dutch? I seem to recall Mallorca being a pretty decent side in La Liga. And, looking at the starting lineup for Holland at most games in the recent WC, I dont recall ever being so underwhelmed by the club affilaitions of players on a Dutch side. There were some dutch players starting at WC who were with IMO some pretty average teams. Something that I had never seen in past WC's in regards to the dutch sides.

I agree with this. However, for Jono, he needs to compete with Sneijder, Van Der Varrt, Afellay and others for that number 10 spot. I don't see it happening for him.

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Just out of curiousity. I am wondering why a move to Mallorca would hinder his chance of getting called by the Dutch? I seem to recall Mallorca being a pretty decent side in La Liga. And, looking at the starting lineup for Holland at most games in the recent WC, I dont recall ever being so underwhelmed by the club affilaitions of players on a Dutch side. There were some dutch players starting at WC who were with IMO some pretty average teams. Something that I had never seen in past WC's in regards to the dutch sides.

Which players do you think were at average clubs then?

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Which players do you think were at average clubs then?

Putting aside the domestic players, there was a fellow from Celtic, 2 or 3 from Hamburg - 4 years removed from its last top 4 finish in Germany - and quite poor last year, and De Jong with Man City, a team which is admittedly on the way up and spending a lot of cash, but still not top 4 in England. I am tending to agree with Free Kick and note that with 3-4 exceptions, even the guys on big teams were not really stars on those big teams. Maybe we have been blinded by the top end of past dutch teams, and this is the norm, but I am of the same view as Free Kick.

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Putting aside the domestic players, there was a fellow from Celtic, 2 or 3 from Hamburg - 4 years removed from its last top 4 finish in Germany - and quite poor last year, and De Jong with Man City, a team which is admittedly on the way up and spending a lot of cash, but still not top 4 in England. I am tending to agree with Free Kick and note that with 3-4 exceptions, even the guys on big teams were not really stars on those big teams. Maybe we have been blinded by the top end of past dutch teams, and this is the norm, but I am of the same view as Free Kick.

I hope you're not referring to Sneijder and Robben.

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Putting aside the domestic players, there was a fellow from Celtic, 2 or 3 from Hamburg - 4 years removed from its last top 4 finish in Germany - and quite poor last year, and De Jong with Man City, a team which is admittedly on the way up and spending a lot of cash, but still not top 4 in England. I am tending to agree with Free Kick and note that with 3-4 exceptions, even the guys on big teams were not really stars on those big teams. Maybe we have been blinded by the top end of past dutch teams, and this is the norm, but I am of the same view as Free Kick.

Not to mention Everton and several dutch clubs who seldom, if ever, are seen in the later rounds of CL . Compared to Dutch sides of the 90's, that featured players who were stars on Euro-power clubs like Barcelona, Milan, Juventus, Man U etc, this Dutch side was a big contrast to me. Then again, that might explain why they fared better this time. Having the bulk of your players playing in the super clubs means a long and late season and fixture congestion which all leads to fatigue. But that wasn't the case this time with several players at Everton, Celtic, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Feyenord, etc. Even the stars of this dutch side who played for big clubs like Munich and RM, were not the biggest stars at their club sides.

But Mallorca finished fifth last year in la Liga. I don't see how that would put him off the radar from the Dutch national coaches.

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Snejder played on the same team as Kaka and Ronaldo. If anything, the bigger pressure and spotlight was on the latter two.

Wrong Milan, he's on Inter not AC...wait, Kaka moved to RM last season. And are you talking about Cristiano Ronaldo or Ronaldinho? Because Sneijder left RM when those 2 cats signed.

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Wrong Milan, he's on Inter not AC...wait, Kaka moved to RM last season. And are you talking about Cristiano Ronaldo or Ronaldinho? Because Sneijder left RM when those 2 cats signed.

I was talking about RM and I referring to Ronaldo not Ronaldinho. Your right, I had temporarily forgotten that Snejder moved to Inter. I was thinking of RM with Snejder, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. Didn't those three start against TFC?

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You guys are nuts. The Dutch squad at the World Cup had the following makeup:

Dutch league:

Ajax 3

PSV 2

Feyenoord 1

Utrecht, AZ, Twente 1 each

^ All of these teams are in European competition this year. Most of the Eredivisie players are from 'big 3' sides. In any event, you always expect a fraction of a national squad to come from the home league.

Bundesliga:

Bayern Munich 2 (both 'stars')

Hamburg 2

Stuttgart 1

^ Germany neighbours Holland, so you expect a lot of players to move on to there. BM were in the CL finals and Stuttgart was in the CL last year. Hamburg, although having a down season I think has to be considered somewhat 'big' since it still garners quite a few spectators

England:

Liverpool 2 (at least one 'star')

Arsenal 1 ('starish')

Man City, Everton 1 each

^The first two are obviously 'big', the second two are not so much

Italy:

Inter, Milan 1 each (one 'star')

^Big clubs.

Spain:

Real Madrid 1

^Big club

Scotland:

Celtic 1

^Biggish club. Sure its Scotland, but call it an anomaly.

My point is that I don't know how you can be underwhelmed with their clubs. Give me another squad at the world cup that has a significantly more impressive roster in terms of clubs (save Brazil and Spain). Goodness, they were the third best represented nationality in the CL final after Argentina, Brazil, and Germany.

Of course this thread (or 1/3 of it) is about Jono. Does going to Mallorca reduce his chances at the Dutch squad. The answer IMO is yes. In terms of likelihood, I'd guess that a player would get noticed with the following priority:

G14 ('big') clubs

Dutch league (since the media is so accessible, style, training, etc.)

German league (right next door, good relations)

English league (lots of coverage)

Spanish, French, Italian leagues

It might not seem like a big difference, but I'd think that he'd have to do more (esp. if they're not in europe) at Mallorca than at Feyenoord.

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Kansas City's Teal Bunbury following father's MLS footsteps

By Igor Henriques, Sports Network

The Sports Network

When Teal Bunbury latched onto a misguided header by Toronto FC defender Adrian Cann and headed it past keeper Stefan Frei, Canadian soccer fans got a first-hand look at a player who could be a pillar in the national team's future.

Bunbury, a Hamilton native, was selected by the Kansas City Wizards with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 MLS Superdraft and has been impressing people throughout the world with his ability this season.

In a recent friendly victory for Kansas City over English Premier powerhouse Manchester United, manager Sir Alex Ferguson applauded the young striker's talent.

"[He] was a handful physically," Ferguson told the Kansas City Wizards' official website. "Handful. He gave us a hard time that way."

Having represented Canada at the U-17 and U-20 level but also plying his trade at the University of Akron, Bunbury has the option to either play for Canada or the United States at the senior level.

Canadian fans can only hope that Teal decides to follow the same path as his father Alex.

Alex Bunbury was capped for Canada 64 times and managed to score 16 goals, an impressive number if you consider the talent level - or lack thereof - in the Canadian system over the last 20 years.

In a rather interesting twist of fate, Alex ended his professional career in the same place Teal began his, with the Kansas City Wizards where he managed four goals in 24 appearances in the 1999-2000 season.

Teal possesses many of the same attributes that his father possessed and his growing confidence could see him become a clinical finisher at the striker position.

The dilemma surrounding Teal is nothing new to Canadian soccer fans. Over the last few years, several potential Canadian players have decided to place their allegiances with different nations.

Both Asmir Begovic and Jonathan De Guzman decided that Bosnia-Herzegovina and Holland, respectively, were better choices for their international careers.

Though De Guzman never represented Canada at the youth level, Begovic did. The keeper, who was born in Bosnia, was a key member of Canada's Under-20 team but for unknown reasons was never used at the senior level.

It did, however, allow Begovic to represent Bosnia, which made a strong push to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The situation with Teal is a very similar to the one of the former Canadian keeper.

The odds that Teal chooses to play for Canada over the United States are slim if you consider the current state of soccer in the two countries.

While Canada has struggled since a 2000 Gold Cup victory, the United States has been impressive in recent major tournaments, making them a more likely destination if Teal hopes to reach success at the international level. An opportunity to play with the likes of Jozy Altidore and Landon Donovan is certainly another alluring aspect given the impact both are having on the North American and European soccer scene.

The appeal to follow his father's legacy and play for Canada is the only major drawing point for Teal at the moment.

The 20-year-old forward seems to have a bright future in front of him and although his father had a distinguished career, the possibility that Teal surpasses the former Kansas City striker is there.

It's also a fact likely not lost on the Canadian Soccer Association.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/06/1765025/kansas-citys-teal-bunbury-following.html#ixzz0vxsWP9Ys

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