Doneil Henry leaving TFC for Europe?

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

So, In that regard, he's ahead of Devos right now.

Devos had even said that on his podcast.

[jpg75]

Randy Samuel joined PSV after the WC in '86 at the age of 22.

[Ivan]

Yeah, but he was loaned out to smaller clubs (Fortuna Sittard?) in his younger days was he not?

[madmonte]

It's not like he's going to walk into a starter's role.  They have a few decent quality CBs in their prime.  Unless some other transfers happen.  He will impress with his athleticism, but his decision making will need to equally impress.

[Keegan]

Do you know who Randy Samuel is? I would assume you must have heard of Jason Devos to name but one other obvious candidate. There was soccer in Canada long before TFC arrived on the scene. Good luck to Doneil Henry in Cyprus, I hope it works out for him, but if he was as hot a prospect as you are hyping him up to be he would be going to one of the stronger leagues. 

 

I don't mean to disrespect those two, I simply believe that for his age Henry is the best Canada has ever had.  Henry really is a dream centre back for a manager he just needs to be disciplined combined with good coaching IMO.  

 

Henry has achieved more at his age and at a higher level than De Vos but I can see an argument being made for Samuel.

[BrennanFan]

Doneil Henry has a long, LONG, way to go before we can start comparing him to deVos.  deVos created his own career path out of nothing and there is no doubt in my mind if he had a different passport he would have gotten to the top flight in Europe.  Best leader and Captain Canada has ever had.  Clutch goals in WCQ and Gold Cup.  Simply the best we have ever produced.    

 

Samuel had a cup of coffee with PSV and really was only a lower table Dutch club team player in his prime.  I'd put Samuel on basically on the level as Dejan Jakovic or Hainault.  Samuel scored zero goals in 80 appearances for Canada. 

 

David Edgar is a better defender and a better all round footballer than Samuel.  A versatile player who can play in midfield, as a fullback sending in crosses, and who can score goals, and not just headers, Edgar can strike a dead ball as well as hit volleys as we saw against jamaica.  Edgar may surpass deVos one of these days, if he can get back to a top flight league or get canada to the hex, i'd consider him ahead of deVos.    

 

Henry has extreme potential, but he also has weaknesses that Hainault, Jakovic and Edgar did not and do not have.  He has a ton of work to do, I hope he doesn't read his own hype on these boards.  

[Keegan]

We are comparing De Vos and Henry at 21 years old, not in terms of career that would be pointless.

[BrennanFan]

I understand that.  

 

If deVos had had the TFC machine in his corner as a teenager, there would be no comparison even at age 21.  Hence my comment about deVos having to create his own career out of nothing.  

[Obinna]

It's not like he's going to walk into a starter's role.  They have a few decent quality CBs in their prime.  Unless some other transfers happen.  He will impress with his athleticism, but his decision making will need to equally impress.

Let's hope you're wrong. I really think he can go in there and compete for a starting CB spot right away. 

[BrennanFan]

Let's hope you're wrong. I really think he can go in there and compete for a starting CB spot right away. 

 

Henry earn a starting place on a Europa league level team?  Highly unlikely.  More likely he'll be loaned to a lower table cyprus team like daniel haber.  

[Obinna]

I understand that.  

 

If deVos had had the TFC machine in his corner as a teenager, there would be no comparison even at age 21.  Hence my comment about deVos having to create his own career out of nothing.  

 

So basically you're saying Henry is further along than deVos because he had access to TFC and deVos didn't? Yes, I fully agree with that and it's great to see. That is the point of us having professional clubs in Canada!

 

It is unfortunate for us (and for deVos) that we never had MLS clubs like TFC/Whitecaps/Impact sooner. But then again, the past is the past, and the point is that Henry (as a result of environment) is much further along than deVos at the age of 21 (no disrespect to deVos).  

[Obinna]

Henry earn a starting place on a Europa league level team?  Highly unlikely.  More likely he'll be loaned to a lower table cyprus team like daniel haber.  

 

Naw, I don't see it working out that way. Given his tremendous upside and experience level for a 21/22 year old CB, I suspect they will be very keen to directly develop him as soon as possible. Because, if he's not winning a starting spot right away, he is surely on the cusp. Thus, they will not bother wasting time loaning him out, like Daniel Haber, who is more of a long term project. They play different positions, but just look at their experience levels. Henry is much much much further along in his development.

[BrennanFan]

^ I sincerely hope you're right.  

 

As an aside, I was recently told by a drunken irish dude that having a first name for a last name is lucky.  Has anyone heard this before?  

 

Is it not amazing that we could have 2 CBs with first names for last names: Edgar and Henry!?!?!  

[Yohan]

Let's hope that Henry learns to speak Greek quickly and make better adjustment to foreign culture fast. DeVos went to a country that speaks English. For a young guy who never lived elsewhere before without his support network, it's going to be a tough adjustment and that can throw off his game. 

 

Henry already going to have pressure being bought, so the club will expect him to perform. Even little mistakes will make him under the spotlight.

 

Good luck Doneil

[Keegan]

I understand that.  

 

If deVos had had the TFC machine in his corner as a teenager, there would be no comparison even at age 21.  Hence my comment about deVos having to create his own career out of nothing.  

 

But wait isn't the narrative that Henry has been ruined by TFC?  How does that make sense?

 

Also De Vos was playing for Montreal at the same age in what was at the time the highest level of North American soccer and accumulated fewer appearances so I don't buy that.

 

Both players created their own careers.  Henry earned a deal and was making first team appearances at 17!  TFC didn't pick him out of a crowd and decide to develop him just like Montreal didnt pick De Vos out of a crowd and decide to develop him.  Both players worked their way onto Canadian pro teams at the highest level.

 

Let's call it like it is.  De Vos was never talented enough or touted to go to the top (first division in a top country).  Henry is and always has been thus far.  Even De Vos would admit that Henry is better at the same age along with numerous credible managers.

 

Clearly he has a long way to go to live up to what De Vos did for Canada and career wise but he's 21.. and just like De Vos at 21 he hasn't done anything notable (YET).

[sose]

I understand that.  

 

If deVos had had the TFC machine in his corner as a teenager, there would be no comparison even at age 21.  Hence my comment about deVos having to create his own career out of nothing.  

If ifs and buts were candies and nuts we would all have a merry christmas.

 

you can't say for sure what deVos would have been with a TFC academy around because it wasn't around when he was 21.

[Blackdude]

Doneil Henry has a long, LONG, way to go before we can start comparing him to deVos.  deVos created his own career path out of nothing and there is no doubt in my mind if he had a different passport he would have gotten to the top flight in Europe. 

 

 DeVos had a Dutch passport. So, I strongly disagree.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Although the clubs Samuel played for post-PSV are now regular fixtures in the Dutch second tier, at the time he played for them Volendam and Fortuna Sittard were both in the top tier and doing reasonably well at least until the end of his time at the latter. Watched Devos play for the London Lasers and although it was certainly a lower level than MLS, I think it qualifies as being a lot more than "nothing".  If anything the overall quality of the CSL was at its best when the league was in its death throes in 1992 because the available talent was focused on fewer clubs, and the same argument also applies to the subsequent early years of the APSL. Beyond that I think people are maybe talking up the Cypriot top tier a little too much. The top few clubs have a decent if not spectacular record in European competition, but there are some very small clubs making up the numbers:

 

http://european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/2014/avecyp.htm

 

The league covers a population that is about the same as Winnipeg.

[Ruffian]

Does anybody speak Greek and can get an impression of what the Apollon fans think?

 

http://apollon-forum.net/apollonforum/

http://www.apollonfans.com/

[Keegan]

Who here is talking up the Cypriot league too much BBTB?  It is a good level that Doneil will be hard pressed to immediately contribute to.  It isn't a spectacular league but the common fan writes it off as a joke without having a clue so I think you're confusing people defending the league with hyping it up.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient#Country_coefficient

 

Take a look at where Cyprus sits.. 18th and countries the league is ahead of include Denmark, Sweden, Israel, Norway etc.

 

Any player starting on a team in a top division in the top 30 of that list would be considered a starter on the CMNT at the present moment.  Cyprus IMHO is the world's most underrated league by the casual fan who relates the league to their national team, which actually isn't bad at all given their size.  But one also must remember that these teams have been around for close to a century and feature many internationals with experience at much higher levels than MLS... this is a strong league. 

[Obinna]

Yeah, IMO Cyprus gets overlooked because their national team is weak, and their population is low. It is seen as a backwater, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few quality clubs in that league.

 

Personally, I prefer him to be in Cyprus than Sweden or Norway. There are hoards of Brazilian imports and aside from that, the reputation of the league is that it's technical. Central American teams are technical. This is not a bad move, at all. Remember Josh Simpson citing Turkey as excellent prep for CONCACAF? Technical play, passionate fans and intimidating environments. I imagine Cyprus as a mini-version of this. 

 

To boot, he is playing on one of the best clubs. You can argue that MLS is a better league from top to bottom, but the opportunity to play in Europa League (whether this season or next) and gain attention from larger European clubs make this venture worthwhile! 

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Who here is talking up the Cypriot league too much BBTB? 

 

It was the comments about the technical style of the Cypriot game being good for his development that I thought might be pushing the envelope a bit. Think players normally go to the better clubs in Cyprus when they are looking for one last pay day in contract terms when they are well past their best. I suspect the lower divisions in the bigger countries can provide a more consistent level of fully professional competition, so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss clubs like Darlington where Devos was concerned (bad example at the moment obviously given they had to start again at the bottom of the English pyramid) as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. The lower divisions in England haven't done Simeon Jackson any harm in CMNT terms.  

[canucklefan]

The lower divisions in England haven't done Simeon Jackson any harm in CMNT terms.  

That sentence is more an indicative of the state of football here than the state of football of the lower divisions in England. Hutchinson and De Jong are the only MNT players in some European first division. No doubt Jackson is one of the better options for Floro but MNT needs players in higher levels if we hope to qualify to the WC one day.

[reme90]

So Henry has been sold to West Ham for  $1.5 million Euro of which TFC will get nothing. Although, I don't expect his work permit will be approved. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2881827/West-Ham-United-await-Doneil-Henry-news-Sam-Allardyce-looks-bolster-line.html

[tarnado1555362291]

it was just confirmed that his work permit application was a success

 

http://www.tsn.ca/canadian-d-henry-granted-work-permit-headed-to-west-ham-united-1.166029