Ballou Tabla

[Obinna]

Anyone know why Tabla didn't dress tonight? No mention of him being injured in the mlssoccer.com preview.

[mikey_s_]

4 hours ago, Obinna said:

Anyone know why Tabla didn't dress tonight? No mention of him being injured in the mlssoccer.com preview.

He picked up a slight injury in leg 1 of the CC. He should be back next week.

[toontownman]

Got cold feet apparently... 

[dyslexic nam]

I am pretending that he is resting up for the Gold Cup.  It makes me feel better.

 

[Club Linesman]

Wonder if he is watching the Ivory Coast get destroyed by the Dutch?  If his heart is set on playing there this game may give him hope that he will be called sooner rather than later.  Or maybe he thinks he can play for one of two minnows.

[MtlMario]

Did anybody else see the interview on TVA? We all thought that it was his family that wants him to play for IC,but he kept saying he feels African, at home he speaks,eats Afican and still has strong feelings for IC. And of course his idol being Drogba. I still think we have a chance to have him but the %'s went down a little. Hoping for the best.

[zeelaw]

12 minutes ago, MtlMario said:

Did anybody else see the interview on TVA? We all thought that it was his family that wants him to play for IC,but he kept saying he feels African, at home he speaks,eats Afican and still has strong feelings for IC. And of course his idol being Drogba. I still think we have a chance to have him but the %'s went down a little. Hoping for the best.

When did he move to Canada?  Want to know before I comment lol

[dyslexic nam]

Apparently this has biographical info re when he moved, but it is blocked from my work comp as a sports site (but this one is not...)

http://www.jeanyves-tabla.com/biographie/

[Big_M]

According to himself when he was 8

[fmfranck]

He moved here in 2010 according to his TVASports interview. So less than 10 years ago. He was probably 8, but almost 9 surely. 

I watched the interview, and its true that he does say these things (that he still talk Ivorian at home, and that he eats Ivorian food, etc). At the same time though, as you would expect, he talks like a Montrealer. I think he's definitely a bit of both. Saying that you still talk your mother's tongue doesn't mean that you haven't grown up as a Quebecer/Canadian. I see a lot of people in Montréal claiming to be Italian (it's an example, same could be said with Portuguese or Greeks or wtv), but they aren't truly Italian. They grew up as North Americans with affinities for Italy, but that doesn't make you Italian. But it's different for Ballou as he was born and partly raised in Ivory Coast, and more importantly in his case, staying true to his Ivorian roots seems important to him. Drogba ABSOLUTELY played a part in this part of his identity resurfacing in the last few years. (he goes into great detail in his interview of his time with Didier)

Edited June 5, 2017 by fmfranck

[harrycoyster]

11 hours ago, fmfranck said:

But it's different for Ballou as he was born and partly raised in Ivory Coast, and more importantly in his case, staying true to his Ivorian roots seems important to him. Drogba ABSOLUTELY played a part in this part of his identity resurfacing in the last few years. (he goes into great detail in his interview of his time with Didier)

He sounded pretty committed to playing for the Ivory Coast. Him saying "I feel African" when asked about Canada definitely is't a good sign.

Unless somebody gets Drogba out of his ear, I doubt he plays for us (barring him not getting an Ivory Coast call up by 2022).

[MtlMario]

That's why it's surprising especially after what Zambrano told me.

[DigzTFC]

Part of the issue with being a CMNT fan is the belief that "if we had x player it would result in y result" or the silver bullet theory.  I gave up on that a while ago.  I remember when it was a great to have De Jong sign on instead of with the Netherlands.  When Will Johnson played for Canada instead of the US.  When Tesho played for us instead of the US.  When Steven Vitoria picked us eventually over Portugal.  When Scott Arfield picked us over Scotland.  When Simeon Jackson picked us over Jamaica etc.  Now you can pick apart my sentences on how these players arrived at their decision and if we were picked over another country.  The results by the CMNT speak for themself.

My point is simply, no one player will make us qualify for the World Cup.  We need better quality players.  Tabla has good qualities but we can replace them.  You could argue Raheem Edwards has the same talent level.

What we need is a consistent development process like a CPL.  Players like Tabla will come and go but as long as we have players behind him to take his place the we are okay.  We haven't had that and that is why its so painful when we lose players.  VWC, TFC and the Impact are mature academies now.  Sigma is also producing consistently.  Times are a changing.

[SpecialK]

1 hour ago, DigzTFC said:

Part of the issue with being a CMNT fan is the belief that "if we had x player it would result in y result" or the silver bullet theory.  I gave up on that a while ago.  I remember when it was a great to have De Jong sign on instead of with the Netherlands.  When Will Johnson played for Canada instead of the US.  When Tesho played for us instead of the US.  When Steven Vitoria picked us eventually over Portugal.  When Scott Arfield picked us over Scotland.  When Simeon Jackson picked us over Jamaica etc.  Now you can pick apart my sentences on how these players arrived at their decision and if we were picked over another country.  The results by the CMNT speak for themself.

My point is simply, no one player will make us qualify for the World Cup.  We need better quality players.  Tabla has good qualities but we can replace them.  You could argue Raheem Edwards has the same talent level.

What we need is a consistent development process like a CPL.  Players like Tabla will come and go but as long as we have players behind him to take his place the we are okay.  We haven't had that and that is why its so painful when we lose players.  VWC, TFC and the Impact are mature academies now.  Sigma is also producing consistently.  Times are a changing.

You are so wrong on so many levels.
1. If you looked Canada's pasted rosters and add one or two of those players we've lost too other countries or add all of them, there is a huge argument to be made that Canada would've made in multiple World Cup by now. Prime examples of players goalkeeper Asmir Begovic ,DCM Owen Hargreaves, AM Jonathan De Guzmam, CB Alain Rochat, CMJacob Lensky, F Teal Bunbury, RW Ethan Finlay.
2. Simeon Jackson, Steven Vitoria, De Jong are not top end talent Period. They good players but not great. If you have one or two great players together with a bunch of good players and with a good manger great things are going to happen. Canada doesn't have that great/super star yet, but it will soon !
3. Ballou is 18 years old and being scouted by the top teams in England http://www.espnfc.com/story/2853811/ballou-jean-yves-tabla-eyed-by-premier-league-sides-source  
There is no comparison to Edwards to Ballou. Edwards is a good young only 21 years old Player with upside but don't hear about him going to a top team in Europe ( I could be wrong ).
4. Canada's U17 couldn't even beat Cuba, CUBA! Don't even go there about how great and mature the TFC and Vancouver's academies are. What a disgrace!
5. The CPL is going to be great for Canadian players: more opportunities, a little bit more money, potentially more playing time, it could be used as a springboard for bigger and better things. BUT the CPL is years away. We have good players and potentially some super stars now, like Cyle Larin , like Ballou, like Alphonso Davies, like Bryan Cristante, like Ricardo Ferreira that could change the whole image of Canada in the world of football. Canada can make the World Cup in 2022 and we could be hosting in 2026. But we need to start winning now and not just hope for the future because if we don't win now we're going to lose those future players to other countries. If we don't learn from the past... the past will repeat itself and... just look at those talent player we lost. That Beautiful dream of the CPL producing possible great players in the future you are talking about will be for nothing because they won't play for Canada. 

Everyone should read this article if you haven't already, its old I think but it's good. http://backpagefootball.com/the-state-of-canadian-soccer-defectors/45688/

Edited June 6, 2017 by SpecialK

[Dub Narcotic]

WCQ and Gold Cup are really too small a sample size to judge anything, especially when Canada often brings half-assed rosters to the latter.

I'm looking forward to the nations cup, we'll actual get a better idea of the team's talent level and it will allow for a lot more practice and game time for the group, which has generally been the biggest issue.

[Obinna]

33 minutes ago, SpecialK said:

1. If you looked Canada's pasted rosters and add one or two of those players we've lost too other countries or add all of them, there is a huge argument to be made that Canada would've made in multiple World Cup by now. Prime examples of players goalkeeper Asmir Begovic ,DCM Owen Hargreaves, AM Jonathan De Guzmam, CB Alain Rochat, CMJacob Lensky, F Teal Bunbury, RW Ethan Finlay.
2. Simeon Jackson, Steven Vitoria, De Jong are not top end talent Period. 

So Jackson, Vitoria and De Jong aren't top end talent, but Lensky, Finlay, Bunbury and Rochat would have made the difference? Lol

[Big_M]

Teal Bunbury. A 27 year old mls backup

[SpecialK]

Teal Bunbury age 27

MLS - GP 186 G 29

Ethan Finlay age 26 

MLS - GP 145 G 34

 

name me another Candian other then Cyle larin, Dwayne De Rosario, Will Johnson. Who has those numbers? Also what has been Canada major problem    Scoring goals maybe ??

 

They good enough for the USA team but not good enough for Canada ? USA has been to 10 World Cups And Canada only 1 right ? 

 

 

[Grizzly]

15 minutes ago, Obinna said:

So Jackson, Vitoria and De Jong aren't top end talent, but Lensky, Finlay, Bunbury and Rochat would have made the difference? Lol

No but Begovic, Hargreaves and Jonothan DeGuzman would have made a difference. Whether it would be enough to qualify for the World Cup is unknown but our typical starting lineup has no superstars, a couple of very good players, a bunch of good players and 2 or 3 guys who aren't really international quality. Replacing the 2 or 3 starters below international quality with even guys who are just good players would be a big upgrade in the team and possibly the difference between a tie and a loss in El Salvador and Honduras and a win and a tie in those games.

[Dominic94]

I think De Guzman or Hargreaves would of been massive, because we're solid in goal with Borjan.

[Lord Bob]

Always fascinated by the theory that CanMNT's problem is that it needs more players who wish they were somewhere else.

[Ivan]

Hargreaves, DeGuzman and Begovic would have made a discernible difference.  Lensky, Bunbury and Finlay (who was never really eligible for us as I understand it) would not.

[Bison44]

I wish people would quit bringing up finlay.  Its been discussed at length (you can look it up on here), but he is not and never was eligible for us.  

[dyslexic nam]

5 minutes ago, Benjamin Massey said:

Always fascinated by the theory that CanMNT's problem is that it needs more players who wish they were somewhere else.

That kind of misrepresents the theory, though.  The idea is that we would be better off if these guys wanted to (and chose to) play for Canada.  No one is pining over the need for forced enscription.  And for the record, Hoillet was a hesitant but eventual CMNT player, and he is close to top of the pile currently. 

 

1 minute ago, Ivan said:

Hargreaves, DeGuzman and Begovic would have made a discernible difference.  Lensky, Bunbury and Finlay (who was never really eligible for us as I understand it) would not.

To come back to the present case, I think a lot of people are pegging Tabla at the difference-maker level vs. pfft-level.

[Ivan]

8 minutes ago, Benjamin Massey said:

Always fascinated by the theory that CanMNT's problem is that it needs more players who wish they were somewhere else.

This.  As disappointing as I am in Tabla's trend toward IC, if he doesn't have the desire to rep Canada, then it's time to move on.