Ballou Tabla

[DavemTFC 46]

9 hours ago, costarg said:

I'm sorry, what?  "way that Drogba appeared to have a positive influence on him"?  If anything that's the moment his career went off the rails and stagnated.  All his troubles started at exactly that moment.  A few months before he was lighting up highlight reels and people were really starting to talk.  Once Drogba came, all the Ivory Coast talk started along with the rumours about his attitude and arrogance.  I liked Drogba and all, but i don't feel he was a positive influence on Tabla at all.

I always got the impression his troubles started when he moved to Barca

[Blackdude 616]

I don't buy the Drogba thing. I think Ballou's path has been complicated since he was 16.

[Shway 3,212]

8 hours ago, dyslexic nam said:

Damn it would be amazing if he could get back on anything like his previous trajectory.  All that talent doesn’t just disappear.  
 

Some here have been very quick to think so. 

[CanadaFan123 1,904]

1 hour ago, Blackdude said:

I don't buy the Drogba thing. I think Ballou's path has been complicated since he was 16.

Yeah the timeline doesn’t even make sense.  Drogba had been at Montreal before Ballou joined the first team .. he then earned a move to Barcelona after his first year.  Hardly a bad influence.

I think Barca was a wake up call but the true “dive” was when he was loaned to Albacete.  That’s it.  He was never going to play first team at Barcelona so he needed to show himself at a good level and he never got that chance. 

[Kadenge 2,091]

12 hours ago, costarg said:

I'm sorry, what?  "way that Drogba appeared to have a positive influence on him"?  If anything that's the moment his career went off the rails and stagnated.  All his troubles started at exactly that moment.  A few months before he was lighting up highlight reels and people were really starting to talk.  Once Drogba came, all the Ivory Coast talk started along with the rumours about his attitude and arrogance.  I liked Drogba and all, but i don't feel he was a positive influence on Tabla at all.

Drogba was a player that always gave 100% in his prime and during his return to Chelsea. He toiled for many years in the French leagues before the big transfer to Chelsea. There is no way he inflated Tabla's ego... That's on Tabla.  The Ivory Coast or Canada wavering is another issue...none of us know the facts. It was reported that Drogba did tell Ballou to focus on soccer and that the national team decision would sort itself out. Tabla looked fragile since his move to Barça and the stage is now set for him to excel once again.

[Stryker911 1,773]

Didnt even make the bench for their opener today.

[dyslexic nam 9,863]

27 minutes ago, Stryker911 said:

Didnt even make the bench for their opener today.

Not according to google 

[RS 2,002]

41 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

Not according to google 

According to the Impact, @Stryker911 is correct.

 

[Club Linesman 944]

Really hope he gets his shit together. He appeared to have a huge upside but right now he needs to listen to his former world class striker coach and put in the work to become the player most thought he was capable of.

[dyslexic nam 9,863]

27 minutes ago, RS said:

According to the Impact, @Stryker911 is correct.

 

Sorry, I phrased that poorly. 
I meant that Tabla was not on the bench according to google. 

[toontownman 2,934]

No choiniere either. Definitely worried about Tabla. On the upside he is likely free for the qualifiers and that is a huge chance for him. On the downside if we get pouty uninterested underconfident Tabla it's a wasted spot in a tiny squad.

[costarg 640]

Its not to surprising when we look at the big picture.  The Impact had Urruti, Quioto, Lappi and Okwonkwo (who are all playing as wingers) in the 18.  Can't go overboard on wingers.  He'll get a chance, but competition is fierce.  

[JuicyHam 463]

18 hours ago, toontownman said:

No choiniere either. Definitely worried about Tabla. On the upside he is likely free for the qualifiers and that is a huge chance for him. On the downside if we get pouty uninterested underconfident Tabla it's a wasted spot in a tiny squad.

At this point I wouldn't even call him for the U-23s when you consider how little he has played and the other options we have 

[toontownman 2,934]

13 minutes ago, JuicyHam said:

At this point I wouldn't even call him for the U-23s when you consider how little he has played and the other options we have 

Exactly. No idea whether he will be in or out of the 20 man squad but I dont think it would be a real shock if he wasnt picked. Millar, Borges, Buchanan, Schaffleburg and Zanatta are all getting more minutes out wide. 

Obviously an on form confident, first stint at impact Ballou would be everyone's first pick but if we get what we have seen the last year there are better options.

My gut is he still gets picked.

[N1ckbr0wn 896]

Ballou had posted a picture of him at his sisters wedding yesterday on his Instagram story. Could this be why he was not in the 18? 

Edited March 1, 2020 by N1ckbr0wn

[CANMNT_SUPERFAN 107]

Saw that too!!!!... However, if you looked at ZBG's Instagram story post-game, when they are in the locker room, Ballou is seen there with the rest of the Impact crew in case you missed it!!!!!... Like everyone in here, hoping he gets some minutes in the next MLS date + the 1st & 2nd leg of the CCL Qfs!!!!

 

[JuicyHam 463]

https://twitter.com/tristandamours/status/1235264368281104389?s=20

[El Diego 842]

32 minutes ago, JuicyHam said:

https://twitter.com/tristandamours/status/1235264368281104389?s=20

Awesome, maybe he can push Davies forward on the NT 🙄

[badname22 467]

1 hour ago, JuicyHam said:

https://twitter.com/tristandamours/status/1235264368281104389?s=20

Hopefully just until their defenders recover and then push someone like Raitala out wide

[El Diego 842]

16 hours ago, badname22 said:

Hopefully just until their defenders recover and then push someone like Raitala out wide

Raitala is out for a few months... aside from him and Corrales I don't know if anyone else can play left back/left wing back. You'd think that Bayiha would be a more natural fit to make that move rather than Tabla but 🤔

[Obinna 8,569]

If playing in the back improves his defensive work I don't mind it. If playing in the back gets him on the field I don't mind it. If playing in the back improves his decision making I don't mind it.

Those are seemingly 3 challenges with Tabla at the moment. He switches off defensively, doesn't play as much as his talent deserves, and does have a habit of unessesarily slowing down the play when he is isolated with the ball 1 v 1.

Edited March 5, 2020 by Obinna
Mistyped

[RS 2,002]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

If playing in the back improves his decision making I don't want it.

Wait, what?

[Obinna 8,569]

4 minutes ago, RS said:

Wait, what?

I meant I don't mind it.

Not caffeinated enough this morning

[dyslexic nam 9,863]

3 hours ago, Obinna said:

If playing in the back improves his defensive work I don't mind it. If playing in the back gets him on the field I don't mind it. If playing in the back improves his decision making I don't mind it.

Those are seemingly 3 challenges with Tabla at the moment. He switches off defensively, doesn't play as much as his talent deserves, and does have a habit of unessesarily slowing down the play when he is isolated with the ball 1 v 1.

Agree with all of this.

[Unnamed Trialist 5,780]

I watched a year of Ballou at Barça B, and he was often asked to track back and hold, even deep into his own end. And then would progress slowly, modestly, forward, into attack. He was fairly disciplined and did not do badly. Remember half of that was in Spanish 2nd division.

I am more concerned that there is no one telling him to go for it, to break some balls going forward, to take risks and not worry about it not working. How many attacking moves are successful, maybe 5% overall? He really needs to be psychologically molded into being daring and reckless, rather than the other, which I just see as a way of babysitting him while he figures out the other stuff.