Adam Straith

[hamiltonfan]

And it's official....Adam should be in the line up for this weekends match

 

[jpg75]

Good for him. I think that's probably a very appropriate level for him.

[Zem]

The club's release as well for anyone interested: http://www.sf-lotte.de/aktuell/news/innenverteidiger-straith-kommt/

[matty]

Interviewed http://www.rednationonline.ca/Interviews2014/RedNationInterviewSeriesAdamStraith.aspx

[Marc]

 

On 8/18/2017 at 1:09 PM, Zem said:

The club's release as well for anyone interested: http://www.sf-lotte.de/aktuell/news/innenverteidiger-straith-kommt/

Another minor google translate classic

[SpecialK]

56 minutes ago, matty said:

Interviewed http://www.rednationonline.ca/Interviews2014/RedNationInterviewSeriesAdamStraith.aspx

Awesome interview, please keep them coming! 

[matty]

1 hour ago, SpecialK said:

Awesome interview, please keep them coming! 

Hope to have reached out to a few NASL clubs and European clubs about talking with Canadians. Have also reached out to a NWSL teams but literally never hear back from them.

Have a few incomplete ones too

Edited August 29, 2017 by matty

[Grizzly]

Good interview. Straith has gotten marks of 2.5 (good) and 3.5 (average) by Kicker for his first two games in Germany, a victory and a loss. Unfortunately he deflected the ball on the winning goal for Osnabruck in the last game

 

[BearcatSA]

22 hours ago, matty said:

Interviewed http://www.rednationonline.ca/Interviews2014/RedNationInterviewSeriesAdamStraith.aspx

You certainly get the sense that for him home now is Germany. 

I have a massive amount of respect for guys like Straith, Ledgerwood, and many others who have been able to carve out journeymen careers abroad in the world's most competitive sport.  As he alluded to in matty's interview, he hopes he could serve as a role model for some of the younger guys entertaining the program.  OZ speaks of changing the mentality of the program and that to me is not just on the pitch:  I think it's learning how to be a professional in all facets of the game, on and off the field, especially with killing an entitlement mentality and building an "earning it" one instead.

[matty]

8 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

You certainly get the sense that for him home now is Germany. 

I have a massive amount of respect for guys like Straith, Ledgerwood, and many others who have been able to carve out journeymen careers abroad in the world's most competitive sport.  As he alluded to in matty's interview, he hopes he could serve as a role model for some of the younger guys entertaining the program.  OZ speaks of changing the mentality of the program and that to me is not just on the pitch:  I think it's learning how to be a professional in all facets of the game, on and off the field, especially with killing an entitlement mentality and building an "earning it" one instead.

I think Adam is probably the ultimate CanMNT journeyman of the modern era. He's young and likely will have passed 200 league games by the end of this year without ever really having had a super secure roster spot aside from Fredrikstad, even FCE only signed him for a short period. He's also extremely willing to take a call whenever Canada calls him.

I really hope he gets to play in a top flight, which is the only thing he hasn't done. It's nice that teams in India, Kazakhstan, Scotland and even MLS have called him in for a look (he had an offer from one this passed summer but Sportfreunde made a better one). When he finally gets a run in one, it really will be a "you deserve it moment". The fact a club like Europa regular like Ordabasy is willing to give him a look tells me that it'll happen for him. Maybe it won't be a league we'd rate the best but even a run in Slovenia's league would be something to for everyone to smile about because he'll have finally done it and reached a top flight.

[Big_M]

''reached a top flight''...that was funny. As if playing in Slovenia's top flight is more valuable than being a starter in b2

[deschamp86]

1 hour ago, matty said:

I think Adam is probably the ultimate CanMNT journeyman of the modern era

My vote is for Borjan (if Gerba is not considered modern era)

[Blackdude]

2 minutes ago, deschamp86 said:

My vote is for Borjan (if Gerba is not considered modern era)

Lars is up there. 

[matty]

1 hour ago, Big_M said:

''reached a top flight''...that was funny. As if playing in Slovenia's top flight is more valuable than being a starter in b2

It's a purely symbolic thing and code for having a shot at champions league.

[matty]

51 minutes ago, deschamp86 said:

My vote is for Borjan (if Gerba is not considered modern era)

I feel borjan is pretty secure and will pick money over play.

[Blackdude]

35 minutes ago, matty said:

I feel borjan is pretty secure and will pick money over play.

I'm confused by that statement. Borjan switched clubs when he wasn't playing. 

Edited August 30, 2017 by Blackdude

[matty]

6 minutes ago, Blackdude said:

I'm confused by that statement. Borjan switched clubs when he wasn't playing. 

Was about to say he went back but remembered he had a loan as well. I think he's more open to back up gigs still

[Grizzly]

1 hour ago, matty said:

I feel borjan is pretty secure and will pick money over play.

That is pure speculation and not based on any evidence I can see. When he went to Ludogorets everyone thought the first choice keeper was going to transfer but then it did not happen. 

[matty]

6 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

That is pure speculation and not based on any evidence I can see. When he went to Ludogorets everyone thought the first choice keeper was going to transfer but then it did not happen. 

I admitted I was at least partly mistaken there. I have spoken to people near him (while trying to set up an interview) and do believe he didn't like Nis' money situation and moved to a club he had a strong chance of being a back up at however considering his loan to Poland (which I forgot) I was admit I might be wrong here.

That all said I feel he isn't in the same boat as Straith when it comes to being a journeyman. Milan is more stable and less of a roamer.

Edited August 30, 2017 by matty

[Grizzly]

18 minutes ago, matty said:

I admitted I was at least partly mistaken there. I have spoken to people near him (while trying to set up an interview) and do believe he didn't like Nis' money situation and moved to a club he had a strong chance of being a back up at however considering his loan to Poland (which I forgot) I was admit I might be wrong here.

Maybe but you are often drawing conclusions from very little information and not considering the situations many of these players are in. No player wants to be in a situation like Ricketts was in where a financially insecure club can stop paying them and still screw up their career so Borjan is certainly not going to use being a starter as the only criteria of whether to sign with a club if he is not sure if he is going to get paid and could be risking future transfers. That doesn't mean he is a guy happy to get a pay cheque while being the backup.

Again above with Straith you are saying he is a journeyman who will never have a secure spot anywhere decent and are using the short FCE contract as an example which doesn't even correspond with what he told you in the interview about why he signed a short contract there. Straith has mostly been a starter everywhere he played except for when he was in the 2nd Bundesliga as a young player (and even then he had one year in which he played a lot) and his one season at Wiesbaden in B3 which followed a more successful year and a half in B3 at Saarbrucken. Possibly the lack of playing time at Wiesbaden hurt his market value causing him to sign in the Norwegian 2nd division or maybe they just offered him a really good contract but even then the Norwegian 2nd division is probably not that far off the German 3rd division playing level and likely similar to NASL level. Clearly he only signed for a half season with FCE because he wanted to wait for an opportunity to play in a higher paying league with a better level of play AND because he had a deal fall through with Lotte before that they could not get done before the previous transfer deadline which he was hoping to get done later. In Lotte he went straight in to the starting lineup a few days after signing and seems to have played well and helped them to their first win of the season. It looks like he has a good chance to be a steady starter. He will probably never be in 1st Bundesliga player but If he does well then he could possibly end back up in B2. Look at Massih Wassey who is 3 years older than Straith and a far less impressive CV and is now not only a starter on the 1st place B3 team but seems to be one of their best players (Kicker has him tied for top ranked player on the team after 6 games). Unless you are a top level 1st division player sometimes contracts are hard to come by and you get stuck with less than optimal situations and have to take what you are offered or do a stint below your level and you can always get into situations where you don't get playing time for a variety of reasons.

I like the interviews you do but you seem to make a lot of judgmental statements about players based on very little evidence or misinterpreting things you have been told. 

[deschamp86]

15 hours ago, matty said:

That all said I feel he isn't in the same boat as Straith when it comes to being a journeyman. Milan is more stable and less of a roamer.

Borjan has 8 teams in 9 years. Sure sounds like a roamer to me

[matty]

15 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Maybe but you are often drawing conclusions from very little information and not considering the situations many of these players are in. No player wants to be in a situation like Ricketts was in where a financially insecure club can stop paying them and still screw up their career so Borjan is certainly not going to use being a starter as the only criteria of whether to sign with a club if he is not sure if he is going to get paid and could be risking future transfers. That doesn't mean he is a guy happy to get a pay cheque while being the backup.

Again above with Straith you are saying he is a journeyman who will never have a secure spot anywhere decent and are using the short FCE contract as an example which doesn't even correspond with what he told you in the interview about why he signed a short contract there. Straith has mostly been a starter everywhere he played except for when he was in the 2nd Bundesliga as a young player (and even then he had one year in which he played a lot) and his one season at Wiesbaden in B3 which followed a more successful year and a half in B3 at Saarbrucken. Possibly the lack of playing time at Wiesbaden hurt his market value causing him to sign in the Norwegian 2nd division or maybe they just offered him a really good contract but even then the Norwegian 2nd division is probably not that far off the German 3rd division playing level and likely similar to NASL level. Clearly he only signed for a half season with FCE because he wanted to wait for an opportunity to play in a higher paying league with a better level of play AND because he had a deal fall through with Lotte before that they could not get done before the previous transfer deadline which he was hoping to get done later. In Lotte he went straight in to the starting lineup a few days after signing and seems to have played well and helped them to their first win of the season. It looks like he has a good chance to be a steady starter. He will probably never be in 1st Bundesliga player but If he does well then he could possibly end back up in B2. Look at Massih Wassey who is 3 years older than Straith and a far less impressive CV and is now not only a starter on the 1st place B3 team but seems to be one of their best players (Kicker has him tied for top ranked player on the team after 6 games). Unless you are a top level 1st division player sometimes contracts are hard to come by and you get stuck with less than optimal situations and have to take what you are offered or do a stint below your level and you can always get into situations where you don't get playing time for a variety of reasons.

I like the interviews you do but you seem to make a lot of judgmental statements about players based on very little evidence or misinterpreting things you have been told. 

Dm me. BTW never said he never would.

Edited September 1, 2017 by matty

[hamiltonfan]

8 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Maybe but you are often drawing conclusions from very little information and not considering the situations many of these players are in. No player wants to be in a situation like Ricketts was in where a financially insecure club can stop paying them and still screw up their career so Borjan is certainly not going to use being a starter as the only criteria of whether to sign with a club if he is not sure if he is going to get paid and could be risking future transfers. That doesn't mean he is a guy happy to get a pay cheque while being the backup.

Again above with Straith you are saying he is a journeyman who will never have a secure spot anywhere decent and are using the short FCE contract as an example which doesn't even correspond with what he told you in the interview about why he signed a short contract there. Straith has mostly been a starter everywhere he played except for when he was in the 2nd Bundesliga as a young player (and even then he had one year in which he played a lot) and his one season at Wiesbaden in B3 which followed a more successful year and a half in B3 at Saarbrucken. Possibly the lack of playing time at Wiesbaden hurt his market value causing him to sign in the Norwegian 2nd division or maybe they just offered him a really good contract but even then the Norwegian 2nd division is probably not that far off the German 3rd division playing level and likely similar to NASL level. Clearly he only signed for a half season with FCE because he wanted to wait for an opportunity to play in a higher paying league with a better level of play AND because he had a deal fall through with Lotte before that they could not get done before the previous transfer deadline which he was hoping to get done later. In Lotte he went straight in to the starting lineup a few days after signing and seems to have played well and helped them to their first win of the season. It looks like he has a good chance to be a steady starter. He will probably never be in 1st Bundesliga player but If he does well then he could possibly end back up in B2. Look at Massih Wassey who is 3 years older than Straith and a far less impressive CV and is now not only a starter on the 1st place B3 team but seems to be one of their best players (Kicker has him tied for top ranked player on the team after 6 games). Unless you are a top level 1st division player sometimes contracts are hard to come by and you get stuck with less than optimal situations and have to take what you are offered or do a stint below your level and you can always get into situations where you don't get playing time for a variety of reasons.

I like the interviews you do but you seem to make a lot of judgmental statements about players based on very little evidence or misinterpreting things you have been told. 

^^

[Grizzly]

Lotte fired their coach this week and replaced him with Andreas Golombek. He is the 4th coach Lotte has had this season, the first one transferred to Bochum shortly before the start of the season (where he has since been fired), the second one quit after one game and now they have fired the third one. Fun times in Lotte!

[WheatsheafSK]

Nuts - Straith seemed to have his confidence.  Hopefully he will earn the new coach's trust.

Is this normal for Lotte?  My impression was that they are a small team hitting where they would be expected to hit (mid to lower half of division).  Also, there was a marked improvement between August and September, and then a recent dip.  Seems strange to can the guy now unless there were other factors involved.