Theo Corbeanu

[InglewoodJack]

Do we even know for sure that the roster wasn’t selected before he scored his goal against Villarreal? We’ve never rostered a lot of wing depth so without that goal, you’re looking at calling in a player who plays garbage time minutes for a bad team in Spain-  I still call him up but I can understand why you wouldn’t. 

[dyslexic nam]

5 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

If it is true that he turned down a call to settle with his club team then I understand this to send a message. We’re 2 years away from a home World Cup with limited matches to play and a boatload of players to choose from. That would be a dumb decision on his part and a dangerous precedent. This isn’t 2017 anymore. 

He’s also a 21 year old kid who has been handed an opportunity to showcase himself in a way that could ultimately make him a millionaire if he can manage to attract the attention of another La Liga team.   If his coach told him to stay with the team and try to secure a spot I can see why he would prefer that option to travelling and probably riding the pine for 90 minutes.  Maybe there is bad blood - we don’t really know.   But I am not sure I would call it a dumb move. 

[costarg]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

He's playing against more difficult rivals than any Canadian National team player, along with Larin. And he just arrived, so he has little to no responsibility for their situation in the league. 

But why didn't we expect some illogically structured "argument" from our resident eyeballer?

Well I think this finally settles it.  Biello obviously just confirmed what we all thought.  La Liga, clearly is not a top 5 league.

 Just kidding around - don't kill me please.

[Bigandy]

1 hour ago, CanadaFan123 said:

If it is true that he turned down a call to settle with his club team then I understand this to send a message. We’re 2 years away from a home World Cup with limited matches to play and a boatload of players to choose from. That would be a dumb decision on his part and a dangerous precedent. This isn’t 2017 anymore. 

Yes and No. If he settles at granada becomes a starter and secures a team to a better la liga team next season because of it, then its the right decision for the CMNT. One game on the bench vs t and t is less likely to secure him a WC spot than playing regularly in la liga next season. Of course its more likely he gets relegated regardless and then he hasnt taken his chance to prove himself. 

[Kadenge]

Just to be clear, the noise about him staying with his  club was during Herdman's term and for a GC call up when he was still in the English leagues. Again not sure if it was fact or fiction 

[CanadaFan123]

6 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

Yes and No. If he settles at granada becomes a starter and secures a team to a better la liga team next season because of it, then its the right decision for the CMNT. One game on the bench vs t and t is less likely to secure him a WC spot than playing regularly in la liga next season. Of course its more likely he gets relegated regardless and then he hasnt taken his chance to prove himself. 

 

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

He’s also a 21 year old kid who has been handed an opportunity to showcase himself in a way that could ultimately make him a millionaire if he can manage to attract the attention of another La Liga team.   If his coach told him to stay with the team and try to secure a spot I can see why he would prefer that option to travelling and probably riding the pine for 90 minutes.  Maybe there is bad blood - we don’t really know.   But I am not sure I would call it a dumb move. 

The alleged turned down call isn’t referring to this window, so he wasn’t at Granada. Otherwise I agree a bit more. At the end of the day you don’t see our top players turning down calls, so it would be dumb to think you can get away with that as a 9 cap player. Ask captain Arfield how that went for him…

Edited March 13 by CanadaFan123

[narduch]

Granada has no games during this window anyways

Edited March 13 by narduch

[DeRo_Is_King]

19 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

Yes and No. If he settles at granada becomes a starter and secures a team to a better la liga team next season because of it, then its the right decision for the CMNT. One game on the bench vs t and t is less likely to secure him a WC spot than playing regularly in la liga next season. Of course its more likely he gets relegated regardless and then he hasnt taken his chance to prove himself. 

Fair or not, this is literally what I think it will take. Obviously, the leadership and form in Switzerland didn't count for much. The thing that bothers me is the inconsistency in logic applied to calling up players.

Again, nothing against JRR. He is a decent player. But he has been called consistently, even when he really hadn't cemented his spot at Columbus. And that's MLS. 

[Bigandy]

27 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

 

The alleged turned down call isn’t referring to this window, so he wasn’t at Granada. Otherwise I agree a bit more. At the end of the day you don’t see our top players turning down calls, so it would be dumb to think you can get away with that as a 9 cap player. Ask captain Arfield how that went for him…

My mistake. Fully agree with your stance if we are talking about the GC. 

[DeRo_Is_King]

I think the other thing people are forgetting is what these no-calls can do to a player's confidence. If a player isn't deserving, then by all means the message is work harder and maybe you'll get there.

But when a player has dominated different metrics and progressed to a top-five league only to score in 63 mins of playing time, you have to think he's wondering what else is reasonable to accomplish at 21.

If there were tons of guys in the Canadian pool doing the same thing, then I'd get it. But there aren't. 

Edited March 13 by DeRo_Is_King

[Bigandy]

7 minutes ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

Fair or not, this is literally what I think it will take. Obviously, the leadership and form in Switzerland didn't count for much. The thing that bothers me is the inconsistency in logic applied to calling up players.

Again, nothing against JRR. He is a decent player. But he has been called consistently, even when he really hadn't cemented his spot at Columbus. And that's MLS. 

What the JRR call up signals to me is that biello doesnt have a solution if we are down a goal in the 85th. Throw on a bunch of strikers and cross the ball and hope for the best. 

I mean, there is some merit to that thinking as millar, buchanan and davies likely will have more success out wide than corbeanu and if they dont have any success in the game then its a hope and pray type of situation in the final few minutes. 

I think its weak coaching but biello seems to have done the exact opposite of the jamaica game. Gone younger, likely a new formation, striker heavy as he was out of attacking sub options. 

[DeRo_Is_King]

5 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

striker heavy as he was out of attacking sub options. 

Yes. He's gone in the complete opposite direction, and to a fault imo. We have David, Ugbo and Bair all in form, plus Larin. That's already four strikers. Why JRR?

Edited March 13 by DeRo_Is_King

[dyslexic nam]

2 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

What the JRR call up signals to me is that biello doesnt have a solution if we are down a goal in the 85th. Throw on a bunch of strikers and cross the ball and hope for the best. 

I mean, there is some merit to that thinking as millar, buchanan and davies likely will have more success out wide than corbeanu and if they dont have any success in the game then its a hope and pray type of situation in the final few minutes. 

I think its weak coaching but biello seems to have done the exact opposite of the jamaica game. Gone younger, likely a new formation, striker heavy as he was out of attacking sub options. 

I’m going to give Biello a pass for the moment.  We have been screaming for a changing-of-the-guard for a while now and despite being an interim coach with a limited number of games to make an impact, he has taken the somehow bold yet obvious/inevitable step of doing that. Four seasoned vets were left off the squad in an effort to refresh the team and manufacture a different result than what we saw in the Jamaica game.  That’s a big move.  I don’t think anyone would have been shocked to see any or all of Milan, Cav, Junior and Vitoria included in this team.  Disappointed, yes, but not surprised. 

Aside from the exclusion of Theo, this squad does almost exactly what most of us hoped would happen.  I am not going to chastise him over one decision about a fringe player - especially when there might be other factors at play.   

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 minute ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

I think the other thing people are forgetting is what these no-calls can do to a player's confidence. If a player isn't deserving, then by all means the message is work harder and maybe you'll get there.

But when a player has dominated different metrics and progressed to a top-five league only to score in 63 mins of playing time, you have to think he's wondering what else is reasonable to accomplish at 21.

If there were tons of guys in the Canadian pool doing the same thing, then I'd get it. But there aren't. 

I am fully of the belief that a coach can do what he wants, and decide as he pleases. And he lives or dies with his decisions. If Biello feels he betrayed himself somehow last games vs. Jamaica, and that this time he just won't, all power to him. Every coach has his idiosyncratic decisions, his favourites, and his irrational decisions. There are plenty of players out there who probably deserve more from this or that club, or from a national team programme. Other guys who are favoured and lord knows why. If you win, pretty well you have won the argument, so if we beat T & T Biello is right (even if he actually screws up and odd circumstances or a genius goal by Piette saves his ass).

That said, I have always favoured a certain hierarchy, which is respect for the players, for what they are aspiring to, what they have accomplished, for their current form, and also because if you defy fairness, you will undermine the group in the end. So if Brym got called from 2nd tier Holland, I was against it, but then he went out as a late sub and dragged his butt around, did not even show pace, so to hell with that. If he'd performed I would have shut up, but for me he pretty well has never performed. 

With Corbeanu, as I said earlier, if they made some deal and Theo is staying in Andalusia for Semana Santa (which is lovely and very much worth it in case anyone is wondering), then great. But if Biello really does not rate a guy on a La Liga team, if he really just does not grasp it, then that is ignorance and he's exposing his incompetence. Even with the fair argument that we have a lot of outside attacking options, and like Theo also able to attack from either side (Davies, Tajon, Millar), and we need to call in a balanced squad with cover in all positions, not just attacking wing.

The only thing that makes me fret is thinking that Theo might be angry about a snub, because if it was not agreed upon, it is a snub. Who else in this call-up was clearly and blatantly snubbed? Borjan is a possibility, so is Hoillet, then Vitoria. The older guard. Theo would be the clearest example of the younger bunch.

[Bigandy]

18 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I am fully of the belief that a coach can do what he wants, and decide as he pleases. And he lives or dies with his decisions. If Biello feels he betrayed himself somehow last games vs. Jamaica, and that this time he just won't, all power to him. Every coach has his idiosyncratic decisions, his favourites, and his irrational decisions. There are plenty of players out there who probably deserve more from this or that club, or from a national team programme. Other guys who are favoured and lord knows why. If you win, pretty well you have won the argument, so if we beat T & T Biello is right (even if he actually screws up and odd circumstances or a genius goal by Piette saves his ass).

That said, I have always favoured a certain hierarchy, which is respect for the players, for what they are aspiring to, what they have accomplished, for their current form, and also because if you defy fairness, you will undermine the group in the end. So if Brym got called from 2nd tier Holland, I was against it, but then he went out as a late sub and dragged his butt around, did not even show pace, so to hell with that. If he'd performed I would have shut up, but for me he pretty well has never performed. 

With Corbeanu, as I said earlier, if they made some deal and Theo is staying in Andalusia for Semana Santa (which is lovely and very much worth it in case anyone is wondering), then great. But if Biello really does not rate a guy on a La Liga team, if he really just does not grasp it, then that is ignorance and he's exposing his incompetence. Even with the fair argument that we have a lot of outside attacking options, and like Theo also able to attack from either side (Davies, Tajon, Millar), and we need to call in a balanced squad with cover in all positions, not just attacking wing.

The only thing that makes me fret is thinking that Theo might be angry about a snub, because if it was not agreed upon, it is a snub. Who else in this call-up was clearly and blatantly snubbed? Borjan is a possibility, so is Hoillet, then Vitoria. The older guard. Theo would be the clearest example of the younger bunch.

snubs: 
Theo
Brym
Mcnaughton
ZMG? 
Abzi? - we went with very very few Fbs. 
Saliba ?

If I was any of the top 3, I would feel a bit pressed about not getting the call. Brym and theo deserve it over JRR. Mcnaughton can argue hes better and/or more consistent than bombito, ldf and waterman with the first 2 getting some points on potential.

[Kadenge]

3 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

snubs: 
Theo
Brym
Mcnaughton
ZMG? 
Abzi? - we went with very very few Fbs. 
Saliba ?

If I was any of the top 3, I would feel a bit pressed about not getting the call. Brym and theo deserve it over JRR. Mcnaughton can argue hes better and/or more consistent than bombito, ldf and waterman with the first 2 getting some points on potential.

Saliba is injured and hasn't played yet for Montreal this year regular season.

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, narduch said:

Grenada has no games during this window anyways

Checks out so far, according to wiki:

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

15 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

snubs: 
Theo
Brym
Mcnaughton
ZMG? 
Abzi? - we went with very very few Fbs. 
Saliba ?

If I was any of the top 3, I would feel a bit pressed about not getting the call. Brym and theo deserve it over JRR. Mcnaughton can argue hes better and/or more consistent than bombito, ldf and waterman with the first 2 getting some points on potential.

Abzi has hardly played this year and though he was on a reserve list, he'd played with going with a different national team. 

McNaughton is not a snub, as not calling Bombito or not calling McGraw would not be snubs. We are sifting through the MLS journeymen looking for someone to cover at CB, it is still six of one, half dozen of the other. Until one of them breaks out clearly over the rest. Zator is playing regularly and is in full game shape, in comparison. The guy in Switzerland, same deal (Kennedy is apparently not fit), but we have about 6 CBs of a middling level and none of them making a really strong case for himself. Then one day, one of them will make a case for himself and step up, and Cornelius will take the starting lead CB spot, hope it happens soon.

[Unnamed Trialist]

2 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Checks out so far, according to wiki:

 

Related, we are aware a Canadian used to coach them, Michael Findlay, now he's at Bermuda.

I was wondering about the Uruguayans at Granada, they are playing a friendly in Bilbao against the Basque Country this window, then going to France to play an African team. So Pellistri, Arezo, Méndez, could be called in by Bielsa, but regardless, plenty of Granada internationals, also Uzini the Albandian, are going to play with their NTs. 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

I love the kid, since my Friday lunches in England would always include streaming his u-21 games on their Youtube,

However, one swallow does not make a summer and one goal does not make an automatic call up.  If you aren't playing and your club's set up is near world class, like Buchanan, that's one thing,  But from watching his and Larin's games, lower level La Liga clubs are not that.  

I wish him all the best and like the vast majority of our players he needs to play reguarly to be considered.  It's a much better CMNT world than we have known. 

[Obinna]

14 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I love the kid, since my Friday lunches in England would always include streaming his u-21 games on their Youtube,

However, one swallow does not make a summer and one goal does not make an automatic call up.  If you aren't playing and your club's set up is near world class, like Buchanan, that's one thing,  But from watching his and Larin's games, lower level La Liga clubs are not that.  

I wish him all the best and like the vast majority of our players he needs to play reguarly to be considered.  It's a much better CMNT world than we have known. 

This is a good point. It's easy to get caught up in the division he plays in. I doubt the calls would be as loud with this level of production in the Segunda division, which is exactly where they are headed.

My hope is that he gets at least one call up before Granada start their campaign in the second division, be it the Netherlands friendly or the Copa America.

Once he goes down, he'll have to really up his production, which is not a given considering his career to date.

I believe in his talent so I want to see him re-gain a bit of a foothold in the national team before Granada drop down. 

Edited March 13 by Obinna

[Unnamed Trialist]

25 minutes ago, Obinna said:

This is a good point. It's easy to get caught up in the division he plays in. I doubt the calls would be as loud with this level of production in the Segunda division, which is exactly where they are headed.

My hope is that he gets at least one call up before Granada start their campaign in the second division, be it the Netherlands friendly or the Copa America.

Once he goes down, he'll have to really up his production, which is not a given considering his career to date.

I believe in his talent so I want to see him re-gain a bit of a foothold in the national team before Granada drop down. 

I mostly agree but there is one thing: you are partly determining the call-up by the level he may be playing in come September? 

Now I think we are trying to hard, to the point of being really sophisticated (or just sophist) in the logic.

Edited March 13 by Unnamed Trialist

[DeRo_Is_King]

I'm really curious to hear how some compare Segunda to the Championship since all Championship players were called, except JKL. And Theo is not currently in Segunda. He is in La Liga and has played well in the short time he's been there.

[Bigandy]

1 minute ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

I'm really curious to hear how some compare Segunda to the Championship since all Championship players were called, except JKL. And Theo is not currently in Segunda. He is in La Liga and has played well in the short time he's been there.

it is interesting. In fairness, I think anyone having a "millar like" impact in the segunda gets a call up. I think the championship is better but i dont think we are past a top performing div 2 player in a top 5 league. (obviously positions play a role in depth). 

[Obinna]

20 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I mostly agree but there is one thing: you are partly determining the call-up by the level he may be playing in come September? 

Now I think we are trying to hard, to the point of being really sophisticated (or just sophist) in the logic.

I think the level will be considered as it is with all players. Dropping down a level means he'll have to significantly improve his game time, his production, and his general impact for his club, no? 

That's one part of it.

The other part is how he does with the national team. Club form is important up to a point. Play with the national team itself has to be a massive factor. That's why I want him to play for Canada at the earliest opportunity to stake his claim, know what I mean?

Otherwise, his NT contributions get even more outdated than they are now.