EPL 2014-15 Season

[NJSeahawk]

Howard did have a great game vs the Netherlands.

No doubt.

If Lukaku started that game, it would have been over in the first 10 minutes.

 

[NJSeahawk]

Si, working on a tan as we speak! :th2thumbs:

 

[Seabhac]

Howard did have a great game vs the Netherlands.

No doubt.

If Lukaku started that game, it would have been over in the first 10 minutes.

Did he? Don't remember that one m'self.
This must be you and Si having an inside joke (Anderlecht....anybody?)

 

[Uncle Si]

Howard did have a great game vs the Netherlands.

No doubt.

If Lukaku started that game, it would have been over in the first 10 minutes.

Did he? Don't remember that one m'self.
This must be you and Si having an inside joke (Anderlecht....anybody?)

Anderlecht? they make cheese there, no?

Howard broke some record for the amount of weight one man can put on his shoulders for 120 minutes.

The USMNT is awful. Don't let the other threads here inform you otherwise. I have yet to see the US be the best team on the field when their opponents are not Cuba or Jamaica. Seriously. They are industrious, hard working, tactically sound defensively (which is the absolute easiest thing to coach in a team) and can get results because of it. They are the Stoke City of international soccer.

(and yes, i'm bitter about watching Liverpool struggle through 120 minutes of meaningless soccer ahead of their clash with City... stupid Turks and their stupidness)

 

[Seabhac]

USA did not play the Netherlands. They played Belgium.

 

[Uncle Si]

USA did not play the Netherlands. They played Belgium.

I saw it, as well as your reference to my misplacing of Anderlecht...

dont dent your shoulder patting yourself on the back

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I feel really bad for Tim Howard this year. Dude's been struggling horribly on a very bad club.

http://screamer.deadspin.com/damn-man-t ... 1687563460

Going from World Cup hero to Everton's scapegoat must not be an easy thing for him to deal with. Maybe it is time for him to come back to the MLS........even though he did state that he wants to retire after his Everton extension was signed this past off season.

Also, IMO it'd be rare that a MLS club would pay 3-4M a year on a DP slot and goalie. But if you're gonna do that for a USMNT player, it'd be Howard right? Dude's a legend.

no1curr

I wasn't aware that you spoke for the entire forum, my apologies.

That's alright. Now you know.

Trouble is, no-one outside rube-ish US soccer fans considers Howard to be much more than a middling goalie who's played on mostly middling teams in his career.

Howard was arguably the best keeper in the entire World Cup, so I'd argue he's better than just a middling goalie.

Everton may have fallen on hard times this year, but Howard is routinely on the top 25 keepers in the world lists.

 

[Uncle Si]

LOL. If Howard was a top goalie, he'd have been playing for top teams. You're out of your element here, Sgt. He's had some good games and did have a decent world cup, but so did Ochoa, and so have many goalies over the years who's never really amounted to anything. He's middle of the pack.

Im a big fan of Howard, but I will agree begrudgingly with Peaches here. I'm not sure he's even the best keeper in the US. I still think Freidl would start over him every day if it wasnt for the fall out with Arenas.

Goalies are tough to measure, and the Ochoa reference is the perfect example. The man caught fire in the World Cup, arguably the best keeper in the tournament in terms of value to his team's success (it was still Lloris and then Neuer for me), and suddenly was top of the list for clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, United, etc.

Instead he ended up at Malaga.

Howard is one of those keepers who maxed out at the club level with Everton. Not a bad place to be. Dempsey maxed out at Fulham. However (and this is endemic of the USMNT as a whole) this does not quantify either as world class.

That said, a move to the MLS would be a good idea for Howard. You are correct in he has fallen on hard times at Everton. The club has struggled, and he has taken a large share of the blame (fair or not). He is still quite capable of playing at the PL level. But I can also see him becoming an instant MLS hero at a place like Seattle, Portland, New York or wherever large crowds and strong support exists.

I do think he is done as the US goalie, however. I believe he will make that transition in year 2 of the cycle. There will be some scrambling, and I think Guzan may be the first to step up.

The next great American keeper, however, will be Cody Cropper. Kid needs to be loaned to a lower tier PL team or mid tier Championship team. Once that happens and he gets first team reps at a high level, he will assume the top spot.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

LOL. If Howard was a top goalie, he'd have been playing for top teams. You're out of your element here, Sgt. He's had some good games and did have a decent world cup, but so did Ochoa, and so have many goalies over the years who's never really amounted to anything. He's middle of the pack.

I appreciate being patronized peaches, but all it takes is a quick Google search and Howard shows up on quite a few top keeper lists.

http://www.thesportster.com/soccer/top- ... -football/

Granted Howard is very hard to defend as of late with his horrible run with Everton, but he's been VERY good for a long time, including as I said on the world's biggest stage last summer.

 

[Uncle Si]

LOL. If Howard was a top goalie, he'd have been playing for top teams. You're out of your element here, Sgt. He's had some good games and did have a decent world cup, but so did Ochoa, and so have many goalies over the years who's never really amounted to anything. He's middle of the pack.

I appreciate being patronized peaches, but all it takes is a quick Google search and Howard shows up on quite a few top keeper lists.

http://www.thesportster.com/soccer/top- ... -football/

Granted Howard is very hard to defend as of late with his horrible run with Everton, but he's been VERY good for a long time, including as I said on the world's biggest stage last summer.

It is not hard to find a list from a website that is not American that does not have Howard's name on it. Here is a list that has him 20th... in the PL! http://babb.telegraph.co.uk/2014/09/ranking-the-premier-league-goalkeepers-september-2014/

He seems shoe horned in there. Is he really better than Joe Hart? No Begovic? Fraser Forster (the guy keeping Cropper in the reserves at Southampton)? I'd struggle to suggest he's been in the top half of keepers in the PL the last 4-5 years, year in and out.

Sorry, his heroics in the World Cup are one thing, but thats 4 games. Class is defined by consistently spectacular. In that regards, Howard may find himself in the top 30 of any list, but never in the top 15.

Not trying to sound harsh. Howard is a hero to American soccer. If he decided to head to the MLS he will be properly celebrated, as was Keller.

 

[NJSeahawk]

Yup. I was wrong.

Belgium vs US was were Howard had that incredible game. Lukaku was off held out for disciplinary and didn't start till OT.

 

[Uncle Si]

Yup. I was wrong.

Belgium vs US was were Howard had that incredible game. Lukaku was off held out for disciplinary and didn't start till OT.

well, sort of... Origi received the majority of minutes to Lukaku throughout the tournament. think it was 60-30 in the first two games, with Origi finishing each match. Origi then started the next two.

Either way, Origi was quite dangerous against the US. Lukaku came on in OT with the US defense already in shambles and now exhausted.

 

[NJSeahawk]

Yup. I was wrong.

Belgium vs US was were Howard had that incredible game. Lukaku was off held out for disciplinary and didn't start till OT.

well, sort of... Origi received the majority of minutes to Lukaku throughout the tournament. think it was 60-30 in the first two games, with Origi finishing each match. Origi then started the next two.

Either way, Origi was quite dangerous against the US. Lukaku came on in OT with the US defense already in shambles and now exhausted.

Is that what it really came down to?

I mean it was OT and they were tired...But Lukaku is a game changer, he would've definitely put away rebounds and shots during the game. I mean I gotta give the US credit, they def. hung in there...but I still think it doesn't go to OT if Lukaku started..not a Chelsea homerism btw. He had an assist and a goal in OT.

 

[NJSeahawk]

Chelsea rooting for Liverpool this weekend, Son!!

woot woot

 

[Seabhac]

Wes Brown sending off was one of the strangest things I've ever seen.

[youtube]xiaaShcdp0w[/youtube]

 

[Seabhac]

Wes Brown sending off was one of the strangest things I've ever seen.

Yeah, crazy. Even after consulting with other officials multiple times, the ref has still sent him off. Strange. Still, United once again fairly poor throughout the game, and manage to scrounge out a win. Seems the fans don't like Van Gaal, but he's getting results. Finishing in the top 4 will be massive for them this season, but you'd have to say the squad is still pretty poor overall. RVP is done, Rooney is getting old and less effective, turns out Januzaj is shite, Fellaini is shite, Di Maria is being used wrong, Mata is shite, Young and Valencia are both shite, Falcao is overpriced and shite, De Gea is away in the summer, etc. The players I'd look to build around are Di Maria, Herrera and Blind. Rojo and shaw look half-decent too, although that may change if De Gea goes. You'd have to agree that if not for De Gea, United would be languishing around 7th or 8th at the moment.

Looks like the wheels finally came off the So'ton bus. I'd say it's down to Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and United fighting for those last two CL spots.

This past two seasons has really shown how much Freguson meant to United. I "think" after he left , the dressing room felt that it was bigger than any manager that could be brought in. Grinding out results is not the same as playing like Man United. I would sooner see them mid table and playing like a United side than top four playing like they are now.

Its a transition but people are beginning to ask how long will it take.

I

 

[NJSeahawk]

I hate that fat waiter.

Come on you Reds!

Do it for Green Street and that dude that was gonna give Frodo the Chelsea grin!

Edit: Rodgers has Liverpool playing well...he's been there what...3 years now?

 

[Seabhac]

Come on you Spurs!!

 

[NJSeahawk]

Come on you Spurs!!

lol...no one likes the Cocks.

 

[NJSeahawk]

Sterling is not sharp. Put in my man Balotelli son!