The Mail Bag
There's Snow Donovan Factor...?
Comments (12)
Not getting too carried away about Donovan's debut, which was solid and assured — certainly had more composure than Bily on the ball at this stage of the season (who clearly needs to sit out a few games). Donovan was impressive considering he has not played for a month - but it is the off the field impact of having this guy with us that interests me as much.
Donovan is the MLS's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and has more commercial endorsements than any of our existing players put together. From peak time TV commercials to giant bill-boards in the US, this is a fantastic commercial opportunity for Everton to raise brand awareness in the US and, in fact, all over the world – obviously (well you would hope so anyway) something not lost on our commercial team.
There is HUGE interest in how Donovan copes in the EPL (Google his name under ‘News’ this morning and now there are 845 articles related to his performance yesterday alone (and the LA hacks are still in bed as I write) — one glowing article in the New York Times for instance — we could not have wished for a more commercially sensitive loan signing.
The "will he / won't he stay?" question will continue as his loan progresses, drumming up more interest, but if he continues to be as solid as yesterday's start suggests then this move might turn out more beneficial to us off the field than on it — even if he does not stay on (which is an unlikely scenario in any case). Let me explain:
This could be our best opportunity to convince a ‘Randy Lerner’ type character (Heaven forbid a Gillete and Hicks-like combo) to invest moderately in our club. With a World Cup looming and having the two best US players of all-time ever to grace their team on our books represents a fantastic opportunity to flog our wares across the pond — it is a marketeer's dream.
If Keith Harris (of non-Orville the Duck fame) wanted an opportunity to drum up publicity for a club looking to invite investment, then you could wish for no better opportunity — so I will watch this situation with great interest and hope that Bill's 24-hour investment search results in several lines of enquiry coming from across the pond in the coming weeks.
Finally – I would like it to snow until mid-May. Why? Whatever the squad have done this week, perhaps with restricted training sessions, in-door activities instead of out-door and perhaps more time to discuss set pieces and tactical awareness due to the snow worked a treat yesterday. We looked fitter and hungrier than I have seen in an away performance for many years and no injuries in training to the run-up….. Snow coincidence that! …..(sorry – couldn’t resist).
Steve Callaghan, Posted 10/01/2010 at 10:46:35
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First, I see almost no chance of Donovan remaining with Everton past March. The only thing that could induce the MLS to release its most popular player -- he’s even a star with the Latino populace because he speaks Spanish -- would be an amount of cash that Everton simply doesn’t have. Hope I’m wrong, because I’d love to see a Donovan-Pienaar-Arteta midfield attack next season, but it’s hard to imagine.
Second, from my view as a former sports journalist here in the US, I’ve never seen worse investment conditions for rich folks to get involved in soccer overseas. They’re having trouble enough making stadium deals here, with local governments unwilling to lay out a dime. Media star though he may be, Donovan himself just isn’t going to bring investment dollars in my opinion. The best Everton can hope for is a rush of gear sales in the US, and if they move quickly, there’s some money to be made -- I wore my Everton cap to my own game yesterday, and two of my teammates asked where they could get one.
And I must gently dispute your portrayal of our two Yank Blues as the two best in US history. If he stays healthy, Donovan should achieve that distinction, but I think most would say that for the moment Claudio Reyna remains the greatest US field player ever. And Howard, brilliant as he is, cannot yet be ranked with Keller and Friedel, either for club or country. He can take a big step in their direction on June 12 in Rustenberg, but somehow I don’t really think you’ll want to see him do that, will you?
This:
..."even if he does not stay on (which is an unlikely scenario in any case). "
Should Read:
...." even if he does stay on (which is an unlikely scenario in any case). "
So basically - what I am saying is it is fairly nailed on that he will not stay - in my opinion.
Mike G - put it this way - If I see Tim and Landon triumph over an England squad devoid of even one Everton representative then trust me - I wont lose any sleep that day - I will be delighted for them!
Time will tell regarding investment - but a smart move I think from the Everton hierarchy in bringing Donovan in at this stage..now is a time to create some headlines in the US in the way we handle him during his time here and the way he knuckles down and performs - or not as the case may be.
He has already increased the profile of the club in the US and we have a decent player for a few months.
The downside is that he settles in very well (which yesterday would suggest he might) and we have a big hole come the end of March
btw - does anyone know if Everton are paying a fee for him?
Finally we are getting better as players are coming back, fuck all to do with the weather.
This debut (remember where, against whom) was a very good one. Some doubters questioned the wisdom of the loan - ’the yanks can’t play’ being about the best argument put forward. Well, he nailed that one in his 70 minutes.
And it looks like Moyes wants as much out of him as he can get. Ten weeks? Arteta back? It might just work.
With lots of good ol’ yankee self confidence this guy is no shrinking violet.
Should he turn out to be the real deal this kind of self-confidence could be what this staid old club has long needed.
And whatever happens won’t affect Donovan’s contract status. He belongs to MLS, and they have a history of overpricing their players to keep them from leaving. Their price tag for LD would be laughable.
So we’d better just enjoy the boy while we have him, and hope Arteta’s back up to full speed by the time he departs.
That said, it is one game when the entire team played well, it's very easy to play well when everyone is doing so around you. Let's wait and see how it pans out before we start lauding him.
Looks a positive signing though.
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1 Posted 10/01/2010 at 16:19:34
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