The Mail Bag
Sunshine Superman Here For Spring?
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You couldn't hear it here first, because it hasn't been signed off yet — but isn't Landon Donovan staying a while longer?
When his loan deal was announced there were a few on these pages who said he'd have no idea, he'd be crap, based on the notion that the yanks can't play (proper) football. The wise heads wanted to see a couple of games to weigh him up. And Moyes duly obliged.
I can't recall any overseas player making as rapid an adjustment to the PL as our Sunshine Superman. Attitude and athleticism obviously help, but his ability to soak up the complexities of tactical systems — for us and the opposition — marks him out as a good one.
And — would you believe it? — it seems that he'd like to stay. With all due respect to the developing soccer players and teams in the USA, he must be seeing the home flight as a backward step. Having earned the respect of the best supporters any team could ever have at Goodison must make him think again.
And it might happen — like we said it would.
Keith Glazzard, Posted 05/03/2010 at 20:29:08
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I think you’ve got it the wrong way around.
Wise heads wanted to see more than a flash in the pan, they have and he is being found out. A decent enough player, but it's his inability to see what's around him that prevents him being Prem class?
Let him go back with our respect and affection, the longer he stays the more others become aware of him and the less effective he will become.
A modern day Imre Varadi.
Pretty obvious saying he hasn’t been Osman on the right, so if he goes we would have erm Osman back on the right, he is better than anything else we have right now and that’s how you should interpret his contributions.
Would be a useful addition.
In your debt.
Now, let’s try again, shall w? Here’s the longer answer for those unable to infer from the shorter version.
His impact has been all the greater because it has highlighted the - even to the Blessed Moyes - the fact that the team has been lopsided. That doesn’t mean to say Donavan has been Jairzinho, rather a competent chappie who gets about things in a pleasingly enthusiastic fashion.
Must buy? I’d suggest there are better out there at what passes for realistic prices these days, but no doubt the USA, USA chanters will have their way. And three months later infest various fan sites with their disappointment that the guy has only got five goals and looks crap for 30% of the time.
Landon seems to be a decent bloke and a tryer (God loves a tryer, I gather), but don’t look to him to make the difference between nearly men and trophy winners.
Unless there is a player strike, he’ll be off soon, but I’ll be happy if he comes back. He’s a team player and at the tender age of 28 (?) he has plenty of potential still to be developed.
Other posts have mentioned the likes on Charlie Insomniac as an alternative, there will always be alternatives but the caveat with those would be talent, ability to make it in the EPL, availability and of course cost. You pay peanuts you get monkeys, we aren’t exactly flush, but saying that Ozil of Werder Bremen is being touted in this week’s broadsheets at £15m and at that price I’d say he is great value for money.
OK. Will all that, and Landon definately knows all the things I mentioned above, let’s look at the benefits of Landon staying. He’s playing in the best professional league on earth and, at a minimum, holding his own. He’s finally exposed to continuous, roaring tumult in every game he plays. You in England, do not underestimate the affect this is having on Donovan. I mentioned here once that many of the CONCONCAF games played on American soil are essentially Away games for the U.S. team, since 1st-generation Latin-American and Carribean fans flock to the games to root for their old home country. And guess who they boo and whistle at the most? Yep, Landon. Landon’s having his first taste of Big-League respect and doesn’t want to let go of it. Never mind the money talk. Landon makes his major dollars from endorsements, not his salary. Everton can simply make some Galaxy-Toffee promotional agreement that would satisfy financial concerns. Regarding his impact in the Toffees, it seems to me it’s been positive. No question the jump from MLS to EPL is a fairly large one and Landon’s fit right in. Wait until he has a full preparation under his belt with (presumably) everyone back from injury for 2010-2011. I hope he stays and I hope some team in the EPL while hire Bruce Arena.
I don’t think he’ll stay as he will want to honour his commitments with the Galaxy. On his return however, I get the feeling he will miss us, and be back ready for next season. There may be better out there, but as we have seen recently with Fellaini and then Bily, someone else could take a year to settle, and Donovan has slotted in very nicely already.
That was class of the Goodison fans. If I was a player I would want to come back or stay (in this case)
Enough of that, I wanted to heap praise on the Everton Fans, organization and the coach. Moyes is a player’s coach. Deep bank accounts define the Premier League, nothing negative to be said about the coaching of the traditional top four but I could win some silverware with the roster some of these teams have.
But your man Moyes, he does a lot with a little... comparatively. Moyes would never leave Everton but the MLS with its heavy pay caps and equal playing field, the coach makes an impact and Moyes would win the supporters shield and MLS Cup season in and season out.
One last thing: LD has been playing non-stop with one six-week break since February of 09 and he played with the flu about 3 weeks ago. I know it was against Hull but he scored a goal and got an assist after he essentially lost the game last week, some players would not be able to regain their confidence so quickly.
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1 Posted 06/03/2010 at 03:33:13
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