Joe MacCarthy Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 WestHamCanadianinOxford, nolando, Unnamed Trialist and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 23 minutes ago, Joe MacCarthy said: Our guys are so articulate and mature, and all of them great young men. Never fails to amaze me considering the habitually weak capacity of so many pro footballers to express themselves and not spout cliches. I'm proud of Liam and really the whole bunch. nolando, SthMelbRed, The Real Marc and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 1 minute ago, Unnamed Trialist said: Our guys are so articulate and mature, and all of them great young men. Never fails to amaze me considering the habitually weak capacity of so many pro footballers to express themselves and not spout cliches. I'm proud of Liam and really the whole bunch. My wife watched some of these and said the same. She is used to the players in the premier league from our time in London most of which can’t string a sentence together. She also worked at the Portland hospital as a midwife so delivered a lot of their babies. She was struck by how dumb and immature they were on average. Unnamed Trialist and costarg 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadaFan123 Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 The difference is that our guys didn’t grow up being fawned over like players in other countries, or even junior hockey players here. These guys had to move away at young ages with no fanfare, put their heads down and grow up fast. It’s no surprise they love playing together. BearcatSA, Canuckia, costarg and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 3 hours ago, Joe MacCarthy said: I will say, I do think he needs to be willing to say he will play wherever a manager wants him. May hold back his opportunities some being so adament about not playing in a position I think he is really good at. But fair play for back himself. (Deming doing his best LDF impression in the thumbnail) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 2 hours ago, CanadaFan123 said: The difference is that our guys didn’t grow up being fawned over like players in other countries, or even junior hockey players here. These guys had to move away at young ages with no fanfare, put their heads down and grow up fast. It’s no surprise they love playing together. Even guys who might not have hit, nor likely will hit, NT consideration, the fact that they have had to work for it in lower level leagues abroad gives you a different perspective and appreciation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) 29 minutes ago, BearcatSA said: Even guys who might not have hit, nor likely will hit, NT consideration, the fact that they have had to work for it in lower level leagues abroad gives you a different perspective and appreciation. It's a nice discussion and I agree with a lot of it, but we need to disabuse ourselves of the notion that it is somehow easy keep yourself in the academy of big European clubs or to fight your way through their lower leagues. 3 hours ago, An Observer said: My wife watched some of these and said the same. She is used to the players in the premier league from our time in London most of which can’t string a sentence together. She also worked at the Portland hospital as a midwife so delivered a lot of their babies. She was struck by how dumb and immature they were on average. Not completely disagreeing - just something to add. Soccer here is a much more middle class sport than it is (still) in England. Edited July 4 by WestHamCanadianinOxford The Real Marc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitfire Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 It’s definitely a working class sport in the UK. And it’s incredibly hard to get into and stay in a European academy Liam was the first trialist of 30 to get offered a contract that being said he was fortunate to have two parents who work in an industry that allows them to relocate everything and start again for just an opportunity and in the end that’s what it was he was scouted while I was coaching a team in a tournament in the uk (the Keele cup) he randomly played on another younger team in the tournament and got offered a trial because of it. We came over and had decided to give it 6 months we hve three trials offers. After 2 weeks at Fulham they offered him a 3 year contract and the rest of the family followed over. That being said and I’ve said it before. All we did was get him to the door he had to push through and fight every day. Every day. At Fulham they had 18 kids per age group (at u13) each week only 15 kids would selected to play the matches on the weekend. (3 didn’t get to play) more if some kids played up and age (as liam did) so you were forced at a very young age to perform if you didn’t play a few weeks u get pulled in and warned and possible released at the end of the season. That level of competition to me is why the kids in the UK succeed. The best players in Canada don’t get pushed enough. Liam was also very fortunate to be part of two amazing academies Fulham and LFC. Each one has had almost 60%!of their u18s have decent pro careers.. Sorry if I’ve told this before. But feel very fortunate!!! But it’s all on him and his desire to succeed!! Go Canada!! johnyb, GasPed, cronaldo7 and 29 others 20 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 Great story. I have to imagine he'll be a big part of proceedings tomorrow. Hoping for another great game from Liam! Canuckia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, spitfire said: It’s definitely a working class sport in the UK. And it’s incredibly hard to get into and stay in a European academy Liam was the first trialist of 30 to get offered a contract that being said he was fortunate to have two parents who work in an industry that allows them to relocate everything and start again for just an opportunity and in the end that’s what it was he was scouted while I was coaching a team in a tournament in the uk (the Keele cup) he randomly played on another younger team in the tournament and got offered a trial because of it. We came over and had decided to give it 6 months we hve three trials offers. After 2 weeks at Fulham they offered him a 3 year contract and the rest of the family followed over. That being said and I’ve said it before. All we did was get him to the door he had to push through and fight every day. Every day. At Fulham they had 18 kids per age group (at u13) each week only 15 kids would selected to play the matches on the weekend. (3 didn’t get to play) more if some kids played up and age (as liam did) so you were forced at a very young age to perform if you didn’t play a few weeks u get pulled in and warned and possible released at the end of the season. That level of competition to me is why the kids in the UK succeed. The best players in Canada don’t get pushed enough. Liam was also very fortunate to be part of two amazing academies Fulham and LFC. Each one has had almost 60%!of their u18s have decent pro careers.. Sorry if I’ve told this before. But feel very fortunate!!! But it’s all on him and his desire to succeed!! Go Canada!! Related to a little detail you mention here: sitting on the bench when at a big academy. I am not sure if this is similar to this here. I have watched u-19 Espanyol and Barça this year, as my local neighbourhood team promoted into a higher u-19 division and hosted both (and beat Espanyol, they did amazingly well). They come with about 8-9 coaches, assistants, physios, delegates, a huge supporting contingent. Then 18 guys dressed, the bench was too short for all of them, they had to stand around or behind it or sit away from it. And then the kids not playing that week. They are obliged to go to games, dressed in an official street closes (shorts, polo), and they just sit apart and watch, maybe 3-6 guys. They could be from a lower age group and are getting ready to go up, or maybe a knock, or just not called to play; but they can't stay home, they go to the games and it must be boring as hell for them. The stress is quite evident. When my local guys beat Espanyol they were stressed as hell, the coaches were nervous and complaining about anything to the refs, the kids not playing had these terribly dire looks on their faces, they looked like deer staring at the high beams. Think at a major academy, they limit the spots and where in the past many had big groups of kids, now they are leaner, the scouting is more rigorous, and those there are the chosen ones. If they don't pan out it is a sort of missed chance for the entire system of the academy. There is only one thing about this, @spitfire, that maybe I don't like: kids are a bit too fearful and the pressure may make for more contained or less daring players. They are skilled, tactically strong, can play in a system, but football is still a sport where you needs guys willing to do crazy stuff and contribute a bit of chaos to break down a defence, and you feel those positive moments of hubris and anarchy are fewer and far between. Edited July 4 by Unnamed Trialist kingvikingstad, GasPed, sebdeserio and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 5 hours ago, Joe MacCarthy said: Another thing I appreciate coming out of that is that he believes the expectations are higher and that the fitness is higher. Also worth being reminded Liam was in the Liverpool academy under the overall direction of Klopp. So the gegenpress stuff that Klopp used to build his style would be familiar under Marsch. I think that is what Millar means in one comment. Canuckia and gator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECW Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 15 hours ago, CanadaFan123 said: The difference is that our guys didn’t grow up being fawned over like players in other countries, or even junior hockey players here. These guys had to move away at young ages with no fanfare, put their heads down and grow up fast. It’s no surprise they love playing together. I’m always pleased when Canadian athletes are articulate and thoughtful. But then, growing with a devoted family in a big house in (let’s say) Brampton, should produce a certain amount of basic articulateness. I wonder how many of the South and Central American players are from the bourgeois families and have decent scholastic experience. From my time living in Brazil and Argentina I suspect not many. Also, I would say, it makes for different football. (Not a perfect comparison because there wasn’t much middle class in either country. Most people are either poor or wealthy and I suspect the players don’t come from that upper class.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 Borjans Sweatpants and dyslexic nam 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmedou Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 National Danger NVsoccer and zeelaw 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuckia Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Prediction: I'm not sure if he starts. But, I think he gets minutes and tilts the game in our favor. Admiral Murray and gator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addona Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Any chance we can get him and Shaffleburg on the pitch at the same time? Shway and Unnamed Trialist 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 12 minutes ago, Addona said: Any chance we can get him and Shaffleburg on the pitch at the same time? You could start Millar on the right like we did vs Peru. But that lineup was the real oddball of the tournament. Laryea started at LB and Davies at LW, and it didn't really work for a variety of reasons, including Millar seeming a bit out of place at RW. Shaff came on for Millar at half time and Canada returned to their normal (for this tournament) configuration of Davies at LB, Laryea at RW and Shaffelburg at LW. gator, costarg and Addona 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebdeserio Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Hope he has a good game tonight. Think the pressure’s getting to him kind of like when he was looking for his first goal because he’s been quite ineffective offensively and had been making uncharacteristically bad decisions, especially in the Chile game. Ivan, Obinna and The Real Marc 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastPros Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 2 minutes ago, sebdeserio said: Hope he has a good game tonight. Think the pressure’s getting to him kind of like when he was looking for his first goal because he’s been quite ineffective offensively and had been making uncharacteristically bad decisions, especially in the Chile game. Wouldn't you hope everyone has a good game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebdeserio Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Just now, PastPros said: Wouldn't you hope everyone has a good game? Of course but when you’ve watched the Copa with more casual fans who may only have an opinion on him based on these games and hear them give him the Heskey treatment then you hope he has an extra good one. Canuckia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gator Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 I imagine he will play an important part tonight, personally I would start him as I think he and Davies are our best combination defensively on the left, in saying that it is hard not to start Shaf after his last match but I do prefer his pace coming off the bench vs tired legs! YorkRegionFan, Admiral Murray, Canuckia and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC_Hali Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 I’m not sure what to make of Millar. He just can’t seem to deliver in the most important moments. Maybe he’s just snake bitten but I think it’s more likely that the international level is beyond him, Concacaf minnows aside. I appreciate his work rate and strong partnership with Davies but the offensive production isn’t there and, given the sample size, I question if it ever will be. The Real Marc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 Just now, FC_Hali said: I’m not sure what to make of Millar. He just can’t seem to deliver in the most important moments. Maybe he’s just snake bitten but I think it’s more likely that the international level is beyond him, Concacaf minnows aside. I appreciate his work rate and strong partnership with Davies but the offensive production isn’t there and, given the sample size, I question if it ever will be. Just posted about Millar in the Canada at Copa 2024 thread, but here are some additional thoughts: Is the international game beyond him? NO. He was very good in the European friendlies against the Dutch and especially France. Then against Argentina it wasn't as good, but it was good enough. From there it seems to go downhill. My sense is that he's a confidence player. Getting the starts under Marsch probably gave him confidence and we saw what he could do. However, once he was back to coming off the bench, the performances got worse. So I think it's mental with him. He has the tools, clearly. And look at his PNE form.....he started off hot and rode the wave all season long. Confidence player. An Observer, The Real Marc, h coach and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vasi Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Is he unattached? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 2 minutes ago, Vasi said: Is he unattached? On Basel still. Looking to be moved out permanently Vasi, Addona, Corazon and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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