Jamie Z.

I have a couple points and observations: - Michael Bradley did not impress on Wednesday -- a match in which the US team was severely outmatched from the get-go and in which no American starter made any positive impression worth noting. In addition, historically, for whatever reason, Bradley has failed to show the same consistency and quality of form with the national team that he has with his club team, Heerenveen. Perhaps he is having difficulty adjusting to his father's system -- perhaps, in truth, he would have the same difficulty fitting in at Everton -- but more likely, I believe he suffers from a lack of quality around him and more specifically, the lack of a quality complement in midfield. I have never seen him link up well with Ricardo Clark, who does not seem to be an international calibre midfielder. Bradley has shown his best form with the US National Team when paired with Benny Feilhaber or Maurice Edu, who themselves are also very young and inexperienced. If given the chance to work with top players like Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta, I imagine he would display the capacity to play to their level. - I wouldn't be so dismissive of the Eredivisie. It is clearly a step up to the Premiership, but Heerenveen will be playing European football next season, due in large part to Michael Bradley's personal contribution to the team. PSG spent the greater part of last season in relegation trouble, so I wouldn't use that as a benchmark for anything. I would understand a bit of arrogance and disdain on your part if Bradley were coming straight from MLS, but he's not. He's been outstanding with Heerenveen. I don't think I need to go into listing players who have been successful in England after being brought over from the Dutch league. - Michael Bradley is tired. He is a young player who, in addition to his club commitments (which included domestic cup competition), has represented the United States at nearly every level this year, playing for the U-20, U-23, and men's teams. Players like Bojan Krkic and Jozy Altidore are being rested this summer due to exhaustion. David Bentley famously had to sit out for the U-21s due to exhaustion. It happens to younger players and I believe it should be taken into account in this case, as well. - I don't think Michael Bradley is going to be a saviour who will singlehandedly launch Everton into the Top 4 of English football immediately upon arrival -- and let's face it, Everton are not going to find that player on its current budget -- but I do believe, given a fair chance, he has the ability and potential to become a valuable addition to the team. Given his current price tag, I think he would be a good acquisition.

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Hello all, I'm new to the forum and relatively new to the club. I'm a long-time neutral who found myself gravitating towards Everton over the past couple years. Everton first showed up on my radar when you took Brian McBride on loan a few years back, and I knew I'd settled on a team in England when I found myself agonizing over the Fiorentina defeat in the UEFA Cup. You seem like a civil lot, and I look forward to posting more in the future. Cheers, Jamie