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Landon Donovan


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Hello everyone, another yank here. (oh noes!)

 

I'm another "one" who didn't really start following the EPL until some Americans came over. (Admit it, you wouldn't watch the NFL unless you heard of a Brit starting somewhere, right?). Anyway because of this, I have come to be a mini-toffee over here. :) I'm in Seattle and am a Sounders fan. Go ahead, flame away.

 

On to Donovan - It is almost universally good news to everyone over here, this loan spell. Many of us would like to see him impress and possibly earn a transfer. BUT when he signed that extension with the Galaxy the other day through 2013, that certainly makes that less likely to happen (I would think, anyway, unless the MLS is trying to build up his value for a transfer fee...)

 

I found this site on a google search for Everton forums, and I came to help dispell some myths that I know a lot of Brits have on Donovan. I don't blame you guys either, I'm sure watching the MLS is about as exciting to you guys as watching old people fornicate. Most of you have had most of your exposure to Landon from World Cup action. In 2006, Donovan was pretty crappy. I'll say it. That was not really an accurate representation of how Donovan plays most of the time. In fact that's not even representative of how he plays on the big stages - witness this year's effort in the CONCACAF.

 

You guys are very high on McBride, and rightfully so..... He was a good ambassador for us. To put that in perspective, realize that Donovan has 42 goals on the National Team, most all-time for us. McBride had 30, and Wynalda had 34. I realize the US is not a world-beater when it comes to the National team, but these goals scored are not in MLS-level of play. Donovan put one in the net against Brazil and Italy this year, as a matter of fact. Make no mistake about it, if you're looking for a player in the US, Donovan is probably one of your best options. When all is said and done, you guys need to understand the overall situation. the "R" word is staring in your direction, and you're losing players to other duties and injuries. Here you have one of the best players our country has to offer and for what? A few quid? No skin off your back, I'd be all over this if I were you.

 

Now, what about his reputation about his attitude & his toughness? Frankly I think he was pretty immature when he went to Germany last time around. He went there thinking he was shit hot, that he'd be dominating. I think he got a rude awakening and has since learned his lesson. He is nowhere near as myopic and immature as he used to be, now he is a very good leader for both his MLS team and the US Nat team (yes he doesn't wear the armband, but he's a leader). He has matured both as a player and on the pitch. He has learned how to better use his smaller frame to his advantage. His speed is amazing - probably one of the fastest in the MLS. He hustles and never seems to slow down... and he's got the foot that can put the sweetest touch on a ball over the keeper while sprinting at full speed. He had five goals this year in MLS that were up for Goal of the Year.

 

Regarding the Beckham deal? You guys realize this was because Beckham extended his loan into the MLS season, right? The spat is all over and done with now, but at the time it was hard to fault Donovan. He was the team captain and was calling out their star player for his priorities. Now I don't blame Beckham too much either as I realize he's trying to prep himself for Nat duty.... But you guys should reverse roles here and pretend it's the Toffee's we're talking about. Imagine your best player doesn't show for half the season so he can play in another league hoping to earn a cap in a year for his home country. You can understand why the player would do that, but does that make it right? It wasn't a sale of Beck's rights, it was a loan that was taken advantage of. Toffee nation would feel abused & abandoned too, I'm sure. :)

 

Anyway not here to flame or anything, just shed some light on issues and offer a perspective from across the pond (and a lot of land, actually).

 

On that note I'll bow out, but ask have you guys ever heard of Stuart Holden? He's a guy the MLS is trying hard to keep there and is probably EPL-starter quality. He's a selfless player, so he doesn't have gaudy scoring stats, but he has a tremendous foot and is very Beckham-ish on set pieces. Plus he looks like he's in a boy band; how can you possibly go wrong with that? :lol:

 

Oh, and I wish Altidore had a shot on your squad as well. I know he's been underperforming at Hull, but I think it's the talent around him. Give him some good mid support and a Forward partner with some consistency, and he would do worlds better, I'm sure of it. He's been much better in international play, for crissakes!

 

Thats a great first post, welcome to the madhouse. It is great you are a Toffee supporter. Make sure you have loads of tissues to wipe away the tears. That is a must for Everton supporters. Hopefully they will be tears of joy this year.

 

Don't worry if some folks are 'down' about a player. Some would be down if we had signed Pele in the 1960's. Now that the deal is done over Donovan, lets see how he does. Afterwards we will either praise him or wnat to hang him by a flag from the roof of Lime Street Station, but until then he is welcome by most of us.

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Guest rusty747

Too right. Remember in the early 80's we signed 2 has beens with dodgy knees and an ex bin man from Bury. But Peter Reid, Andy Gray and Neville Southall didn't do too badly for us did they?

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Nice to get a deal wrapped up o quickly.Hopefully we can get a couple more in, though we are usually quiet in the January window. I heard rumours about Reyes, anyone got any info to back that up? He is a good player but I thought he hated the English weather? If so I doubt he would relish a cold wet day at Goodison every week!

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Nice to get a deal wrapped up o quickly.Hopefully we can get a couple more in, though we are usually quiet in the January window. I heard rumours about Reyes, anyone got any info to back that up? He is a good player but I thought he hated the English weather? If so I doubt he would relish a cold wet day at Goodison every week!

 

Ever been to California?

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Any chance he will be playing against Burnley?

No. He's flying in on Jan 1st so I guess it's possible he could play some part against Carlisle on the 2nd. Probably be on the bench.

 

Nice vid, although anyone can be made to look impressive in three minutes. He does looks genuinely two-footed though...and fast.

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For disclosure purposes, my loyalties lie at Anfield, but as a Yank, I feel compelled to throw my two cents in on this one.

 

One, haven't noticed it mentioned yet here and I think it may generally be forgotten, but Donovan is fairly excellent as a dead ball specialist. We've seen Beckham have to watch Landon take free kicks, penalties, and corners. I see skeptical non-Americans will shun the description "world class" when describing him, but I have to say that level of recognition should be awarded to him in this aspect. He is pin point accurate with a dead ball.

 

Two, as a criticism, and despite his image as a primadonna, I think one of the most frustrating aspects of him is that I think he could be more aggressive and selfish. I've seen him pull up and wait for help in situations where I just am absolutely certain that a run at the defenders would yield a scoring opportunity. He has the skill to make slower, Sami Hyypia type defenders look like practice pylons, but he has a disturbing sense of timidity at times.

 

Third, a neutral point, he is versatile enough to play anywhere in the midfield, in the hole, or as an out and out striker, but I think his touch, his dribbling, his speed, and the accuracy of his distribution makes him best out wide. He can do left and right with equal effectiveness, but you're more likely to see him contributing positively if you can see the touch line within 10 feet of him. As seen with Brazil, he's absolutely devastating on counterattacks, as well, but I'd put him wide if I were drawing up a team sheet.

 

Anyways, cheers, happy holidays.

Edited by hesredmate
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No. He's flying in on Jan 1st so I guess it's possible he could play some part against Carlisle on the 2nd. Probably be on the bench.

 

Nice vid, although anyone can be made to look impressive in three minutes. He does looks genuinely two-footed though...and fast.

 

I'd like to see a certain right back of ours made to look impressive in one of those 3 minute clips.

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For disclosure purposes, my loyalties lie at Anfield, but as a Yank, I feel compelled to throw my two cents in on this one. Being a Yank is not a problem, Nobody can have a say in where they are born. Being a red is not a problem either, we realise some folks are just naturally stupid. :lol:

 

One, haven't noticed it mentioned yet here and I think it may generally be forgotten, but Donovan is fairly excellent as a dead ball specialist. We've seen Beckham have to watch Landon take free kicks, penalties, and corners. I see skeptical non-Americans will shun the description "world class" when describing him, but I have to say that level of recognition should be awarded to him in this aspect. He is pin point accurate with a dead ball. I expect we will be able to give an honest opinion when we have seen a little more of him in the famous Blue Shirt. But to say he is world class may be a bit premature. I hope he is of course, but lets just see what happens. :rolleyes:

 

Two, as a criticism, and despite his image as a primadonna, I think one of the most frustrating aspects of him is that I think he could be more aggressive and selfish. I've seen him pull up and wait for help in situations where I just am absolutely certain that a run at the defenders would yield a scoring opportunity. He has the skill to make slower, Sami Hyypia type defenders look like practice pylons, but he has a disturbing sense of timidity at times. I expect Dave Moyes will not allow anyone in the team when they sit and wait for help in that way. If he tried it I am pretty sure the Dave moyes Hairdryer will be on full blast. ;)

 

Third, a neutral point, he is versatile enough to play anywhere in the midfield, in the hole, or as an out and out striker, but I think his touch, his dribbling, his speed, and the accuracy of his distribution makes him best out wide. He can do left and right with equal effectiveness, but you're more likely to see him contributing positively if you can see the touch line within 10 feet of him. As seen with Brazil, he's absolutely devastating on counterattacks, as well, but I'd put him wide if I were drawing up a team sheet. And this I think is the reason Moyes has gone to him. If he can do this in the EPL he will be more than welcome to the squad.

 

Anyways, cheers, happy holidays.

 

And you too, Have a great Christmas, just get rid of the red rags and come over to the side of goodness and Blue light. :lol:

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Seeing how he didn't do so good in Munich last year I'm not all too excited about this one. Seems playing in a weak league has made him overrated.

 

Hope it works out though.

I hate to say it, but I think it's true. I live in the states and I have been unimpressed with Landon for his entire career. Every time he goes abroad he fails and he's honestly not even that good in the MLS. Hopefully playing in the premier league will get that out of him though.

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Hi, just some notes about Donovan from a Yank, for those who don't know much about him. I've followed his career pretty closely, so here are a couple sentences each about a few of his strengths/weaknesses and where he usually plays on the field. I'll try to describe his abilities based on EPL quality opposition, not MLS.

 

Strengths

Ability to read the game/Speed of thought

Even though he's scheduled to only be with Everton for a few months, adjusting to the speed of play in the EPL shouldn't be an issue. If he were on a year loan or permanent move, it definitely wouldn't be an issue. He reads the game as well as anyone in MLS (including Beckham and the Mexican legend Blanco), but he also has the physical ability to quickly get into the proper position.

 

Physical speed and quickness

Combined with the mental aspects, this should make him a dangerous player (especially on the counter attack). The EPL is chock full of speedy players so in that respect he will fit right in.

 

Endurance

It's extremely rare that he's substituted, in league or national team games. If he can still run near top speed after 90+ minutes in 38 degree heat, the English Winter shouldn't pose a problem (even with the increased pace of the EPL).

 

Set pieces

Already mentioned by other posters, but he's quite skilled at taking corners, free kicks and penalties. But obviously he takes a backup role on corners and free kicks when Beckham is playing.

 

 

Weaknesses

Does not like to get stuck in

He will track back and apply pressure, but doesn't generally try to fight for the ball. He's not really strong enough to bump most midfielders off the ball.

 

Does not like physical play

He likes a good bit of space at all times (not exactly easy to accomplish in the EPL). He can become frustrated if he gets pushed around too much, but he can also make a precision pass with a defender on his back. Against taller opposition, he usually doesn't even make an attempt to challenge for balls in the air (my guess is that Moyes will quickly change that trait).

 

Dribbling

Not necessarily a major weakness, but for a smaller player it seems like he should be a better dribbler. He's more likely to try to nutmeg or tap the ball around the defender.

 

Positions:

Withdrawn striker/AM

Again, this usually gives him space to run at defenders or send through balls to the striker. He's definitely not a post up, back to goal type forward.

 

Wing (left or right)

He has pace and is a pretty good crosser. He also likes to cut inside (whether he's on the left or right). He has improved his left foot over the last couple years and he can shoot with either (but more likely to cross with his right).

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I hate to say it, but I think it's true. I live in the states and I have been unimpressed with Landon for his entire career. Every time he goes abroad he fails and he's honestly not even that good in the MLS. Hopefully playing in the premier league will get that out of him though.

 

Wow.. that is just silly talk. And I'd slap you down hard but I'm a guest here. :P

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