Polster at right back

Brother Crockett said:
The last time I heard that nonsense was from John Brown. He was being offered a player from Texas. That player was Stuart Holden and he was being offered by his coach who was also a founding member of Texas True Blues. American players can do just fine.
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US players have had limited success overseas. Landon Donovan was a prime example - the ability but not the temperament or the mentality. The American captain, Michael Bradley, returned to the MLS in the prime of his career.

There's a cultural reason for it.
 
derbybear said:
Brooklyn must be one of the few areas in the US where football (soccer)isn’t the #1 participative sport.
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By a non-football environment, I meant culturally. It's barely in the news and in the papers. It's a hobby. Where does a 15yo kid move onto in the US soccer system?
 
BrooklynBlue said:
By a non-football environment, I meant culturally. It's barely in the news and in the papers. It's a hobby. Where does a 15yo kid move onto in the US soccer system?
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State wide games, the best against the best. Should be producing more, just by a numbers game, but to say they aren't mentally strong is just, mental.
The real problem is that kids are using it for scholarships for second division colleges. To play at a higher level, they need to be in Europe at age 15 or 16.
 
Brother Crockett said:
State wide games, the best against the best. Should be producing more, just by a numbers game, but to say they aren't mentally strong is just, mental.
The real problem is that kids are using it for scholarships for second division colleges. To play at a higher level, they need to be in Europe at age 15 or 16.
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Exactly. So they need to be removed from a non-football environment (the US) and in to one where football actually matters.

I haven't said they aren't "mentally strong". I said they have the wrong mentality.
 
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Fatbearblue said:
How far out the picture must Polster be to not even be considered an option at right back? when he does play he seems to be relatively neat and tidy and decent with the ball at his feet but you would assume he is now behind both Flanagan and Patterson in Gerrard's thoughts while Tav is recovering.

If he is literally never going to play he for me must go into the bucket along with Andy King and Brandon Barker as people we really never needed to sign and are collecting wages that could be much better used elsewhere.
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It's a question of attitude rather than ability I think
 
BrooklynBlue said:
By a non-football environment, I meant culturally. It's barely in the news and in the papers. It's a hobby. Where does a 15yo kid move onto in the US soccer system?
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There are a lot of development going on including Olympic Squads in regions. Developing the College system to match Basketball or Football is the next step.
 
In all fairness to Polster, if it's a choice between a training camp or emptying my nuts into that every night for a week, there's only one winner. You'd need a team of archaeologists to dig me out of his Mrs.
 
Maybe the wife stood in front of him in her sussies and heels and told him that he was going to get married when and where she said.

I might have thought twice myself.
 
reminds me of the Borna threads from last year this does

has he actually been told to look for a new club or is this typical Scottish comic guessing of the winter break so far? if he has, then fine but you can't judge a player on 4 or 5 cameo appearances - Borna is the prime example of this, the amount of people writing him off last season
 
Weddings are generally planned years in advance, and it would be likely this was planned to coincide with USA off season? Hence already agreed when he signed?

Just a thought.
 
Crouchy said:
I think, whether permitted or not, that if you decide to not attend training camp for your honeymoon, then it’s unlikely you will ever feature again.

It was a ludicrous decision on his part.
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I must have been on the moon I was unaware of that. Stupid from a career perspective but let’s be honest you can see the attraction ;)
 
I'd still like to see Polster get a few games... Not sure how folk can say he's nowhere near good enough. I don't recall him having a bad game.
 
he must not be showing enough in training, if he was outstanding during the week, he would be an option for selection
 
maca3d said:
Not seen enough to judge but thought he was a right back that could play midfield?
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Maybe he was, but prob not suited to the way our full backs play. Think thats why he's only been seen in midfield lately (albeit rarely). So, don't think he's in competition with Tav, Flan, Patterson for starting spot like others have said but rather is a player who can cover a few spots if needed.. So having Halliday on the bench in front of him is a worry. But then again maybe Andy being able to cover LB as well as mid comes into play here. For all we know Borna might have a niggle or something so he gets the nod.

His lack of involvement is odd though, given that he's done nothing wrong and looked more than decent in his cameos.
 
derbybear said:
There are a lot of development going on including Olympic Squads in regions. Developing the College system to match Basketball or Football is the next step.
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The College system will never match basketball/football - soccer players going through a US college are already well behind their counterparts elsewhere in the world.

There is systemic failure in US youth soccer. And unfortunately no one seems to have the ideas to fix it.

For a US male player to become a success, they have to leave the country by their 16/17, if not earlier*. That takes a very particular ambition and mentality, which is my point.

[* Of course there will be exceptions. But for the size of nation and participation levels, there is a poor return of Americans playing at a good level.]
 
BrooklynBlue said:
By a non-football environment, I meant culturally. It's barely in the news and in the papers. It's a hobby. Where does a 15yo kid move onto in the US soccer system?
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If they are good enough they play within the US Soccer Development Academy with an MLS club where the focus is to develop quality homegrown professional players. Mentality is not in doubt within these environments

We're now at a point where some of the MLS clubs are playing teenagers at 16-18 like Busio at Sporting KC, Alvarez/Arraujo at Galaxy. Good for the game here

There is a lot interest from European clubs in American youth players however Uefa and Fifa have been cracking down on the movement of youth players between continents purely to play football. There's still plenty of examples of them in europe though that in moving half way round the world certainly cant be questioned on their mentality or determination
 
I think Gerrard sees him as a midfielder however we have enough in midfield that he can't get into the team. I actually think he's looked decent in the small glimpses that we've seen.
 
BrooklynBlue said:
US players have had limited success overseas. Landon Donovan was a prime example - the ability but not the temperament or the mentality. The American captain, Michael Bradley, returned to the MLS in the prime of his career.

There's a cultural reason for it.
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Eh, both were successful in Europe.
 
He certainly showed enough today to warrant a place in the squad until the end of the season. Yes, he could have closed their winger down a bit better at Hearts winner, but he offered a lot more going forward than Flanagan did in the 1st half. Unless we get a bid that recoups what we paid it would be worth keeping him as back up to Tav since the gaffer clearly doesn’t think young Patterson is ready, otherwise he would have gotten a game in the last two matches
 
CaptainCourageous said:
Wouldn't have Matt Polster any where near the team when we've got Jon Flanagan. Flanagan is no superstar but he's had a better career and is a better defender than Polster.

We continue to talk about the youth set up and promoting youths. Right now and in the not so distant future we are going to have a cracking core of younger players. Maybe now is the time to stop filling the squad with players like Polster and go with youth. Not only does it save money, reduces bloatedness in the squad, but also gives the talented younger players a path to the first team.

Patterson will be ready next season to deputise Tavernier. We could easily reduce the wages further by moving on Polster and Flanagan. We'll need to find an attack minded left side full back as back up for Barišić so Halliday too can be moved on. Unless Gerrard doesn't feel the likes of a Patterson are ready and look to send them on a 6 month/season long loan?
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Do you want a rag to clean that egg off of your face ? lol
 
Thought the lad did well for the most part after being thrown into game. I thought he would of gave Patterson the nod if changes were going to be made.
 
miles better than Flannagan and looked comfortable using both feet - can only assume the manager and coaching staff see something else in training day in day out to pick Flannagan in front of him.
 
Noticed a couple of times in the second half when they played the ball out to the left that their player had acres of space to run into where Polster should have been and he sat off them at times.

Looked no bad but definitely rusty. Good link up with Aribo.
 
I think given lack of game time he wouldn’t be up to speed but in the small showing he showed he could be decent enough as cover. Certainly seems a better fit full back for SPL games than Flanagan.
 
Looked better in all departments than Flanagan who is dreadful. How many times has Flanagan now been hooked at half time in his Rangers career?

Concerning that the manager favours him over Polster who we have been actively hawking around SPFL clubs to take on loan.
 
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