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View Full Version : Marcus Haber to West Bromwich Albion



Shway
01-06-2010, 01:21 PM
18.03 West Bromwich Albion have agreed an undisclosed fee with Vancouver Whitecaps for striker Marcus Haber, who is travelling to England to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical.

http://www.skysports.com/football/transfer_clockwatch/0,23710,14896,00.html

UltraSuperMegaMo
01-06-2010, 01:56 PM
I like Haber, but this seems too big a step up to me.

tfcleeds
01-06-2010, 01:59 PM
Didn't cut it with Leeds in a trial last year...I agree, seems like a bit of a step up.

TFCRegina
01-06-2010, 02:04 PM
I like Haber, but this seems too big a step up to me.

Hey, at least he's playing somewhere decent.

rocker
01-06-2010, 04:05 PM
Hey, at least he's playing somewhere decent.

will he play though? or will he just sit around for 2-3 years.

i find haber to be a bit of a project still... he's got good size but kinda rough around the edges.

NF-FC
01-06-2010, 10:09 PM
I find it odd that Vancouver is letting all of their young Canadian talent get away before MLS.

Yeoman
01-06-2010, 10:33 PM
you know my bro told me something like this was in the works
i can't believe it either
hopefully they agree to loan him back for at least two years.

Razcle
01-06-2010, 11:48 PM
Vancouver has had the mentality that they will not stop their emerging talent from trying to make the top leagues in the world. It is in my opinion a huge strength in their vision of how they will aspire to be one of the top clubs in America.

If I was a young emerging talent and I knew I could develop in the WC academy and them transfer to a top club when I developed enough, I would jump at that opportunity as opposed to a team that is only interested in maximizing their value and potentially disturbing my growth.

I am hopeful that TFC will develop a strong academy-reserve team structure that will fill BMO with the best talent that we can develop.

spark
01-07-2010, 01:17 PM
I find it odd that Vancouver is letting all of their young Canadian talent get away before MLS.

I'm curious whether the quota will change for Canadian clubs though - because if I'm VAN I'd want to cash in on some players before coming to the league where they'll end up taking half your transfer fee.

TorCanSoc
01-07-2010, 07:18 PM
I saw a lot in Haber when he played against us. He's what 20?

J .
01-08-2010, 07:09 PM
Amazing news for us. He will get a lot of exposure to more development. I think its great for the the CMNT. Hopefully he will develop against better quality talent.

Best place for Canadians who have "it" to develop is overseas.

Europeans come here to learn hockey, we need guys there learning soccer.

Go get some Haber.

ag futbol
01-09-2010, 08:37 AM
^ Maybe we can argue what "it" is, but it looks like even the players are moderating the "let's go to europe at all costs" route.

For the very best, i'd agree it's best to jump. And considering Haber was doing very well at the USL level a big jump makes sense. But i see more and more value these days (for those guys who can handle the physical aspect of the game) to stick around North America for a little while.

There are probably 5-10 Jakovic- Andrew Hainault types for Canada right now who are sitting on the bench in average to below average leagues. I'd argue they are much better off coming back to MLS to develop and then taking a shot at Europe.

Keegan
01-10-2010, 06:56 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UktHZRFRus

As the season went on he got better and better. He reminds me of Rob Friend, a tall striker who can actually play.

Shway
01-11-2010, 12:40 AM
i turned that shit off at 1:57, to much highlights of nothing

......and theres a part 2

Keegan
01-11-2010, 01:08 AM
i turned that shit off at 1:57, to much highlights of nothing

......and theres a part 2

It gets better he was actually really good versus TFC setting up the first goal and such

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
01-11-2010, 01:43 AM
Amazing news for us. He will get a lot of exposure to more development. I think its great for the the CMNT. Hopefully he will develop against better quality talent.

Best place for Canadians who have "it" to develop is overseas.

Europeans come here to learn hockey, we need guys there learning soccer.

Go get some Haber.

I Tried Pick up DERO from TFC.... as i try to bring back LEEDS to the PREM on fifa2010 ;)......He turned me down ...saying it would be a step back in his career! :rolleyes:

VPjr
01-11-2010, 02:11 AM
Vancouver is selling players like Haber because that was the deal when he went to vancouver in the first place.

He never intended to play in MLS. That would have been strictly a fallback position. Marcus needed a year or two of experience so he could gain experience and confidence. He needed to show people what he could do vs. men rather than simply rely on his experience in Groningen's youth system and that strategy worked nicely. As the season progressed, he really showed excellent improvement. I'm not surprised he signed with WBA now and I'm equally not surprised he didn't land a deal with Leeds last year.

Marcus has the potential to be a very good player. With some luck, he gets some playing time with WBA in the 2nd half of this season but, more important, he needs to acclimatize himself to that level of play and impress his coaches. If WBA make the jump to EPL (they seem to have a decent shot to do so) then he'll likely be the type of player who gets loaned out to a championship or League 1 club to get game experience.

A big, tall (6'3") fast striker who has shown some flair is the type of player a club like WBA can invest in and wait on, hoping he will develop into a big time player. if not, whatever they paid is ultimately chump change and a worthwhile gamble.

By the way, there are plenty of players in Whitecaps Academy whose preference is not to sign with Whitecaps MLS. Again, that would be the fall back position. Young players in that system want the shot at Germany, not MLS, for obvious reasons. Contract terms and structure for young MLSers are not favorable and these youngsters would rather sign in Europe than get locked up by MLS with one of its low paying 2+2 contracts with no inter-league free agency at the end of the contract, no contract guarantees, little chance of collecting a player's share of a transfer fee (if they were good enough to be sold), etc...

the Whitecaps academy doesn't exist to develop players for MLS. It is a money making venture designed to prepare top young players for a professional career in countries where pro teams will pay decent fees for young players.

Macksam
01-11-2010, 11:29 AM
Vancouver is selling players like Haber because that was the deal when he went to vancouver in the first place.

He never intended to play in MLS. That would have been strictly a fallback position. Marcus needed a year or two of experience so he could gain experience and confidence. He needed to show people what he could do vs. men rather than simply rely on his experience in Groningen's youth system and that strategy worked nicely. As the season progressed, he really showed excellent improvement. I'm not surprised he signed with WBA now and I'm equally not surprised he didn't land a deal with Leeds last year.

Marcus has the potential to be a very good player. With some luck, he gets some playing time with WBA in the 2nd half of this season but, more important, he needs to acclimatize himself to that level of play and impress his coaches. If WBA make the jump to EPL (they seem to have a decent shot to do so) then he'll likely be the type of player who gets loaned out to a championship or League 1 club to get game experience.

A big, tall (6'3") fast striker who has shown some flair is the type of player a club like WBA can invest in and wait on, hoping he will develop into a big time player. if not, whatever they paid is ultimately chump change and a worthwhile gamble.

By the way, there are plenty of players in Whitecaps Academy whose preference is not to sign with Whitecaps MLS. Again, that would be the fall back position. Young players in that system want the shot at Germany, not MLS, for obvious reasons. Contract terms and structure for young MLSers are not favorable and these youngsters would rather sign in Europe than get locked up by MLS with one of its low paying 2+2 contracts with no inter-league free agency at the end of the contract, no contract guarantees, little chance of collecting a player's share of a transfer fee (if they were good enough to be sold), etc...

the Whitecaps academy doesn't exist to develop players for MLS. It is a money making venture designed to prepare top young players for a professional career in countries where pro teams will pay decent fees for young players.
You're right for the most part, but Lenarduzzi has stated they want to develop their own players for the MLS team. However, if a player is good enough for overseas, they will sell without hesitation.

Aroundtheworld
01-11-2010, 01:39 PM
If he can improve as quickly and as much as he did with the Whitecaps this past season, I think he has a real chance to do well with the West Brom.

Another big reason why he moved was money, as he was being paid even less than what a developmental player earns in MLS. Of course, he probably would have gotten a raise if he had stayed, but in any case he will be getting paid way more with West Brom

Keegan
01-11-2010, 08:19 PM
If he can improve as quickly and as much as he did with the Whitecaps this past season, I think he has a real chance to do well with the West Brom.

Another big reason why he moved was money, as he was being paid even less than what a developmental player earns in MLS. Of course, he probably would have gotten a raise if he had stayed, but in any case he will be getting paid way more with West Brom

I agree if he can improve at the rate he did last season once again then he will be a solid CCC player. He has all the tools, the speed, the size, the skills... the only thing he really misses is a good shot, he can finish nicely by placing the ball though.

His playoff goals were awesome! Especially that run versus Montreal. Hes gonna be right back on the pitch and playing matches after a two month break, great to see!

Would it be possible for TFC to loan one of Jackson or Haber during the offseason? If their clubs agreed obviously i just mean under MLS rules. Obviously Jackson wouldn't be allowed to play in MLS during the offseason by his club since he apparently has a 1.5 million pound tag right now

J .
01-11-2010, 09:31 PM
I like what the Whitecaps are doing, developing Canadian talent for export and further development overseas. For the CMNT it will pay dividends for us long term.

VPjr
01-12-2010, 02:46 PM
You're right for the most part, but Lenarduzzi has stated they want to develop their own players for the MLS team. However, if a player is good enough for overseas, they will sell without hesitation.

This is true but believe me when I tell you that Whitecaps Academy players are not contractually obligated to accept an MLS contract once 2011 comes. The residency program is a standalone entity with a different set of contracts.

Many/Most of those residencyplayers do not want an MLS stopover. They want to go straight to Europe. Those that don't find suitors in Europe will be the ones who might be offered the shot to play for Whitecaps MLS.

Macksam
01-12-2010, 03:46 PM
This is true but believe me when I tell you that Whitecaps Academy players are not contractually obligated to accept an MLS contract once 2011 comes. The residency program is a standalone entity with a different set of contracts.

Many/Most of those residencyplayers do not want an MLS stopover. They want to go straight to Europe. Those that don't find suitors in Europe will be the ones who might be offered the shot to play for Whitecaps MLS.
That is also true.

NF-FC
01-12-2010, 05:48 PM
This is true but believe me when I tell you that Whitecaps Academy players are not contractually obligated to accept an MLS contract once 2011 comes. The residency program is a standalone entity with a different set of contracts.

Many/Most of those residencyplayers do not want an MLS stopover. They want to go straight to Europe. Those that don't find suitors in Europe will be the ones who might be offered the shot to play for Whitecaps MLS.

This is extremely saddening to me...

VPjr
01-12-2010, 06:11 PM
This is extremely saddening to me...

If you were in their shoes, and faced with the realities of an MLS employment contract, you would likely make the same decision.

It is going to take time for MLS to become attractive to those players. The ball is squarely in MLS' court. I used to think players didn't want MLS for quality of play reasons but, for the most part, I've come to learn that its mostly business reasons that turn them off.

If I was running a 2nd tier or 3rd tier pro club here in North America, I would be developing players to sell to Europe as well, rather than MLS. MLS needs to become a member of the rest of the world in terms of business practices. They don't want to pay transfer fees, don't want to give guaranteed contracts, are unlikely to share sell on fees, etc....

Macksam
01-14-2010, 01:02 PM
If you were in their shoes, and faced with the realities of an MLS employment contract, you would likely make the same decision.

It is going to take time for MLS to become attractive to those players. The ball is squarely in MLS' court. I used to think players didn't want MLS for quality of play reasons but, for the most part, I've come to learn that its mostly business reasons that turn them off.

If I was running a 2nd tier or 3rd tier pro club here in North America, I would be developing players to sell to Europe as well, rather than MLS. MLS needs to become a member of the rest of the world in terms of business practices. They don't want to pay transfer fees, don't want to give guaranteed contracts, are unlikely to share sell on fees, etc....
Well, Lenarduzzi said during an interview for this is soccer that the Caps are encouraging the players to take the MLS route, and than if they are truly exceptional, the skies the limit and they can make the jump to Europe. I think you'll see a lot more guys make the jump to MLS than some might think.

ag futbol
01-14-2010, 06:41 PM
^ Good point. The number of kids that go to europe and actually end up being first team players is very low.

The biggest issue here is really MLS holding everyone hostage with their transfer policies. A guy might want to leave but the league is pretty sticky. It also gives the Whitecaps pretty little compensation considering their efforts to develop these guys.

VPjr
01-15-2010, 06:03 PM
Well, Lenarduzzi said during an interview for this is soccer that the Caps are encouraging the players to take the MLS route, and than if they are truly exceptional, the skies the limit and they can make the jump to Europe. I think you'll see a lot more guys make the jump to MLS than some might think.

Do you REALLY buy that?

If Bobby can sell a player through the Residency, they don't have to share a dime with MLS.

If they sell through MLS, MLS sets the price, MLS keeps a share and MLS dictates how you spend the share you do get.

Bobby is going be politically correct and undoubtedly they will move some players from Residency to MLS but, from a business standpoint, it makes a lot more sense to sell players through their residency program. And the players won't be forced to choose MLS. If they are offered enough money to make that jump, they will come. If not, they will pursue other options, like so many Canadian elite players.

Macksam
01-16-2010, 12:15 PM
Do you REALLY buy that?

If Bobby can sell a player through the Residency, they don't have to share a dime with MLS.

If they sell through MLS, MLS sets the price, MLS keeps a share and MLS dictates how you spend the share you do get.

Bobby is going be politically correct and undoubtedly they will move some players from Residency to MLS but, from a business standpoint, it makes a lot more sense to sell players through their residency program. And the players won't be forced to choose MLS. If they are offered enough money to make that jump, they will come. If not, they will pursue other options, like so many Canadian elite players.
You're forgetting one crucial thing, the amount you can get. If the Caps sells a guy straight from the academy, they will probably only be able to demand half a million dollars at the most. If they sell a young player who has established himself well in the MLS, they can demand a lot more money like TFC and New York did for Edu and Altidore respectively. Even if they have to share with the MLS, the amount they get from selling an established MLS guy would still far exceed anything they would make from selling direct from their academy.

Also, I'm also sure the Caps will develop much better players than Edu. If TFC got 2.6 million pounds out of him, which was probably roughly 5 million Canadian dollars at the time, I think selling players who have played in the MLS first is more lucrative for them and everyone else.