PDA

View Full Version : Players Improving the Most - Opinions?



Corpand
05-10-2013, 03:33 PM
On an individualistic basis, it has been fascinating to follow some of our players as they have developed over the year. Please share your experiences.
Results aside, here are my few shined diamonds in the trash:

Bendik - Finally got a decent opportunity without getting injured. Big physical presence who has gotten even better at claiming rebounds and second-balls since pre-season. Decent reflexes too, good head on his shoulders so the more he plays, the more he will learn.

Lambe - Turning into a grown adult man now, physically he is bigger and defensively he has improved. Nelsen has stated that him and JH have improved leaps and bounds compared to some other players. All he needs to work on how is handling 2 defenders, he has the speed and some of the trickery to put in a cross. Gets nervous under pressure and passes back to Richter too often, that has to change. He was more effective when Ecks was around, their overlapping really gassed opposition defenders. What do you guys think he needs to improve most on? Still does not feel like an all out winger.

Hall - Has always stated that middle of the park was his position. Now we see why. He is not very smart on field (reflected in some of the passes he makes) but his current position is perfect for him, has more rigidity with less thinking involved. Cuts out lanes well and hustles. NEVER saw him as a RB, he was not built for it physically. Too tall and awkward, was easy to get around on the wing. In midfield on the other hand, his physicality comes in very handy. He is still relatively young so has more room for improvement. Pleasantly surprised, keep it up.

Silva - I feel he drifts out of games sometimes but play him centrally and he has made some of the best passes I have seen from a TFC player. Even under pressure, he knows how to hold the ball and how to release it with just the right angle and weight. He is not a striker. He is not a winger, does not have the speed. Its odd but I feel I need to see him much more to confirm my judgement, very inconsistent some games. With Koev in, I think he will improve even more.

So far that's as much positivity I can squeeze out from our proverbial TFC lemon. Real shame about Morgan, what is going on with that kid's confidence?:facepalm:

synkronized1
05-10-2013, 03:45 PM
I think Dunfield improved a lot over last year. Fewer back passes, 'better' distribution and just as aggressive (almost to a fault). Even though the team has taken a nose dive since he was knocked out I won't say it's becuase he's not playing. And Im not sure if he'll ever crack the starting 11 again but one can hope (Im a unabashed Dfield supporter btw).

notthesun
05-10-2013, 03:53 PM
Sticking to players we already had, not new signings that have surpassed expectations...

- Eckersley: more aware of his positioning and less crazy running around in the defensive end. Also less hoofing it up the field to nobody. Shame he got injured.

- Hall: Dude probably should've been a DM his whole career, not a RB. He started poorly (no doubt getting used to the position) but the past 3 or 4 games he's been at least respectable if not better. Needs work defending 1v1 but his passes and marking have improved.

That's all I got. Disagree on Lambe, he's a winger that defends better than he attacks (same issue as Ephraim). Not exactly what you want from your wide players.

T-boy
05-10-2013, 05:08 PM
Osorio is getting better every game. O'Dea is getting better and used to the physicality of the league.

Hall is definitely the stand out improvement compared to last season. He's like a new player.

Corpand
05-10-2013, 05:16 PM
Yea, I just feel Lambe is more involved in plays this year. Could be the coaching change and the tactic modification but he used to disappear so much last year. I agree though, not an effective winger at the moment. He needs more space to dribble through. Most of the time he gets caked in between the sideline and 2 defenders, forcing him to pass back or lose possession.

I dunno about Ecks, he is better positionally (I think partly because he is playing one position, not flip flopping CB and LB all the time) but I see him kicking the ball up field WAY too many times. You can see a play developing on the field, just based off movement of other players. He stifles it by kicking up field at weird times.
Then again, it seems half the team kicks the ball up-field nowadays so hard to criticize him too much.

Did anyone see Osorio play last year before we signed him? Seemed like a phenom.

Ultra & Proud
05-11-2013, 08:55 AM
I'd say Hall and Dunfield improved the most with Eckersley getting positionally better. None are world beaters yet but they are better than before. Hall has shown the most improvement from last year to this year. It's amazing actually as I was 100% in the toss him out category last year. He actually would be a good DM and should have a spot on MLS rosters for a while. Dunfield went from sheer crap to a useful MLSer over the past two years. Passing improved and can chip in a goal or two but I can't say I am pleased with what he gets paid now. I have a feeling Eckersley was probably so positionally poor in the past because he felt he had to cover everywhere and everyone. I understand because our backline was a sieve. Now that he was starting to trust his partners on the backline, I found him staying in his own area more and starting to get into the play going forward like he did in his first year here.

For me, Morgan, Lambe, and Silva have been disappointing. Morgan is all of a sudden hopeless in all facets of the game and Lambe has gone from a so-so winger to something like a holding mid. I remember the days when he ran towards the opponents goal and made attempts at goal. Now it's all backwards passing, whining, and chippy play. I almost expect a yellow every time I see him for doing something stupid like his new penchant for the shoving matches. Silva I expected a lot from with his time in Germany training. Now his passing is mostly poor and he hasn't imposed himself on any match yet.

That pretty much covers our presently playing holdovers from last season. No need to mention Wiedeman. He hasn't improved and he really can't get any worse so that's about all you can say for him.

Ajax TFC
05-11-2013, 05:23 PM
Hall is definitely the most improved player. From absolute crap RB (where he shouldn't have been playing in the first place), to a very good DM. He attacks the ball with extreme prejudice, and he looks to pass it to actual open players rather than just hoofing it up hoping that an attacker can win it and do something with it like most players we have do. His pass through traffic into the path of Richter in space the other game was a thing of Beauty.

Silva seems to have finally found a role that suits him as the roaming AM behind the strikers. I didn't like his play much last year at all. He didn't fit into the midfield three under Winter, and didn't look good on the wing or as a striker under Mariner (although no one with skill looked good under Mariner due to the way he used them). His goal/assist tally was still decent though.

Lambe hasn't improved at all. IMO he's regressed. Sure he's good defensively, but he always has. He used to try to make space for himself to whip in a cross, or take a shot at goal when he's close enough. Now he doesn't appear to have a clue what to do with the ball. A perfect example is a couple games ago he had the ball just inside the top of the box and a clear lane to the goal, and instead of shooting as he probably would have last year, he crossed the ball - FROM IN FRONT OF GOAL. This guy needs to take a vacation in Bermuda to clear his head.

ensco
05-11-2013, 05:31 PM
Great thread. Hall, Lambe, and Silva, for me.

jimiv
05-11-2013, 05:38 PM
In general I think the whole team is improving, the players seem to be playing for each other. If we didn't have the injuries we would be way ahead of schedule. It's great to see a positive thread for a change.

DoubleUp
05-11-2013, 06:08 PM
Silva- probably top 5 in the league in pure vision atm, but finishing needs work to maximize his role.

Hall-Passing still needs improving, but he makes good decision (most of the time) .

Osario-He reads the game very well and his positioning is spot on, just needs to be able to stay focused and consistent for the full 90.


I Will also say Eckersley has improved alot as a defender, but he is still rash in all aspects of the game.......lacks composure.

burlington Red
05-11-2013, 07:32 PM
On an individualistic basis, it has been fascinating to follow some of our players as they have developed over the year. Please share your experiences.
Results aside, here are my few shined diamonds in the trash:

Bendik - Finally got a decent opportunity without getting injured. Big physical presence who has gotten even better at claiming rebounds and second-balls since pre-season. Decent reflexes too, good head on his shoulders so the more he plays, the more he will learn.

Lambe - Turning into a grown adult man now, physically he is bigger and defensively he has improved. Nelsen has stated that him and JH have improved leaps and bounds compared to some other players. All he needs to work on how is handling 2 defenders, he has the speed and some of the trickery to put in a cross. Gets nervous under pressure and passes back to Richter too often, that has to change. He was more effective when Ecks was around, their overlapping really gassed opposition defenders. What do you guys think he needs to improve most on? Still does not feel like an all out winger.

Hall - Has always stated that middle of the park was his position. Now we see why. He is not very smart on field (reflected in some of the passes he makes) but his current position is perfect for him, has more rigidity with less thinking involved. Cuts out lanes well and hustles. NEVER saw him as a RB, he was not built for it physically. Too tall and awkward, was easy to get around on the wing. In midfield on the other hand, his physicality comes in very handy. He is still relatively young so has more room for improvement. Pleasantly surprised, keep it up.

Silva - I feel he drifts out of games sometimes but play him centrally and he has made some of the best passes I have seen from a TFC player. Even under pressure, he knows how to hold the ball and how to release it with just the right angle and weight. He is not a striker. He is not a winger, does not have the speed. Its odd but I feel I need to see him much more to confirm my judgement, very inconsistent some games. With Koev in, I think he will improve even more.

So far that's as much positivity I can squeeze out from our proverbial TFC lemon. Real shame about Morgan, what is going on with that kid's confidence?:facepalm:

our centre mid isn't very smart, and isn't a great passer but apart from that is doing well- any wonder we find ourselves in the predicament we are in lol