I'm gonna get crucified on this board for this statement but ................

[GabrielHurl]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:

[noochie]

Ricketts didn't have a bad game... he was wide open a lot when he was on the left side, just not getting any passes out wide. I don't disagree about Smith though, he is fantastic! Perhaps moving to a 4-4-2 and putting Smith up front with Dichio until we sign our new striker. He should play.

EDIT: Except don't mess with it now while we are winning. International duties will ensure that he gets in soon enough anyways. Carver has pretty much stated that he is on the verge of cracking the starting XI.

[Laurignano]

I really like Jarod Smith...but I think he can be our super sub to be honest.

[TFCREDNWHITE]

like i said in my other post...

On the Ricketts note, Please notice that he gets swarmed by 2 defenders everytime he has the ball!! It was like that for soooo many touches he had tonite!!!
At least he knows how to squeeze the ball out and create something to push downfield!! I like his skills.

I liked Smith as well, he had a very good game tonite!!

[Laurignano]

like i said in my other post...

On the Ricketts note, Please notice that he gets swarmed by 2 defenders everytime he has the ball!! It was like that for soooo many touches he had tonite!!!
At least he knows how to squeeze the ball out and create something to push downfield!! I like his skills.

I liked Smith as well, he had a very good game tonite!!

Thats true, I just wish Ricketts would run at defenders more.

[Raging Reggie]

ricketts was great tonight for the first 8 mins, then there was the goal and him and robert switched it up. It seems to me hes just not as effective when he plays on the left side. But like it was stated aboved he also gets swarmed when he has the ball as well....i dont understand why hes such a whipping boy on this board. Since him, guevara and robert signed they havent lost a game. Im sure hes part of the reason

oh yes, and i loved jarrod smith, hes fantastic...also like stated above he should be the super sub comming in every game ahead of cunny

[tfctillidie]

I like the fact that we have Ricketts and we have Smith...shows that TFC this year have depth especially in the Midfield department...something we lacked last year when most of our guys went down with injuries

[etro]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:

Mentioned this in my other post... I AGREE.

[Laurignano]

ricketts was great tonight for the first 8 mins, then there was the goal and him and robert switched it up. It seems to me hes just not as effective when he plays on the left side. But like it was stated aboved he also gets swarmed when he has the ball as well....i dont understand why hes such a whipping boy on this board. Since him, guevara and robert signed they havent lost a game. Im sure hes part of the reason

Agreed, he has helped our squad a lot. I think he has a lot of potential, Carver just has to find a way to get him to start flying out there. Robert has impressed me big time. Guevera really needs a tango partner out there, and I hope Ricketts can step up and make some really pretty one touch football in our midfield.

[Canadian Blue]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:

I agree 100%, in fact I was going to start this very thread. I am glad Ilooked at the board first.

Smith is match fit right now so give him the start he offers everything that RR does with more pace. Maybe when RR gets match fit he will be able to challenge for the start again.

[trane]

No Ricketts should start, and I also do not understand why people do not like him as player, he is the winger we have been looking for. As for Smith I like him, but I think that he seems to be a natural striker. He should be developed as such. He has great potential.

[Jings]

If Roberts knee is not ok by Saturday we could see Ricketts start on the left and Smith on the right. Smith has been very good this year...its so good to have depth.

[TFC Tifoso]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:

I wouldn't say next game, but soon if Ricketts can't play more consistently. I think its frustrating him too....I saw a little more arm waving from Rohan last night.

[alexintoronto]

Who would crucify a Leprechaun?

http://www.foodservicerumors.com/Ted%20Images/leprechaun.jpg

:D

[Nuvinho]

I agree that RR gets swarmed by 2 defenders each time, and when he gets the ball, no one besides Wynne makes runs to get into open space for him.

Smith I like a lot. The thing is, some players are good starters and bad off the bench, and some are vice versa. Smith is good coming in for 30 to 40 minutes. He definately changes adds a bit of energy to the team.

But, in every game I have watched Edu looks horrible. If anyone needs to go to the bench it is him.

[rocker]

Smith was solid.. He'll get his playing time surely as we get into these stretches of more games. When he gets more playing time we'll see if he can keep up his play for longer periods. We have barely seen the guy play this season (he's played less than 2 full games -- 144 minutes). He seems exuberant and has drive. His decision-making still needs work with experience (remember when he came on as a sub a few games ago and, again, played with enthusiasm but took bad shots and had trouble crossing). Against LA he scored a goal (off Robert's free kick) but I felt he was kinda invisible otherwise in that game.

So I look forward to seeing him play more but gradually so that he can work on his decisionmaking without the responsibility of 90 minutes.

I am most critical of Edu this season though. I dunno if he's just the same as last season and the team around him is better (so he looks like he's not better), or if he's regressed.

[GingerNinja]

I love Jarod Smith. He is a firecracker and gets thing moving, always in good spots and gets playing going.

[scots17]

RR didn't have a bad game, but when JS came on with the few mins he did seem to be a spark and contributed with a few scoring opportunities...whether he is a "super sub" or not, let's be happy we are deep on the roster this season and keep this thing rolling!

[Kooper]

Jarrod Smith and Valez are Toronto's hottest new prospects. I see bright futures for both of them. Along with Edu and Wynne they will be great future for the team. At least until they get drawn to green pastures overseas.

[Shaughno]

I love Jarod Smith. He is a firecracker and gets thing moving, always in good spots and gets playing going.

Agreed, but at this point I think he's VERY effective as a super sub. He comes on with good pace and creativity, runs at tired defenders and creates chances. Ricketts has been solid enough to keep his starting position IMO. As been mentioned above, he has been double covered in most every game which makes it hard to push forward but he still does well distributing the ball. From what I've seen he's not an attacking winger, but more of a traditional Right Midfielder. He does his job on the right, draws defenders and moves the ball. Definitely more effective on the right than the left, but to be honest I think the switch happens because Robert is equally as dangerous from the right side. His inside cutting runs from that right side seem to open up teams in this league. Something Ricketts doesn't do.

[TK88]

^ argeed he is a super sub for now but i think he will gets some starts in soon enough.

[giambac]

Agreed, but at this point I think he's VERY effective as a super sub. He comes on with good pace and creativity, runs at tired defenders and creates chances. Ricketts has been solid enough to keep his starting position IMO. As been mentioned above, he has been double covered in most every game which makes it hard to push forward but he still does well distributing the ball. From what I've seen he's not an attacking winger, but more of a traditional Right Midfielder. He does his job on the right, draws defenders and moves the ball. Definitely more effective on the right than the left, but to be honest I think the switch happens because Robert is equally as dangerous from the right side. His inside cutting runs from that right side seem to open up teams in this league. Something Ricketts doesn't do.


Your Kidding.

What game were you watching. It's great that TFC won and have a 5 game unbaeten streak. However it has nothing to do with Ricketts.

Smith has been more effective in the less time he has played. I figured it would take Ricketts some time to adjust to a new league and new team but his p[aly ha sbeen going down each game. I say let him rid ethe pine for a few games and observe the play.

The following is analysis of teh game from the Scores soccer reporter. Notice that Ricketts got the worst performance rating on the team (5). It was the same for the Columbus game. He had the worst player rating.

Smith is earning $17k a fraction of what Ricketts is making.

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Toronto 1 - DC United 0 Game Blog

(http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/footy/index.asp?name=footy/2008/05/toronto_1_dc_un.html#more)Posted by Joe Ross on May 21, 2008


Toronto gained revenge after that 4-1 nightmare loss in DC with a 1-0 win at BMO Field. Devon McTavish is the guy you want to be thanking if you’re a TFC supporter.
How They Lined Up
----------------------------Sutton-------------------------------
Wynne-----------Velez-----------Marshall----------------Brennan ( c )
---------------------------Robinson-------------------------------
Ricketts--------------------Edu----------------------------Robert
-------------------------------------Guevara--------------------------
----------------------------Dichio------------------------------
Substitutes: Edwards, James, Harmse, Dunivant, Tebily, Smith, Cunningham
---------------------------------Wells--------------------------------
Namoff----------McTavish------------Peralta----------------Martinez
---------------------------------Simms--------------------------------
Quaranta---------------------Gallardo-------------------------Fred
---------------------------------------Moreno ( c )-------------------
--------------------------------Emilio--------------------------------
Substitutes: Carvalho, Burch, Mediate, Kirk, Cordeiro, Doe,
The Positives
∙ Danny Dichio’s night can be summed up in two plays. The first is the goal he scored, where he used his strength to hold off Devon McTavish after the DC centre-half made a horrendous and rather comical error trying to pass back to his own keeper. The second was his sliding block two yards away from goal, robbing Fred of a follow up chance after Sutton stoned him. As for the rest of the play between those moments, Dichio’s shortcomings as the lone striker were shown again. Of course, those shortcomings have nothing to do with a lack of effort. That’s one part of his game that’s never in question, and part of the reason he’s still such a cult hero at Exhibition Place.
http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/footy/robbo--paul-giamou.jpg
∙ Carl Robinson bossed the midfield, seemingly breaking up every DC attack in the middle and following it up with tidy distribution shortly afterwards. I’d argue his play forced Marcelo Gallardo to try and create out wide instead of in the centre of the park. He was TFC’s best player on the day.
∙ Greg Sutton played a mistake free game, and came up with a massive stop on Fred to save the three points. He’s making a strong case to be Canada’s number one with his recent play.
∙ Continuing the trend of players stepping up after I call them out on the blog, Jarrod Smith was very impressive today. He came on for an ineffective Ricketts on 51 minutes and showed plenty of industry on the right wing. He also runs at full speed until he reaches the long balls played over him, unlike Ricketts who seems to slow down to allow the defender to get their first a little too often.
∙ TFC’s defending continues to be outstanding. The horror show backline from the first three games of the season seems like years ago. On this homestand, Toronto conceded only one goal in five matches, and that came off of a free kick.
∙ Marco Velez didn’t help up Gallardo when he crashed hard into the advertising boards. Good show, Marco. This is war, not a tea party!
∙ The Honduran Maradona attempted another overhead kick, which got me all warm and fuzzy inside for a couple of minutes.
∙ The guy who gets completely shitfaced every game in my section showed surprising accuracy when he pelted Gallardo with a beer on a corner kick. Our inebriated anti-hero could barely stand up straight, but when Gallardo trotted over to take the set piece, Drunky Drunkerson turned into Pedro Martinez circa 1999 and fired a dart right off his back. I even saw Gallardo crack a smile afterwards. Drunkerson was given a hero’s praise by the section for his marksmanship. Hopefully he remembers when he wakes up on the couch tomorrow, furrowing his brow with a splitting headache.
The Negatives
∙ The play on the wings was disappointing again. I didn’t think the team was playing the ball out to Robert enough, and the overlaps between wingers and fullbacks seemed disjointed. I’m not sure if Ricketts was hurt or if Carver had just seen enough, but the decision to bring on Smith was the right one.
∙ The team struggled to create chances, with just six shots and only two on target. It’s been the same problems for the last three matches. The build up looks fine, but it all falls apart as soon as TFC reaches the final third. If not for the deplorable defending of McTavish, this very well could have been Toronto’s second consecutive nil-nil.
∙ Rain makes the fieldturf at BMO field almost unbearable to watch a game on. The surface was slicker than John Ferguson Jr.’s hair and trying the play the ball along the deck was very difficult.Bastards at the corn stand doubled the price from one dollar to two for a post-match cob.
∙ The dark side of man was shown after the match, when hundreds of fans descended on the free Doritos chips giveaway boxes like a swarm of locusts outside of the North Stand. Some grown adults were scurrying around with four bags each in their hands, intoxicated with joy. The racoons who pillage my garbage each night show more tact.
It's just a free bag of chips people. Get over it.
Ratings
Sutton 8, Wynne 7, Velez 7, Marshall 7, Brennan 7, Robinson 8, Ricketts 5 (Smith 7), Edu 6, Robert 6 (Dunivant 7), Guevara 7, Dichio 7
Joey’s Final Thought
The homestand was an unquestioned success, with three wins, two draws and only one goal conceded. While there’s plenty of reason to start thinking “playoffs” after this display, I’m still not getting too worked up until we see more of the club’s road form this season. The win over Los Angeles was a step in the right direction. We’ll see if the club can continue its form in DC this Saturday against a clearly wounded animal. I’m going in expecting a point. Another two on top of that would be a bonus.


Read More | Post a Comment (http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/footy/index.asp?name=footy/2008/05/toronto_1_dc_un.html)

[Shaughno]

No, I'm not kidding. I agree that the wing play has been disappointing, but it's not just the wingers faults. They have had to come inside to get the ball for the most part and then work themselves wide. Ricketts doesn't seem to be an attacking mid, as I mentioned, instead I feel he is more of a true midfield player. He holds up the play well, causes and extra man to cover him leaving space for Guevara/Wynne or whoever else is around him. Notice the times that Wynne did get forward that he had nobody on him until he hit the defensive line? That was thanks to Ricketts drawing an extra man and creating that space. If you can't see all aspects of the game, why bother commenting?

I agree he hasn't been spectacular, or even good, but he's been far from bad. He's doing his job but I will agree 100% that he doesn't seem to be able to play on the left side at all. If they're going to switch the wings as they have been doing, I'd much rather have someone else step up (Jimmy) and have someone else (Robbo) step back to cover.

[CoachGT]

Ricketts went down hard twice in the opening ten minutes, and seemed the be favouring either his left foot or left leg while on the ground. The second time it seemed to take longer for him to get up. I wondered then whether he was hurt. Both happened around the time he switched to the left side.

[bhoybobby]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:


Spot on. That's a no brainer, RR is this years Welshie, at least Welshie could look up:D

[Nuvinho]

No, I'm not kidding. I agree that the wing play has been disappointing, but it's not just the wingers faults. They have had to come inside to get the ball for the most part and then work themselves wide. Ricketts doesn't seem to be an attacking mid, as I mentioned, instead I feel he is more of a true midfield player. He holds up the play well, causes and extra man to cover him leaving space for Guevara/Wynne or whoever else is around him. Notice the times that Wynne did get forward that he had nobody on him until he hit the defensive line? That was thanks to Ricketts drawing an extra man and creating that space. If you can't see all aspects of the game, why bother commenting?



Clap Clap!!! I agree with your comments

[TicTacTabarnack]

Jarrod Smith has been playing super solid over the past few games. I think Edu needs a game off before Ricketts though. Edu's amongst a solid midfield this year compared to last and has to step it up... Just needs to find his groove. I also find that players are starting to hack Edu a lot. But in the mean time... Let's see what Smith can do.

[TorontoBlades]

here's my play:

start Jarrod and Duni - but only when it's raining and the temp is below 17 degrees. Robert and RR don't seem to take to the cold well.

[invictusTFC]

Jarrod Smith has been a pleasant addition and his work ethic has to be commended, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. At this point he is not a starter. He excels at the roll Carver has given him. When the team needs a bit of a spark or jump, he's inserted. He is effective as a substitute, but he's not starting material. He is just a better version of Lombardo at this point.

[TorontoBlades]

∙ The dark side of man was shown after the match, when hundreds of fans descended on the free Doritos chips giveaway boxes like a swarm of locusts outside of the North Stand. Some grown adults were scurrying around with four bags each in their hands, intoxicated with joy. The racoons who pillage my garbage each night show more tact.

^ QFFT !!!! it was like the world ran out of food

[invictusTFC]

I agree that RR gets swarmed by 2 defenders each time, and when he gets the ball, no one besides Wynne makes runs to get into open space for him.



I agree, and when he draws 2 defenders it opens up the field for other players like Wynne to jump into the play or Guevara to make some plays. Everybody seems to forget that Ricketts can cross a ball unlike Smith. Just cuz he hasn't scored a goal, doesn't mean that he doesn't bring something positive to this team.

P.S. I can't believe some of you are comparing RR to Welsh. Welsh was pure shite, couldn't cross a ball and never beat a defender. RR is by far a more effective player. Be patient he'll come around and make a mark on this team.

[Pearce321]

I think that Smith isn't necessarily a better player then Ricketts, he just gets himself into better positions then Ricketts. Smith is a great player but I think he'd be much more effective as a sub then a starter.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

No, I'm not kidding. I agree that the wing play has been disappointing, but it's not just the wingers faults. They have had to come inside to get the ball for the most part and then work themselves wide. Ricketts doesn't seem to be an attacking mid, as I mentioned, instead I feel he is more of a true midfield player. He holds up the play well, causes and extra man to cover him leaving space for Guevara/Wynne or whoever else is around him. Notice the times that Wynne did get forward that he had nobody on him until he hit the defensive line? That was thanks to Ricketts drawing an extra man and creating that space. If you can't see all aspects of the game, why bother commenting?

I agree he hasn't been spectacular, or even good, but he's been far from bad. He's doing his job but I will agree 100% that he doesn't seem to be able to play on the left side at all. If they're going to switch the wings as they have been doing, I'd much rather have someone else step up (Jimmy) and have someone else (Robbo) step back to cover.

Prob the most accurate statement so far.
I like Smith and I think hes definitely capable, i think its a bit extreme to put him on first team immediately.
Either Ricketts has to get used to playing on the left OR they need to stop playing him on the left.
Regardless the team as a whole needs to use the wings WAY more as opposed to attempting to stuff it down the middle as we did last night. I realized they were playing defensively on the wings but i do think we can do a bit better.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

The comparison of Ricketts to Welsh is ridiculous. Welsh was no where the calibre of player Ricketts is. He was knocked off hte ball easy, wouldnt chase down balls and couldnt cross to save himself. Ricketts is none of these things. I think people are pissed cus hes not playing like CRon which is ridiculous.

[Shaughno]

Hows that then, an equally accurate statement from you there. :p

[mighty_torontofc_2008]

Your Kidding.

What game were you watching. It's great that TFC won and have a 5 game unbaeten streak. However it has nothing to do with Ricketts.

Smith has been more effective in the less time he has played. I figured it would take Ricketts some time to adjust to a new league and new team but his p[aly ha sbeen going down each game. I say let him rid ethe pine for a few games and observe the play.

The following is analysis of teh game from the Scores soccer reporter. Notice that Ricketts got the worst performance rating on the team (5). It was the same for the Columbus game. He had the worst player rating.

Smith is earning $17k a fraction of what Ricketts is making.

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Toronto 1 - DC United 0 Game Blog

(http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/footy/index.asp?name=footy/2008/05/toronto_1_dc_un.html#more)Posted by Joe Ross on May 21, 2008


Toronto gained revenge after that 4-1 nightmare loss in DC with a 1-0 win at BMO Field. Devon McTavish is the guy you want to be thanking if you’re a TFC supporter.
How They Lined Up
----------------------------Sutton-------------------------------
Wynne-----------Velez-----------Marshall----------------Brennan ( c )
---------------------------Robinson-------------------------------
Ricketts--------------------Edu----------------------------Robert
-------------------------------------Guevara--------------------------
----------------------------Dichio------------------------------
Substitutes: Edwards, James, Harmse, Dunivant, Tebily, Smith, Cunningham
---------------------------------Wells--------------------------------
Namoff----------McTavish------------Peralta----------------Martinez
---------------------------------Simms--------------------------------
Quaranta---------------------Gallardo-------------------------Fred
---------------------------------------Moreno ( c )-------------------
--------------------------------Emilio--------------------------------
Substitutes: Carvalho, Burch, Mediate, Kirk, Cordeiro, Doe,
The Positives
∙ Danny Dichio’s night can be summed up in two plays. The first is the goal he scored, where he used his strength to hold off Devon McTavish after the DC centre-half made a horrendous and rather comical error trying to pass back to his own keeper. The second was his sliding block two yards away from goal, robbing Fred of a follow up chance after Sutton stoned him. As for the rest of the play between those moments, Dichio’s shortcomings as the lone striker were shown again. Of course, those shortcomings have nothing to do with a lack of effort. That’s one part of his game that’s never in question, and part of the reason he’s still such a cult hero at Exhibition Place.
http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/footy/robbo--paul-giamou.jpg
∙ Carl Robinson bossed the midfield, seemingly breaking up every DC attack in the middle and following it up with tidy distribution shortly afterwards. I’d argue his play forced Marcelo Gallardo to try and create out wide instead of in the centre of the park. He was TFC’s best player on the day.
∙ Greg Sutton played a mistake free game, and came up with a massive stop on Fred to save the three points. He’s making a strong case to be Canada’s number one with his recent play.
∙ Continuing the trend of players stepping up after I call them out on the blog, Jarrod Smith was very impressive today. He came on for an ineffective Ricketts on 51 minutes and showed plenty of industry on the right wing. He also runs at full speed until he reaches the long balls played over him, unlike Ricketts who seems to slow down to allow the defender to get their first a little too often.
∙ TFC’s defending continues to be outstanding. The horror show backline from the first three games of the season seems like years ago. On this homestand, Toronto conceded only one goal in five matches, and that came off of a free kick.
∙ Marco Velez didn’t help up Gallardo when he crashed hard into the advertising boards. Good show, Marco. This is war, not a tea party!
∙ The Honduran Maradona attempted another overhead kick, which got me all warm and fuzzy inside for a couple of minutes.
∙ The guy who gets completely shitfaced every game in my section showed surprising accuracy when he pelted Gallardo with a beer on a corner kick. Our inebriated anti-hero could barely stand up straight, but when Gallardo trotted over to take the set piece, Drunky Drunkerson turned into Pedro Martinez circa 1999 and fired a dart right off his back. I even saw Gallardo crack a smile afterwards. Drunkerson was given a hero’s praise by the section for his marksmanship. Hopefully he remembers when he wakes up on the couch tomorrow, furrowing his brow with a splitting headache.
The Negatives
∙ The play on the wings was disappointing again. I didn’t think the team was playing the ball out to Robert enough, and the overlaps between wingers and fullbacks seemed disjointed. I’m not sure if Ricketts was hurt or if Carver had just seen enough, but the decision to bring on Smith was the right one.
∙ The team struggled to create chances, with just six shots and only two on target. It’s been the same problems for the last three matches. The build up looks fine, but it all falls apart as soon as TFC reaches the final third. If not for the deplorable defending of McTavish, this very well could have been Toronto’s second consecutive nil-nil.
∙ Rain makes the fieldturf at BMO field almost unbearable to watch a game on. The surface was slicker than John Ferguson Jr.’s hair and trying the play the ball along the deck was very difficult.Bastards at the corn stand doubled the price from one dollar to two for a post-match cob.
∙ The dark side of man was shown after the match, when hundreds of fans descended on the free Doritos chips giveaway boxes like a swarm of locusts outside of the North Stand. Some grown adults were scurrying around with four bags each in their hands, intoxicated with joy. The racoons who pillage my garbage each night show more tact.
It's just a free bag of chips people. Get over it.
Ratings
Sutton 8, Wynne 7, Velez 7, Marshall 7, Brennan 7, Robinson 8, Ricketts 5 (Smith 7), Edu 6, Robert 6 (Dunivant 7), Guevara 7, Dichio 7
Joey’s Final Thought
The homestand was an unquestioned success, with three wins, two draws and only one goal conceded. While there’s plenty of reason to start thinking “playoffs” after this display, I’m still not getting too worked up until we see more of the club’s road form this season. The win over Los Angeles was a step in the right direction. We’ll see if the club can continue its form in DC this Saturday against a clearly wounded animal. I’m going in expecting a point. Another two on top of that would be a bonus.


Read More | Post a Comment (http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/footy/index.asp?name=footy/2008/05/toronto_1_dc_un.html)
\

like we would believe what a bullshut network like the score has to say.
Ricketts has pace and experience...let smith get the experience in the reserves, and come on a a super sub as was mentioned earlier.

[giambac]

Smith is making $17k a year.

can someone tell me what Rickets ismMaking (i'm sure at leat 10 times as much). If so when are we going to see his value. I mean right now that money could have been spent elsewhere. We have aguy coming off the bench doing a good solid job and taking up only 17k in salray cap.

Our midfielders are Guevera, Robert, Ricketts, Edu, Robinson, Smith.
Of the bunch Edu and Rickets haven't been performing so far. Smith is a bargain at his price. Is Ricketts????

[Jamaicanadian]

P.S. I can't believe some of you are comparing RR to Welsh. Welsh was pure shite, couldn't cross a ball and never beat a defender. RR is by far a more effective player. Be patient he'll come around and make a mark on this team.

At the very least I question the "football intelligence" of anyone that would compare Welsh to Ricketts. In the worst case; I question the motivation of this bizarre comparison.

Depth in a squad is a good thing. I was pleased to see Smith do his thing in the second half. The kid looks hungry and it seems like he wants to do what he needs to do to play more and help the TEAM. Competition for every position in a squad is the ultimate motivator!!

So far Carver is great!!

If and when we hit a bad patch its gonna be interesting some of your comments....I'm gonna enjoy ther good patch while it lasts!!

[Pachuco]

I agree 100%, in fact I was going to start this very thread. I am glad Ilooked at the board first.

Smith is match fit right now so give him the start he offers everything that RR does with more pace. Maybe when RR gets match fit he will be able to challenge for the start again.

huh? you actually think Smith is faster then Ricketts?:noidea:

[Technorgasm]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:

Crusified if your lucky. . he may have been a BIT silent this game, but I will say he is our best player on the squad. . . no seriously. . he is.

[bhoybobby]

At the very least I question the "football intelligence" of anyone that would compare Welsh to Ricketts. In the worst case; I question the motivation of this bizarre comparison.

Depth in a squad is a good thing. I was pleased to see Smith do his thing in the second half. The kid looks hungry and it seems like he wants to do what he needs to do to play more and help the TEAM. Competition for every position in a squad is the ultimate motivator!!

So far Carver is great!!

If and when we hit a batch patch its gonna be interesting some of your comments....I'm gonna enjoy ther good patch while it laststo see whic


I was comparing them in terms of dissapointment. Clearly RR is better than Welshie.

RR IMO has just underperformed, hopefully he'll find his feet.

Right now RR & Edu are struggling, I assume JC will find a fix, maybe the pine treatment, maybe some coaching.

RR's biggest problem is hus head is always down, he's not aware of where his teammates are. As for Edu, I dunno, loved him last year, he seems outta sorts.

[Technorgasm]

OH! I almost forgot. . who do you think fed that LONG ball to Danny?

you know. . for the Goal? and the win ? and the THREE ESSENTIAL POINTS ?. . . ROHAN RICKETTS. . thats who

Yes Danny did some GOOd work against Mctavish to slip it into net but. . RICKETTS was the one who made the sweet ball drop to Dannys Feet.



PS GAY_ARDO fucking blows. . .

[TicTacTabarnack]

^ QFFT !!!! it was like the world ran out of food

Or everyone had some crazy munchies...

[joel]

I was glad to see Duninvant get a run out, I think he definitely deserves first team time, even as a sub for Robert or Brennan.

[giambac]

OH! I almost forgot. . who do you think fed that LONG ball to Danny?

you know. . for the Goal? and the win ? and the THREE ESSENTIAL POINTS ?. . . ROHAN RICKETTS. . thats who

Yes Danny did some GOOd work against Mctavish to slip it into net but. . RICKETTS was the one who made the sweet ball drop to Dannys Feet.



PS GAY_ARDO fucking blows. . .

Take alook at the replay, It wasn't Ricketts who mad ethe long ball pass.
And also the goal wasn' tthe result of the pass. itw as the result of a fuckup by the DC defender.

[Shaughno]

I was glad to see Duninvant get a run out, I think he definitely deserves first team time, even as a sub for Robert or Brennan.

I agree, he's always played his heart out and he's a decent backup on that left side for us. I was happy to see him out there.

[Roogsy]

I like Smith as a sub. Fresh legs, very aggressive in running balls down. I think what Carver has been doing is working.

[Rawkus_420]

Smith is great, those crosses into the box were easy tap ins on an open net. So his delivery looked good that game. I say when we lose edu for example to international duty, we move to a 4-4-2 with dichio and smith up front. With dunivant coming on as a sub if hes not already starting. He made a great play last night, for not alot of playign time this year, Im glad to see his confidence was still there, which showed when he cut inside past two defenders and gave a great ball to guevara.

[joelakeshore]

I think Dunivant is a great sub for Robert late into the game when we need to carry a lead, like last night- Dunivant tracks back more often and better than Laurent. The Smith and Dunivant subs were inspired choices by Carver and show we have fantastic depth.

[GabrielHurl]

OH! I almost forgot. . who do you think fed that LONG ball to Danny?

you know. . for the Goal? and the win ? and the THREE ESSENTIAL POINTS ?. . . ROHAN RICKETTS. . thats who

Yes Danny did some GOOd work against Mctavish to slip it into net but. . RICKETTS was the one who made the sweet ball drop to Dannys Feet.


It was Carl Robinson actually :D

[joelakeshore]

I was wondering how everyone feels about RR and Robert switching wings so often? I know it provides an edge to Laurent, letting him cut in and put the ball on his left foot, but is this tactic worth- what seems to me- to be a loss in effectiveness with RR on the left flank? Would RR be more effective if he was given more time on his natural wing?

[Shaughno]

Joe, I wonder if they switch it up and use Ricketts as more of a central mid and push Edu to the left...

[joelakeshore]

^^Could be- no wonder Edu's looking a little lost out there- still I'd worry a bit about our defensive coverage in a 4-4-2 without him- at his worst he's still a decent obstacle in mid to break up opposing plays, and you can't totally overlook his role in our defensive record as of late.

[Loyal]

I think you can see now why Ricketts was available! Extremely soft, zero grit!

[bdrs]

No, I'm not kidding. I agree that the wing play has been disappointing, but it's not just the wingers faults. They have had to come inside to get the ball for the most part and then work themselves wide. Ricketts doesn't seem to be an attacking mid, as I mentioned, instead I feel he is more of a true midfield player. He holds up the play well, causes and extra man to cover him leaving space for Guevara/Wynne or whoever else is around him. Notice the times that Wynne did get forward that he had nobody on him until he hit the defensive line? That was thanks to Ricketts drawing an extra man and creating that space.
I agree 100%. And every time Wynne gets free like that we are closer to the opposition not being able to cover Ricketts as well for fear of Wynne getting loose. Then both shall be free!

[rocker]

I think you can see now why Ricketts was available! Extremely soft, zero grit!

I disagree with that statement. Everything I've seen from Ricketts is he's willing to battle guys and doesn't shy away from contact. He's a pretty physical player actually.

(Just as an aside, Robert is quite the opposite in that regard. I love his skill when he's facing a player and able to dazzle, but in close with the opposition, Robert rarely wins the ball if he's pressured physically. Wynne, and to an extent Ricketts, are good at taking the physical punishment and coming away with the ball in close)

[jloome]

Smith is making $17k a year.

can someone tell me what Rickets ismMaking (i'm sure at leat 10 times as much). If so when are we going to see his value. I mean right now that money could have been spent elsewhere. We have aguy coming off the bench doing a good solid job and taking up only 17k in salray cap.

Our midfielders are Guevera, Robert, Ricketts, Edu, Robinson, Smith.
Of the bunch Edu and Rickets haven't been performing so far. Smith is a bargain at his price. Is Ricketts????

As usual, fucking clueless. WHy do you even bother posting, if you think those ratings from the SCORE are realistic. If you've ever followed football anywhere that usesthe 10-pt ratings system, you'd know that handing out 7's and 8's is usually reserved for dominating performances where the other team was crushed, not 1-0 squeakers in which we were outshot.

Compare them with Goff's DC ratings from the Washington Post, from a footie writer who's been doing this for awhile and actually understands basic journalistic concepts like balance:

PLAYER RATINGS: Wells 4; Namoff 6, Peralta 5, McTavish 3, Martinez 5; Quaranta 4, Simms 5, Gallardo 5, Fred 3; Moreno 4, Emilio 4. Subs: Burch 5, Mediate 5, Doe 5.

A 'five' is usually considered an average-to-weak performance. A '6' is aver age-to-good, a seven is good, an eight is exceptional, a nine is dominating, a 10 is historic.

More realistically, our ratings from this game would be: Sutton 7, Wynne, 7, Velez 6, Marshall 7, Brennan, 6, Ricketts 5, Robinson 6, Edu 5, Guevara 6, Robert 5, Dichio 7.

And do you not find it odd, Giambac, that out of a couple thousand people watching these games and posting regulary on either this board or BS, all of about 10% see Ricketts as the same kind of liability you do?

Listen mate, you can keep this argument going for as long you want, but here's the final word on it from me: Games played by Rohan Ricketts in the english premiership and CCC over the last threeyears: 95. Games played by any other winger we have who's a natural right-side in the premiership and CCC: 0

Other TFC players currently being double teamed every time they touch the ball: arguably, 1, Guevara, because he's drawing both opposing centre mids. But other teams recognize the skills and are double teaming the right side because of the combined threat posed by Ricketts and Wynne.

I think Jarrod Smith has a very bright future, because he works hard, thinks quickly and is technically competent. But if you think he has the same skill set as Rohan Ricketts, then you are a complete and utter fucking idiot, and wasting any more time trying to explain this to you is exactly that, a waste of time.

[trane]

I also, like other, have to question what this hate for Ricketts is comming from. Jarrod Smith may becoma e good striker, but he will never be a better winger then Ricketts. I think Ricketts should develop into an MLS all-Star, my only fear is that he will make his way back to Europe.

[jloome]

I was wondering how everyone feels about RR and Robert switching wings so often? I know it provides an edge to Laurent, letting him cut in and put the ball on his left foot, but is this tactic worth- what seems to me- to be a loss in effectiveness with RR on the left flank? Would RR be more effective if he was given more time on his natural wing?


I think Carver sees two benefits: One, teams saw how we played against KC and RSL and think they need to ensure that the Ricketts-Wynne overlap doesn't kill them all game, so as long as he leaves Ricketts on the right, he'll probably be double-teamed.

Teams WON'T double team Robert on that side becuase the assumption is that, with a historically noted much stronger left foot, he's much less likely to play the overlap with Wynne, which is tough to defend when you've got DD in the box waiting for crosses, and more likely to cut inside, where they have more defenders.

Carver's second reason, however, is that he recognizes something these coaches don't: letting Robert cut inside opens up shooting room for him, inswinging cross room for him, and central channels for Guevara and Edu to run into when a central player drifts left to cover Robert (his left, TFC's right).

The trouble is, with Robert more likely to be the dominating player, that forces Ricketts to play on the drop-back mid side with Brenna, where they'll typically be 15 yards behind the play to compensate in defensive zone coverage for the right flank being advanced. That's not typically his role, although you'll also note going over the video that in both of the last two games, he has tracked all the way back to the byline to cover a winger trying to break loose, so he's certainly working.

And on the odd occasion that he has gotten a ball up the left side, Ricketts has drawn two men again, leaving brennan to move to the top of the box for a run or cross.

All of these scenarios have taken place several times in both of the last two games, so that's my take.

[invictusTFC]

I disagree with that statement. Everything I've seen from Ricketts is he's willing to battle guys and doesn't shy away from contact. He's a pretty physical player actually.

(Just as an aside, Robert is quite the opposite in that regard. I love his skill when he's facing a player and able to dazzle, but in close with the opposition, Robert rarely wins the ball if he's pressured physically. Wynne, and to an extent Ricketts, are good at taking the physical punishment and coming away with the ball in close)

I think people really have to watch Ricketts play. He is very smooth in his movements, so smooth that it looks effortless at times which gives people the perception that he isn't working hard. Smith on the other hand has to work ten times harder to make a decent play, so it looks like he's a bulldog out there.

[Shaughno]

I think Carver sees two benefits: One, teams saw how we played against KC and RSL and think they need to ensure that the Ricketts-Wynne overlap doesn't kill them all game, so as long as he leaves Ricketts on the right, he'll probably be double-teamed.

Teams WON'T double team Robert on that side becuase the assumption is that, with a historically noted much stronger left foot, he's much less likely to play the overlap with Wynne, which is tough to defend when you've got DD in the box waiting for crosses, and more likely to cut inside, where they have more defenders.

Carver's second reason, however, is that he recognizes something these coaches don't: letting Robert cut inside opens up shooting room for him, inswinging cross room for him, and central channels for Guevara and Edu to run into when a central player drifts left to cover Robert (his left, TFC's right).

The trouble is, with Robert more likely to be the dominating player, that forces Ricketts to play on the drop-back mid side with Brenna, where they'll typically be 15 yards behind the play to compensate in defensive zone coverage for the right flank being advanced. That's not typically his role, although you'll also note going over the video that in both of the last two games, he has tracked all the way back to the byline to cover a winger trying to break loose, so he's certainly working.

And on the odd occasion that he has gotten a ball up the left side, Ricketts has drawn two men again, leaving brennan to move to the top of the box for a run or cross.

All of these scenarios have taken place several times in both of the last two games, so that's my take.

Fucking perfect breakdown.

[joelakeshore]

I think Carver sees two benefits: One, teams saw how we played against KC and RSL and think they need to ensure that the Ricketts-Wynne overlap doesn't kill them all game, so as long as he leaves Ricketts on the right, he'll probably be double-teamed.

Teams WON'T double team Robert on that side becuase the assumption is that, with a historically noted much stronger left foot, he's much less likely to play the overlap with Wynne, which is tough to defend when you've got DD in the box waiting for crosses, and more likely to cut inside, where they have more defenders.

Carver's second reason, however, is that he recognizes something these coaches don't: letting Robert cut inside opens up shooting room for him, inswinging cross room for him, and central channels for Guevara and Edu to run into when a central player drifts left to cover Robert (his left, TFC's right).

The trouble is, with Robert more likely to be the dominating player, that forces Ricketts to play on the drop-back mid side with Brenna, where they'll typically be 15 yards behind the play to compensate in defensive zone coverage for the right flank being advanced. That's not typically his role, although you'll also note going over the video that in both of the last two games, he has tracked all the way back to the byline to cover a winger trying to break loose, so he's certainly working.

And on the odd occasion that he has gotten a ball up the left side, Ricketts has drawn two men again, leaving brennan to move to the top of the box for a run or cross.

All of these scenarios have taken place several times in both of the last two games, so that's my take.
^^Great breakdown jloome. As always, defensive and build up play by our midfielders and the sacrifices they make to advance position go relatively unnoticed. Maybe that's why RR is taking more flak than he deserves- people were expecting flashy attacking wing play from him, but I think his game and role so far in Carver's tactics is much more well rounded and nuanced than that, as you've shown. I think in that sense he's doing fine now, but the intricacy of these tactics and the understanding amongst the team that it requires will need more game experience to really pay dividends in attack- then people may start to stand up and take notice of his contributions.

[Shaughno]

It also highlights the differences in MoJo and Carver and being able to properly use tactics.

[giambac]

I was wondering how everyone feels about RR and Robert switching wings so often? I know it provides an edge to Laurent, letting him cut in and put the ball on his left foot, but is this tactic worth- what seems to me- to be a loss in effectiveness with RR on the left flank? Would RR be more effective if he was given more time on his natural wing?


He's a professional. If he can't adjust he can sit on the pines. We have Smith who can otherwise fill in.:eek:

[giambac]

I think you can see now why Ricketts was available! Extremely soft, zero grit!

Agreed!

[giambac]

As usual, fucking clueless. WHy do you even bother posting, if you think those ratings from the SCORE are realistic. If you've ever followed football anywhere that usesthe 10-pt ratings system, you'd know that handing out 7's and 8's is usually reserved for dominating performances where the other team was crushed, not 1-0 squeakers in which we were outshot.

Compare them with Goff's DC ratings from the Washington Post, from a footie writer who's been doing this for awhile and actually understands basic journalistic concepts like balance:

PLAYER RATINGS: Wells 4; Namoff 6, Peralta 5, McTavish 3, Martinez 5; Quaranta 4, Simms 5, Gallardo 5, Fred 3; Moreno 4, Emilio 4. Subs: Burch 5, Mediate 5, Doe 5.

A 'five' is usually considered an average-to-weak performance. A '6' is aver age-to-good, a seven is good, an eight is exceptional, a nine is dominating, a 10 is historic.

More realistically, our ratings from this game would be: Sutton 7, Wynne, 7, Velez 6, Marshall 7, Brennan, 6, Ricketts 5, Robinson 6, Edu 5, Guevara 6, Robert 5, Dichio 7.

And do you not find it odd, Giambac, that out of a couple thousand people watching these games and posting regulary on either this board or BS, all of about 10% see Ricketts as the same kind of liability you do?

Listen mate, you can keep this argument going for as long you want, but here's the final word on it from me: Games played by Rohan Ricketts in the english premiership and CCC over the last threeyears: 95. Games played by any other winger we have who's a natural right-side in the premiership and CCC: 0

Other TFC players currently being double teamed every time they touch the ball: arguably, 1, Guevara, because he's drawing both opposing centre mids. But other teams recognize the skills and are double teaming the right side because of the combined threat posed by Ricketts and Wynne.

I think Jarrod Smith has a very bright future, because he works hard, thinks quickly and is technically competent. But if you think he has the same skill set as Rohan Ricketts, then you are a complete and utter fucking idiot, and wasting any more time trying to explain this to you is exactly that, a waste of time.

My points/My arguments

1) according to your rating above - RR was still ineffective
2) How about we use Coach Carvers assment- He took RR out in the 50th minute.
3) Your correct RR ha smore experience. More skill tahn Smith. However Smith is a steal at $17k.
How much is RR making. Please let me know I think with the amount they are paying him and the hit on the salary cap could have been used for a striker. The team is solid at midfield with Guevera,Robert,Robinson etc. Ricketts was the 3rd signing and I don't thinkl they needed him. They should have allocated his $$ to a striker. Considering Smiths low pay his bvalue is more effective in a salary cap world. You don't hav eto be a genius to figure that out. It was a mistake to pay good coin for an ineffective player. Look at the opportunity lost because of his signing.

[Shaughno]

1) according to his rating he was average to weak. Meaning he wasn't good or bad.
2) Carver took him out in the 50th, but it has been mentioned that he took a knock and that could have been the reasoning behind it. Also, it's been the natural sub in every game. This game was about 5-10 mins earlier, no big deal.
3) Smith does seem to be a steal at $17k, but we can only give him so much playing time before we have to bump up his salary from Dev to senior roster (I believe anyway).

Ricketts was the 3rd signing and going into that signing who was the next best choice to start at RM? Smith? We hadn't seen enough to judge at that point. Harmse? Nope. Hemming? Nope. If Carver thought he was better than Ricketts he would have held on to him.

Besides, you don't want to burn out a kid like Smith in starting him every game and have him turn into a Lombardo. He works as a super sub, why change that right now.

[J .]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:


No Ricketts does what is asked of him.

[giambac]

1) according to his rating he was average to weak. Meaning he wasn't good or bad.
2) Carver took him out in the 50th, but it has been mentioned that he took a knock and that could have been the reasoning behind it. Also, it's been the natural sub in every game. This game was about 5-10 mins earlier, no big deal.
3) Smith does seem to be a steal at $17k, but we can only give him so much playing time before we have to bump up his salary from Dev to senior roster (I believe anyway).

Ricketts was the 3rd signing and going into that signing who was the next best choice to start at RM? Smith? We hadn't seen enough to judge at that point. Harmse? Nope. Hemming? Nope. If Carver thought he was better than Ricketts he would have held on to him.

Besides, you don't want to burn out a kid like Smith in starting him every game and have him turn into a Lombardo. He works as a super sub, why change that right now.

I need to know how much does RR make. None of his supporters seem to want to answer the question. Knowing what he makes and the impact it ha son future signings can affect what people think of him and his performance

Anyone know what he makes??

[Shaughno]

IF I FUCKING KNEW WHAT HE MADE I WOULD HAVE POSTED IT.


Regardless, how much he makes does not change the fact that he's doing his job well enough for the coach to have enough confidence in starting him every game. How much he makes should not affect your judgement on his performance.


Is Robinson overpaid? Yes! Do I think he should be replaced for someone cheaper? HELL NO! It's no different really.

[trane]

1) according to his rating he was average to weak. Meaning he wasn't good or bad.
2) Carver took him out in the 50th, but it has been mentioned that he took a knock and that could have been the reasoning behind it. Also, it's been the natural sub in every game. This game was about 5-10 mins earlier, no big deal.
3) Smith does seem to be a steal at $17k, but we can only give him so much playing time before we have to bump up his salary from Dev to senior roster (I believe anyway).

Ricketts was the 3rd signing and going into that signing who was the next best choice to start at RM? Smith? We hadn't seen enough to judge at that point. Harmse? Nope. Hemming? Nope. If Carver thought he was better than Ricketts he would have held on to him.

Besides, you don't want to burn out a kid like Smith in starting him every game and have him turn into a Lombardo. He works as a super sub, why change that right now.


I have made this point before, I like Smith as a sub, for Ricketts but what I would like even more, is him as a sub for Dichio as opposed to Cunny. He seems to have a quick trigger, good shot and good skils on the ball, I really would not like to see him developed like a winger, but rather as a striker.

[Shaughno]

Trane... agree 100% Either that or as an Attacking Mid. Somewhere that his eye for goal can be more utilized.

[rocker]

My points/My arguments

How much is RR making. Please let me know I think with the amount they are paying him and the hit on the salary cap could have been used for a striker. The team is solid at midfield with Guevera,Robert,Robinson etc. Ricketts was the 3rd signing and I don't thinkl they needed him. They should have allocated his $$ to a striker. Considering Smiths low pay his bvalue is more effective in a salary cap world. You don't hav eto be a genius to figure that out. It was a mistake to pay good coin for an ineffective player. Look at the opportunity lost because of his signing.

Your statements above are based on information you don't know.. yet you make the argument anyways???

1) you don't know how much Ricketts makes so you can't just his effectiveness versus his pay (if he was making 60K, would it matter??)
2) you don't know how much room Mojo has against the cap. The salary of any one player only matters if Mojo doesn't have any room left. Since we don't know what that # is, we shouldn't be concerned with the salary difference between Smith and Ricketts, particularly when we don't know what Ricketts earns.
3) we can still have a striker if there's cap room. If there isn't cap room, trade Cunny and voila, you have cap room. Trades can be made at any time within MLS.

[trane]

Yeah, attacking Mid, would be good as well. He has an eye for goal.

[AL-MO]

Ricketts takes WAY too many touches on the ball...

[Shaughno]

Ricketts takes WAY too many touches on the ball...

I agree somewhat. Most of the time he makes it work though, it draws the defenders in close and then it allows him to play the ball for others.

[giambac]

IF I FUCKING KNEW WHAT HE MADE I WOULD HAVE POSTED IT.


Regardless, how much he makes does not change the fact that he's doing his job well enough for the coach to have enough confidence in starting him every game. How much he makes should not affect your judgement on his performance.


Is Robinson overpaid? Yes! Do I think he should be replaced for someone cheaper? HELL NO! It's no different really.

You are totally missing the point.

What I'm saying is that what a player makes has an affect on the whole team. You can argue that RR at this time is a better player than Smith given his age and experience. However that doesn't mean it was a good signing.

Let's look at it from a baseball poit of view. People can argue that Roger Clemons is a better pitcher than Jesse Litsch on the Blue Jays given his age and experience. Roger would win more games. However Roger would ask for say $10 million a year. Jesse is making the minimum salary of $500k. Who is more effective for the Jays to have - Simple answer is Litsch. They could use the other $9.5 million to sign other players and fill other gaps on the team.

That's why I'm saying RR signing and his salary has to be taken into account. Say he makes $200k. In a saalry cap world it affects future signings the team could have made. This is not difficult to understand. The Leafs are fucked for future years becasue they overpaid palyers who aren't performing.

If RR is making $200k and Smith is at $17k the extar $193 kcould have been used for a striker. Although Smith may not be at par with RR, he would be a solid playe rto have in the midfield and the savings would have brought in more players. GOT IT.

This is how you build ateam in a salary cap world. You don't go out there and overpay for mediaocre players.

[Bobo]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:

I said the same thing during yesterday's game. Wake Rohan up before Guevara leaves.

[denime]

I need to know how much does RR make. None of his supporters seem to want to answer the question. Knowing what he makes and the impact it ha son future signings can affect what people think of him and his performance

Anyone know what he makes??

Who gives a fuck how mush is he making or anybody else?Are you paying him from your pocket,no so keep quite please.If you want to compare players by their performance ok,but salaries not your or our fucking business at all.
Your statement knowing what he makes just sows how how much you
know when it comes to players performances. :rant:

[denime]

As usual, fucking clueless. WHy do you even bother posting, if you think those ratings from the SCORE are realistic. If you've ever followed football anywhere that usesthe 10-pt ratings system, you'd know that handing out 7's and 8's is usually reserved for dominating performances where the other team was crushed, not 1-0 squeakers in which we were outshot.

Compare them with Goff's DC ratings from the Washington Post, from a footie writer who's been doing this for awhile and actually understands basic journalistic concepts like balance:

PLAYER RATINGS: Wells 4; Namoff 6, Peralta 5, McTavish 3, Martinez 5; Quaranta 4, Simms 5, Gallardo 5, Fred 3; Moreno 4, Emilio 4. Subs: Burch 5, Mediate 5, Doe 5.

A 'five' is usually considered an average-to-weak performance. A '6' is aver age-to-good, a seven is good, an eight is exceptional, a nine is dominating, a 10 is historic.

More realistically, our ratings from this game would be: Sutton 7, Wynne, 7, Velez 6, Marshall 7, Brennan, 6, Ricketts 5, Robinson 6, Edu 5, Guevara 6, Robert 5, Dichio 7.

And do you not find it odd, Giambac, that out of a couple thousand people watching these games and posting regulary on either this board or BS, all of about 10% see Ricketts as the same kind of liability you do?

Listen mate, you can keep this argument going for as long you want, but here's the final word on it from me: Games played by Rohan Ricketts in the english premiership and CCC over the last threeyears: 95. Games played by any other winger we have who's a natural right-side in the premiership and CCC: 0

Other TFC players currently being double teamed every time they touch the ball: arguably, 1, Guevara, because he's drawing both opposing centre mids. But other teams recognize the skills and are double teaming the right side because of the combined threat posed by Ricketts and Wynne.

I think Jarrod Smith has a very bright future, because he works hard, thinks quickly and is technically competent. But if you think he has the same skill set as Rohan Ricketts, then you are a complete and utter fucking idiot, and wasting any more time trying to explain this to you is exactly that, a waste of time.

:iagree:


giambac (http://www.redpatchboys.ca/forums/member.php?u=253) educate yourself by reading this post,every morning before you leave a house read once. ;)

[Limani_Ole]

You dont sub someone off at 50min for playing the way he is supposed too...

If your tactic is to have Ricketts play a more defensive role and he is doing the job you dont sub him at 50'.. and more importantly through Smith in to attack down the wing.. Why wouldn't Carver ask Ricketts to attack down the right since he is a better player?

If you watch around the end of the first half Carver was ripping into Ricketts to push up.. pointing etc.. dont know if anyone else saw this..

[Fort York Redcoat]

I thought Ricketts would have more scoring opportunities but he's contributing. Maybe sub Smith in at the hour mark...

[ACSertL]

Anyone ever think they may be taking him off at the 50 minute mark because he is going to play on Saturday? Might explain some of it.

[Limani_Ole]

Anyone ever think they may be taking him off at the 50 minute mark because he is going to play on Saturday? Might explain some of it.


dont think this is the case..
Carver has explained several times he always plays his best squad no matter what..

Cathal Kelly wrote in his blog - http://thestar.blogs.com/torontofc/

"Carver also said that Jarrod Smith is very close to cracking the starting XI, one presumes in place of the out-of-touch looking Rohan Ricketts. Bottom line: the change will not happen while the club is still winning. But if this team needs a roster shake-up to jog the offence in the case of a loss, Smith will clearly be the first option."

[giambac]

You dont sub someone off at 50min for playing the way he is supposed too...

If your tactic is to have Ricketts play a more defensive role and he is doing the job you dont sub him at 50'.. and more importantly through Smith in to attack down the wing.. Why wouldn't Carver ask Ricketts to attack down the right since he is a better player?

If you watch around the end of the first half Carver was ripping into Ricketts to push up.. pointing etc.. dont know if anyone else saw this..

Your point is valid and I also saw Carver ripping into RR. He didn't perform or listen to the coach and was yanked. Problem is you got guys on this forum who don't understand the game and aren't watching the whole game and how it is being played out. Carver is a fan of RR and he is the one who brought him hear. For him to be ripping into RR yesterday tells you what he thought of his permance. Yet you get ignornant people who don't understand and are in love with RR. Maybe they think he is cute, I don't know???

[ACSertL]

dont think this is the case..

Carver has explained several times he always plays his best squad no matter what..

As much as Carver would love to play his favoured starting 11 as often as possible, 4 games in 2 weeks might change his mind a little. Or maybe he wanted to get a good look at Smith? Loads of questions and I don't have the answers.

I didn't think Ricketts had his best game, but I didn't think he was overly poor.

[Jamaicanadian]

Your point is valid and I also saw Carver ripping into RR. He didn't perform or listen to the coach and was yanked. Problem is you got guys on this forum who don't understand the game and aren't watching the whole game and how it is being played out. Carver is a fan of RR and he is the one who brought him hear. For him to be ripping into RR yesterday tells you what he thought of his permance. Yet you get ignornant people who don't understand and are in love with RR. Maybe they think he is cute, I don't know???

I thought I read that Mo was the one that got in touch with R-doubles agent...I saw Carver touch R-double in a fatherly kinda way as he left the field....BTW, aren't you the guy that is suggesting that we should use cost effectiveness and salary as the criteria for our starting IX LOL!:crazy:

[Limani_Ole]

Your point is valid and I also saw Carver ripping into RR. He didn't perform or listen to the coach and was yanked. Problem is you got guys on this forum who don't understand the game and aren't watching the whole game and how it is being played out. Carver is a fan of RR and he is the one who brought him hear. For him to be ripping into RR yesterday tells you what he thought of his permance. Yet you get ignornant people who don't understand and are in love with RR. Maybe they think he is cute, I don't know???

not much you can say to someone who thinks they know eveything already.. whats up with people taking things personally too.. lets keep it to a civilized discussion..

and the post with people simply writting "agreed" is fucking annoying.. no-one cares you agree.. please feel free to add to this discussion with ideas that you wanna throw out there.. and see what people say and what perspective others may have..

the " agreed" post make this thread 4 pages with 1 page of content

[Broadview]

When Ricketts was a rumor around here I emailed a buddy in Wolverhampton, blabbing about TFC and asking about Rohan Ricketts. Here's what he had to say:

"I did see Rohan Ricketts play a couple of times. I have to be honest and say he didn't make a great impression. He was the butt of a few jokes by Wolves fans. He wasn't terrible but he certainly didn't set the league on fire!

I quite liked Carl Robinson. Dependable player. Danny Dichio i wasn't a fan of but he certainly had his moments. Scored a couple of spectacular goals for QPR.

Hopefully Stu and i will get the chance to see a MLS game one day and you a Premiership game (when Wolves get promoted of course!)."

I guess the guy's been through this kind of stuff before. I hope he's not paying too close attention, because I've enjoyed watching him play for TFC. I haven't heard too much in this thread about RR's defensive play, but since he's arrived, to me this has been a nice surprise. There have been a couple of times when he's cleared the ball amid scrambles deep in the box that have made me say "whew, glad he hustled back".

jloom made great points about why Carer switches RR and Robert, but when that happens Ricketts seems to disappear from the action for some reason. We don't see him getting the ball in our end and sprinting up the field as much. We don't see him and Jimmy creating overlaps like we do with Wynne, and we don't see Robert and Wynne doing it as much when Laurent's over there either. Could it be a chemistry thing? I do remember Jimmy getting all mad on one occasion when Rohan didn't deliver that pass and I had a chuckle.

Smith has been a revelation. I love how he barges around all over the field and has a nose for the goal. He plays angry, like it's the other team that gave him that haircut or something. That kind of energy seems to always win over sports fans in this city. Lets hear it for the supplemental draft and the USL! I like him as a super-sub. He'll also push Ricketts to perform as well, which is what I think Carver was up to in the press after yesterday. It's nice to have the depth of Smith and Dunny on the bench, that's for sure.

[Fort York Redcoat]

RR contributes but I expected more shots from him. Smith can come in at 60 mark...

[Kayed]

Honestly, I don't know who should start or who shouldn't. There is a reason I am not a coach, and I think most of you aren't too. So please stfu and enjoy our unbeaten streak.

Edit: yea, I know it's a internet forum and what not but some of you talk like you've coached a team to the world cup finals or something

[giambac]

I thought I read that Mo was the one that got in touch with R-doubles agent...I saw Carver touch R-double in a fatherly kinda way as he left the field....BTW, aren't you the guy that is suggesting that we should use cost effectiveness and salary as the criteria for our starting IX LOL!:crazy:

Buddy,

Read buddy read. You did go to school LOL:)

What I said is that TFC plays in a salary cap league. When you sign a player you have to look at both his skills/potenial etc and what it would cost to bring him over. Yes in a salary cap world cost effectiveness and salary are an important criteria. RR at this point may be a better palyer (Some would argue otherwise), however by signing him say at $200k it has affected the whole team and possible future signings. Smith an dhis $17k is giving you a BIGGER BANG FOR THE BUCK. CAPICHE.:)

[denime]

Buddy,

Read buddy read. You did go to school LOL:)

What I said is that TFC plays in a salary cap league. When you sign a player you have to look at both his skills/potenial etc and what it would cost to bring him over. Yes in a salary cap world cost effectiveness and salary are an important criteria. RR at this point may be a better palyer (Some would argue otherwise), however by signing him say at $200k it has affected the whole team and possible future signings. Smith an dhis $17k is giving you a BIGGER BANG FOR THE BUCK. CAPICHE.:)

And you know that because you are Trapatoni in disguise ?? :D

[Azerban]

i hate agreeing with giambac because honestly he is a terrible poster and if he was against the practice of drowning puppies i would have to start considering the advantages but ricketts just isn't that great

that's not to say he isn't alright or shouldn't be starting, but he's not 'silencing doubters weekly', he hasn't silenced anything ever

[jloome]

^^Great breakdown jloome. As always, defensive and build up play by our midfielders and the sacrifices they make to advance position go relatively unnoticed. Maybe that's why RR is taking more flak than he deserves- people were expecting flashy attacking wing play from him, but I think his game and role so far in Carver's tactics is much more well rounded and nuanced than that, as you've shown. I think in that sense he's doing fine now, but the intricacy of these tactics and the understanding amongst the team that it requires will need more game experience to really pay dividends in attack- then people may start to stand up and take notice of his contributions.

I am surprised by how much we seem to fall onto the defensive backfoot once we've scored, though. It's not like we lose shape because there are still counter chances and the field is packed in all the right places, so chances are, with two holding mids, it's a sensible tactic to win a lot of games 1-0.

But given our midfield, I wonder if we didn't turtle a little early against DC. It worked, for sure, but it doesn't demonstrate much offensive confidence. Perhaps we'll see more push on Saturday.

[AL-MO]

i hate agreeing with giambac because honestly he is a terrible poster and if he was against the practice of drowning puppies i would have to start considering the advantages but ricketts just isn't that great

that's not to say he isn't alright or shouldn't be starting, but he's not 'silencing doubters weekly', he hasn't silenced anything ever


I agree. He hasn't made the impact that I had hoped he would make. On the other hand, Guevara and Robert have made a bigger impact. (And Guevara and bigger impact that Robert)

[giambac]

i hate agreeing with giambac because honestly he is a terrible poster and if he was against the practice of drowning puppies i would have to start considering the advantages but ricketts just isn't that great

that's not to say he isn't alright or shouldn't be starting, but he's not 'silencing doubters weekly', he hasn't silenced anything ever


I love puppies.

You say I'm a terrible poster because I post my opinions. Sometimes (or most times) I come across as being strong. Thing is people like to look at players or things from one angle. I try and look at the overall picture.

People come out and say Ricketts should start because he is better than Smith and RR was a good signing becasue he can do more than Smith. I like to step back and say hold on, look at it from all angles. Sure he is better, sure he has more experience in the EPL but there was a cost in getting that here. My view or point is was it worth it? People can't see the big picture and get pissed off becasue I say I don't like him as a player. Doesn't mean I'm not a TFC fan. I prefer Smith to Ricketts. Others don't like Smith as much. Are they being disloyal to the team.? Some people like apples, some like oranges.

[nimamalek]

one thing to keep in mind, when Smith came in DC was pushing hard and players were tired, Smith had more room because of those 2 factors, if you watch the game again you'll see Rohan and Robert getting double teamed in the first half while Todd and Smith got a lot of room near the end of the game

[Limani_Ole]

one thing to keep in mind, when Smith came in DC was pushing hard and players were tired, Smith had more room because of those 2 factors, if you watch the game again you'll see Rohan and Robert getting double teamed in the first half while Todd and Smith got a lot of room near the end of the game

double teamed? this isnt basketball..

Ricketts held the ball too long allowing the second defender to come in on him.. thats when you pass and make a run.. he didint do much except hussle back to defend which anyone can do..

the boy has to get a bit aggressive and realize this isnt league two football.. gotta bring his A game next time out.. even his B game should be enough..

[King Tut]

Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game

:hump::hump:

:iagree:

QFT

[jloome]

double teamed? this isnt basketball..

Ricketts held the ball too long allowing the second defender to come in on him.. thats when you pass and make a run.. he didint do much except hussle back to defend which anyone can do..

the boy has to get a bit aggressive and realize this isnt league two football.. gotta bring his A game next time out.. even his B game should be enough..

Uh, Limani, people do double-team in soccer. It's not a suggestion, it's reality. And the reason you don't see him overlapping on the left side is because they're trying to keep defensive shape, and with Robert on the right side being a strictly attacking player, the left side has to compensate by dropping back slightly and playing defensively.

This doesn't happen on the other side because the speed of Wynne and Rickett's dribbling skills combine to leave TFC permanently forward on both wings and recessed in the centre of the field instead.

[TFCREDNWHITE]

I think Carver sees two benefits: One, teams saw how we played against KC and RSL and think they need to ensure that the Ricketts-Wynne overlap doesn't kill them all game, so as long as he leaves Ricketts on the right, he'll probably be double-teamed.

Teams WON'T double team Robert on that side becuase the assumption is that, with a historically noted much stronger left foot, he's much less likely to play the overlap with Wynne, which is tough to defend when you've got DD in the box waiting for crosses, and more likely to cut inside, where they have more defenders.

Carver's second reason, however, is that he recognizes something these coaches don't: letting Robert cut inside opens up shooting room for him, inswinging cross room for him, and central channels for Guevara and Edu to run into when a central player drifts left to cover Robert (his left, TFC's right).

The trouble is, with Robert more likely to be the dominating player, that forces Ricketts to play on the drop-back mid side with Brenna, where they'll typically be 15 yards behind the play to compensate in defensive zone coverage for the right flank being advanced. That's not typically his role, although you'll also note going over the video that in both of the last two games, he has tracked all the way back to the byline to cover a winger trying to break loose, so he's certainly working.

And on the odd occasion that he has gotten a ball up the left side, Ricketts has drawn two men again, leaving brennan to move to the top of the box for a run or cross.

All of these scenarios have taken place several times in both of the last two games, so that's my take.



Now this was my sentiments EXACTLY!!!!


YOU MY FRIEND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!!!

Some people just don't have the eye for footy intelligence(i.e. Giambac!)

[TFCREDNWHITE]

I love puppies.

You say I'm a terrible poster because I post my opinions. Sometimes (or most times) I come across as being strong. Thing is people like to look at players or things from one angle. I try and look at the overall picture.

People come out and say Ricketts should start because he is better than Smith and RR was a good signing becasue he can do more than Smith. I like to step back and say hold on, look at it from all angles. Sure he is better, sure he has more experience in the EPL but there was a cost in getting that here. My view or point is was it worth it? People can't see the big picture and get pissed off becasue I say I don't like him as a player. Doesn't mean I'm not a TFC fan. I prefer Smith to Ricketts. Others don't like Smith as much. Are they being disloyal to the team.? Some people like apples, some like oranges.


The BIG PICTURE is handled by JOHN CARVER!!! Not YOU!!!!

Carver will be making those decisions, and he is much more qualified then you are!! Carver said he will start his BEST XI! Thats why Ricketts is starting!

Beauty is found in the details, listen to myself and JLoome, and you might be inclined to look a little bit closer!, who knows maybe you will open up to the tactics that are present on the pitch!

Always remember that Carver is dictating the system and the tactics! AlWAYS!!! Carver controls the system, style of play and how players are utilized. If you watch Carver/Robert and Ricketts a lot closer you will see that Carver starts Ricketts on his natural position on the right, once Carver gets a feel for what type of defensive style DC was playing and how they were matching up with Robert and Ricketts on the wings deep in the opposition zone, thats when you can see Carver signal with his hands in a circular crossing motion, telling ricketts and robert to switch it up! Once Carver does that, it means he's looking for more dangerous balls and threat to come from ROBERT and GUEVARA!! You think opposition teams don't know of the threat that Wynne and Ricketts could pose to them!?!?!?!?! Jesus, opposition teams are not that STUPID! if they didn't crowd Ricketts immediately with 2 defenders they would be FUCKED! because with Ricketts and Wynne playing the overlap on the right hand side, that would still leave ROBERT and GUEVARA to create deadly chances just outside of the box! So opposition teams have to PICK their poison in the midfield, thats why they take away the Ricketts/Wynne overlap right away, forcing CARVER to switch the natural positions of both wingers.

Also if you watch Ricketts with a bit more of a close eye, which i did from Sec.121 Row 1(can't get any closer) Watch what JLoome was talking about earlier and how Ricketts tracks back deep to the byline sometimes and breaks up the run of play or takes the ball away completely. And yes, it's very very true that currently Ricketts is attracting 2 defenders on him! But he very rarely loses possession he always finds an open man to pass too.