Tag: Seattle

New Role good sign for John Carver

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Newcastle United’s caretaker manager John Carver believes that he will be able to succeed in his role and get a permanent position at the club, but he places his hopes on the club providing him with much better players.

Newcastle are far from being consistent in the second half of the season and this is widely linked to the managerial ability of Carver. Alan Pardew was a Newcastle manager for four years and during this period he finished the season just outside the top four in the 2011-12 season. He managed to achieve this despite being on a limited budget.

Carver has no complaints about the players he has at his disposal, but in the huge number of injuries mean that he has had to put together a makeshift defence for matches against top teams. This coupled with the lack of a motivational factor for the players has resulted in the club winning just one out of the last five matches. Despite this, they remain a comfortable 10 points away from the relegation zone with eight matches left. Newcastle are almost certain to stay clear of relegation if they win another match. Carver has pointed out to the injuries to key players like Stephen Taylor, which has seen him use players out of position in the defence. Continue reading “New Role good sign for John Carver”

New York Red Bulls going under Many Problems

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Things are not quite the same at New York Red Bulls anymore. Thierry Henry has gone and so has Mike Petke, two of the defining personalities at the club in the recent past.

A big chunk of the fanbase of the Red Bulls did not like Petke’s sacking.

The 39-year old might not have been able to make the Red Bulls finish at the top of the pile in the Eastern Conference last season. But, the fans still wanted him to carry on.

The club board, however, did not have the same thinking and Petke was told that he was not wanted.

Jesse Marsch has landed to take his place and he is not a new name to the Major League Soccer. He has had a long stint as a player and as a coach too in the league. So, he knows how it works there in America. Continue reading “New York Red Bulls going under Many Problems”

LA Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders on December 1

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LA Galaxy will be taking on Seattle Sounders on 1 December. This match will witness Landon Donovan taking to the field for one last time. The former US international announced his retirement from the game a few months ago.

This would be his last appearance, but it appears that Donovan does not have any regrets about leaving the game. Regarded as one of the greatest American players of all-time, Donovan has achieved numerous aspects that many American footballer can aspire. However, he has been struggling with motivation since the 2010 World Cup.

Donovan has fell out with current US coach Jurgen Klinsmann, although it appears that both have made up their differences in the last few weeks. The 32-year-old has battled depression and tiredness over the last few years.

Clearly, he has lost the motivation for the game. In one of his final interviews as a player, Donovan says that the sport has moved to a position whereby players cannot think about anything other than games, keeping themselves at a peak condition, and getting results. He says that some athletes may not be programmed to do this on a consistent basis.

The first signs of decline for Donovan appeared after he came back from the World Cup in 2010. He had been playing non-stop football for two years prior to the tournament.

“The way we see athletes — coaches see us this way, fans see us this way, the media sees us this way, owners see us this way — they want us to live, breathe, eat and die the sport. Every game they want you to go out and do everything you can to make the fans feel good, make the coach feel successful, make the owners successful. I think some athletes are wired that way,” said Donovan. He appeared in 157 international matches for the US.