As a Fulham supporter, this season has been a painful one.
The Cottagers are hovering just above the relegation zone, sorely lacking the sort of player that can turn a draw into an all-important three points.
It seems I’m not the only one that thinks Mark Hughes’ Fulham side is in need of some inspiration during the January transfer window.
The Daily Mail is reporting that the Londoners are planning to compete with Everton for the loan services of Landon Donovan.
You have to read between the lines, but both managers seem keen on adding someone next month.
“‘We are missing a Bobby Zamora type and he will not be back until the end of January or start of February if everything goes to plan,” Hughes said. “So if there’s someone we can bring in to help us, we will look at it. But more often than not strikers cost a lot of money at Premier League level, so we will have to see.”
Everton manager David Moyes, who praised Donovan during his loan spell last season, is singing a similar tune.
“We know we need a striker,” Moyes said. “But the sort of money it will cost… it is probably a reality that we will have to look at bringing in a loan player, that it will be the loan market we will need to look at to provide some sort of solution.”
Either way, Donovan will have the chance to play with fellow national team members – Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson at Fulham or Tim Howard with Everton.
Donovan, of course, is more familiar with the team and setup on Merseyside and that may factor into his decision.
At the end of the day, it may be something else entirely that enters into Donovan’s thinking.
The need for some good old fashioned rest.
The 28-year-old Donovan has been playing non-stop since the Confederations Cup in 2009, including two MLS seasons, a loan spell last winter and the World Cup this past summer.
He may decide to spend this winter soaking up the southern California sun, and honestly, who could blame him?
I have to admit it, though.
He’d look pretty darn good in a Fulham kit…
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Chaz NYC
December 17, 2010 at 12:39 pm
LD is a soccer player and I’m sure he appreciates that playing in the EPL is “the real thing”…and we can all watch him on TV…if he were to go to a Brazilian side…while it sounds like a wonderful personal experience (assuming he could cut it down there [COULD HE?])…How much would American fans be able to watch him play? Life is short, LD should play til he drops…so LD, pack your bags for da UK and don’t forget a snood…
sergio lima
December 16, 2010 at 8:24 pm
OK I have a question? Would Donovan accept a challenge to play for a Brazilian first division major brand, a championship caliber team? Money is not an issue here. Would Donovan accept the challenge?
Earl Reed
December 16, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Count me as one of the people who thinks that Donovan should be seeking a transfer to Europe. Yes, there are definitely times to be a big fish in a little pond as opposed to the opposite, but this isn’t one of them. He is 28 and at the peak of his ability. If rest is his issue, he should target Summer ’11 as the time to rest. He will have had a month and a half to rest since his last serious competition.
Of course MLS really wants to keep him, and most likely he will not benefit financially from the move to Europe. But does he really want to look back on his career and say, “Oh I could have been a productive Premier League footballer if I had only tried”? He has done everything he can to bring MLS to its current standing, but as was witnessed this season a playoff hiccup means no Donovan in the Finals and thus a Nielsen rating abomination.
I think the question I ask myself is, “Will MLS really grow that much more with Donovan on the Galaxy?” I think the answer is “No.” I think that MLS would actually benefit more from having Donovan going over to England, and having Americans wake up to him leading a club over in England to glory. I think MLS has to trust that the American fan, once bitten by the soccer bug, will seek out American soccer as the way they can support a local club. I could be wrong, but in the end I think Donovan and American soccer (and even the MLS) benefit most from a move.
JT
December 15, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I think Donovan needs a new challenge. He seems committed to LA, but he’s accomplished everything domestically and I think it’d be the best move for him and for our US MNT to look at getting more time against the best competition in the world.
Look at what the Generation Adidas team did in Spain, our players are getting better. The seasons that Dempsey, Holden, Howard, and Spector are all playing well this year (even though their teams are fighting the relegation battle). We need our best players to raise the level of soccer here in the USA by taking their game to the best leagues in the world.
Charles
December 15, 2010 at 1:45 pm
MLS “let” the Sounders, Whitecaps and Timbers sell 500 seats for the away seat allocation.
This is a tricky issue, but for me this is VERY dissappointing.
500 is nothing for these three team’s fans. Vancouver used to have thousands come down to the Kingdome. Seattle obviously should have way more than 500 willing to travel. Plus the Timbers think they have they have the best supporters 😉 In all seriousness I would be shocked if the Timbers can’t get more than 500 to travel to QWest.
Maybe the Timbers, Whitecaps stadiums will be sold out….in which case, don’t take them away from home fans and 500 is probably what you can do. But in Seattle they have 67,000 seats. Open up more sections twice a year. Guarentee you that Sounder’s fans will grab seats for those games too. Get close to 50,000 in there for those two games, not unrealistic to think they could.
I don’t think you hurt their artifical supply-demand one bit by doing that.
I believe the Whitecaps and Sounders have played each other 111 times, the travel by the other teams fans is not hard to project.
I know Hanauer was at those NASL Whitecap’s games in the Kingdome, and yet they are STILL making a BIG mistake not to get that atmosphere back.
CoconutMonkey
December 15, 2010 at 1:52 am
“The 28-year-old Donovan has been playing non-stop since the Confederations Cup in 2009, including two MLS seasons, a loan spell last winter and the World Cup this past summer”.
Phew. I get tired just reading that.
al
December 14, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Wha!? Dude, talk about speculating! This isn’t even good enough to be a rumor. I can’t believe you’re so hard up for hits you’d work in a baseless “read between the lines” post. This is embarrassing and you should be ashamed of yourself. Lame all around, just lame. Try some substance in your next post please. Sheesh.
Joe
December 14, 2010 at 5:39 pm
You do realize that he’s quoting the Daily Mail, a reputable paper, right?
Maybe the paper is speculating wildly, but the MLS talk author is not just making this up out of thin air. He has a source. Blame the source, not the messenger.
Dave C
December 15, 2010 at 9:28 am
Joe,
While I recognize the term “reputable” is open to interpretation, I would argue that the Daily Mail is hardly “reputable”. Its essentially a trashy celebrity rag, operating under the pretention that by taking a stance of moral indignation it is somehow better than the Mirror or the Sun.
And I just read the actual article – the Daily Mail is is just speculating wildly. It doesn’t provide any reason to think that Moyes or Hughes are thinking about Landon Donovan.
DeeRexBox
December 14, 2010 at 10:22 am
AMERICA!!! F Yeah.
Would love to see Landycakes and Dempsey playing together, especially if they could fight to keep Fulham from Relegation. He just made SUCH a good impact at Everton last year its hard for me to see him going elsewhere.
Robert
December 14, 2010 at 10:16 am
either sign permanetly in Europe or get some needed rest so you don’t disappear in the Cup Playoffs.
30frames
December 14, 2010 at 10:04 am
He wouldn’t look good in that Swamp Thing meets Harrods third kit. No one looks good in that abomination.
Not sure if Lando is really the kind of player the team needs. Seems like striker/forward is more the issue than what Donovan does. Not that I’d turn down any new attacking talent, but part of this is on Hughes. No matter how great the cross from Lando, there still needs to be other players pushed far enough forward to receive said cross, and that hasn’t happened much of late.
Charles
December 14, 2010 at 9:58 am
Wow, can you say wild speculation? They never mention Landon even once….and Everton had Zakuani in for training.
Fulham has won twice this year and Everton three times.
Why would anyone think that Landon would want to join that ?
My wild speculation is….I see him using the “rest” excuse. He should need it after all. And I can see him and others thinking that is good way to collect a paycheck in the offseason however in the years to come. Nice way to be able to make a living and still live at home most of the year.
Dave C
December 14, 2010 at 11:18 am
Yeah this is pretty dumb speculation. They both mention the need for a striker, in Fulham’s case specifically a “Bobby Zamora-type” striker. LD is hardly a striker, and certainly not a Bobby Zamora-type striker.
But give it a break with your “why would Landon Donovan want to join that”-talk. Seriously, we know you think he’s awesome and everything, and has nothing left to prove to anyone, but the reasons he might want to join are: (a) a pay-check and (b) playing alongside and against a better caliber of opponent than Chris Burchill and Danny Dichio.
Charles
December 14, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I actually have been very critical of Landon. Referring to your previous post…he is a gentle lover however. 😉
I thought he cost LA The MLS Cup in 2009 by not wanting it bad enough.
I understand a paycheck, I think I mentioned it even…..and I think that would be great for MANY MLS players who would rather play here but the money difference is too great ( Landon being the biggest name example )
The assumpion that just because they are EPL, soon to be/borderline Champions league team players they are so much better than Reem ( see I can name extreme examples too ) is very overstated by those that like EPL better.
So now we are left with Landon who seems to want to play here against the wish of the MLS is secondary fans.
Playing on a team that won 18 games last year ( in a shorter season ) > playing on a team that will win 5 or 6
We have ALL been there, no need to explain….it sucks.
MLS is a challenge, not like he is winning MLS Cup every year. Supporters Shield or MVP either.
Playing for a legacy is huge.
His legacy on Everton ? He took the team up to 8th place ? Give me a break. He is one of a gagillion of people over the last 100+ years that was good/great and took their team to 8th place. Quadragillions, even.
In MLS however, he has a chance to be one of the first great players that a league, that will be huge, ever had. He will go down in history with his decision to stay. Howard will not. Nor will any of other national team members, who are very good/great players. The chance to be Ty Cobb would be huge to me, if I were in that position now.
Dave C
December 14, 2010 at 5:01 pm
I don’t wanna re-open the can of worms of comparing the EPL to the MLS, or whether LD should stay or go, but I am a stickler for accuracy – and as such I have to say I really doubt that either Fulham or Everton will end the season with only 5 or 6 wins. Only a handful of premier league teams over the last 10 yrs have ever done that badly. Even relegated teams typically get 7-8 wins, sometimes even ten.
Charles
December 14, 2010 at 5:09 pm
IF you are the Dave C I think you are, we have already discussed similar elsewhere.
I won’t open the can any more, it has been beaten to death. I appreciate the info. And I like accuracy, although my brain and memory weren’t built for it. 😉
These teams have to have more ties than normal however. Counter that with neither of those teams are going to be relegated most likely.
But my point stands.