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How much does the Swedish league suck...


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#1
metros11

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... if Holgersson actually started for a championship winning team? I'm seriously puzzled how this guy can be this bad. I'd much rather pair Keel and Conde, but you know there's no way Backe sits him. It's a shame, he cost Meara another clean sheet today. Heck, if not for some of Meara's saves, the match could have been much closer.

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#2
magicmoron

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If you remember, during Media Day Holgersson said that MLS was a step up over Sweden. I was a bit surprised by that but it looks like he was right.

Here's the (prophetic) quote from the man himself:

MF: Ultimately, what is your goal as a soccer player? Is it to play in the World Cup, and is this the way to get there?
MH: Yeah, this is the way to get there, because this is one step up from the Swedish league.

MF: Really?
MH: Yeah, one step up, of course.

MF: We never heard that before from European players.
MH: Yeah, but Sweden is a small league in Europe. It's more technical there than here, but the skills of the players are a little bit better here. There are some players that are really good here, that have some skills, they can really shoot, or are really fast. You really have to concentrate all the time, read the game in a lot of ways.



#3
Did I Do That?

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#4
Rob Money

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according to Wiki UEFA ranks the Swedish league at 24. That's not bad considering there's 53 members.

#5
Matrim55

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Give him time. It took Henry 15 games to adjust to MLS, after all.

(That said, he sure looks like shit)

#6
jamison

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Give him time. It took Henry 15 games to adjust to MLS, after all.

(That said, he sure looks like shit)


That said, TH14 at least had an injury to blame it on. Not sure what the remedy is for "Slower Than I Am", but, at least we can start the #ThingsFasterThanHolgersson meme...

I still believe Keel will be starting by June 1 or so. Even Hansy can't ignore shit like today...being there to defend set pieces and losing the only guy on their team you worry about on corners....just awful.

 


#7
elf

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Give him time. It took Henry 15 games to adjust to MLS, after all.

(That said, he sure looks like shit)


You can also use Keel as an example. Last season he looked like crap in the beginning of the season but improved to be a decent role player.

#8
RedBullScouse

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Give him time. It took Henry 15 games to adjust to MLS, after all.

(That said, he sure looks like shit)

I'm starting to feel that Henry came in thinking that if he came in and scored a bajillion goals, it would discredit the league and he didn't want that. But now his competitiveness isn't allowing him to hold back and simply try to enable the rest of the team to be their best isn't enough for him

That said, there is an adjustment period when any player moves to any league, and as much as I would love to see Keel start, I am confident this guy has the tools and can make the adjustment.

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#9
jamison

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You can also use Keel as an example. Last season he looked like crap in the beginning of the season but improved to be a decent role player.


True, but also Keel was a rookie. Holgersson isn't an MLS vet, but he's been a Pro for a number of years & has senior caps. He isn't in the same kind of "kid" Keel was when Keel started games last year on an emergency basis, and Keel was always a bench/depth player last year, not someone we brought into start the way we did with Holgy.

Still give him time & all, but, whatever the reason/excuse, he just doesn't look convincing.

 


#10
elf

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True, but also Keel was a rookie. Holgersson isn't an MLS vet, but he's been a Pro for a number of years & has senior caps. He isn't in the same kind of "kid" Keel was when Keel started games last year on an emergency basis, and Keel was always a bench/depth player last year, not someone we brought into start the way we did with Holgy.

Still give him time & all, but, whatever the reason/excuse, he just doesn't look convincing.


Not true Keel was a rookie with Colorado when Petke was on the team. He was then let go and he played for Portland. Once Portland came to MLS he was released. So, he did have pro - experience but not an impressive resume. Having said that, he also had to adjust to MLS after playing in an inferior league. Also, Keel is 29-30 years old. he is a finish product like Holgersson.

#11
Eleazar

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True, but also Keel was a rookie. Holgersson isn't an MLS vet, but he's been a Pro for a number of years & has senior caps. He isn't in the same kind of "kid" Keel was when Keel started games last year on an emergency basis, and Keel was always a bench/depth player last year, not someone we brought into start the way we did with Holgy.

Still give him time & all, but, whatever the reason/excuse, he just doesn't look convincing.


Keel wasn't a rookie last season.

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#12
kawandinho

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I'm starting to feel that Henry came in thinking that if he came in and scored a bajillion goals, it would discredit the league and he didn't want that. But now his competitiveness isn't allowing him to hold back and simply try to enable the rest of the team to be their best isn't enough for him

That said, there is an adjustment period when any player moves to any league, and as much as I would love to see Keel start, I am confident this guy has the tools and can make the adjustment.


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#13
jamison

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Sorry, my bad. He did have 10 appearances (with the reserves, he's not listed as playing a minute for Colorado in MLS). When we got him he was 27, and did not have MLS experience, so wasn't quite a rookie, but wasn't quite established in the league either. Apologies for the mistake.

Still, most of Keel's experience was with USL teams, and, again, he wasn't brought in to start. Expectations were nowhere near the same; Holgy had 80 games in Sweden's top flight up to last season and was expected to be ready, Keel was a depth player only thrown into the lineup because we had injuries, and were awful.

Point remains, they are not comparable in experience.

 


#14
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I'm starting to feel that Henry came in thinking that if he came in and scored a bajillion goals, it would discredit the league and he didn't want that. But now his competitiveness isn't allowing him to hold back and simply try to enable the rest of the team to be their best isn't enough for him

That said, there is an adjustment period when any player moves to any league, and as much as I would love to see Keel start, I am confident this guy has the tools and can make the adjustment.


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#15
thoward18

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Sorry, my bad. He did have 10 appearances (with the reserves, he's not listed as playing a minute for Colorado in MLS). When we got him he was 27, and did not have MLS experience, so wasn't quite a rookie, but wasn't quite established in the league either. Apologies for the mistake.

Still, most of Keel's experience was with USL teams, and, again, he wasn't brought in to start. Expectations were nowhere near the same; Holgy had 80 games in Sweden's top flight up to last season and was expected to be ready, Keel was a depth player only thrown into the lineup because we had injuries, and were awful.

Point remains, they are not comparable in experience.


Keel has lived in North America his whole life whereas Holgersson just got here. So before we even get into thinking about soccer this has to be a pretty big adjustment for Holgersson. Then there's the soccer aspect, which again; Keel has played here his whole life whereas Holgersson just got here. Perhaps the Swedish league has more talent but there's no doubt that USL is much closer to MLS stylistically.

This isn't to completely excuse Holgersson's play. Solli, Tainio, and Lindpere all went through the same thing and didn't look like complete shit at the start of their MLS careers. Holgersson has. What frustrates me the most is that, as big as he is, he's incredibly timid. If he was being beat by speed then fine, but he has such weak kicks on balls laying in the box and he's so passive when shielding and marking players.

The guy was a contributing member on the Swedish champs and he got a cap for the Swedish National Team; obviously the guy isn't a lost cause. But if he doesn't pick it up soon then Backe might have no choice but to start Keel.




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