Yaya Toure to set to come to NYCFC?

[The Toe]

---------------Villa----------New DP-------------
-----------------------Yaya------------------------
Mata/Wallace-------Maxi-------------Harrison
------------------------Ring------------------------
--------Callens------Chanot-----------CB?-------
------------------------SJ---------------------------

Assuming the CB and DP forward are solid, that could be the bet lineup MLS has ever seen. I think Struna could be good over there, or even throw in Sweat and swap with Callens. Their offense contributions won't be needed much, which got them in trouble this year.

 

[Keith Putnam]

Assuming the CB and DP forward are solid, that could be the bet lineup MLS has ever seen. I think Struna could be good over there, or even throw in Sweat and swap with Callens. Their offense contributions won't be needed much, which got them in trouble this year.

How do we jive this with PV seeming to be married to a 4-3-3?

 

[Midas Mulligan]

I think the only way Yaya works is higher up the pitch. I don't think he would be a good replacement for either Ring nor Herrera. It would be interesting to use him as a target CAM in a 4-3-3, which I think is a position I just made up.

So can we get him to start as a trialist?

 

[EganSoccerWords]

How do we jive this with PV seeming to be married to a 4-3-3?

I don't think he's married to a 433. Wasn't last season.

 

[Kjbert]

Anytime you have a chance to sink a big part of your player budget in a 35 year old, broken down, disgruntled ex-star, you gotta do it

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Anytime you have a chance to sink a big part of your player budget in a 35 year old, broken down, disgruntled ex-star, you gotta do it

What if I told you...

If they actually repeat LITERALLY THE EXACT SAME MISTAKE, it will deserve the full 30 for 30 treatment.

 

[snugglefarts]

Anytime you have a chance to sink a big part of your player budget in a 35 year old, broken down, disgruntled ex-star, you gotta do it

 

[Gotham Gator]

I think the only way Yaya works is higher up the pitch. I don't think he would be a good replacement for either Ring nor Herrera. It would be interesting to use him as a target CAM in a 4-3-3, which I think is a position I just made up.

i.e. Lampard

He's a really different kinda player, though.

Agree, but Lampard 2016 seemed to be the kind of role that was being described.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Agree, but Lampard 2016 seemed to be the kind of role that was being described.

I agree.

Sadly, we’ll likely be missing Lampard’s workrate in comparison.

 

[JayH]

The upside of signing Yaya is the inevitable story of how he will tell adam to fuck off after adam hurls a birthday cake at him.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

If I had to arbitrate this dispute, I would go with the guy who doesn't force me to look at Trump's butt every time he posts...

For the record, if some cuts and pastes a cronut on trumps ass, ill totally change my avatar to that.

 

[Christopher Jee]

For the record, if some cuts and pastes a cronut on trumps ass, ill totally change my avatar to that.

Can we see if a stadium would fit on Trump's butt?

 

[Seth]

For the record, if some cuts and pastes a cronut on trumps ass, ill totally change my avatar to that.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

Pastey white for Pastry White. love it. will change when I get home.

 

[Kjbert]

I agree.

Sadly, we’ll likely be missing Lampard’s workrate in comparison.

When here and healthy, Lampard was a difference maker.

 

[413Blue]

Yaya for a season as a non dp, I'll take it. Beyond that, no thanks.

 

[gbservis]

When here and healthy, Lampard was a difference maker.

Yes, here and healthy ended up being big issues with Lampard but we never had to worry about motivation or lockerroom impact. For all the issues with that signing once Lampard arrived even when hurt it was clear he made a positive off field impact on the locker room particularly Harrison. A hurt locker room leader is not a good use for a DP spot but it was at least a positive contribution. There are just too many ifs about Yaya, pointed out by even his most vocal advocates: if he respects the coach, if gets enough birthday cakes, if he takes the league seriously, if he feels the club is treating him well, if he's happy with his contract, then he won't become a total locker room disaster and he will try on the pitch but even then only on offense.

 

[Falastur]

There are just too many ifs about Yaya, pointed out by even his most vocal advocates: if he respects the coach, if gets enough birthday cakes, if he takes the league seriously, if he feels the club is treating him well, if he's happy with his contract, then he won't become a total locker room disaster and he will try on the pitch but even then only on offense.

In fairness, most of the issues to do with his behaviour (the birthday cakes and so on) were never things he said himself, they were things that his agent claimed that he was saying, but he refused to corroborate. There were a couple of times when his twitter account posted some controversial comments, but there were also a couple of occasions when his twitter account posted comments like "I have never had a problem with the manager, I don't want to leave" and then half an hour later posted total retractions of the comments, and in such a blatant way that it was pretty clear that Yaya had posted the first comments and then his agent had logged into his account and posted the follow-up.

How much Seluk would be a problem for NYCFC is unclear, especially after this incident noticeably weakened Dmitri Seluk's stranglehold on Yaya's affections and since it should be fairly obvious to any self-respecting agent that if Yaya makes the move to MLS then there's not likely to be any further moves to new clubs which can be used to net said agent enough money to buy another private jet, so there would hopefully be little mileage in causing aggravation.

 

[gbservis]

In fairness, most of the issues to do with his behaviour (the birthday cakes and so on) were never things he said himself, they were things that his agent claimed that he was saying, but he refused to corroborate. There were a couple of times when his twitter account posted some controversial comments, but there were also a couple of occasions when his twitter account posted comments like "I have never had a problem with the manager, I don't want to leave" and then half an hour later posted total retractions of the comments, and in such a blatant way that it was pretty clear that Yaya had posted the first comments and then his agent had logged into his account and posted the follow-up.

How much Seluk would be a problem for NYCFC is unclear, especially after this incident noticeably weakened Dmitri Seluk's stranglehold on Yaya's affections and since it should be fairly obvious to any self-respecting agent that if Yaya makes the move to MLS then there's not likely to be any further moves to new clubs which can be used to net said agent enough money to buy another private jet, so there would hopefully be little mileage in causing aggravation.

All that is valid, we can't know what is Yaya and what is his agent who I agree sounds like a pain to deal with. But what we can see is that there have been key games and stretches of games where Yaya appears to play noticeably below full effort including extremely important games like Champions league matches. We have quotes from Pep as recently as Sept of this year saying he needs to see more from Yaya before he considers playing him. MLS has a history of players coming from bigger leagues thinking they are going to coast in the MLS and not taking it seriously. If the guy has already shown a propensity to go at less than full effort in leagues and matches that are of the highest level in the world is it worth risking even TAM on him?

 

[Falastur]

All that is valid, we can't know what is Yaya and what is his agent who I agree sounds like a pain to deal with. But what we can see is that there have been key games and stretches of games where Yaya appears to play noticeably below full effort including extremely important games like Champions league matches. We have quotes from Pep as recently as Sept of this year saying he needs to see more from Yaya before he considers playing him. MLS has a history of players coming from bigger leagues thinking they are going to coast in the MLS and not taking it seriously. If the guy has already shown a propensity to go at less than full effort in leagues and matches that are of the highest level in the world is it worth risking even TAM on him?

Oh, I'm not doubting that. I totally agree that that is an important question, as I said in my first comment in this thread a few days ago. It's literally only the stuff you were saying that hinted he would have to be pampered that I wanted to highlight.