villa4europe Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 signing ream from fulham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted August 6 VT Supporter Share Posted August 6 Ream signing has basically been an open secret for about 3 months it appears. Interesting signing though. He's obviously good, if on the downturn, you don't have the career he's had here if you're no good, but Charlotte's highlight this season has basically been their defence to the extent that they've given new contracts to their centre halves, so bringing in another starter is interesting. Saying that it's also obvious they'll sell one of them to the first European club that comes knocking with a decent offer. It's interesting that Smith has made the team defensively solid, when his reputation here (besides that run after lockdown with us) is more about attacking at the expense of defensive solidity. It's almost like the MLS doesn't really have much pragmatic coaching/management, the classic 'make them hard to beat' approach that every relegation fodder team knows in Europe. On the flip side he's not got much to work with attack wise. Charlotte look hopeless going forwards more often than not, and not because they're badly coached, they just don't have much talent. The standard of finishing is disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villan95 Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 8 hours ago, Chindie said: Ream signing has basically been an open secret for about 3 months it appears. Interesting signing though. He's obviously good, if on the downturn, you don't have the career he's had here if you're no good, but Charlotte's highlight this season has basically been their defence to the extent that they've given new contracts to their centre halves, so bringing in another starter is interesting. Saying that it's also obvious they'll sell one of them to the first European club that comes knocking with a decent offer. It's interesting that Smith has made the team defensively solid, when his reputation here (besides that run after lockdown with us) is more about attacking at the expense of defensive solidity. It's almost like the MLS doesn't really have much pragmatic coaching/management, the classic 'make them hard to beat' approach that every relegation fodder team knows in Europe. On the flip side he's not got much to work with attack wise. Charlotte look hopeless going forwards more often than not, and not because they're badly coached, they just don't have much talent. The standard of finishing is disgusting. To be fair in 20/21 we had a very good defensive record and Emi equalled our most clean sheets in a season in the PL era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaAlex Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 Signing Calvin Stengs for 8m which is an insane coup for an MLS side like Charlotte and a bargain. Should help them be more creative going forward. I think we were linked with Stengs when Deano was with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaAlex Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Might be signing Almiron too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skarroki Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Wow what a front line for the MLS (Inter Miami aside). Charlotte FC appear to be going for it? Or has the general standard quietly increased? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted August 12 VT Supporter Share Posted August 12 45 minutes ago, skarroki said: Wow what a front line for the MLS (Inter Miami aside). Charlotte FC appear to be going for it? Or has the general standard quietly increased? It's spending they need to make. Smith's made them into a very good defensive unit, one of the best in the MLS, but going forwards they're bad and it seems they've realised they don't have the talent to coach them to a higher level. Smith's gained the nickname Scissorhands apparently because he's chopped through their players, particularly their DPs (3 'star' players each team is allowed that breaks wage cap rules) - up front he let their best player, Swiderski, leave on loan to Verona in January, as well as other DP Jozwiak, leaving them with an Argentine prospect, Copetti, who also left, with Smith going with a prospect, Agyemang, who is very raw, with other prospects filling in, and hoping to use wide forwards to chip in goals. Except they haven't - they bought Israeli international Abada from Celtic who hasn't been consistent, and on the other side they've got a Colombian, Kerwin Vargas, who has talent but his finishing is diabolical. They also don't really have a creative 10 - their option, Dejaegre, is awful and will be sold asap, and alternatives aren't great either - a youth returning from injury who might be good and a very limited pure workhorse, Bronico, who's finishing is even worse than Vargas. They've got Swiderski back, who can play that role, who is a Polish international, but he seems to want to be play as a striker and, importantly, blatantly wants to play in Europe at any cost, but that's it. They need to buy goals. Smith will have known that and fed it back to the club hierarchy to spend some money, because what they have just isn't enough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 he's said that he tried to sign Vardy but he wants another year in the PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 16 minutes ago, villa4europe said: he's said that he tried to sign Vardy but he wants another year in the PL He wants another year just to confirm he's completely past it and not able for PL level? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted August 14 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14 Stengs transfer fell through and Almiron looks off as well. Ooft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted August 14 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14 Look to be picking up Pep Biel on loan from Olympiacos. Never heard of him but looks to be a 27yo Spanish attacking mid who has a decent couple of years at Copenhagen before heading to Olympiacos where he hasn't set the world on fire and been sent on loan to Germany where he did sod all. Big panic signing energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hornso Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Thanks for keeping us up to date with Charlotte & Deano @Chindie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 after they couldn't convince reus to join and "tried" to sign vardy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted August 22 VT Supporter Share Posted August 22 More big panic signing energy, it looks like they've signed ex Walsall and Swansea player Jamie Patterson on a free. Seems his Swansea contract expired and he's doesn't the summer mulling his options, and Charlotte have obviously punted some money at him because they're desperate. Initial contract is for the rest of their season (which if they didn't make the playoffs is only 9 games...) with an option for another year. Smith has said the players they were looking at were the same players he'd been looking at in the Prem, so obviously Charlotte have had some trouble convincing people to move to the MLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted August 25 VT Supporter Share Posted August 25 The MLS returned after the bizarre Leagues Cup break, and Charlotte began with a draw at home to New York Red Bulls. Perhaps understandably it looks a bit like a preseason game, quite scrappy and error laden. Charlotte score from a penalty which is one of the more blatant you'll see, and Red Bulls score from a break that would have any manager going berserk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted September 1 VT Supporter Share Posted September 1 Lost in the 'derby' against Atlanta. Really, really bad. Just a bad performance all round, they are lucky they have a good shot stopper in goal as Atlanta put a lot some decent chances on target and drew some reaction saves. The goal is out of nothing and another where you'd be going mad you conceded. Charlotte created very little and former Villa man Guzan (yes he's still playing) had a quiet day as a result. I imagine Smith will be seething. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted September 1 VT Supporter Share Posted September 1 On 06/08/2024 at 13:11, villan95 said: To be fair in 20/21 we had a very good defensive record and Emi equalled our most clean sheets in a season in the PL era. John Terry was the defensive coach then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted yesterday at 10:42 VT Supporter Share Posted yesterday at 10:42 Lost against Montreal. Conceded 2 in 3 minutes midway through the first half. Neither goal is a classic - the first wouldn't look out of place in a lower league scrappy relegation fight, and the second is your freak deflection that turned a whack into the most perfect finish you could imagine. Not great. Montreal had chances to extend the lead as well, with Charlotte's keeper fairly busy. At the other end, Tim Ream opened his account with a decent set piece header at the back post, another you'd go mental conceding. But otherwise the attacking side of things was still meek, and it looks like the changes with Swiderski and Biel haven't clicked yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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