ROGERS END : Mercurial

Adam Jardy (Dispatch beat writer for the Crew) is reporting that (the impressively named) Robert Hampton Rogers III (The Robbie Rogers) is officially moving off the Crew grid (Leeds United or "ABC"... Anywhere But Columbus).

I don't know who Robbie is. Folks in my adopted and beloved Brewery District / hobnobbery German Village claim to see him skating around (heavily bricked) Short North (how cute:). I'll take their word for it, I've never seen him. Never seen him down on Alum Creek Drive in Obetz near where I work (Artdotcom), either. I guess that's about all I've got on that sort of insider stuff.

At arms length? I can say that he is a positive California kid who embraced Columbus more than the town embraced him back. Which is a shame on a few levels...

Robbie by the Crew números:

5 Years with the team

16th Crew total minutes, all time

14th Crew Assists all time

0.17 Assists per Game (meh, pretty good)

0.14 Goals per Game (up there for Mid)

I rate Robbie's 2008 season as the 10th best all time by a Crew player. I also rate him in the top 20 OVERALL in all time Crew greats.

Rogers is about as true a 'winger' as you might get in Major League Soccer. It sort of a shame he is leaving now that the team has a couple more targets in the middle to play with (Mirosevic, Vargas, Heinemann, Speas).

In case anyone is wondering, below are the top 10 Crew seasons by player:

2001 : John Wilmar Perez
2001 : Brian Maisonneuve
2008 : Alejandro Moreno
2008 : Guillermo Barros Schelotto
2008 : Brian Carroll
2010 : Guillermo Barros Schelotto
2008 : Chad Marshall
2001 : Jeff Cunningham
1998 : Stern John
2008 : Robbie Rogers

As a guy who moved to town around the same time he did... I wish the best to Robbie in the homecountry - or where ever he may land.

Cheers, and here's to Crew fans who will tell stories of 'remember when'.

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Adam Jardy is working hard for the Crew.

Rogers End. Howards End.

Robbie, Renteria and Leadership

Robbie Rogers, Blackburn Rumors.
The People UK writer Alan Nixon reported last week that Steve Kean has invited Robbie over during the transfer window next month. If Steve Kean is still there in January, it may happen. Big if. Blackburn will be looking for a number of sparks after Christmas because they need to move up from the bottom of the table.

Jurgen Klinnsman’s relationship is lifting the value of Rogers. Time is now. He needs a change and Crew fans don’t seem to take to him (which is sort of a shame and sort of not).

A SHAME: Even with is National Team time he assisted on 7 goals last season. That’s 22% of open play goals the team had (32).

NOT A SHAME: On the other hand Crew record during his starts was a below average one (8 wins, 7 drawn, 10 loss) when compared to a player with similar number of starts (22/Gardner, 10-3-9 or 27/Gaven, 11-7-9 W-D-L).

Emilio Rentería, Tradesman.
“… I don’t like to be idle, what we get in MLS is too much vacation for a football player. I remember what Paladini (Rodolfo) the teacher Miguel (Cordero, Physical Trainer First Team) always say; a player should not be off for more than two months."

Looks like Renteria wants to run in the Copa Libertadores (similar to the Champions League for Central and South America) for the team he was with before he came up to Columbus (FC Caracas). He is training with them in the MLS offseason. The club tournament starts late January and ends in July.

Emilio has had a successful run with the Crew to date, very efficient goal scorer. Not sure who found him but his numbers much better in MLS over his time in Venezuelan Primera División. It would be surprising if Columbus loaned him out even for a short time considering what they expect from him this year. I say, let him run though.

Warms my heart that he's down there with fire in the belly. What's the rest of the team doing?

Now Hiring, Professional Soccer Field General (Columbus).
Good article by Adam Jardy in the Dispatch today. In it he reports that the club thinks its most pressing need is leadership.

Technical Director Brian Bliss thinks there is only one way to find a Field General, saying: “You’ve got to buy that and you’re only going to be able to buy that through the international market or a trade.”

Wait, huh?

Also looks like the team approached Tchani about this ‘field general’ role. “I’m going to try, I’m not comfortable with it.” Was Tchani’s response. All kinds of bad there.

It doesn’t appear that they need a leader on the field, rather; they need to take few steps back and find someone who knows what the hell a leader is.

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Helltown Leadership Lesson #1: Tchani and Rentería’s quotes in this post are both about leadership, hunger and heart. Lesson #2; You don't have to ask a leader to be a leader.

Red Bull Hoop Canaries

Neat moment to see three MLS players contribute to a goal during the Mexico USA friendly in PHI last night. Klinsmann's first game. Positive vibes.