Clint Dempsey - Was he right to leave?

[fulham1611]

Hi all

I have had this question in the back of my mind for a year or so now, and think that now is probably the right time to address, now that Clint has left the league.

Putting a side the way in which Dempsey left Fulham, do you think that he should have departed Fulham?

My personal opinion is that 2011/2012 was his 'peak' season, where he let it get to his head a little, resulting in a bloated ego. Realistically, he was a big fish in a small pond with us, which suited his playing style and contribution to the team. I think the most significant factor that led him to leave was the foolish guidance he had been given by Klinsmann, and his representatives, which inevitably declined his progression, where he would have continued to excel at the Cottage.

Looking back, I'm sure he regrets his decision to move (even though he would never say it).

[The Old Count]

Badly man managed by you know who.

Said he didn't feel valued by the club.

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed.

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer.

[Deanothefulhamfan]

I loved Dempsey, and was really saddened by the whole way he left our club.

We probably cashed out at the correct time in all honesty,  and he is probably happy now je is back home in the US

[Holders]

I don't know what Kilnsmann may have said to him but I don't blame him trying to reach the CL - with Tottenham if that was the best option available to him.

When that was unseccessful, I suspect that he wouldn't have wanted a move to a lesser PL team (or back to us) as thatwould have indicated that he thought he'd made a mistake.

If he's on a big pay-day in the US league then he can continue to play there longer and that's some compensation for failing to reach the career summit that he'd set himself.

Good luck to him but I still wish he'd stayed with us for another couple of seasons. If, as has been said, he had a big ego, then he's not the first or last footballer to suffer from that.

[Bassey the warrior]

Badly man managed by you know who.

Said he didn't feel valued by the club.

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed.

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer.

Come off it. He wasn't badly managed or mistreated. He was treated like Berba, the whole team centred around him.
The club and manager took issue when he threw his toys out of the pram.

I think he was right to want to challenge himself at a higher level, but the manner of his departure was very poorly thought through; his willingness to do Liverpool's hard work for them in particular. Ultimately it didn't work out at Spurs, that's his fault as well as AVB's. He was unwilling to adapt his game to help the team, so yes his ego was too big, whilst AVB refused to play him in his favoured position.

[cmg]

Despite all the razzamatazz attatched to it, I thought that 'Dempseygate' worked out OK for all concerned.

We had a player who had done a very fine job who suddenly hit a rich vein of goal-scoring form (12 and 17) well in advance of what he had produced previously. We had to decide whether we would cash in on this or gamble on another productive year and lose him for nothing. Given his age it was a tough call and in the event (in what might have been a rather unsavoury way) Dempsey himself forced the issue.

We got a decent wodge of money, Tottenham got the player they wanted, Clint got his move to (potentially) higher things. He delivered 7 goals in 29 games for Spurs which, coincidentally, was exactly what he did for us in 2009-10 (although he probably saw less game-time at Spurs).

Presumably he is now happy back home (and it seems Spurs got a decent fee). Good luck to him in the WC. I'll always have good memories of him.

[jarv]

Like many before him, I suspect he will come back one day and say he should never have left Fulham.

[The Old Count]

Like many before him, I suspect he will come back one day and say he should never have left Fulham.

Now Mo has gone will we still have access to The Curse of the Pharoah?

[F(f)CUK]

Jarv - I really hope he does. It disappoints me that two of our heroes of our Europa League run (Zamora) could potentially be poorly received if they returned.

As for the main question - he went to the wrong team. Spurs relied on Bale and Lennon. They then had Dempsey fighting Sigurdsson for the drop off striker.

[The Old Count]

Badly man managed by you know who.

Said he didn't feel valued by the club.

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed.

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer.

Come off it. He wasn't badly managed or mistreated. He was treated like Berba, the whole team centred around him.
The club and manager took issue when he threw his toys out of the pram.

I think he was right to want to challenge himself at a higher level, but the manner of his departure was very poorly thought through; his willingness to do Liverpool's hard work for them in particular. Ultimately it didn't work out at Spurs, that's his fault as well as AVB's. He was unwilling to adapt his game to help the team, so yes his ego was too big, whilst AVB refused to play him in his favoured position.

I said that's how he felt. Not how it was.  Most players need managing. Some need an arm around the shoulder, some need a carrot and stick some need a more cerebral approach.  The situation could have been managed better.  I suspect that the problem started well before Dempsey chucked his toys out of the pram.

[JudgeBread]

Jol will be blamed for climate change soon the way this place is going.

[Stefano Okaka Chuka]

Clearly he was: now he is earning his dough in the much revered MLS after his prolific stint in the Champions League.

[Bassey the warrior]

Badly man managed by you know who.

Said he didn't feel valued by the club.

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed.

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer.

Come off it. He wasn't badly managed or mistreated. He was treated like Berba, the whole team centred around him.
The club and manager took issue when he threw his toys out of the pram.

I think he was right to want to challenge himself at a higher level, but the manner of his departure was very poorly thought through; his willingness to do Liverpool's hard work for them in particular. Ultimately it didn't work out at Spurs, that's his fault as well as AVB's. He was unwilling to adapt his game to help the team, so yes his ego was too big, whilst AVB refused to play him in his favoured position.

I said that's how he felt. Not how it was.  Most players need managing. Some need an arm around the shoulder, some need a carrot and stick some need a more cerebral approach.  The situation could have been managed better.  I suspect that the problem started well before Dempsey chucked his toys out of the pram.

Okay, well yes I can accept that. Jol lacks a bit of subtlety when dealing with players, you'd love him to be more Moyesian about it.

[Berserker]

Clint was a favourite of mine, i was sad to see him go, sad by the way he went, still not sure of the full story there. I can see that he wanted to have the opportunity for Champions league football, but not much chance with his first choice of Liverpool, he only went to Spurs at the last minute as he had burnt his bridges rather with us. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, he may have some regrets about how it all panned out but he seems to have done ok now. I think we miss him more than he misses us

[RaySmith]

Thats true about hindsight.

I think it is unlikely he would have spent his  entire Prem career with Fulham - not as soon as he had the chance for better things.

So , it didn't quite work out as he's  would have liked perhaps - but i'm sure he  knows 'that's life as pro footballer', and counts his blessings.

[The Old Count]

Badly man managed by you know who.

Said he didn't feel valued by the club.

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed.

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer.

Come off it. He wasn't badly managed or mistreated. He was treated like Berba, the whole team centred around him.
The club and manager took issue when he threw his toys out of the pram.

I think he was right to want to challenge himself at a higher level, but the manner of his departure was very poorly thought through; his willingness to do Liverpool's hard work for them in particular. Ultimately it didn't work out at Spurs, that's his fault as well as AVB's. He was unwilling to adapt his game to help the team, so yes his ego was too big, whilst AVB refused to play him in his favoured position.

I said that's how he felt. Not how it was.  Most players need managing. Some need an arm around the shoulder, some need a carrot and stick some need a more cerebral approach.  The situation could have been managed better.  I suspect that the problem started well before Dempsey chucked his toys out of the pram.

Okay, well yes I can accept that. Jol lacks a bit of subtlety when dealing with players, you'd love him to be more Moyesian about it.

We'd all love him to be Moyesian in most respects.
Thing is Jol would be an excellent Director of Football.  Him and a good young coach would be great for us. I don't suppose Jol would go for that though.

[Logicalman]

Badly man managed by you know who.

Said he didn't feel valued by the club.

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed.

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer.

Same story at Spuds as well then? Or is your dislike of Jol possibly colouring your view?



Said he didn't feel valued by the club OR said he wanted CL football

Badly man managed by you know who - you mean AVB?

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed - I guess substitute Bale's name in there?

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer - and how he managed QPR after leaving us with his egotistical ambition.

[HatterDon]

Clint who?

[The Old Count]

Badly man managed by you know who.

Said he didn't feel valued by the club.

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed.

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer.

Same story at Spuds as well then? Or is your dislike of Jol possibly colouring your view?



Said he didn't feel valued by the club OR said he wanted CL football

Badly man managed by you know who - you mean AVB?

If he had been treated half as well as Berba he might well have stayed - I guess substitute Bale's name in there?

Look how well Hughes handled a similar situation with Mark Shwarzer - and how he managed QPR after leaving us with his egotistical ambition.

Or could your liking for Jol be colouring yours?  
Bit of a non argument really.
Just because Hughes is a bit of an oaf stil doesn't detract from the fact that he handled the Shwarz situation better.
AVB and Bale. Totaly different situation. From Dempsey.
Dempsey said afterwards that his side of the story would come out and he would have stayed if he had felt more valued.

Face Jol is less than good at managing players. Look at his record at all the clubs that he has managed.

Sorry but I just don't rate the bloke.

Having said all that. I still think we should give Jol time to gel 'his team and his players'.

[MisfitKid]

 :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: 
As a 'Merican, can we please stop.

And no more "he went home", home is Texas, Seattle was a boatload of cash...   fp.gif