Ruiz!

[nose]

ruiz was poor before berba and after berba.
in this thread you can be forgiven for believing that he has ever done more than occasional good pass.
Dempsey scored all those goals in his last season because he changed the way he played under jol and got himself inside the penalty area rather than endlessly shoot aimlessly from distance, not because of anything ruiz did.
That was Jol's best change to the side, getting dempsey to be less selfish and get in the box, and it really worked.

[shnlwswlkr]

I understand how the Ruiz naysayers feel the way they do.  Not without reason.  He was largely ineffective when he played under Jol and after Jol left (with the same surrounding cast remaining).  But I and other North Americans have seen him play for Costa Rica before, as well as during, the World Cup.  He's the bona fide leader of that team, and opponents try to beat him up every game.  He not only absorbs the physical punishment, he battles through it, and he is extremely effective.  Those of you who watched Costa Rica in the last World Cup saw how intense and physical each game was, how they went at Bryan.  To no avail.  The outcome of each game, as in any WC game, is momentous.  So teams play like there is no tomorrow.  There often isn't.  Do you really think he was unmarked, untouched, not roughed up, in those World Cup games?  That was the real Bryan Ruiz, the one the idiot Jol said was the player Fulham couldn't afford to lose (remember?)   What makes Bryan so special on the Costa Rican MNT (as well as the club team that preceded Fulham), but then so stifled for Fulham?  I don't know for sure, but here are my suggestions: 1. The players then around him--their age, fitness, movement off the ball, Berbatov deep, lazy Bent, no true distributor from center mid, always pinned in our own half; and 2. Jol's inability to make in-season adjustments to formations, fitness, style of play.  I believe a poster noted a few months ago that Ruiz covered more ground than any other player for us last season based on stats.  He had no one to pass to.  He had to hold on to it too long.  With Dempsey, there were link ups and effectiveness.  While we tear him down based on his ineffectiveness last season, we have to remember that he beat Italy and England.  Some of those games were a revelation.  That's the Bryan I remember.  But now we have a chance to see him shine and in the process win a lot of games, games we are losing now.  He has youth and speed and off ball movement to work with now.  He has dribblers and passers now.  He has clever hungry players on the roster.  This isn't Jol's team now.  He should be on the pitch providing the missing piece.

Actually, he didn't beat England. We drew. Ha.

[Skatzoffc]

To my mind Ruiz should be on the bench against Reading. The only change should be Smith for Woodrow. We can start changing the team if we don't move forward, but if we keep the same team as against Cardiff (but with Smith as stated), I can see us getting a result away from home.
COYW!

[domprague]

It was behind closed doors...

Could be that we are just demonstrating to other club who may be interested in him that he is sort of match fit.
[/quote]

[domprague]

I think he meant 'beat Uruguay', which was more of an achievement than drawing with England by miles and miles and miles and miles...

Actually, he didn't beat England. We drew. Ha.
[/quote]

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

I might be in the minority, but I am delighted to see that Ruiz was given a start in the behind closed doors friendly. The guy has talent and he should make more of it.

strangely and despite all i have said about Ruiz, you might be surprised to learn I too am delighted he has been given the opportunity. I/We could be wrong, the championship as part of a younger team may just suit him perfectly. I do think people should be given a chance to show what they can do, however I still believe it won't work out but the team is hardly firing on all cylinders yet so it is right to try him and the friendly was an ideal start. then, if it goes well, the bench and if he can finally prove himself well and good.

It's just I can't see how he will be able to change his game that much.

[/i]

I've always been a fan of Ruiz's ability, my main 'dislike' is his total lack of cohones when it comes to closing down and tackling.
Previously, he certainly suffered from the lack of runners/movement in front of
him and consequently lost the ball easily while looking around for someone in space.
With the current team, he would certainly have options as there's a lot of willing runners, options for balls over the top, passes to the 'wings' etc and should be able to release the ball quicker.
In this scenario, and with a little protection, he might, just might, shine, but I don't think it should be at the expense of any other players or changing a 'system' to suit him.
That's not FM's style anyway.
And certainly not at the risk of jeopardizing any points to try another experiment.
I would hope that the microscopes, bunsen burners, phosphorus and litmus papers have been locked away by now.

It's difficult, you could bring him on when we are winning a game 4-0 and then if he doesn't perform send him back to ballet school.

[Skatzoffc]

Lol. I'd take 4-0 up before we bring him on. We'd prob get a draw tho.
8-)

[jmh]

Observers quite rightly may say Ruiz is unsuited to the English game, and there is evidence to show this, nevertheless, a good Manager/Coach, may look upon this as a challenge and try and Adjust Ruiz game, and get the best out of him, therefore, turning him into a better player for the culture he is playing in.

This sounds right to me.  Just dumping him off to whoever will take him is a defeatist attitude; it'd be fantastic (albeit seemingly unlikely) if Magath could find a way to make him work out.  (Say what you will about Jol, one of his great successes was finding Dembele's right role after things didn't work out for him here as a striker.)

[HatterDon]

Observers quite rightly may say Ruiz is unsuited to the English game, and there is evidence to show this, nevertheless, a good Manager/Coach, may look upon this as a challenge and try and Adjust Ruiz game, and get the best out of him, therefore, turning him into a better player for the culture he is playing in.

This sounds right to me.  Just dumping him off to whoever will take him is a defeatist attitude; it'd be fantastic (albeit seemingly unlikely) if Magath could find a way to make him work out.  (Say what you will about Jol, one of his great successes was finding Dembele's right role after things didn't work out for him here as a striker.)

alternatively, it took a special kind of imbecile to waste a talent like Ruiz and -- in this instance -- Jol was "the special one."

[Forever Fulham]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2673557/Bryan-Ruiz-shakes-Fulham-flop-tag-starring-role-Costa-Rica-World-Cup.html

[Forever Fulham]

Lest we forget and call him soft, a flopper, lightweight: http://metro.co.uk/2014/06/20/has-fulhams-bryan-ruiz-killed-englands-world-cup-hopes-with-goal-for-costa-rica-against-italy-4770164/

[Forever Fulham]

Pirlo could not contain Ruiz, had no answer for him.  He's here.  He hasn't left.  By some miracle, he's still here.  He has publicly and emphatically declared his desire to do his best to get the team back up this season.  Are we really going to start promising youth over him?... Especially when we haven't won a game yet, when he have  but a single point thus far?   If this team does get its act together, and if Bryan is a big part of its speedy return to the EPL, I'll bet it won't take much to convince him to stay on.  No one has a crystal ball of course.  But appreciated players often reciprocate. Heap as much abuse upon me as you want.  His performance in the Cup wasn't a mirage.  We want the best XI on the pitch we can put out.  The best right now.  Not the best in 3 or 5 years.  Now.

[Forever Fulham]

Estimated population of England in 2014: 57 million.
Estimated population of Italy in 2014: 61 million.
Estimated population of Costa Rica: 4.6 million.
Play their captain.

[TheManOnTheBus]

I read on Twitter that Ruiz will feature for Costa Rica this weekend in the final of the Copa Centroamerica.

So not available for selection on Saturday which is a shame.

[Canary White]

Given that we've apparently offloaded Mitroglou for a £2 mil loan fee, I don't imagine we were asking for much from anyone prepared to take Ruiz off our wage bill...

Were there any takers?

That says it all, really.

[ron]

I understand how the Ruiz naysayers feel the way they do.  Not without reason.  He was largely ineffective when he played under Jol and after Jol left (with the same surrounding cast remaining).  But I and other North Americans have seen him play for Costa Rica before, as well as during, the World Cup.  He's the bona fide leader of that team, and opponents try to beat him up every game.  He not only absorbs the physical punishment, he battles through it, and he is extremely effective.  Those of you who watched Costa Rica in the last World Cup saw how intense and physical each game was, how they went at Bryan.  To no avail.  The outcome of each game, as in any WC game, is momentous.  So teams play like there is no tomorrow.  There often isn't.  Do you really think he was unmarked, untouched, not roughed up, in those World Cup games?  That was the real Bryan Ruiz, the one the idiot Jol said was the player Fulham couldn't afford to lose (remember?)   What makes Bryan so special on the Costa Rican MNT (as well as the club team that preceded Fulham), but then so stifled for Fulham?  I don't know for sure, but here are my suggestions: 1. The players then around him--their age, fitness, movement off the ball, Berbatov deep, lazy Bent, no true distributor from center mid, always pinned in our own half; and 2. Jol's inability to make in-season adjustments to formations, fitness, style of play.  I believe a poster noted a few months ago that Ruiz covered more ground than any other player for us last season based on stats.  He had no one to pass to.  He had to hold on to it too long.  With Dempsey, there were link ups and effectiveness.  While we tear him down based on his ineffectiveness last season, we have to remember that he beat Italy and England.  Some of those games were a revelation.  That's the Bryan I remember.  But now we have a chance to see him shine and in the process win a lot of games, games we are losing now.  He has youth and speed and off ball movement to work with now.  He has dribblers and passers now.  He has clever hungry players on the roster.  This isn't Jol's team now.  He should be on the pitch providing the missing piece.

The main problem with him that I can see is that he can't hold on to it at all.....the amount of time that he needs to control the ball means that he was consistently robbed of it at Premiership level pace, and probably will be the same in the Championship. I really can't see that week in week out he can provide this elusive missing link.

[nose]

if ruiz is so brilliant, and he clearly wanted to go.... how come the world didn't beat a path to our door to sign this rare talent.

for those that still try to big him up, imagine all those experienced managers out there needing to sign a quality player, ruiz is available.... but there wasn't exactly a feeding frenzy for him was there, why didn't they take a punt on him...  I know the reason but i will leave this one with the reader to figure out for themselves.

[LBNo11]

...By all means play him now, let's see how he copes in the championship, and let's hope he is played in the position everyone says is ideal for his style, and let's hope that the skills he has at the pace he is best suited to show them becomes clear, and he contributes to the success of the team with them and his experience - but please, please, please, if he still shows he cannot cope with the game in England then let's stop giving him another chance, let's just cut our losses as nobody is willing to pay anywhere near the over-inflated price we paid for him, and sell him somewhere best suited to his style, and so he can be happy again...

[cmg]

"Bryan Ruiz joined the Costa Rican team for the last match of the Copa Centroamericana in Los Angeles."

[Forever Fulham]

The final of the Copa Centroamericana is this Saturday @ 1 p.m., Pacific Time.  11 a.m. Central.  That would be the wee hours of the a.m. in Britain.  Costa Rica v. Guatemala.    I watched the second half of Guatemala's 2-0 semifinal win over Honduras.  Marco Pappas, midfielder for Seattle Sounders (Clint's team), got both goals for Guatemala.  Very clever player.    But, I think Ruiz and Campbell will be too much for Guatamala.  Can't find the finals game listed on my AT&T U-Verse subscription TV service.  If anyone knows how to get that game on the computer, please share.  Thanks!