Throughout his first run at Fulham, Dempsey delivered grit and objectives and have become an American soccer star. He returned to the membership in January for a two-month mortgage, and it hasn’t been fairly.
BY
Laura Greene
Posted
February 17, 2014
12:23 PM
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THOMAS WOLFE WROTE IT: You may’t go dwelling once more. In Clint Dempsey’s case, these phrases are ringing true proper about now.
You already know the backstory: The striker left the Premier League final summer time, stunning soccer followers in every single place by signing with Main League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders. On account of accidents and health, Dempsey didn’t make a lot of an impression in Seattle. He returned to England—and his earlier employers, Fulham—in January for a two-month mortgage designed to assist him regain health and discover the momentum he appeared to lose when he relocated to the Pacific Northwest.
At the very least, that was the thought.
United States males’s nationwide group coach Jurgen Klinsmann cherished the thought of the transfer, and in October 2013 he named Dempsey—together with worldwide teammates Landon Donovan and Graham Zusi—as gamers who ought to look abroad throughout the MLS offseason.
“Our priorities are set so that the first one is if you get a chance to go on loan to Europe, do it. It is very crucial for us that the players understand that everything they do now today has an influence on Brazil 2014 next summer. They can’t take it easy.”
Donovan and Zusi didn’t go overseas; Dempsey did. Nevertheless it’s honest to say that issues haven’t labored out because the U.S. captain may need hoped. To be able to inform the complete story let’s take issues again, for a second, to Dempsey’s first stint in England.
AFTER JOINING FULHAM IN 2007 from New England Revolution, Dempsey spent five-and-a-half seasons at Craven Cottage earlier than signing for Spurs in August 2012.
In that point, he was a convincing success. In 2008-09 Fulham completed the season in seventh, its highest-ever league standing. In 2009-10, Dempsey performed an enormous half in guiding Fulham to the Europa League Last in opposition to Atletico Madrid, the place it fell simply brief.
Dempsey was additionally voted the membership’s Participant of the Yr for 2 successive campaigns (2010-11, 2011-12). By the point he left the membership, the Nacogdoches, Texas, native had scored 60 objectives for the Cottagers. 50 of these strikes got here within the Premier League, which made him the highest-scoring American within the competitors’s historical past.
He was a lot cherished by the Fulham supporters, but Dempsey’s departure left a bitter style within the mouths of the membership’s followers. Because the Guardian’s David Hytner wrote in December 2013:
“Dempsey left Fulham for Tottenham in August of last year under acrimonious circumstances. He had been pursued by Liverpool and he made it plain that he no longer wanted to play for Fulham. Tottenham nipped in to take him for £6m on transfer deadline day and they trebled his wages.”
Dempsey lasted one season at White Hart Lane, the place he scored seven top-flight objectives for the aspect, then managed by Andre Villas-Boas.
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than his transfer again to the U.S. with Seattle Sounders was made official on August 4, 2013. Dempsey struggled to make an impression at CenturyLink Area the place, upon returning to his homeland, he might solely discover the again of the online as soon as—a calf harm limiting his time on the pitch to only 9 video games.
When rumors began circulating a couple of potential return to Fulham, which was purchased by Jacksonville Jaguars’ proprietor Shahid Khan in July 2013, a few of the membership’s followers have been lower than impressed.
“I hope it doesn’t happen,” mentioned FFCcravencottage on membership messageboard Viva El Fulham on December 16, 2013. “I’m sure Khan would be pleased to have an American playing for Fulham. I’m not saying that if he did come back that I wouldn’t want him to do well, because I obviously put Fulham above my dislike of Dempsey.”
Northernwhite replied, “If it was for the rest of the season, I could potentially see the benefits but he’ll be here for a maximum of 2 months and will not have had a full pre-season… Not overly excited about his return for only 6-8 games maximum, most of which he won’t be match fit.”
Others have been just a little extra understanding. On Friendsoffulham.com, contributor Cmg wrote on December 20, “Personally, as someone who has made a mistake or two in life, I will be happy to forgive the seemingly impolite departure of a player who did a great deal for this club over a five year period.”
RaySmith added, “All people should be concerned with is—will Dempsey give his all during games? Which, as far as I’m concerned, he always has done.”
Shortly earlier than Dempsey’s mortgage transfer was confirmed in December, then-manager Rene Meulensteen reacted to the rumors on the membership’s official web site:
“It would be a real boost for us. Hopefully that will all work out,” he said. “Clint spent so many years playing in the Premier League and we all know where his strengths are. He can come in from the left or play as a second striker depending on who you’re playing against. It speaks volumes for him that he wants to come back here. Initially it’s for January and February.”
When the swap was made official, Dempsey spoke about “coming home” to Fulhamfc.com:
Ineligible to make an look for the aspect till the winter switch window was formally opened on January 1, many have been stunned to see Dempsey omitted from the Cottager’s matchday squad to face West Ham on New Yr’s Day.
Clint Dempsey return to Fulham must wait. He is not within the 18 at present vs. West Ham
— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) January 1, 2014
The 30-year-old did lastly get on the pitch on January 11, albeit in less-than-fortunate circumstances, as Fulham was trounced 4-1 by Sunderland on dwelling turf.
Two days later, within the Day by day Star, Meulensteen backed Dempsey to seek out type: “Clint’s a fit boy and that comes pretty quickly. The more minutes and games he gets under his belt the quicker that will all come. It won’t take long for him to be right back up there.”
In Fulham’s subsequent league outing, a 2-0 defeat in opposition to Arsenal on January 18, Dempsey accomplished 90 minutes, but obtained little reward.
— American Soccer Now (@ThisIsASN) January 18, 2014
— Sophie Nicolaou (@soccerdiva) January 18, 2014
Two extra Premier League defeats adopted, in opposition to Swansea and Southampton, through which Fulham was outscored 5-0.
On January 28, following the Swansea loss, Kyle Bonn wrote on prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com: “The scariest part of it all is that the Texas native moves around the pitch like he’s running underwater. He has no drive, no pace, and no confidence.”
After a run of 4 video games with no win and with Fulham rooted to the underside of the desk, Dempsey tried to stay upbeat, telling USAToday:
“It’s been tough, but also it’s been good for me, trying to get back to fitness and feeling good, coming off an injury toward the end of the season with the national team. It’s good to get some games, some minutes over here, but unfortunately the results haven’t been going our way. But I’ve still got a month left and hopefully we can start getting some points.”
For Fulham’s subsequent recreation, away to Manchester United on February 9, Dempsey didn’t even make the bench. Fulham gained a hard-earned level n that contest.
Everybody saying Clint Dempsey wasn’t within the 18 for Fulham at present jogged my memory that Clint Dempsey is at present at Fulham
— Seth Vertelney (@svertgoalcom) February 9, 2014
The following tie, in opposition to Liverpool at Craven Cottage on February 12, a Dempsey-less Fulham put up its fiercest struggle but, virtually doing sufficient to attract the sport, earlier than dropping out to a penalty awarded in harm time.
Is it a coincidence that, with Dempsey within the squad Fulham wrestle whereas with out him, the gamers appear up for the struggle?
Following the Liverpool loss, these Fulham followers didn’t mince their phrases on Friendsoffulham.internet:
“Clint hasn’t become any type of scapegoat, he’s just been absolute utter tosh since returning to Fulham, and a shadow of his former self. No disrespect to the guy, I appreciate every thing he’s done for Fulham, but he won’t be helping us out this time around, that I can assure you of,” typed Admin on February 12.
“I really can’t understand why we took him in the first place,” added The Equalizer. “It was a two-month loan of a player who wasn’t match fit at the time. Totally pointless, and he’s more than proved that with his lack of effort on the pitch.”
On Valentine’s Day, issues took a flip for the more severe when it was introduced that Fulham’s supervisor had been sacked after simply 75 days within the job and swiftly changed by former Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, and Schalke boss Felix Magath.
Confusion then set in when conflicting experiences got here out of Craven Cottage, suggesting that Meulensteen had not been fired however merely “replaced.”
It brings again reminiscences of what occurred when Meulensteen himself took over from Martin Jol on December 1, having first been introduced in as his assistant.
Clint Dempsey may need been higher off in Klinsmann’s January camp than the circus he appears to have wandered into at Fulham.
— Andrew Das (@AndrewDasNYT) February 14, 2014
It’s exhausting to foretell whether or not Magath, well-known for being a hard-line disciplinarian, may have any time for Dempsey—whose mortgage spell ends on the finish of the month.
But Sounders coach Sigi Schmid had this to say in a MLSsoccer.com article posted on February 15: “No, it doesn’t affect it [the loan] at all. You don’t know how Felix Magath is going to approach it in this period of time right now with the team.”
Within the feedback part under the piece, nonetheless, others noticed it in a different way:
Portlandpadre wrote, “Fulham has one game left the rest of the loan period. He hasn’t made 18 in last two. No reason not to come home, unless he doesn’t’ feel like coming back.”
Ricardo Salazar added, “Given his form over the last few months, I doubt that he’d be very critical for the season opener. Hype fizzles fast when you cant back it up.”
And, as ClayC1969 put it bluntly, “I strongly suspect that Magath’s first question for Deuce will be if he wants an aisle or window on his way back to Seattle.”
Seattle Sounders 2014 MLS Season will kick off on March 8, with a house tie in opposition to Sporting Kansas Metropolis.
That is Laura Greene’s fourth On the File piece for ASN. Share your ideas on Dempsey’s return to London under.
