I said I'd be back when there's news, and after a month to the day of saying that, we have news again. Today the Rapids terminated Joe Mason's loan and he'll return to Wolves in England this month.
Mason was not a success here, but I think that's less about him and more about the situation he was in. Inconsistent playing time and an atrocious midfield gave him no chance to find his legs. I felt like, while he wasn't a top tier player, he could have contributed more than he did. There were some questions about his fitness though, which is something that he is responsible for. I have also heard that Hudson didn't take a liking to him, which is why he didn't see as much time as we had hoped.
That last bit is concerning to me because Mason was signed right before the season after Hudson had gotten settled here. So that suggests one of two things to me. First, that Smith and Hudson aren't working as closely together as they claim and Smith is making signings without Hudson's input. Second, that they are working together but their scouting isn't revealing what it needs to reveal about players before they get here. Either way, its not a good sign for the team.
As a replacement for Mason the Rapids have been linked with Leon (and former Houston/Orlando/Vancouver) striker Giles Barnes. He was waived by Leon today and reportedly there's another MLS team also interested. I say, let him go. Barnes has averaged about 24 appearances and 6 goals a season over his career and he's now on the backside of that career. He's not a long-term solution and by the time he gets here and gets fit (he only made 3 appearances for Leon in the last year) he won't be a shot-term solution either.
There are some other rumors swirling around the team, so I'll post when/if anything solidifies. This season is still lost and today Marco Cummings had an interview with Padraig Smith where he reiterated the 3-4 transfer windows before the team is where they want, so essentially 2019 is already lost too. So I'll continue to be a part-time blogger on the team until they decide to be more than a part-time team.
Thursday, July 12, 2018
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1 comment:
I would love to be a fly on the wall when Brant and Smith have meetings together. What exactly is Brant going to sell in regards to season ticket renewals, much less new season ticket holders.
Not just that, but it is much harder to re-sign former season ticket holders back into the fold, as the bad taste in their mouth from their experience means they are likely lost for good.
Maybe I am projecting from my own experience, but the pool of potential Rapids season ticket holders is limited in Denver, which is such a Broncos-centric town. Smith's 3 -4 windows may be him trying to save his own hide, but I hope Brant does not take the brunt of the hits from above when the business side of the Rapids declines due to the product on the pitch.
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