By CALEB SONNELAND
American defender Zak Whitbread is poised to extend his contract with the newly-promoted EPL side Norwich City.
Whitbread was a key figure in the back for manager Paul Lambert's boys, registering 23 appearances in the successful 2010-2011 Championship season.
Once a Liverpool FC man, Whitbread is entering the final year of his two-and-a-half year contract at Norwich, and Lambert is keen to hang on to the big defender and commit him to the club for the foreseeable future.
For now, it seems, the American isn't going anywhere.
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What do you think of Whitbread's progress at Norwich? Think he can cope with the big boys in the EPL?
Share your thoughts below
I don’t want this guy on our NT.
ACS has the right of it. Whitbread has been injured EVERY year for the past four years. This is why he only played in 23 matches last year for Norwich out of, what, 48? He is the “Sicknote” of the USMNT.
He can play when he’s not injured but it is his back that gives him problems and he loses a lot of playing time because of it.
Another strong CB? Ream really? Im glad people are happy with his passing but he is green back there on the defensive front. He is far from strong. Watch Whitbread play and see who should be playing ahead of whom.
I take that back. Gooch will probably get a call and stay with the squad pending how he plays with Sporting. If he makes progress he’ll be 32 by 2014 which is not ancient by center back standards.
Center back is a nasty position. It’s why DeMerit and Gooch were good at it. They just went all out in that position in certain matches. I think Gooch and DeMerit were at the top of their game in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Unfortunately we couldn’t hold on against Brazil but the midfield collapsed in that game. DeMerit is probably out of Bradley’s view now that he’s in MLS. I don’t think Bradley will call him back unless it’s to be on the bench. Same thing with Gooch. I think Ream is decent but he doesn’t have the aggressiveness needed for this position. And he is still very young. I think it’s also way too early to figure out who will play in 2014. But it will be interesting to see how Zak does in the Prem. If he isn’t that good, I could still see him getting a call up as I’m sure Norwich will be bottom of the table this season.
Give the kid – well man-a chance. Same with Simek.
Really – don’t you think would be the equal or better of Spector and certainly will perform beter then Bornstein.
Look at it this way: both get regular games in leagues superior to the MLS.
Well, I may not know what a blog is, but I know what plagiarism is, and I know if this one went to court there wouldn’t be any doubt in the Judge’s mind.
People seem to think that because it’s on the internet, you can do whatever you want. It’s not true.
abc said it correctly – it should have been quoted, not rearranged and passed off under another author’s name. Rules of journalism and laws of copyright still apply to blogs.
Anyway, Whitbread should be called in ASAP. It’s unfortunate he withdrew from the squad for the Argentina/Paraguay friendlies because I’m sure we could have used him in the Gold Cup. Bob probably should have tried calling him up sooner anyway (like for the Poland/Colombia friendlies).
He’ll have a lot of opportunities to contribute to the USMNT: the next set of friendlies, World Cup qualifying, more friendlies, and possibly the 2014 World Cup. Hopefully Norwich can stay up this coming season and Whitbread plays well and stays healthy.
IMO DeMerit should have gotten a look a lot sooner than he did. I don’t think I’ve missed too many USMNT games (friendlies, World Cup, WCQ’s, Gold Cup, whatever) in this current cycle or the last one, and I don’t recall Jay getting consistent starts with the USMNT until he came in for Boca, after Boca went down with an injury against Honduras in the WCQ at Soldier Field in June ’09. He then subsequently started every game for the US until his freak eye injury kept him out of all the remaining qualifiers except for the Mexico game.
I know he played a bit in Copa America, and was on the squad for the 2007 Gold Cup, but considering how long we haven’t had a decent left back, I don’t know why Bob didn’t insert Jay at CB and move Boca over to LB a whole lot sooner. Anyone remember the Pearce, Bornstein and Beasley trifecta at LB during the first half of the ‘Hex’?
Honestly I think Arena should have brought Jay in for the Sept/Oct/Nov ’05 friendlies and the March/Apr/May ’06 friendlies. He probably could have made the ’06 World Cup squad over someone like Berhalter or Albright.
I know 25 caps doesn’t seem like a lot, but he started 4 World Cup games, 5 Confederations Cup games, a couple Copa America games, and a handful each of qualifiers and friendlies. If not for the eye injury, I am 100% positive he would have started the remaining WCQ’s. To tell you the truth, we could have used him in the Gold Cup. I’d still prefer him to Ream and Goodson.
You obviously have NO idea what exactly a “blog” is. This being a blog, means it can have a wide-range of posting’s as far as origin, writing quality, and content. Many people check blogs simply for the convenience of knowing that most of the news worthy topical stories will be linked. If the quality isn’t up to your standards….you’re welcome to start your own blog. Ives’ blog is FREE…unlike –let’s say…ESPN “Insider’s Blog’ (Ex.).
Free and of high quality—-pretty damn cool if you ask me…but just not good enough for you…..
Injuries have kept him from playing, which prevented him from moving up much, he did get some experience in the Champions League playing alongside Sami Hyypia when he was at Liverpool, just has been injured almost every year he has played since he left Liverpool.
Appropriate, but completely wrong. Cholo is and has been the best US Defender a looong time.
Good Grief
There are plenty of legitimate criticisms one can make about Bradley, but not calling up a defender who, until recently, was playing in the English third division, is not one of them. One of Bradley’s strengths is that he has been willing to bring players from all over the place into his camps- including Whitbread. He hasn’t played a competitive match because he’s just hasn’t been as good as Goodson, DeMerit, etc. and given that he’s already 27, doesn’t have the upside of a guy like Ream. That said, if he does well in the Premiership, I’m quite certain he will get a call.
Up until last year he was playing in League 1. I don’t think it’s laughable that Bradley didn’t call up a guy playing in England’s 3rd division until he at least got into the 2nd division, which is what Bradley did… Also, I can almost guarantee that most people have never even seen him play, certainly not more than Bradley… Can we stop it w/ the overreactions about
It’s sad that this player has languished off the USMNT radar, with the exception of a brief call up earlier this year (which he declined because of “injury”. This says a lot for BB and his staff, that an American Central Defender starting, performing, and moving upward in the worlds toughest leagues gets unnoticed until he is 27! Think about how many other talented American players haven’t been noticed/ignored by our current USMNT staff….and quite frankly the powers that be from US Soccer!!
Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to say that Gooch WAS our best defender?
Gooch is our best defender but hasn’t been SOLID since summer 09. Goodson is decent. Ream and Gonzalez are still learning. Whitbread has a solid chance if he can get PT
Maybe just me but is he the only blonde we have on the NT? Oh wait we have Holden
DeMerit did just fine for the USMNT for a few years, if Whitbread can figure in our plans through the next World Cup (he’d be the same age as DeMerit was in 2010), that’s no flash in the pan.
this isn’t a knock at all on either Whitbread or Jay Demerit, but he’s got Jay 2.0 written ALL over him. He’ll probably stick around for a year or two in the prem, get no love and wind up back in the Npower championship. Now, whether he’s a long term prospect or a flash in the pan like Jay was in yet to be seen. I’d LOVE to have another strong CB to go with ream, goodson and some of the other potential guys, i just dont know if he’ll translate over for the USMNT
Or just quote from the original article, using blockquotes.
There’s no need to always add original wording, especially for a straight (and simple) news story like this.
nice
I didn’t know what this dude looked like. Whitebread.
I didn’t know Chris Henderson played for Norwich?!
I realize this is a blog and there might not be too much more to say about the activity, but this post was *ahem* AWFULLY similar to the original article.
I realize there’s a link and I’m not accusing plagiarism, but I think a summary ought to be more than just rearranging the words of the original article.
Speaking as a person with little faith that Tim Ream will ever suffice as an international CB and is also pessimistic about Gooch’s knee, Zak Whitbred playing in Prem bodes exceedingly well for (my confidence in) the USMNT.
sorry that should read:
His form for Millwall two years ago in League One*
I think so, yes. His form for Millwall two years ago in League was sublime, easily one of the top players in the league. Did a nice job in the championship as well. If he can stay injury free, and in the top flight, I can easily see him in the starting XI in Brazil.
He’s the greatest thing since Slicedbread.
are you gonna be the new USMNT coach? why hasn’t Ives made an announcement of this new coaching change? 😉
I havent seen him play so does anyone know if he is an upgrade over Ream and Goodson?