Valencia Update
Again, totally ridiculous. There "may" have been some red flags that would prevent him from fulfilling his contract, no timeline to return? Give me a break. At least its something, but MAY be some red flags? Really? I think that's pretty obvious at this point.
4 months ago
zaggy
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"May"
Gah. “May”. Seriously, how can you look at yourself in the mirror after that? Yeah, it is his job to carefully control the PR message, but “may”?
Now I'm worried
Still not going to speculate on the specifics though. Hopefully Valencia will be okay.
That's what she said.
by yepyou'reright on Jan 27, 2012 12:48 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Bummer. Hopefully they figure this out quickly.
by botanyjames on Jan 27, 2012 12:10 PM PST via mobile reply actions
unlikely
But maybe they’re holding him out of practice because he’s involved in a pending trade?
by botanyjames on Jan 27, 2012 12:11 PM PST via mobile reply actions
You don't try and trade a guy who you've only seen play for 2 days
in person, and if you do, you don’t make up and excuse that they’re are red flags in his medical history that could cause problems with him fulfilling his contract.
Weird how it's all about the Timbers investment and the value of the player
and no demonstrated concern for the young man, at this point at least.
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Jan 27, 2012 12:21 PM PST reply actions
I absolutely am concerned for him
That said, he’s obviously getting the help he needs at this moment, likely far better than any he could be receiving in Colombia.
I am absolutely pissed at the Timbers handling of this. Terrible doesn’t even start to describe it.
I was commenting on the responses we've gotten from the team, not about you
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Jan 27, 2012 12:41 PM PST up reply actions
Ah
Yeah….Gavin and the rest of the Front Office have frankly done almost EVERYTHING wrong possible. A release of the wrong thing affecting him would be the only thing worse I could think. It would be so easy to sound like they know what’s going on and are proactively working on it, instead they sound like they don’t want to talk about it, have zero idea whats happening (which I doubt), and are completely reactive instead of proactive, which isn’t the type of FO you want.
In GWs defense, that's his job
That said, he’s probably not the right guy to be answering these questions. Merritt should break his silence soon and if his “sports bitch” tweet was related to this then he needs to be criticized.
But it’s a very difficult situation, one they couldn’t have expected or prepared for. I’m sure there are many difficult conversations going on now, to say the least, and we probably shouldn’t get nuanced details on those.
That's what she said.
by yepyou'reright on Jan 27, 2012 12:54 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I mean it's GWs job to think about the
overall squad and where payroll goes. I think he does care about the player individually.
That's what she said.
by yepyou'reright on Jan 27, 2012 12:57 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I disagree
Compare these two statements:
“There may have been a few small red flags that have been raised and we need to make sure that this player is able to fulfill the terms of his contract with the way his body is and his physical talent. I can’t say he’s going to be back on the field tomorrow,” Wilkinson said. "I can’t say he’s going to be back on the field Monday until we come up with all the final results from the testing that we have been doing. “What we’re doing is making a decision on several different fronts regarding what should we do with the player,” Wilkinson said. “How is the small red flag affecting the future of the player in Portland?”
And
“We detected some abnormal test results that have us worried. We are looking into the matter with the appropriate specialists, and in the meantime, Valencia appreciates his privacy at this moment, as we look to better understand and solve this matter. His timeline to return to the team has not be set at this time.”
Both say the same thing, one makes me think the team is in control, one doesn’t. Which one did GW say? As GM, he is the face of this organization for these matters, just like Spencer gets the heat when we are talking lineups and tactics. MP is the owner. While he might well be the face, he’s just as quiet right now. BOTH need to be better, and at the very least GW should be handling this like a GM.
by zaggy on Jan 27, 2012 1:03 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
And we may have not seen all of the quote(s)
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Jan 27, 2012 4:00 PM PST up reply actions
(meant as a counterpoint to my observation above)
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Jan 27, 2012 4:01 PM PST up reply actions
Possibly
But when talking about a situation like this, I have a hard time buying the phrase “There may have been” should ever ever ever be used when describing whats going on. That’s a quote. He sounds like a teenager telling his parents about a party in their house….“there may have been a few people over….i dunno”. That’s not what I’d like to hear out of the arguably the #2 guy at the team.
There very well may be no absolutes to give us at this point
even if they could have given us a little more or a little better.
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Jan 27, 2012 4:24 PM PST up reply actions
I'm not looking for absolutes
I’m just looking for more concrete language.
We don't need another
Oden/Bowie case in this town.
I like that they’re trying to come up with some tests, but it’d be great if this whole process wasn’t so secretive.
I can't figure out why every is so upset.
It’s clear there’s a personal medical condition that may affect Valencia’s career. All GW said was “we need more tests.” It is out their control a bit, they have to see what the problem is. They’re quiet about it because obviously it’s a private medical issue, not an injury.
I just hope everything turns out OK for the kid, that he’s able to deal with his problem and continue being a soccer player. If not I hope he’s at least able to treat his condition and have a good life.
Anger over handling of the matter
See above. I am sad for Valencia and respect his privacy, but the FO gave some crap excuses 2 days in a row, essentially gave “no comment” answers to direct questions, and then basically hypothetically hinted something major is wrong and he might not be able to fulfill his contract. Anyone could have handled this better. They created a mess that is far bigger than it needed to be. A simple statement on Wednesday or even Thursday to the effect that something is up but we are handling it shows they know whats going on and are working to fix it. They are giving me a feeling that they have 0 clue what to do and are grasping for straws. That angers me.
MP's Rebuttal
@MerrittPaulson on-demand generation wants now now now. when club appears not forthcoming, there are usually good reasons…trust me. its players first
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
Sounds reasonable
I think everyone needs to chill out. And whatever is going on, I hope Valencia is okay, if not now, then soon.
WTF
lol…. I honestly have no idea what you guys/girls are talking about…. I know hes been out of practice in medical testing… But im not sure whats being discussed about Red flags…. and serious medical concerns… Its possible he has the flu…..
RCTID
They said his career may be in doubt though
That would suggest worse than the flu
Keep in mind
We, the totally obsessed who read subtle nuances into simple tweets, are not the main audience the FO is addressing here. The general Timbers fan base who really don’t pay that much attention to training videos and preseason workout are. Valencia deserves his privacy here, as I am sure any of us would in his situation.
Am I happy with the flow of information and the spin on the information we do get? No. However, in the wider context the FO also must be quite careful to make sure they do not get the reputation of giving outsiders total access to the inner workings of the team. That could make it very difficult to get top talent if an agent feels like the Timbers are not respectful of their players. It is all a balance… and it sounds more and more like a very tricky one at that in this instance.
So far it this whole situation sucks for all involved. I just hope it clears up soon.
No body is arguing that we should be in the MRI machine with him
I am, and will continue to be, angry that the FO is bumbling through, creating more drama than necessary. Had they come out yesterday and released a simple statement that they found some abnormalities and are working with specialists, and valencia’s return isn’t set yet, I think this would all have blown over.
Instead, they basically lied to us and the media yesterday, and no one could even approach calling GW’s talk with GCA polished. Just be straight, upforward, and in control. I don’t feel like any of those things apply to how the FO is handling this situation to this point.
Nothing to Worry About
tough break for valencia, any new info would mostly likely negate the deal, and there are plenty more talented young players out there looking for a new opportunity…one player does not make or break a system
by #1 Leverage Fan on Jan 27, 2012 3:30 PM PST reply actions
I’m going to take a minority opinion and express a little defense for the Front Office here. They are the ones responsible for creating ‘drama?’ Yikes. Zaggy, I would argue you’re sounding borderline hysterical here. You claim not to be wanting much, but it seems to me that you wouldn’t really be happy with much less than complete information. Something odd came up, some uncertainty exists as to what the prognosis may be and how the organization wants to respond. I have no doubt that Merritt and Gavin will make a sound decision in a timely manner and when that happens, they’ll even explain it to people in a level of detail they deem appropriate. Relax a little. Things will work out.
by oddcontemplation on Jan 27, 2012 3:40 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Where did i say that
If your going to just make up stuff I’m saying, then make it up. Don’t say I’m saying things I’m not, nor I have never.
I asked them to be professional. They aren’t. MP wasn’t. GW wasn’t when he was hinting. Releasing a statement instead of “maybe there are some red flags” is all I want.
If you are totally fine with an unprofessional response, then no problem. The Timbers talk all the time about aspiring to be world class. This is how you start.
Actually, we have no right to know
Our “right” to know does not trump his right to privacy. As long as the Timbers are following the league rules on releasing information on players we have nothing to complain about.
by zippyflynn on Jan 27, 2012 3:42 PM PST reply actions 5 recs
I agree entirely with this.
I wouldn’t want everyone in my brand new community to know that I have an infection or an std or something. It seems like that would make fitting in really difficult. “Hey there Jose, how are those warts doing?”
by Brennen Cissna on Jan 27, 2012 3:57 PM PST up reply actions
I hope he's ok
I’m not sure why people are upset at how the Timbers are handling this. Could they be better prepared for the future superstar they just signed having a potentially career threatening illness? Sure, they could. Am I shocked that they aren’t? No. The important thing is that Valencia gets taken care of.
Oklahoma State will beat LSU in the National Title game by more than 7 points.
by No Pity on Jan 27, 2012 6:09 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
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