Assasin, GK Ricketts

[HL]

In my opinion was the best player on the Jamaican squad.

There is improvement in his performance since he is with the Galaxy....

I mention this before: maybe Steve Sampson would be a good fit in establishing a football philosophy in Jamaica. This includes coaching the national team.

It appears he is dressed for the job!!!

[Assasin]

HL Ricketts have been always good but like most of our players lack discipline. At Bradford he was great until he made an ass of himself by dribbling ball out and playing foolishly. He has improved tatically and has been disciplined at LA. The Talent has been there. He was given a new oppurtunity to prove himself and he has taken advantage.

yes in my opinion he was the best and the only outstanding player in our team. Again it show what discipline did, Bruce Arena saw the talent even when 80% of the people on this forum never rated Ricketts.

You also have Ryan Thompson(former youth national keeper) at Tampa University, it would be interesting to see how he has improved. This is also one of the keepers that Paul Campbell(Former Jamaica goalkeeper coach that worked in NY/NJ area) spend a lot of time with.

[Tilla]

Ricketts's game has improved immensely since he has joined the Galaxy full stop. His game was never at this level at anytime in his career. I agree with HL, he was the best player on the RB Gold Cup squad.

[Assasin]

Not as much as you think. Bruce Arena said he was impressive even before he came. If you should ask any Bradford fan they would tell you that he was an idol over there.

How much can one improve in 3 months?

[Tilla]

Sass, talk like yuh have sense nuh man? Bruce saw the potential in Ricketts. He had to work on the kinks in Ricketts' game. Now he has a good goalkeeper on his hands.

How much can one improve in 3 months?

Ricketts had everything to be a good goalkeeper. He just missed being guided on some of the flaws in his game. THere is every evidence that in 3 months, he has corrected most of the things which were bothering his game.

Also, do not talk about Bradford fans. Let us talk real football here. Yes, I said it, some of those lower league English teams, Ricketts' former game would be quite comfortable there. If he could have held on to his position at Bolton and even get to play some Premier League games, then you could talk. I think Bolton cut him because they realized he was not ready for the big leagues. If given that chance now, I am sure it would be different.

[Stonigut]

Let me tell you all something, if is one thing the US can do is market the hell out of an idea. Ricketts is the same keeper we have had for 10 years, if he improved anywhere it was at Bradford City playing day in and day out in a real pro setup, I am sure he has made some improvements at LAG but we are probably talking one or two % points here.

Can you imagine if Bolt was running for the USA he would be the greatest thing since the US constitution, the recent one that has me laughing till I can't stop was the INVINCIBLE Carmelita Jeter, I watched a few of those US meets and after hearing these guys talk I was quaking in my boots for our girls, thank god our girls are tough, Fraser and Stewart ran roughshod over Jeter. I am still in awe of the marketing ability, the overhype, the imaginary aura of Jeter's invincibility after a few races in the US.

That is the way it is and so it is with Ricketts, we don't really make too much of a fuss over anybody in JA, however the US really knows how to hype beyond reality sometime creating a new reality with psych games. Ricketts is the same keeper that Jamaica produced, not the Galaxy, he has not all of a sudden evolved from a dinosaur into a mammal. this kind of talk is really unbelievable Tilla I am disappointed brethrin.

[Tilla]

So obviously you are one who think that we are not capable of thinking for ourselves beyond marketing pitch? Shame on you Mr. Stony!

Ricketts did not see the improvements he has shown now while at Bradford. I am not following any hype than watching Ricketts in action and see that many of the bone-headed plays he usually do are almost non existent. You see the man collecting the ball now a days and instead of booting it up field, he now looks for other opportunities and distributes short balls to play the ball through the middle.

No one is saying that Galaxy produced him, but he has made marked improvements since he has been there and you should not be afraid to admit it.

You do not have to be dissapointed in me, I call it how I see it. I got chastized on this site over the years when I would always criticize his game for his lack of some of the goalkeeping basic fundamentals of goalkeeping when it comes to starting the attack and, distributing the ball and managing his box. He has improved immensely in those areas and what has changed? He joined the Galaxy. . .

I will let you draw the conclusions.

[Stonigut]

All right, all right, good argument to a certain degree, you have seen the improvements. I cannot say I have seen the same thing in the GCup matches I have watched, it seems like the same man to me. I have been one to criticize Ricketts as well in the past, not for his goalkeeping but just what seems to me to be strange and somewhat bizarre behaviour at times, especially for a bedrock position like goalkeeper. I don't see the weird half smile/laugh coming out at what seems to be an odd time in the game and no one giving any jokes, so if that is the improvement I am happy about it, I love a serious/ no jokey, jokey keeper, one that will attack and intimidate all comers especially when them come in him box, see man ah dance like some of the Jamaican strikers in the GCup who couldn't settle long enough to put the ball in the net.

[Assasin]

Like you I think the big improvement is focus and discipline.

He is not joking and trying to do things he shouldn't anymore.

[HL]

I hope Ricketts is made available for the Ecuador(?) and South Africa matches.

Not that the #2 GK should not get a chance--but Jamaica needs someone capable of stemming (or lock off) the "floodgate" in those games.

[Gamma]

maybe ricketts didn't have that much confidence in

distributing the ball to his defenders when in between the sticks for jamaica.

[Tilla]

We only saw him once or twice "joking around" as you might put it. That was never my problem with him. My problem was his constant booting of the ball to thy kingdom, bypassing out midfield and forcing our forwards to battle with opposing defense for 50/50 balls. It was like you are playing Russian Roulette with possession whenever we get the ball.

Opposing defenders who knew Ricketts' game would only sit back and await his big kicks and regain posession from us. Anyway, he has changed that tendency now and only one thing has changed. He started playing for the Galaxy. Just maybe their coaching had something to do with it.

[Assasin]

mi tell unnu all the time that when most of our overseas players come home them want do too much fi prove themselves. Instead of doing the simple thing everybody want turn hero.

Check it out and see. JJ and Fuller want beat everybody. Bibi a overlap too much. Stew Peas and Claude turn madman. Omar Daley run down the field and make mad tackle. Ricketts a try fling the ball to the forward. When them the overseas players(European based) come in them need fi chill. T

[Assasin]

Yes there coaching may have done it but what myself and Stoni is saying is the ability was always there. Ricketts has made many silly mistakes playing for Ja. He was able to recover and make that silly smile.

If you notice with LA he is always in the game and giving instructions and well positioned but then again maybe he is not playing with all 4 "opinionated defenders" in LA.

[Me]

When they were NPL players, JJ and Fuller held on to the ball even longer, Stew Peas, Daley and Claude were wilder.