TM- List of 38 players-June 9 2016

[Matador]

I would like to see Shekari called up as well. He'll be 20 by the time the WC starts and he could use the experience.

[shahname]

I think you mean CB here, not DM. Well of course replacing Hosseini & Montazeri won’t be easy as these 2 have been the best and most consistent CB's of Iran for a long time now. Pool-aliganji was the main candidate to take over, until arab money made him a bitch. Pourghaz and Tayebi are not that old actually, not for a CB at least.
IMO right now we should worry more about LB & GK. With CQ finally starting to use Mohammadi instead of Hajsafi we are fixing the LB spot, now we just need to see who will be the best GK. We have good options, but mentally they are not ready. Haghighi needs to recover as he is out of form, Beiranvand might not withstand the pressure in Perspolis, Akhbari or Mazaheri also need to prove if they have the confidence...

Yes you are right. I meant CB naturally. Not worried about DM at all with Ezzatollahi etc.
Still think we have a problem in CB.
What are the younger options for those to CB positions in Iran???

[Iran_19]

Ghafouri is invited and not injured..

[KeonKish]

I think that even if CQ decides to not use ando as a starter, that ando should always be in the squad. We simply can't afford to throw away experience at this level.

Let me hit PFDC with some reality here. But first, let me clear up presumptions.
1) I know that ando is currently not fit and in good form, but considering by the WCQ he IS:

I expect him to be in the squad and the WC.
We may think our current team is super good but besides Japan game, we have not played a SERIOUSLY hard game without Ando.

He was 100% in our 3 best players in all 2014 WC and 2015 AC games.

He also always happens to get himself in great shape for important games.

I certainly think that CQ should play whoever he thinks is best, but I personally do NOT want two inexperienced players on the pitch during stressful and important games, regardless of how talented they are.
I Also like ebrahimi very much but still believe that a fit Ando is without a doubt better, especially against physical teams like Uzbekistan and to some extent to manhandle korea.

I would also like to point out that he is still by far our best corner taker, something which produces a LOT of goals for us.

I expected a bit more respect for our captain. It is a shame however that he has been out of the loop recently.

[YeCheesi Tala]

Ando and Shojaei are the last remaining players from Iran's "Old Era" or 2006 WC.
The faith of Ando seems to be very similar to AK8. He will most likely still stick around in TM but not be a regular player. The reason is because the team has been doing fine without him. Ando most likely plays through this years WCQ round maybe as sub or regular player. By 2017 we probably will start seeing Ando fade away.

[Ghermez Agha]

I still don't get how or why anyone is so quick to discount moving on without ando. He hasn't been a part of the team bc of injury, not bc of form. His experience is invaluable to the team and to say we would be fine without him is not something I can take seriously. We haven't had any meaningful match without him in these last months, it has been proven time and time again that players of his caliber and experience are needed as they always rise to the occasion. I invite any of the doubers to take a look back at this thread to remind you how important he is:

http://www.persianfootball.com/forum...noticed-talent

^ there is even more I can add to that after 3 years but I think I've made my point.

I remember when nekounam had a group of haters claiming TM would be better without him bc of X, Y and Z but look at how important he was for us even in his last months as a TM captain. Leadership of his stature, similar to Ando's, is irreplaceable. Having ando and ezzi is a MUST going forward, so long as he is healthy. Much of the reason he struggled with form here and there earlier on in the season was vastly due to injury so please don't read into it too much and keep these other things I've mentioned in consideration. Just as there was only 1 nekounam there is only 1 ando.

[Doctor DOOM]

pretty comprehensive list. But cant really opine on it until he sheds some weight off it.
once we go under 30-28 man list is when we'll have a good idea how he wants to proceed

It also seems the moronic conscription issue is finally resolved

[khodam]

Ando should never retire from TM without a formal appriciation ceremony or game. Captain or not he has been a back bone of TM for years. A true champion.

I want the fan show him their appreciation.

[persepolisfan]

Ando was great, but he no longer is so. I don't see him getting back in shape, he has had a belly since 2014, and has been declining since then.
Great list overall, I hope some of these guys get a shot to prove themselves in some decent friendlies.

[Gotham]

Can someone tell me why CQ hates Beitashour?

[Amin_]

It's not about disliking Heydari. I said why he isn't TM material, so we were talking about his footballing abilities.

That's what I was also talking about, not whether you liked his T-shirt or hairstyle. That's what I meant when I said that a coach who has been training with him (or whichever player) for years probably knows better than us and that's why I trust his judgement more than the ones from fans (includes all of us).

===

Also, next to all that K-Nader jaan said in his excellent post, I also want to add that we have to consider the squad and tactics as well. In case of Heydari, we usually did not have a classic target forward who could benefit from his crosses. Usually our forward was RGN, who is not a classic target forward and can not make great use of such crosses. Had we had the Azmoun of this form before and during the WC, then I'm sure he would have made 10 times more use of these crosses than Reza did, simply because he's the type of striker who benefits from these crosses.

It's like having a super weak defensive line and then blaming all the goals you concede on your GK :-/

[Amin_]

He USED to be decent as RB, but there is no versatility in him today. He is usefull only as RB and to be honest he was pretty good back in 2009-2013 at this position, but his time has passed and he is useless today. As a right back he is probably choice 4th at best because of his experience, but he doesnt't play there anymore at EsEs. And as a midfielder it is a bad joke to consider him TM-material. He his far from this level, he doesn't match International football criterias anymore: too slow in decision and running which used to be his main quality, too old and small, he lacks creativity and his play is way too stereotyped which only works in PGL against poor teams. He is far from our other Midfielders both as Cm or RM/RW, and also as RB you can't compare him with the likes of Ghafouri, Rezaian, Mahini ... Beitashour
He contributed greatly to TM at once but now he is done for sure now and this is true from at least 2 years, ago you could see it against Nigeria, if CQ wasn't so defensive minded he would have played guys like ARJ or Rahmani in place of him. Thank you Mr Khosro for what you did in the past and good bye.

Please read my post after. I said that it's a surprise to me as well that he's been chosen this time around as well. I even said that I probably wouldn't have chosen him myself if I was the coach, based on his recent lack of game practice.

I am not saying Heydari should be in the squad. Actually it's quite a surprise that he's around this time as well despite being out for almost the entire season (again, this shows CQ's trust in him). Personally I wouldn't have picked him this time around if I was the coach.

Anyway, my main concern is when people bash and make fun of players who are just there to serve their country! Again, it is the coach who calls up players and as long as the player gives 100% during every practice/match, then that's all he can do! What is also unfair is that some people say that he never was TM material, even not in times he was in great form and assisted on a weekly basis, domestically and internationally (ACL). That's really unfair imo.

[rugs]

It seems a waste to invite Heydari over Beita.

If we're testing players, i would rather have a player tested who will be around for the next WC and AC.

Glad to see Tabrizi on the list. He deserves a shot to be tested.

[BacheLot]

Can someone tell me why CQ hates Beitashour?

in short, because he isnt good enough..!
to elaborate, his style of play Simply Does Not Suit CQ's desired TM tactics..!
he is too slow n stiff and way too laxed of man-marker, and not near Agile n Energetic enough to perform adequately in a very demanding CQ's RWB position..!
the guy has been tried, tested and obviously failed as i expected he would, from the get-go ..!? in fact it was a travesty to have him occupying a wc spot ahead of players like AK8 n Azmoun..!

we are pretty shallow on RWB position now, i suppose if that situation becomes even more dire than this, he just may yet get another call-up??, but highly doubtful..!!

pre-wc, Heydari was twice the player, Beita could hope to be...!! Khosro's form and fitness took a huge dip though after his last serious injury that sidelined him for months..! but before that, short of his annoying aimless crosses, he was one of very rare domestic footballers who played heads up intelligent football, fully comprehend the concept of triangle passing and combined very well with our players up n down the wing, had the energy and stamina to hustle for full 90+ ...!

anymore, i sure hope we dont have to rely on his services though, cause based on his last few TM stints , he seems to be played-out..!! but as i said in my earlier post, current RWB situation does warrant his inclusion in the extended tm list, mostly due to experience..! i think K Nader explained it best earlier, totally agree with him on that post.

[Afat11]

I really don't believe Beita isn't invited because of a lack of talent. The guy is talented. I think some people go out of their way to insult him based on their preconceived ideas of him as a player, and they even admit it. That is wrong, in my opinion.

The guy has to travel from Canada to play for TM. This has to be kept in mind. CQ invited him to Brazil for a reason. It makes no sense to say he occupied a WC space, and not acknowledge that we hadn't found Ghafouri, Rezaeian or Mahini at that time. Really, we were having Montazeri play RB often because we didn't have a strong RB at the time.

Saying Heydari was good leading into Brazil is also a statement made with rose-tinted glasses of the past, and forgets that people were complaining about him in 2012 and 2013. I think people have a selective memory to support their bashing of players.

Beita is not invited for 2 clear reasons and that is travel, and style of play. Many MLS teams were excited that Beitashour was a free agent, and most American fans know of his quality as RB. I flew to Iran from U.S. recently with a layover in Doha, and that flight is sinister. It took me days to adjust to the jet lag, both when I got there, and when I got back. It's much easier to call-up players who don't have to fly 16-20 hours to serve TM.

Another problem is, he isn't very tall, and he isn't a two-way wing-back. He is definitely strong moving forward, and honestly, if you watch him play, his crossing is more precise than Heydari and Rezaeian. The issue is that he doesn't have as strong of a defensive awareness, and isn't a rough and tumble player who goes head first into the body to steal the ball back. CQ likes those kinds of players, and you can see that in how many fouls we concede every game, even against Kyrgyzstan. Beitashour will back off a player and try to reach a foot to steal the ball. This is classic football defense and to say that he is bad for playing that style is wrong. There are many world class players who take this approach to defending to avoid unnecessary fouls. CQ likes the bulldozer-type players who will run the opposition over to get the ball. Beita is not that, and he isn't invited as a result.

Saying he is a bad player is bs, and shows me how biased some members still are and always will be. Some people are so quick to write off players without any attention to variables that surround that player.

There is a difference between saying someone is not the right choice for the coaches specific tactics, and saying that someone is an incapable player.

I see Danial Mahini winning the RB position in the future and sharing it with Rezaeian. Rezaeian will be the choice in a faster line-up, and Mahini will be the choice when we play stronger more physical opposition. It may not be Mahini, but he looks to have the capability to play that role. I see that Heydari and Ghafouri have many of the same shortcomings as Beitashour (age, defensive liabilities, etc.) , and I don't see them being major parts of the future plans. If Mahini has one or two more good performances like against Kyrgyzstan, he will be the new starter with Mohammadi, who I believe is the true LB we need, playing the opposite wing.