Dejagah Appreciation Thread

[ramingeles2000]

I really believe that when Ashkan hangs up his boots, we'll miss him terribly. For some reason, he's never been given the credit he deserves. In my opinion, he has been hands-down our best player since he joined the team in 2012. He is literally ALL OVER the field. He fights for every single ball, his technique is the highest of anyone on the team, and he plays with passion every single time. The guy is an absolute beast.

Why do we underappreciate him? I think people are still subconsciously upset that he refused to play for Iran during his prime Hertha/Wolfsburg years. There's no other explanation...he's head and shoulders above the rest of team melli players. Absolute beast.

[Nader25]

Overrated, dont Think he should be a starter, he destroys the harmony of the game with his arrogant and useless dribbles.
Once when he started to play for TM, I liked him very muchh and was pretty enthusiatic about him
Meanwhile I Think he should be sitting on the bench and in best cases be taken in sometime during a game

[Adesor Vafaseya]

Dejagah For TM!

[Karimi 8]

The Dejagah that came from Wolfsburg and the Dejagah that plays in Qatar are not comparable. They are different players completely. I love the guy and I think he is very talented. But his chase for money destroyed him as a player. He does try hard, but he is so slow now, dribbles aren't effective, and doesn't have that drive. I hope he finds himself again. Regardless I am thankful for any player that tries their best for TM and wears the shirt with pride. Just sad to see him drop form so drastically

[Afat11]

We must have watched a different game today. I was foshing him during the match for some terribly bone-headed errant passes and other mistakes.

He was very good, sure. I remember how he was. Since his move to Qatar, he's gradually diminished in consistency and capability. Go watch Ashkan's highlights in 2012-2014 compared to 2015-2016. The guy is a different player. The move to Qatar changed him from an EPL stalwart who commanded the pitch on TM to a lethargic (and rich) middle eastern player. I don't rate him the best on the team.

I'd say our most consistent and important players have been Hosseini and Montazeri. I see too much inconsistency from the rest. The younger guys will gain consistency with experience, and we will need to replace guys like Dejagah/Ando who are declining. Not saying they are horrible, but they are shadows of their previous selves.

[Babak]

He is a shell of his former self, and has been ever since he got hurt during WC qualifications in 2013. He doesn't have the speed or stamina to be an effective winger anymore, and right now his uselessness on the field reminds me of a washed up Ali Karimi towards the end of his career who consistently slowed the game down. Its a shame, but Dejagah had one sensational game in an Iran jersey which also happened to be his first game for the national team. Back then, it was obvious within moments to any casual observer that he was head and shoulders the best player on the field in a class of his own. Injuries + playing in Qatar have put an abrupt halt to his career, and at this point, I don't believe he should ever start another match for TM again. He still has use on the 23 man roster as a veteran with significant international experience coming off the bench for 20-30 minutes when the team needs an offensive spark. My guess is that the game against China (if he is healthy enough to go) will be the last competitive match he ever starts for TM.

[ramingeles2000]

He is a shell of his former self, and has been ever since he got hurt during WC qualifications in 2013. He doesn't have the speed or stamina to be an effective winger anymore, and right now his uselessness on the field reminds me of a washed up Ali Karimi towards the end of his career who consistently slowed the game down. Its a shame, but Dejagah had one sensational game in an Iran jersey which also happened to be his first game for the national team. Back then, it was obvious within moments to any casual observer that he was head and shoulders the best player on the field in a class of his own. Injuries + playing in Qatar have put an abrupt halt to his career, and at this point, I don't believe he should ever start another match for TM again. He still has use on the 23 man roster as a veteran with significant international experience coming off the bench for 20-30 minutes when the team needs an offensive spark. My guess is that the game against China (if he is healthy enough to go) will be the last competitive match he ever starts for TM.

I really think the popular notion that a player going to Qatar/Arab countries ruins their game is overblown. I really disagree strongly. I'm not saying he's 2012 Ashkan, I'm just saying he's our best player. At the very least, our best attacking player. He is literally involved in every play moving up the field. Who is more effective on offense than he is? He has moments of brilliance that are still game-changing.

He can't be compared to a washed up Ali Karimi because Karimi spent about 50 minutes of the game just walking around the field. Dejagah is an asset on defense too. He is physical and bullies other players. He also steals the ball pretty consistently. He'll be 32 during the world cup and I can promise you he'll be starting in Russia as well.

[Kiarash]

Dejagah Appreciation Thread

The most overrated legionnaire ever. I never rated him, and he never contributed to important victories with goals or assists.

If you look at his club resume (Herta, Wolfsburg and Fulham) you would expect so much more from this type of player, but he has dissapointed.

Even Zandi is a class above Dejagah now, if we had to rank legionnaires on their value. Dejagah is done. But I still thank him for trying and wearing the TM jersey, thus representing Iran.


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[pres80]

I disagree. He may not still have flashy plays like he did in Fulham but he is a constant pressure and threat, works his ass off (so many times he tracked back and won us tackles) and provides the teams with some leadership and a backbone. His move to Qatar was and is still very disappointing but saying he is bad is in my opinion letting our emotions get in the way of how we rate him.

[vahido]

One of our best players today. We need to look that the entire fields. More often than not, he doesn't have the support from other players so he needs to hang on the ball. At times I felt he played at a very different level than the rest of the team. It may appear that he docent have chemistry with rest of the team , because the majority of the rest of the team did not exhibit the same football acumen as he did. On top of it I felt he played with most intensity as I have seen for a long time.
Not trying to get into an argument with anyone here, just my opinion.

Weakest link, hajsafai . He the Albero Moreno of our NT. Weak and unaware on defense. Weak and aimless on offense. But he is fast.

[Tehranto]

I know this is a well intentioned thread but Dejagah to me was probably one of our most frustrating players. He clearly decided money over career - which is fine but that means he doesn't deserve to be in TM. But really, he is out of shape and his form has declined greatly. He doesn't deserve to start for TM.

Remember - he was starting at CAM yesterday behind Azmoun. Does he deserve time over Karim? Who moved to a much tougher league in Greece? Does he deserve to start over Gucci who constantly helps us gain victories and plays in a good league? Does he deserve to start over Sahhab who moved to a good league just to play in TM (and he wasn't even invited). Does he deserve time over Torabi, who is a young prodigy?

If Ashkan plays this bad now imagine in two years when we make the world cup inshallah. He will be the Daei of 2006 World Cup - and what Daei and Dejagah have accomplished for TM are incomparable!

Hope CQ benched him next game, seems he picked up an injury. Might be the excuse we need to move on.

[Babak agha]

I didn't see the first half of the Qatar game, so can't really judge his performance.. However, he definitely isn't the player he was 4 years ago!
He used to be heads and shoulder above any player we had or any other Asian team had, no comparison even.

[Malavani]

If I'm not wrong, he said in an interview some weeks ago that he wants to play for Iran till the world cup 2022 in Qatar... Gotta appreciate the confidence he has in himself but fact is that he isn't what he used to be and no where near as influencial as players like Azmoun, Torabi, Gucci! I won't say he isn't TM material but he shouldn't be a starter anymore , that's for sure

[Nokhodi]

I'd say even up until end of World Cup 2014 he was our best player, but his injuries and now massive lack of fitness are really holding him (and TM) back.
Let's not forget TM got 9 points last WCQ without him in the field!

However, I still think his passion, hustle (and skill and energy when he's fit) are irreplaceable and if he can get his form back he should be in TM.
He needs to go back to Germany. Be near his family. Rest. Get back in shape. Resolve his injuries. He'd also avoid too many games compared to England for example.

Sometimes I think that besides the money, one of the reasons he went to Qatar is fewer games so his injuries don't compound as quickly.

[rugs]

Thank you, i was thinking the same thing yesterday. He played great and out hustled everyone. His problem was that he had a clueless Taremi playing with him who didn't know when to move or do anything.

Everytime Ashkan had the ball he had to fend off two defenders. That is not easy!

They targeted him because even they know he's our best player.