Alexi Lalas question. (1 Viewer)

Fluffsta

Active Member
Back many years ago I remember Alexi Lalas on the verge of signing for Coventry City before he signed with Padova in Italy. One of the clauses he had if he was to sign for Coventry was to do a gig or concert at Highfield Road.
Am I going crazy or does anybody remember anything about this? I am sure it was even back page on the Cov Telegraph at the time.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
We signed Coby Jones instead.
 

JulianDarbyFTW

Well-Known Member
It was the back page of the Mirror (or maybe the Express) at the time. I often talk about it to people when discussing centre backs, America or beards.
 

Chipfat

Well-Known Member
He is on ESPN here ,, talks bollocks.. I remember him saying he would have shearer in his pocket when the USA played at Wembley in 94,, shearer got 2 before HT and Lalas didn't get near him.. As for the band bit i do remember something like that or he was in one....
 

covcity4life

Well-Known Member
Random but i just asked him a question on twitter video chat and he said he wasnt close to cov at all really as soon as offer from italy came he made his mind up due to serie a allure of 90s
 

Ring Of Steel

Well-Known Member
It was 100% true, I clearly remember him saying that he had a choice between Padova and us (may have been other options too too), he chose them and from what is said above it sounds like it wasn’t even close. I’m pretty sure he came over for a look around. From memory his debut was a car crash but he did ok after then- no idea if the thing about a concert is true though.
 

Legia Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
If I remember right there was a German team interested too - Wolfsburg rings a bell. Anyhow it looks like it was never really close to happening. Remember Ivanov coming, who had been brilliant in the World Cup so not sure how he was not deemed good enough for us. Got a vague recollection that we also showed an interest in the Bulgarian keeper with a toupe, but that came to nothing too.

We were quite regularly linked with World cup stars at this time as I also remember papers linking us with Okocha and Nakata long before they ended up at Bolton. Players we did sign after World Cups were Cobi Jones and Mustafa Hadji, so we did actually sign a couple.
 

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member
If I remember right there was a German team interested too - Wolfsburg rings a bell. Anyhow it looks like it was never really close to happening. Remember Ivanov coming, who had been brilliant in the World Cup so not sure how he was not deemed good enough for us. Got a vague recollection that we also showed an interest in the Bulgarian keeper with a toupe, but that came to nothing too.

We were quite regularly linked with World cup stars at this time as I also remember papers linking us with Okocha and Nakata long before they ended up at Bolton. Players we did sign after World Cups were Cobi Jones and Mustafa Hadji, so we did actually sign a couple.
And Chippo!
 

Offhegoes

Well-Known Member
Would of been a half decent signing, and might of meant we didn't have David Rennie at Centre Half who was always a disaster, but a steady midfielder. I thought Cobi Jones was alright, not great but he set up a winner at Upton Park as I recall. Got frozen out when Big Ron came in and started splashing the cash on players such as Eoin Jess and Mike Marsh
 

Legia Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
It's in my mind that Ivanov got sent off in a reserve game but I'm not absolutely sure. Might explain why the manager (Neal?) might not have gone through with signing him.
 

Ring Of Steel

Well-Known Member
Would of been a half decent signing, and might of meant we didn't have David Rennie at Centre Half who was always a disaster, but a steady midfielder. I thought Cobi Jones was alright, not great but he set up a winner at Upton Park as I recall. Got frozen out when Big Ron came in and started splashing the cash on players such as Eoin Jess and Mike Marsh

Cobi Jones wasn't too bad- no great shakes but he had something, but he was way too small and lightweight, very easy to dispossess. I remember we played Spurs and Sol Campbell found it so easy to keep him in his pocket that it was embarrassing, it literally looked like a 12 yr old trying to play against Campbell all day- I don't think he ever started another game for us after that.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Cobi Jones wasn't too bad- no great shakes but he had something, but he was way too small and lightweight, very easy to dispossess. I remember we played Spurs and Sol Campbell found it so easy to keep him in his pocket that it was embarrassing, it literally looked like a 12 yr old trying to play against Campbell all day- I don't think he ever started another game for us after that.

He was fucking awful
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Hahaha! Well, he wasn’t the best but he did go on to have a good career. Maybe he was just too young when we had him?

He never made it outside the US - we’d already got one of the best players in that squad and even he wasn’t exactly great despite his bloated transfer fee
 

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member
He never made it outside the US - we’d already got one of the best players in that squad and even he wasn’t exactly great despite his bloated transfer fee
Wegerle? I think I saw him have one good game, against swindon. Could turn it on but he was no Gallacher.
Yeah, It’s a fair point about Jones. I think he did ok at another World Cup but he never set the world alight.
 

ovduk78

Well-Known Member
It's in my mind that Ivanov got sent off in a reserve game but I'm not absolutely sure. Might explain why the manager (Neal?) might not have gone through with signing him.
I think he played in 2 reserve games & was sent off in 1 and booked in the other & Atkinson decided he was too risky to sign. Shame really as we've still never had a werewolf play for us
 

rondog1973

Well-Known Member
If I remember right there was a German team interested too - Wolfsburg rings a bell. Anyhow it looks like it was never really close to happening. Remember Ivanov coming, who had been brilliant in the World Cup so not sure how he was not deemed good enough for us. Got a vague recollection that we also showed an interest in the Bulgarian keeper with a toupe, but that came to nothing too.

We were quite regularly linked with World cup stars at this time as I also remember papers linking us with Okocha and Nakata long before they ended up at Bolton. Players we did sign after World Cups were Cobi Jones and Mustafa Hadji, so we did actually sign a couple.
The German team was Bochum.
 

Legia Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
To be fair, Jones might have done better if he had stayed a 2nd year and had more time to settle in, but Atkinson had come in by then who never played him. Ironically the last game he played for us was also Phil Neal's last, when Jones scored in a 2-0 win at Palace. He has more caps for USA than anyone else and played in 3 world cups, in 2 of which they did quite well, so he had a pretty good career all in all.
 

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