Dante Polvara

[Panda]

I've put a bet on Polvara to score tomorrow. Just have a feeling about it.

[SeeBass]

You know that Women's University Soccer Program from Southern New Hampshire that I've been watching since late 2019?  I got Dante being an ex-college player himself and 2021 Hermann Trophy winner to send my girls a nice message.

He did the below video from Helsinki a few weeks back.  What I wasn't expecting is the connection he had to one of the universities our team thumped

4-1 in 2023 season.

Was well worth the £6 Cameo charged me! 

Edited December 16, 2023 by SeeBass
Bad grammar.

[Jute]

Jimmy saying Polvara has had an injury set back and will be out for a while. 
 

 

[RicoS321]

Aye, that's frustrating, would really like to see more of him. He did look hurt against Elgin. 

[manc_don]

Gutted for him, added something when he came on but was slightly worried he got injured against Elgin, could tell he was frustrated by something. Speedy recovery! 

[tlg1903]

They're dropping like flies. 

[RicoS321]

With Polvara not getting any game time, do we reckon he'll be on his way in the summer? Still got a year left I think, but can't imagine he's going to be sitting on our bench until then. I think he probably suffers from the same issues as he did before he went on loan to the states a while back. Not aggressive enough and doesn't do the mileage required. I can't help but think that with a good degree of training he could be a really useful player. Training of the physical sort too, as he's technically good. Get him out jogging on the beach. Half marathons at a time. He's a better footballer than Ramadani, for example, but just covers half the ground.

[wee toon red]

Hopefully he’s not away in the summer and hopefully we see more of him over the next five weeks.

Ok, it might not be too hard to play against 10/9 mine in extra time when you’re fresh but the guy was brilliant yesterday.

[manc_don]

I’d like to think that his performance has given Thelin something to think about. Think it was Rico who said he will turn into a good player, just might not be with us. I’d like to hope we give him a bit more of a shot.

[RicoS321]

1 minute ago, manc_don said:

I’d like to think that his performance has given Thelin something to think about. Think it was Rico who said he will turn into a good player, just might not be with us. I’d like to hope we give him a bit more of a shot.

Did I? How prescient! I think he's already a good player, as good as Palaversa probably, but just been unlucky with injury. He's only appeared 7 times this season, though, so it's difficult to get an overall view of where he is at the moment. His biggest flaw was his lack of coverage in games, but Palaversa struggled with this yesterday and was done by half time against the Huns after putting in a shift. We really need to see him get 45 minutes against 11 men to see how he fits in. Yesterday showed that he should have been given an opportunity against the Huns last week, as many of us said (and not in hindsight). 

[Jute]

2 hours ago, manc_don said:

I’d like to think that his performance has given Thelin something to think about. Think it was Rico who said he will turn into a good player, just might not be with us. I’d like to hope we give him a bit more of a shot.

Not going to be playing against 10 men every week. Think he benefited from additional space and will struggle if 11 on the field. 

[tlg1903]

1 hour ago, Jute said:

Not going to be playing against 10 men every week. Think he benefited from additional space and will struggle if 11 on the field. 

Not so sure of that, if memory serves he had one moment yesterday when he took the ball in whilst closely marked and showed great first touch to take his marker completely out of the game.  Time will tell but theres no danger he's not given Thelin some food for thought.  Of course, bringing him on against a depleted team that is going to be really feeling it in the legs has to be taken into account but, as I said in the match thread, Polvara brought a calmness to our play that was much needed.  Let's see if he can bring it again though and it will be interesting to see if he's played his way into the starting 11 against Hibs.

[JessianK]

I hope he gets a contract extension, he is doing a lot of work of the field during his injury period. Give him another 2 years. 

[RicoS321]

39 minutes ago, tlg1903 said:

Not so sure of that, if memory serves he had one moment yesterday when he took the ball in whilst closely marked and showed great first touch to take his marker completely out of the game.  Time will tell but theres no danger he's not given Thelin some food for thought.  Of course, bringing him on against a depleted team that is going to be really feeling it in the legs has to be taken into account but, as I said in the match thread, Polvara brought a calmness to our play that was much needed.  Let's see if he can bring it again though and it will be interesting to see if he's played his way into the starting 11 against Hibs.

Yes, I think he's got no problem taking it in difficult positions. The one blot on his record this season was when he tried to buy a foul and the opposition (utd I think?) went up the other end and scored. I'd have been raging if I was Thelin. He's a bit of a fanny at times in that regard and it can sometimes cost. However, that one instance isn't enough to have kept him out of the team for so long. There are plenty of ways we can accommodate him with good minutes, either in the two in midfield or the one in front in place of Gueye. At the end of last season he appeared to be gaining in confidence and beginning to do the mileage required of him, I think he needs challenged to push on. He's 24, and he'll be coming to his peak. If we get into Europe next season, then give him a two year extension and turn him into a player. Otherwise, let the lad try and get a transfer in the summer if we're not going to give him the opportunity to develop.

[OrlandoDon]

Polvara is a very technical and elegant player. I rate him and think he’ll do well in MLS, or another league. I also think he’ll show well for us playing in our European games. I just don’t think he’s suited to Scottish football. He’s not really physical, a battler, or a grafter, and is probably too nice at times. Lovely touch and in a game like yesterday where it’s a big field and we’re a man up he should stand out. (Palaversa on the other hand has bite and a bit of dirtiness to him at times.)

[Reekie_Red]

Polvara has a strength to him that's lacking in our other midfielders. When we took him to Pittodrie, he was featherweight and felt like he was just a signing to keep Christian Ramirez company. The following off-season he clearly hit the gym, and came back much more of a physical threat. We saw that when he came on on Saturday too, didn't get pushed off the ball by Hearts' cavemen. I hipe he gets utilised more regularly by JT - between him, Clarkson, Palaversa, there's good options in the middle 

[OrlandoDon]

Polvara offers something different, dare I say a lampard type who will get forward and get some goals too. He just doesn’t naturally fit into the current system. He’s not a deep lying Clarkson sivert or palaversa, and not really a number 10. You’d almost need to play one holding and two attacking mids with no 10 to accommodate polvara. Maybe Clarkson and polvara ahead of sivert? 

[Kowalski]

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6794403/dante-polvara-dating-sean-connerys-granddaughter/

Shurely shome mishtake. 

[Tyrant]

"Surplus to requirements" according to the BBC Gossip column today. (Along with Ruby, Jensen, Ambrose and Sokler.)

[tlg1903]

I would genuinely be sad to see Dante go but I guess he's just not a natural fit for any standard role within Thelinball.  I still think he could do a job at no 10 for us but it would be a wee bit of a square peg in a round hole. 

[Stewart]

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/aberdeen-fc/6804909/aberdeen-turriff-friendly-dante-polvara-ester-sokler-peter-ambrose/

Reads like column filler to me.

Quote

European specialist Polvara’s Aberdeen future

Polvara’s name will have been the one which caught the eye, even shocked supporters when they read the Haughs teamlines. The midfielder IS a fans’ favourite. Surely their all-American boy could not be on his way out?

While Polvara, too, battled injury last term, he netted a wonderful penalty to help seal Scottish Cup glory, and had made a powerful impact as a substitute beforehand at Hampden.

The former US college player of the year also proved two seasons ago he has got whatever the special sauce is for this term’s European football – including a goal at German giants Eintracht Frankfurt.

Polvara only has a year left on his deal, though, and in Adil Aouchiche and Kjartan Mar Kjartansson – who were both introduced to fans on Saturday – Thelin has signed additional attacking and defensive midfielders to his continuing project during the transfer window.

Midfield is not exactly an area of the park where the Dons are short-handed.

While fans love Polvara, he has made only 33 starts and scored four goals in three-and-a-half years since moving to Scotland. He is also 25 years old now – his developmental phase is done.

Arguments for. Arguments against. Thelin gets the casting vote.

 

[Slim]

I think I read he was the team captain for the Turriff game. Could just be because he was unofficially part of the coaching staff while injured last season so they wanted him involved from a leadership perspective. Does anyone know who was on the touchline for the Turriff game?

[OxfordDon]

42 minutes ago, Stewart said:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/aberdeen-fc/6804909/aberdeen-turriff-friendly-dante-polvara-ester-sokler-peter-ambrose/

Reads like column filler to me.

 

Talk about hedging your bets in one article...

Quote

So perhaps we cannot divine much of anything about Thelin’s plans for the new season from how the players were divvied up for Saturday’s two friendlies.

But perhaps, despite the manager playing it cool, we can in fact divine a lot.

 

[BigAl]

49 minutes ago, Slim said:

I think I read he was the team captain for the Turriff game. Could just be because he was unofficially part of the coaching staff while injured last season so they wanted him involved from a leadership perspective. Does anyone know who was on the touchline for the Turriff game?

I'm with Slim on this one.

He did indeed captain the team on Saturday.

Don't think his inclusion in the squad at Turriff should be read into too deeply.

[tlg1903]

1 hour ago, BigAl said:

I'm with Slim on this one.

He did indeed captain the team on Saturday.

Don't think his inclusion in the squad at Turriff should be read into too deeply.

It's not so much that he was in the squad for Turrif that makes me think he might be away (though it defo doesn't help 2bf).  It's the euro registration dilemma which I've been thinking about a lot, especially since the additions of Kjartansson and Aouchiche.  If you recall my post from last week about how we couldn't register one off:
"Suman, Nilsen, Polvara, Gueye, Palaversa, Yengi, Clarkson, Sokler, Morris, Rubezic, Topi, Milanovic, Molloy, Mitov, Gyamfi, Jensen, Knoester or Tobers."
well add in the two new boys and that's 3 we can't register.  When you look through that list of players the ones most likely to get the axe would seem to be Ruby, Sokler and sadly Polavara.  Everyone else has either been signed by Thelin or contributed heavily for him last season and given that would anyone be surprised if the management were wondering if Polvaras wage could be better employed?   I wouldn't, as fine a player as he is he hasn't played a great deal and doesn't seem a natural fit for any of the midfield positions we operate.  All that said though it could be that KK doesn't get registered given there is a bit of a one for the future vibe about him and it's unlikely to affect his morale given his age and status.   Also, on that note, I suppose all 3 players mentioned could be just as easily kept but just not registered for Europe.  It's a bit of a slap in the face for them though if that's how it plays out.......  

Edited 9 hours ago by tlg1903