Tainio

I got this article from the Tribal Football website...

Ex-Tottenham, Sunderland midfielder Tainio the signing of the season for NYRB
02.05.11 | Andrew Slevison
READ MORE NEWS ON: Birmingham City, Sunderland, Tottenham, MLS
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Former Tottenham, Sunderland and Birmingham City midfielder Teemu Tainio is the MLS signing of the season according to his New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe.

The Finland international has been a key contributing factor to the Red Bulls’ impressive start to the 2011 campaign which has them sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference table.

Backe feels that Tainio has slotted perfectly into the New York line-up and is delighted that he is at his club.

“I haven’t seen every team in this league, but he must be the [signing] of the year so far as a midfield player,” Backe said. “His distribution has been phenomenal.”

Tainio’s Red Bulls teammates Joel Lindpere and Dwayne De Rosario echoed their boss’ sentiments when heaping praise on the 31-year old.

“Because we have many creative players on the top, we need someone holding and he’s not the guy who comes up and is going to score the goal,” Lindpere said. “It’s not his job in this team. He takes the counterattacks, takes care of their attacking midfielders. I think he has experience, quality so he’s the type of player we need when we have a lot of great and active players on the top.”

De Rosario added: “Every game he’s been solid for us, he reads the plays really well, breaks up a lot of plays and frees up our midfield. It’s a position where you don’t get a lot of recognition, but it’s such a crucial role he has to play in terms of breaking up plays and building up our attack by finding me or finding our forwards and he’s done that ever so well.”

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It's nice to see the lad doing well, shame about all the injuries because if it wasn't for them I truly believe he would still be here, or atleast still plying his trade in the Premie League.

He's one of the few footballers who keeps himself to himself and just gets on with it, glad to see him doing well..

 

Never let us down when fit, not once.

And our win/oss ratio was high with him in the side if i recall.

He's my mate on Facebook, all the best Teemu!

 

Awful standard of football over there though. Like the guy but anyone who can pick a pass, regardless of how long it would take them, would be a success over there.