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On the Record

Here's What People Are Saying About Brek Shea

Brek Shea's tumultuous time in England is a cautionary tale for American soccer players striving to play at the next level. Here is the latest installment of Laura Greene's On the Record series.
BY Laura Greene Posted
November 17, 2014
1:45 PM
THE LAST TIME we covered Brek Shea for On the Record, he was at Stoke City and struggling to get into Mark Hughes’ Premier League side.

Fast forward to November 2014 and the former FC Dallas winger is on loan with Championship outfit Birmingham City, where he has featured in just 26 minutes of the Blues’ last eight games.

The 24-year-old continues to split opinion in England, where his future as a top-flight player is anything but clear. Here, we recap the last few months of Shea’s career and bring you an update on what people are saying about the Texan, warts and all.

AFTER FINISHING 2012-13 with just one outing in the Premier League—a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Everton—it looked like Shea’s time was up at Stoke City. Also, to cap off a turbulent season that featured injury, incident, and scant playing time, Shea did not manage to make it into Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. World Cup squad. On August 2, the Stoke Sentinel reported that “Shea will be allowed to leave the Britannia Stadium, permanently or on loan, despite impressing with their efforts on the club's recent tour of Germany.”

It was clear that Shea’s immediate future lay away from the Potters, and he spoke to SI.com about his situation on September 2:

“It’s frustrating. I’m not out there playing. I should be out there playing. Basically, [Hughes] said he doesn’t have me in his plans and he wants to work with the guys in his plans. I’d rather him tell me than not tell me. It was kind of obvious, anyway. It wasn’t a surprise. I’d rather him be honest and give me the chance to sort something out for myself.”

The following day, Stoke supporter Metalhead responded to the SI.com interview on fan site The Oatcake: “I actually don't dislike the kid and I kind of wish Hughes would give him one more chance. Each time I've seen him, I've thought he has something but he just hasn't been able to unlock it.”

Crownmeking added: “Regardless of anything else, it must be hard to remain at a club where you know you are not wanted and don't fit into the plans of your manager. That has to destroy a man's confidence.”

Shea could not force his way into Stoke’s starting XI, or even onto its bench, for the first three games of the 2013-14Premier League season. However, he returned to the U.S. national team fold on September 3 in a friendly against the Czech Republic. Eight days later, it was announced that Shea would be dropping down a division to join Birmingham City on a three-month emergency loan.

“Best of luck to him!” Typed Mccfred on The Oatcake. “Really do feel bad for the guy, stuff has simply not worked out for him here. Hope he can get plenty of first team action in Birmingham. A good move.”

Shea arrived at St. Andrews in time for the sixth game of the current Championship campaign, with the Blues having earned just one win from its opening five fixtures. On September 11 then-manager Lee Clark said he had "been chasing Brek for a while and actually wanted to sign him permanently at the start of the season.”

The American’s arrival was greeted with mixed feelings on Birmingham fan forum Small Heath Alliance. As Deckchair wrote, “I distinctly remember him playing for Barnsley against Blues last season because he was THAT bad. Terrible signing—I hope to eat my words.”

Whereas CBCFC typed, “He's tall, six-foot-three, and he has potential. I think this will be his level eventually. Good signing IMO on paper.”

Upon his move, Shea spoke to the Birmingham Mail: “There’s a lot that I can bring and I know I can bring it. There’s probably a lot of doubters of me in this country. But I can only do what I can do. Hopefully in these next few months I can show what I am about.”

He went straight into Clark’s side to face Leeds United on September 13, starting strong and bagging an assist for Wes Thomas’ opener in a 1-1 home draw.

“Got the fans' man of the match with an assist in the bag, if I'm not mistaken. Good luck, Brek - and keep it up!” Bombus commented on The Oatcake after Shea’s loan debut. Following 54 minutes in the Blues’ next outing—a 2-0 loss against Sheffield Wednesday—manager Clark told the Birmingham Mail: “He was never going to complete the full game, he has not played enough football. But I think he has added a new dimension. We have got the balance with the left foot, he is a powerful player. He is a threat in the air. So I think it is only going to get better for him.”

On Small Heath Alliance, Latchfordfrancishatton wrote, “In the Main Stand with my son on Tuesday night, unfortunately for me both [Jonathan] Grounds and Shea were therefore playing in front of me in the second half. Grounds was steady but offered nothing except long hoofs up the pitch. Shea offered nothing full stop and I can't see how this guy would get stuck in, he hasn't got it.”

Another commenter, H-Bomb, argued in Shea's defense: “Shea hasn't done too badly. He's had a total of amount 100 minutes so far and is clearly not fit. First half against Leeds he was very good, I thought, a real threat. Tuesday night not so good. Too early to be talking about writing him off.”

Shea went on to play a role in Birmingham’s next two games before being dropped. He has since appeared in just one more fixture out of a potential eight—clocking up a total of 228 Championship minutes this season.

It’s been a tough spell on the sidelines for a player so in need of game time. The 2014-15 season is proving difficult for Birmingham City, too. The Midlands side currently sit second from bottom in England’s second tier after recording just three wins to go with seven draws and seven losses.

Birmingham City management sacked Clark after a dismal run that saw the club record just one home league win since October 1, 2013. Five days after the manager’s departure, the Blues’ had to suffer a painful 8-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth.

To top it all off—Carson Yeung, the man who engineered the £81.5 million takeover of the club in 2009—has been in prison since March following a conviction on charges of money laundering, as reported by David Conn of The Guardian.

Under Gary Rowett, named new manager on October 27, things have improved ever so slightly, with the club recording two draws and one win in his first three games in charge. Shea has played just 26 minutes of league football for his new boss, and it looks like he has a good deal of work to do win over both his manager and Blues fans. Back in Stoke, y_o_y_delilah commented on The Oatcake on November 10, “When new players come to the club it normally takes a match or two to assess if they're any good or not, in Shay's [sic] case it took all of two minutes to arrive at a conclusive decision. We should all wish him well in a new career path well away from the Brit.” Ouch.

As it currently stands, when Shea’s loan deal expires on December 11 he will head back to Hughes’ side—which is currently sitting in ninth place in the Premier League.

On January 1 the transfer window will reopen and it’s likely that Shea will get a move away from the Potters. Major League Soccer fans are already debating whether or not he should return to the U.S.

As Kenneth Noisewater commented on MLSsoccer.com , “Shea needs to come back to MLS. He's clearly still too raw and won't get consistent minutes at a level in England that is as high as he would in MLS. He jumped too early.”

Desmond responded: “By 'raw' do you mean that he's terrible and not very good? That's my interpretation of him. Shea is so overrated by MLS and all of his fans.”

Another fan, oleole galaxy, responded accordingly: “Shea has skills dude, he just needs to find the right spot.”

What are your thoughts on Brek Shea? Should he stay in England and fight to prove his doubters wrong, go elsewhere in Europe, or make a return to the MLS? Let us know below.

Laura Greene is a frequent ASN contributor. Please follow her on Twitter.

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