The Crushing of Dreams and Expectations

By: Brian | May 21st, 2008

diego brazil

Citius, Altius, Fortius? Not so much.

Werder has followed in the steps of other clubs lucky enough to have this problem and denied Diego the opportunity to represent Brazil in the Olympics. Heading to Beijing would’ve meant no real time off to speak of, a lot of travel, increased chance of injury and (most importantly) his absence for the first two matches of the next Bundesliga season. All of this for the chance to win a shiny piece of medal to hang around one’s neck.

Nobody wants to deny a player the privilege of wearing the colors of their country’s flag in shirt and shorts form, but with so many tournaments and opportunities present in world football today you’ve got to make some tough decisions. Truth is, the Olympics no longer carry the prestige and status they did even a generation ago, falling behind the World Cup, club competitions, and continental tournaments. Factor in the amount of time and Euros invested in players and it’s any wonder that any club would release even a moderately influential team member to play in the Olympic games. And yeah, it’s all a little unfortunate. I just feel sorry for Brazil, with such a small pool of decent players to draw from.

piere wome

But he seemed so perfect

You know when you first start dating someone and you’re just so excited to be around a new, fresh personality? Everything they do seems fantastic. All their jokes are funny, their quirks are adorable, and they have impeccable table manners. Then after a few dates, when the shininess wears off, things start heading south. The jokes are dreadfully tasteless, the quirks are gratingly annoying, and the manners are suddenly Costanza-esque.

When the Werder Offside first watched the Cameroonian Pierre Wome take his position on the outside of the backline we were smitten. Athletic runs down the left flank were followed by inch perfect crosses and laser beam freekicks. Then after a few starts we began to notice the difficultly in getting back on defense. Constantly getting caught out of position. Crosses that repeatedly failed to find their targets. The luster was wearing off. A long term injury coupled with the presence of Pasanen, Tosic and finally Boenisch ended the love affair.

Today the Werder Offside officially broke up with Pierre Wome, as Bremen released him, deciding not to offer a new contract. He’d like to ~~date~~ play for a club in England again, and we’ll see who may be making eyes at him over the summer.