NOOOOOO! Brian NO!

God Bless you Brian, and family.
Cheers, to the next exciting chapter in your life.
I have never bought a kit with a player/number on it, I think I found a reason to.
MK

PS- San Jose is beautiful this time of year... :3d smile:

 

I can't say I did not see this coming. As I said to TimmyG on his podcast I had a feeling if Fulham stayed up he would leave. If Fulham would have been relegated I think he would have stayed. We will never know that though.

Regardless, Brian epitomized the word professional while at Fulham and really endeared himself to the supporters with his tireless work rate and his knack for scoring goals. He will be missed but never forgotten in the eyes of Fulham fans everywhere....not just in the US of A.

 

Ok, you all are making me a little misty eyed for McGod. He wasn't the player who got me to Fulham however he was the player that personified what happened at the end of this season and my feelings about him and what he meant to the team are captured by the posts on this thread.

Watching Fulham play next year without their 'rock' will not be the same. :-(

On the bright side, for those of us who don't mind watching MLS games, we will still be able to see him play.

 

Brian is class!!!!!! He even leaves teams the right way. He stepped aside from the USMNT because I believe he felt it was the right thing for the team. He is probably doing the same for Fulham. As much as he could get more playing time and score more goals, in the long run now is the best time for him to step aside.

Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the original Charlie in the Chocolate Factory - "So shines a good deed in a weary world". That quote represents what McBride is for me in the world of sports.

 

Sorry, we're gonna miss the guy here!

 

I echo the above sentiments. For me, McBride will be remembered as one of the bigger overacheivers I've seen in football. That's not to disparage his talent, but to credit his tenacity and football iq.

 

A great post by PT from TIFF:

McBride vs Drogba -- PT, Wednesday, May 28, 09:14:07pm (86.132.119.212)

Really sums up the difference between the two clubs.

From a playing point of view, McBride would walk through walls for the cause. He'd stand up when it was easier to go down, he never whined, be never moaned and I never saw him cheat, not once.

I never saw him surround the referee, I never saw him mouth expletives, and he didn't have to pop into the Club shop to buy shirts with his own name on to boost his popularity.

I'll never forget Macca applauding the fans whilst being stretchered off against Boro'.

I'm proud to say that I saw Brian McBride in a Fulham shirt.

And if I were offered Drogba tomorrow to replace him, as good as he might be, I'd say "no thanks", Cos' he ain't fit to wear McBride's shirt... Never in a million years.

 

He competes in sport on his terms. He leaves us, standing tall, on his terms.

Politicians would kill for his credibility. Absolute legend.

 

Didn't it turn out that Drogba was buying those shirts to give away to less fortunate folks in the Cote d'Ivoire?

That said, McBride never got sent off for slapping someone in the Champions League final (or the Fulham equivalent thereof), and he certainly didn't take dives like Drogba does.

 

Even though you knew it was coming, it still sucks. He's the teammate you always wanted and the player that you'd like to be. He was never the most gifted or skilled, but he played with heart and desire and he left it all on the pitch every game.

 

I am glad he was able to come back from the injury to help keep FFC in the EPL this year. I was not sure if that was career ending when it happened. Stud.

 

We all knew it was a matter of time before we would have to say good bye to Brian McBride, but I was hoping it wouldn't be for at least another year.

Thank you Brian McBride for the memories, the goals, the effort, the heart, the determination, the spirit and the joy. No player will ever be able to replace what he brought to Fulham.

We're going to miss you Mac.

Cheers

 

He left on his own terms, playing a pivotal role in keeping Fulham up in the Premier League after all seemed lost, after Championship football appeared but an inevitability. It's not quite a John Elway-type story (leaving after winning a championship for your club), but it's every bit as moving and poignant.

Good luck where you may go, Mac, and thanks for everything you've provided to our beloved Cottagers!

 

"I can't believe he's gone."
-Luke Skywalker, obviously referring to McBride

I'm going to be greedy and hope for a move to Chicago, so I'll have an opportunity to see him play a few more times.

 

You've all said it so well. I'll just add as they say in Negril.............. Maximum Respect, Mon......and Thanks

 

NOOOOOO! Brian NO!

Yeah, I realized that he might leave after this year.

However, I figured he'd stick around London for another year or two, just for the schools for his children. Ah, well.

Best to him, and I think it will be great for him to return to the MLS.



Favourite FFC memory: charging the 'keeper and scoring on a normally easy play. Tough as they come.

 

RE: NOOOOOO! Brian NO!

Sad day...

"The Dirty Whites" got together yesterday for the USA v. England match. Needless to say, when the scroll came across the bottom of the screen announcing McBride's departure, the rest of the game didn't seem as important to me. It was especially painful seeing Dempsey and Bocanegra on the field in USMNT colors...made the transition seem so much more poignant. Those guys, who I love so dearly, will not be together on the pitch in the black and white again. Very sad. I even had dreams about it last night...

Thank you, thank you, thank you McBride ! Look forward to seeing you back home!

Terri

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.”- James Michener

 

Broin McBroid! Broin McBroid! Broin McBroid! Broin McBroid!

 

RE: McBride Photo Compilation

Agreed!