Dorman finds sweet success overseas

Scottish football has treated Andy Dorman very well.

Since arriving at St. Mirren Park in January, the Welshman has not only gotten himself up to speed, but has secured a spot in the Saints’ starting XI as well. In his first start with his new club on January 19th, Dorman assisted on teammate Mark Corcoran’s first goal of the match against Motherwell.

It’s fair to say that if his early form is any indication, Dorman has returned to his familiar playmaking self after the questionable demotion to the Revolution bench toward the tail end of last season.

Revsnet’s Brian O’Connell recently caught up with the former Revolution midfielder to get his view on Scottish football, and his new life in Paisley, Scotland.

Brian: After arriving at St. Mirren, what were your first impressions of the town? I would assume Foxboro and St. Mirren are very different places to live and work. But are there any similarities at all?

Andy: Paisley is a working class town and is completely different to Foxboro. The good thing is that most of the people are St Mirren fans so it gives the town a sense of identity and brings the people together.

How have you taken to manager Gus MacPherson's style of coaching?

So far I have been impressed, he and Andy Millen are very positive and try to get us to go out and work hard for each other and express ourselves when we get the chance.

How about your new teammates? Are there any similarities between your St. Mirren mates and your former Revolution mates?

All the lads have been good to me since I arrived at the club, everyone enjoys the training sessions because we work hard and have a laugh at the same time. So that is no different to the Revs. The only difference I have noticed so far is that because people live all over the place, they don’t hang out as much outside of training as at the Revs.

After playing in the United States for a combined seven years, there are obviously adjustments to be made when playing in another country. What has been the most difficult adjustment to make personally? Professionally?

I am really enjoying the football so that side of it has not been too much of a problem. But personally it has been a bit harder. I am used to living with people and now I am in a flat on my own which is sometimes a bit lonely. My girlfriend is still in the U.S., so I don’t see much of her at the moment. But, at the same time, my family and friends have been traveling up on the weekends for the games so I always have visitors on the weekends, which is good.

Describe your state of mind as you made your St. Mirren debut coming on as a substitute against Dumbarton. How were your nerves?

I was excited to get started. We were 2-0 up and looking pretty comfortable so it was a good situation to be coming on to.

Although you've only played in a handful of matches thus far, how does the style of play in Scottish football differ from American soccer? Are there any similarities?

Scottish football is quicker, but a bit more hectic. It is harder to get the ball down and play because defensively the other team work so hard to close you down and pressure you.

How have the fans been at St. Mirren? How different are the fans there compared to the fans in New England?

There aren’t as many of them at the games but they bring a great atmosphere to home and away games. So (they’re) not too different from the Revs fans. So far it seems like the Revs fans have more of a personal relationship with the fans, over here you don’t see much of the fans outside of the games.

You earned your first start against Motherwell and certainly did your part to aid the club by putting a nice ball through to Mark Corcoran for the first goal of the game. How satisfied were you with your performance?

I was happy with the win first and foremost but it was also nice to get a full 90 (minutes) in which is going to help towards getting fully fit.

You and your club had a big match this past weekend at Rangers, playing at The Ibrox in front of over 45,000 fans. What was that experience like for you?

It was amazing running out of the tunnel before the game in front of that many people. I enjoyed the first 20 (minutes) and I thought we were in the game but then things changed pretty quickly and it was too enjoyable chasing the ball for the rest of the game.

What are your goals for the remainder of the season? Do you feel like this situation, one in which you were able to join in the middle of the season rather than having a full season ahead of you, makes things easier or more difficult?

I hope we can have a good run in the (Scottish) Cup and try and push up the table and if we have a bit of luck with injuries there is no reason why we can't do that. I guess playing half a season will make it easier for next year knowing what to expect, but I am just thinking about the next game and no further ahead so it doesn’t make it any easier or difficult because we have a tough game against Dundee United coming up.

(Editor’s note: Dorman scored the deciding goal for St. Mirren yesterday as the Buddies beat Dundee United 1-0 at Tannadice Park. The win helped steer St. Mirren to the Scottish Cup quarterfinals.)

The Departed

The flickering first two letters of the "no vacancy" sign for the attacking midfielder's position have finally burned out after Andy Dorman signed with St. Mirren of the Scottish Premier League to ring in the new year.

Dorman's expected departure was due, in part, to failed contract negotiations between him and club after the two sides were apparently none too close in coming to an accord. When you combine that along with his relegation to the bench during the final weeks of the 2007 season - well, you’ve got your second-leading scorer plying his trade thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

Dorman began last season tamale-hot, with seven goals in the bank before the MLS All-Star match. But before long, his goalscoring began to subside as he struggled to find his first half attacking form. Yet, as one of the league’s most underrated two-way players, Dorman certainly held his own dropping back to provide support for a defending corps that was vulnerable at times during the course of the season. Nonetheless, manager Steve Nicol made the decision to drop Dorman from the first XI, and slotted right winger Steve Ralston into the attacking midfielder’s slot.

However, the switch left the attack overly reliant on striker Taylor Twellman, who scored all three of the Revolution's post-season goals. While Ralston provided decent service in the middle, the insertion of Wells Thompson on the right wing left much to be desired. As a result, the attack had clearly sputtered, and a defensively adept Houston club exposed the Revolution before a national audience during MLS Cup. And yet, Dorman, who had already endured two consecutive MLS Cup losses with the Revolution, could only sit back and watch until his number was called late in the 78th minute. With less than fifteen minutes of regulation to operate with, Dorman tried to spark the attack, but he and his club fell short for the fourth time in six tries.

With Dorman now gone, Nicol certainly has his work cut out for him in finding a suitable replacement. There's no question that while Ralston is serviceable in the middle, his strengths are better suited for the right, where his beautiful crosses have often been the catapult to many Revolution goals. Wells Thompson, Ralston’s successor on the right, may indeed be the heir on either wing - at some point in time. But for now, Ralston is the best option if the Revolution wishes to score more than an obligatory goal per game.

If history tells us anything, it's that Nicol will likely address the vacancy during the MLS SuperDraft on January 18th. Many recall that back in 2004, the gaffer struck oil finding an attacking midfielder when he selected a flashy kid from an obscure college in South Carolina. Yes, Clint Dempsey turned out to be pretty decent, to say the least. Yet, barring the second coming of another Deuce, the Revs may have to hope they can develop an attacking player from the same mold of Dempsey and Dorman, which of course would require time.

However, another possibility lingers: an international player signing. Shortly after the MLS Cup, Nicol and assistant coach Paul Mariner boarded a plane for Argentina, the wildly-popular locale as of late among MLS managers and executives after last season's success stories of Juan Toja and Guillermo Barros Schelotto, both alums of the Primera Division Argentina. Whether Nicol and Mariner have discovered a mini-Maradona or a Lionel Messi clone remains to be seen. But there's no question that, regardless of the manner in which the Revs go about it, the attacking midfielder role needs to be addressed prior to First Kick on March 29th.

When it's all said and done, and Dorman steps onto the pitch at St. Mirren Park bearing the black and white bars of the Saints, his departure will have left more than just a void in the midfield. He will have left series of questions for fans and media alike to chew on until the buds begin to bloom.