Who would you hire? Who is out there with proven MLS success that is available and could take this team, which has vastly improved over a season and a half, and do even better with it? Because unless you have names like this, you're setting the team up for another CDLC era
He's on a better path than Kreis was and that turned out well. He needs more astute scouting helping him avoid the Puppo, Robayo or Flacco acquisitions. He had more pieces than last year at the USOC Final and that showed with the flurry of subs and chances during the last 30 minutes of the game last night. Compare that with the USOC Final in 2011 when Grazzini was injure and our depth was abysmal. Give him a few more pieces and we can become a more dynamic team.
Well, before CDLC, we had a guy who for two years in a row had the Fire playing at its absolute best when it counted most, got us to the East final twice in two years and was a crap shoot away from an MLS Cup and what I feel was a likely win there had we made it. But hey, let's not go there. It's hard to pin down, but there are something like 20,000 professional soccer clubs on this planet. Are you seriously suggesting that we would have difficulty finding a competent coach? Who "we" would hire is hardly relevant. We all have day jobs. I would hope that the front office maintains an on-going list of potential candidates that they like, should we need someone for any reason. Now, I don't have confidence that this crew would hire a good coach, so I'm all for sticking with Frank and letting him grow as a coach. But to suggest that we NEED to stick with Frank because we couldn't find an adequate replacement is folly. Yes, I know that MLS is a different beast, but clubs are finding and hiring guys all the time that do quite well (and some that suck). We have a handful of former Fire players in addition to Frank who have bled for the shirt and are or will be great coaches one day. There are options.
I think it would be ridiculous to even consider firing Klopas at this point. He turned a non-contender into a playoff team. He got us the most points in team history and was just a couple of bad performance and bad luck (e.g. in San Jose) away from winning the conference. This year we ended with 14 more points than last year. (The only reason that it wasn't a bigger improvement was because of the teams record after he took over last year). If we improve half that much next year it will probably mean the supporter's shield. With the exception of Flaco, I like everyone he's brought into this current team. I don't think we should even consider finding someone else until we see the results after at least 5 games next year. He needs to improve some things, but he's been coaching for a little over a year and had one of the best starts in league history. Start this thread back up after we have 2 points through five games next year.
I largely agree, and I do think that Frank has grown as a coach. Our acquisitions, even taking into account the misses you cite, have been miles better over the last year. But we still have obvious holes that need addressing. The bottom line is that we did not play our best down the stretch, which is critical in MLS, and we are not the best in talent, although we did seriously upgrade through the spine of the team this year. Hopefully, we address some of our weak spots early in the process this year.
If the Fire found a great coach out there somewhere, I would not be displeased with Frank moving back upstairs permanently. However, I hardly think a "Fire Klopas" thread is necessary right now. He is improving in game management (but still has a ways to go). He has grown as a coach, has made some key acquisitions and coaching is not really the Fire's problem. The Fire were three bad games (San Jose away game-which was unlucky, Philadelphia and New England games at home) from winning the East. That being said, the Fire also came back from a lot of games where they should have lost, but did not. In his tenure: The Fire have 25 wins 16 ties only 17 losses (even with the bad first few games in 2011). The Fire have never lost when scoring the first goal "Under Frank Klopas, the Fire have never lost when scoring the first goal. The Men in Red are 17-0-5 under Klopas when finding the net first." http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/20...p-playoffs-against-houston-dynamo-toyota-park In 2012, the Fire gave up the first goal 20 times this season, yet only lost 12 games. They came back from a deficit at least 12 times this season to salvage points (of course, they should be behind that much). "In a season in which they lost only 12 games, the Fire gave up the first goal 20 times." (http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/11/01/fire-run-out-houdini-escapes-east-ko-vs-dynamo)
No lets start a fire macdonald,fernandes,franco,oduro and any offensive player who doesn't contribute CONSISTENTLY.Fans always want to blame the coach instead of admitting their players aren't good enough.
Well, I agree with you that we shouldn't fire Frank at this point, but the discussion is not ridiculous. With Denis, the mantra (including from me) was that anything less than an MLS Cup champion in those two years meant an early exit for the coach. It was a very talented team. But as you note, this team was also quite talented and we stumbled our way into the play in game and then stumbled right out. With this team, our expectations should be much higher than what we got and when that is the case, it is certainly not ridiculous to discuss the performance of everyone including the coach. I disagree with you on the last point. If you are going to make a change, you do it now in my opinion. Get a new coach in before the combine and draft etc. We went through this whole discussion with CDLC. Some people said, "wait and see how the season starts and then decide." Well, if it would have been the right decision to fire him then by waiting, you have lost another season needlessly. Where would we be now if CDLC was fired in November 2010 and Frank would have been at the helm from the beginning of the 2011 season instead of cleaning up the mess in June or July?
LOL! Frank is not going anywhere, and any wishes and dreams or whatever you write in this thread isn't changing that and it makes me laugh this thread was even started.
New Jersey Metro Redbull Revolving Door Coaching Plan? No thanks. Any coach works with what they've got and their ability to get it. It's going to be Leon and Petrei whose successes and failures should be paid attention to.
That's exactly my point. Klopas isn't Hamlett, at least not yet. But to fire good in the hopes of getting great is exactly what the Fire did wrong then, and its exactly what you want them to try again.
Reading. Is. Fundamental. That is not what I want them to do again. I have said a couple of times in this thread that I vote for giving Frank more time in the job. I'm just saying that the assertion that it would be difficult to find another good coach is just flat out wrong.
A certain former captain, that's in a certain Ring of Fire, that goes by the name of Ditk... er Nowak.
I don't think he was infatuated with Logan Pause enough. Just because Pause is mostly about defense doesn't mean the first move when we need offense is to take him out. Our poor form the last month coincided with Frank hitting on the idea of taking Pause off early.
A year ago, I would have been on this train hard. He better have one hell of a sales pitch for the club's future, and one hell of an explanation for the ****job he did in Philly this past offseason, if he is allowed to take over in Chicago.
Didn't any of you read Tweed's article about carryover minutes a few weeks back? http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/201...ver-minutes-why-your-team-may-not-have-enough He predicted it. The key to winning MLS is to try to keep the core of any group together for as long as possible. If you fire Klopas and dismantle and rebuild it would be another 2 years of disaster. Frank has made mostly the right moves and sure he can be obstinate (he's Greek after all! ) but he motivates the squad and they are happy to perform for him and seem to put club before individual achievement. He is learning and it can be seen. The Fire's 57 points this year (2012) wins the East by 6 whole points last year (K.C. had 51 in 2011). We went from no playoffs 2 years in a row to playoffs this year and a heck of a record since Frank took the helm. We are moving in the right direction and I wholeheartedly support this manager and will give him the time he needs (within reason) to grow and win. I don't agree with all his moves but perhaps last night was another good learning experience for him and I don't want the next manager to take 2 years to learn the same lessons. Rome wasn't built in a day my friends.
That is your opinion. And it would be a valid opinion if I just said it based on yesterday's result. But yesterday was just a culmination of things that need to be addressed along with constant failures during the most important stretch of the season. I don't believe Klopas can provide any real solutions.