I'd like Andrew to sign the entire Spanish mens national team. That would be awesome because then they'll all have played together before so no rebuilding and waiting for them to gel. So I get to whine and complain and demand that we fire a coach each week until it happens. I'd like for our season to have lasted as long as DCU's has. They're too banged up to last much longer but they've done what they've without big expensive Euronames like Keane and Henry. I'd also like a pony. Look, as I have repeatedly said and nobody listens to, I'm not knee-jerk against big names. For the umpteenth time, if we can find an EPL, Serie A or La Liga player who fits our needs and won't treat us like a vacation league, I'm all for it. I'd love to have Messi, Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo in our squad. But more often than not, though, the big names don't get it done and the money is wasted. Also, other teams have been successful and won actual trophies without big Euronames. We don't need big names, we need the RIGHT names regardless of whether or not they are big Euronames. Instead of stupidly fixating on spending "Keane money" for its own sake, we should just build a quality roster that works well together to execute Frank's vision of how we should play regardless of how much those players cost. Really, I can't say it any more plainly than that. If people want to whine and bitch until we sign some former EPL guy just so they can feel as important as NY or LA, whatever. Denis was treated differently because he inherited a completely different situation than Klopas did. When the Chan was sacked, the problem was the coaching, not the players. Denis had the players to win trophies and he did not. His teams performed below what they should have, especially in the USOC. And I'm sure there were the usual politics behind the decision. When Frank came on board, we did not make the play-offs the previous year. The team had a losing culture and did not have the players to win trophies. We have seen an improvement over the last year and a half. If we stagnate in 2013 or if we do sign Messi, Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo and still not win any trophies then the knives will come out, I'm sure.
I wasn't around in those days, so all I can do is look at the numbers you posted to see that he was obviously successful on some level. I don't know what reasons people would give for him being fired. BUT... It could be people have seen what has happened to the team since those years and realized, huh...maybe we shouldn't have pulled the trigger so fast, and are therefore hesitant to do it again to Klopas. Lets not forget, this was Klopas' first full season in charge. He deserves at least two full seasons to prove if he has got it. I'd prefer three, but I know soccer fans get particularly antsy. And I agree. If Nowak and/or Marsch don't land MLS Head Coaching jobs, at least one better be on the FIRE bench next to Klopas come opening day.
A stupid, stupid argument and well beneath you Joe. I mention a couple of former Fire greats who had success in Europe and you respond with signing the whole Spanish national team and a pony? And then you attribute whining and complaining about firing the coach to me? I've never once called for Frank to be fired, and in fact, I called for him to be given several years as long as we continue in the right direction in the very post you quoted. Come on man, step up your game a bit. Then take it up with Andrew. He's the one who brought up Keane money in the first place. I'm simply continuing with a discussion that Bunge joined in with starting around June or July that we should bring in an experienced player who has played at that highest level, who still has something left and who wants to bleed for us for a few more years. We kicked around ideas, and I couldn't give a ******** all how much it costs. It ain't my money. He can spend fifty bucks or fifty million. I don't care. I do know that to get that type of player, we need to spend some cash. The bench mark in the discussion was "Keane money" because Andrew was the one who established that benchmark. By the way, we also need to invest more down the bench as you can't buy one guy and surround him with Bone and Paladini and expect results. On your last point above, I don't give a rat's ass (pun intended) about NY or LA. I have seen a model work right here in Chicago. I saw it initially with Nowak, Kubick and young players like Beasley and Armas. I saw that team add Hristo. I saw the Fire with a good yet unspectacular team playing .500 ball add Blanco and become very dangerous when he was on the field with young players like Rolfe, Pappa and Nyarko. We have a formula that has worked here and that is all I am advocating for. I don't know how I can put it more plainly than that. I have noted the differences on several occasions, and I threw my hat into the pile saying that Denis should go without winning after that second year because of the differences. But that doesn't square with your argument that a coach needs to be given more time to grow or we become Toronto. Denis did grow as a coach. Denis did manage personalities like Blanco quite well. He was a Fire guy through and through and by any measure (other than trophies) he had real success in those two years. Again, he's gone, and I'm not looking to rehash that. I only raise it because I want a little less acceptance of the fine year we had that ended with an absolute thud. I am quite sure that Frank is being harder on himself than most of the posters on here. But we should be saying, "nice season . . . don't let that happen again."
I'm not disagreeing with you at all. I just sense that I am more pissed off that we couldn't get a result against DC and that we shit the bed against Houston. By the way, last year with Frank in charge, we did make a very nice comeback into contention. We had one key game late in the year that sealed our fate, so I won't call it a pattern, but Frank needs to figure out how to get his teams peaking late in the year and win those must win games, because that is what this league is all about. On Denis, I don't think this reaction is a learned response. People genuinely didn't like him and blamed him over the players for virtually everything. My personal opinion was that many were over valuing the players at the time, although it was a very good team that should have been competing near the top and did compete near the top. But man for man, we were probably even with teams like RSL and not superior to them as many thought. It's completely in the past, but our fan base had a collective bug up its ass about Denis that I never understood. He was a brand new head coach who made his mistakes but I thought he improved significantly as a tactical coach over the two years. He actually changed up the look of our midfield from game to game based on the team we were facing and with great success. Anyway, as I said in the past, it was not a good hire by Andrew, but you can't blame Denis for that. It was a veteran team that needed a veteran coach and not someone learning on the job. The fault for that should not lie with Denis. He just took a great opportunity. It was all on Andrew, but no one seemed to blame him for it.
Do you particularly think either Nowak or Marsch would want to be assistant's to Frank? Both have more coaching experience than he does. Nowak has won an MLS Cup as a coach and was a national team assistant for 2+ years... Marsch did well to get an expansion team within a sniff of the playoffs and was an assistant for the first U.S. team to win its World Cup group in 80 years. In Piotr's case, I doubt he goes anywhere in the league until he gets his legal business settled with Philly. In Jesse's, he's no longer assistant coach "material" -- he'll wait around for a head coaching gig that intrigues him and no, I don't think there's anything about a return to Chivas that would do that. I don't think its always down to the case of the Fire simply avoiding bringing old players on as assistants... In C.J.'s case that was certainly an issue but there was obvious friction there between he and Carlos after taking away the captaincy and the end of the year home debacle in 2010... C.J. wouldn't have wanted to be an assistant and Carlos obviously didn't want him. At the same time, in all of those instances, you could make a case for a head coach being scared to put someone as accomplished as a Nowak, Marsch or Brown on their staff. Head coach does poorly 5 games in and people are clamoring for the assistant. Fans may not like that answer but I'm sure its a reality for head coaches, just as it is in any normal work environment. So having said all that, I think Frank should stay on as head coach and find someone to replace the lunatic Leo Percovich. I don't think it will be any current or potential Ring of Fire members.
Not particularly, but I can hope....as I see it, there are three coaching openings, and I'm not sure I see any more opening up. Marsch obviously isn't going back to Montreal, as you said, Chivas has nothing going for it, and I expect NYRB to hire some psuedo-fancy pants foreign manager, since that worked so well with Backe. Nowak could I guess take the Montreal job, and I wouldn't fault him for it. I'm not sure any more coaching jobs will be opening up before the season...Of the teams that didn't make the playoffs, they have either fired a coach in the last year (Portland, Montreal, Philly, Chivas, New England, Colorado) or have a coach with significant tenure or support (Dallas and Columbus). I mean who is going to fire a coach? Maybe Vancouver is the only one I could see. So a Fire pitch of "come help out here, and we'll let you interview for any jobs that open up if you want" might sound ok for a guy who a) likes the Fire and b) would like to have a job. Even they only stay for 6 months, I'd be glad to have them back. I agree that Piotr's legal things would be an issue, and, to be honest, if he actually did anything, I don't know I would want him around. If he didn't though, he's welcome to stop by and build his cred back up, both from a moral point and a coaching point (because lets be honest, he wrecked Philly this past off season)
Regardless of how ridiculous the premise of this thread is (unless it is, as I initially read it, "the official FIRE Klopas thread", as in the team, not sacking) ... it is completely moot. Frank is coming back next year, you can take that to the bank. Let's start a roster speculation thread instead because 12 pages of this is just a waste of time and space.
I think I might have a full dozen eggs on my face right now... Turns out Seattle's defense is a joke. No way they move on, and the first leg isn't even over (technically) as I write this. DC is still my favorite, with the BIG IF, of if the players who left injured today can return next week. If not, Houston will take it. Either way, I think East beats West.
It's going to be a rematch of 2011, Houston at Los Angeles. Los Angeles is going to win a 4th Championship (2-0)...
In hindsight, not really a shocker. Seattle likes to choke in the playoffs. Both LA and Houston have a lot of veteran presence who have been there and done that in MLS and elsewhere. Kinnear really knows how to get is team ready for the post-season.
Two teams with 80%+ carry-over minutes. In fact only Seattle is outside the top 5, who were (in order) RSL, SKC, Houston, SJ, LA. LA had 80%, RSL 90%. We were sixth, but a significant drop down at 71%. I don't think its a coincidence that 5 of the 8 conference semis and the two likely final teams are among the top carryover minutes teams. DC United is also the only one to hire a new coach in the last four years. Kinnear's been there since 06, Schmid since the start before the 09 season, Arena also in 08, replacing Schmid who left. Even Olsen has been there since partway through 2010. Coaches don't directly factor in to carryover minutes, but as has often been said, this is 'Franks team' and it would likely get blown up if someone else came in. http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/201...ver-minutes-why-your-team-may-not-have-enough
No only ft lauderdale and the fire were new that year and had no carry over minutes, all the other teams had been in operation 2 years.
Oh, the posters in this thread! All the "classics" like https://www.bigsoccer.com/members/salvatore-giuseppe.206103/ The years' long feud between ratdog and Chris M. Ah, memories.
Well, we have been recently treated with necro threads. More nostalgia for the old timers and maybe some education for the newer fans.
I love how Frank has basically invented a position for himself, permanent interim manager. May he never leave.