If the team started next year, who would you want as manager?

[PhantomTollbooth]

Since it's too early to guess who will be available when the franchise starts up, let's talk about who you would hire right now. My personal pick would have been Sigi, but alas, Columbus was smart enough to snap him up.

Here's a couple of folks to get things started:

Bob Bradley: Did a great job in Chicago, but flamed out to some extent with the Metros. Was the notoriously bad Metros front office responsible? Was his real coaching level that of his Chicago team, or was he lucky to have Nowak and Kubik in the squad? I'm not sure I have all the answers, but he's been down this road before, and I think he would be a good candidate.

Dave Dir: Former Dallas head coach that some think is worth another shot.

Robert Warzycha: Columbus assistant. Seemed to do well after Andrulis was fired, but didn't get the full-time gig. Is he ready for the next level?

[Minnman]

Certainly, fans in Columbus are pleased with how things have worked out re: getting Sigi and keeping Robert W. as his assistant. But there is the assumption that Robert will, and should, get his shot as being a head coach before too much longer.

Other current MLS assistants who seem to be logical choices for a head coaching stint are Denis Hamlett in Chicago and John Murphy in Colorado (among others).

Personally, I would have loved if the Crew had been able to snag Frank Yallop, but he seems unwilling to let go of the Canadian National Team reigns at present. He'd be a great first head coach for Milwaukee.

[blackjack]

Bruce Arena probably will not coach the Nats for long after WC06. He'll head to Europe, get a job, not do well, and come back looking for a job, oh, say, right around 2008.

[olderandwiser]

It would be nice to have Herr Gansler come home.

[Minnman]

It would be nice to have Herr Gansler come home.

Bob's a great buy and all, and surely still connected with Milwaukee, but I can't say that I very often enjoy watching his teams play.

[kebzach]

Bob's a great buy and all, and surely still connected with Milwaukee, but I can't say that I very often enjoy watching his teams play.

You're not a fan of the tie? :)

[Pygmalion]

David Moyes

[sprintjeløy1926]

Kalekeni Banda

Banda-Ball anyone?

[PhantomTollbooth]

Kalekeni Banda

Banda-Ball anyone?

OK -- I'll bite. Who the heck is that?

[Fat Dutchman]

Kalekeni Banda

Banda-Ball anyone?

:D You must be a UW grad... The man could recruit some good talent, but could not get them to play together at all. I left most matches thinking what a waste of all that talent for such a sh!t coach (and his system).

Oh yeah, I think it was Banda-Bola:D ;)

[szazzy]

Bob's a great buy and all, and surely still connected with Milwaukee, but I can't say that I very often enjoy watching his teams play.

The Wizards have played more attractive soccer than the Crew for a few years straight now. The ancilliary aspects of playing in Arrowhead contribute more to KC being bad on TV than style or quality of play.

Gansler still gets a bad rap, and he will never probably satisfy Jogo Bonito requirements, but his style adapts to the talent he has.

He would be a great hire for an expansion club. Extremely professional and creates that enviroment for his players.

He has expectations of every person on his squad, and I believe he would've done much better than either Chivas or RSL did this year with the same talent.

[Fat Dutchman]

OK -- I'll bite. Who the heck is that?

Wisconsin Men's Coach in the late 90's

[Minnman]

The Wizards have played more attractive soccer than the Crew for a few years straight now.

What does the Crew have to do with this discussion? Crew head coaches have sucked from Day One (I've only lived in this state for 1.5 years, by the way); I'd certainly never recommend that Milwaukee snap up Greg Andrulis. RW has potential, but I'm not convinced he's ready for prime time quite yet. For the record, I'm thrilled the Crew got Sigi.

Look, this discussion could be about the attributes needed to be a succesful MLS head coach, rather than a list of the names of potential candidates:

- The ability to develop young talent: MLS is a young man's league, in part due to the economics of the league. It can't afford many in-their-prime star players; the US is producing a ton of promising, albeit raw, talent. Hence, especially with the new developmental rosters, MLS head coaches will end up working with a lot of young players.

- The ability to find and recruit affordable talent in other countries: We're a tempting place for players from other parts of CONCACAF (except Mexico), parts of South America, especially, but also parts of Central Europe, Africa, Oceana, etc. I.e., countries whose geographic location and FIFA ranking mean their players have a hard time getting work permits in Europe and whose domestic leagues are, for the most part, cash poor. There's a lot of talent out there, problem is there's a lot of cr@p, too, and we've seen more than our share of the latter in MLS. A great MLS head coach must be able to scout (or have a staff that can do so) this talent effectively.

- Understands MLS quirks: MLS isn't set up like a lot of other leagues in terms of things like the salary cap, player allocation rules, its playoff system, playing during int'l match days, etc. I'd like to see a few more head coaches with international experience in MLS, but not unless they fully understand the idiosyncracies of our league.

- Professonalism: There's not enough of it in MLS, IMO. I want a coach who instills it in his players. Obviously, The Bruce is a model for this kind of thing.

- Communication is closely linked to the above: Seems to me a helluva lot of coaches fall down here. Players and coaches aren't on the same page. No one knows what they're supposed to be doing. Players start talking to the press about how they don't know why they're not playing, why they're playing a certain position, etc.

Obviously, there's a coach's strategic and tactical approach to the game. Fine, but there are a lot of potentially good options there. I don't want a coach whose "style adapts to the talent he has." I want someone who knows what he wants, knows how to get it, and can get his players to buy in to said system and work their butts off in collective pursuit of a common goal.

[olderandwiser]

The thread topic was a simple question. Take the bellicose $hit somewhere else.

. . . . or answer the question.

[szazzy]

At this point in MLS an expansion team would never have the luxury of filling your roster with all the talent you desire to make your system work.

It's guaranteed to be a mix and match for at least the first year. The Wizards have one of the most deep reserves of talent in the league, and this many years in, they are definitely a team in his mold.

I agree with the rest of the attributes needed and think Gansler excels at most of them. Gansler's public knock is usually poor communication. Some people blame it on his German-American/Milwaukee roots! :)

For the thread's sake, maybe a Klinsmann if Germany doesn't advance this summer?

Preki has also expressed interest in coaching though that would be a huge gamble. He helps run a large youth club in KC.

[Zak1FCK]

Mario Basler

[sprintjeløy1926]

The thread topic was a simple question. Take the bellicose $hit somewhere else.

. . . . or answer the question.

I'm sorry, but "bellicose" and "$hit" used together almost made me crap my pants. I don't know why.

[Minnman]

The thread topic was a simple question. Take the bellicose $hit somewhere else.

. . . . or answer the question.

Verbosity, yes; bellicosity, I've not witnessed in this thread.

Lighten up. I mean, we have two years to kill before Milwaukee MLS kicks off. Quick answers to simple questions won't do much to pass the time.

[Pygmalion]

Verbosity, yes; bellicosity, I've not witnessed in this thread.

Lighten up. I mean, we have two years to kill before Milwaukee MLS kicks off. Quick answers to simple questions won't do much to pass the time.

Here! Here! (or Hear! Hear! to cover my behind). The man has provided some very valuable grist for the mill or fat to chew on as it were. How're we gonna excuse all of this beer drinking without any fat to chew? Now, actual meat is always appreciated and I'll save the Krombacher to go with that, but until there is an actual target for us to swing the sledgehammer at a bit of fat is always good. (Unless of course someone equates hockey and soccer participation around these parts and then suggests... ahhh forget it).

[olderandwiser]

You're telling me to lighten up? Maybe you'd do best to stay away from these simple-minded threads.

(Bellicose - belligerant, war-like.)
(Verbose - long-winded.)

You were both.

I'll forgive you this time, though. ;)