This decision has nearly nothing to do with the way the team has started the season. It has to do with the off field things that MM has done. Signing Glidden, having more sponsorship money than every before (I believe I remember reading that somewhere), completing the stage and booking some very large concerts. He's managed to hang on to a lot of season ticket holders despite the on field performance of the team. My guess is that with the added title of President, Clark Hunt will be taking a further back seat. I like it and am glad we're able to hold on to a guy who seems to get it unlike the previous regime.
Yeah I agree with everything zman said. MM is doing a good job with the stituation he received and he gets it. I mean any team president that wants to come to Ruby Tuesday's for a pint is alright in my book. His promotion isn't entirely based on the results either. I'm sure this season's results do help and he is in control of who the coach is, and it seems like the Sigi Schmid three year plan is starting to come along just now. SEE: Romeo Crennel and the Browns. We are one DP striker away from having the same expectations as them for next year. And, they do have the cap space and money to sign even more people to bolster a good team in the summer. I figure they will have to sign another winger to replace Gaven and Rogers. Then also sign a striker. But, we are finally seeing the light at the end of an extremely long tunnel. I don't know how you can complain about MM being team president. I'm pretty happy about it. The way I see it we are way better off with MM and Sigi then if either of them goes. If that would happen at this point I can tell you that things would just get a lot worse, not better. I'll have an article up later tonight.
My initial response after I read that dispatch article was one of suprise, it has only been five games as has been said. I love how things are going now, but lets face it, in two months if things have tanked we'll be out for sigi and MM's head. I suppose I would feel good about this if we were making money. we're not. still losing, and it seems like there may be a lot of development before we can start making money. If we were making money and assured our team wasn't going anywhere, EVER...then I'd vote the man dictator of Central Ohio...over Jim Tressel!
This team has been fun to watch. Not just the last 5 games, but the last quarter of 2007 as well. You could see the team starting to come together. It was exciting soccer. We have good young talent that has the possibility to be a foundation for quite a few years. We have more talent than we have had in quite some time. Actual talent, not just guys who we think "can get the job done." This team has a direction. That is something most of us haven't seen in a long long time. This team is rebuilding its identity that it lost the last few years. Lost with a poor GM and a directionless team with no image or identity. Mark is doing a great job of restoring everything. We all knew it would take time and it would be crazy to give up on his direction now. He has done well off the field (season tickets steady, paid attendance up, sponsorship, other things mentioned). This is reason to keep the direction. Well deserved extension. A fans GM and he is beginning to get results too. Glad we are sticking with him.
WARNING: Reallllly long post to follow Rather than condemning MM for asking the coaches to the monthly organizational meetings I would congratulate him. It is classic positive business technique. It keeps everyone informed and everyone on the same page. It allows input from all sides of the organization before decisions are made. I'm sure that the ticket people (both individual and group sales), marketing, stadium operations, and any other department I may have missed are there as well. It stops the "us against them" mentality from growing in the ranks. This doesn't mean that he exerts a dictatorial control over the organization. As for player decisions MM has long said that he has input but the final word is the coaches. The only thing he likely would say is if the Crew has the money for a player or other issues that might impact the budget and cap. Whether anyone likes it or not the stage is a requirement to make the organization healthy. Concerts and stadium rentals for HS games are probably the only things that have made money for Hunt Park since its opening. And that is under both Rootes and Smith. And let's not forget that AEG is one of the nations biggest concert tour promoters which is like having your favorite uncle's multi-billion dollar business be your company's main client. You could be completely talentless at your business and make money. The Crew will make money when attendance goes up which will happen when the team plays better over a period of time. In just 5 games it has already shown signs of rebounding. MM's accomplishments to date - certainly not a complete list: 1) Was able to at long last talk the Hunts into releasing GA. He openly stated to fans that he wanted GA gone but did not have the final call on the matter. You can believe that or not but his word is all we have to go on unless you have an in with HSG. 2) Brought in what was at the time the most highly valued coach available on the open market, Sigi Schmid. He did this despite everyone saying that Sigi would never leave SoCal and in fact had to make arrangements to accomodate Sigi's family situation. 3) Was able to keep Robert on as an assistant even though he had just been passed up for the head coach job after a successful run as interim. 4) Kept Lapper on as an assistant coach. Thus fully establishing the Crews commitment to long term relationships with valued players and helping foster a "family" atmosphere within the organization. This draws players who might not otherwise be interested in the club to play here. 5) Reorganized the ticket sales office so that season ticket holders at long last talk to the same person when they call about their tickets. The associates are now actually friendly, helpful, and can get answers to questions and solve customer complaints and do so. 6) The aforementioned stage which in just a sheer business sense was a major project that involved a great deal of high level project management skills. He brought it to a successful conclusion on time and I assume on budget. 7) Personally worked on the deal that brought Guille here. He worked the deal both on a personal level (no doubt selling the family atmosphere and our need for him) and financially structuring it so that he could come here without killing our cap. 8) Stuck by Sigi (even though he publicly said that he wasn't happy with the on field product last season) and his idea of building a young team that will be strong for a number of seasons. 9) Obtained the Glidden naming rights deal. Getting a Mil for naming rights might not seem like a lot but he did it on the back of a team that hadn't been in the playoffs for several years. 10) Orchestrated any number of player deals that have shown his ability to handle negotiations in a savvy and professional manner at a very high level of competence. Mostly raping the Metros/Red Bulls and making Lalas look like the idiot he is. 11) Rebuilt (or maybe even built) the relationship between the fan base and the FO. 12) Kept Eddie Caravachio on as the head of Latin business development and that has led to La Turbina the first real Latin presence amongst Crew stadium fans. 13) If you think that the Nordecke is a happy mistake you are high. Immediately after the stage was announced (and really even when it was still a well founded rumor) he was talking up the concept of moving all the supporter groups into the corner and creating a critical mass that would either work or blow up. So far it has worked beautifully and those guys have provided more atmosphere for the stadium than it has EVER seen before. Everyone gets applause for that bit of work. 14) Brought in Scott Debolt (could be wrong on this one) and Scott has done an excellent job with running the stadium. 15) Brought in Chris Keeney to run ticket sales and this has led to the ticket sales office sanity discussed above. Chris has also been responsible for reaching out to the fans and helping create contact between the FO and fans. 16) Is in the process of finalizing the deal for the new training facilities. 17) Is in the process of wrestling the control of youth soccer away from the current elite club systems and guiding the more skilled players into the Crew's new academy system. Eventually this will let the truly skilled young players receive training and experience at the highest levels of youth play. And this is just the stuff that is obvious to me as a complete outsider. From day one MM has shown nothing but ability to run the Crew organization. I think that he more than deserves the title and raise. His job is to run the BUSINESS end of things and he has done this well since he walked into his new office after the train wreck known as Jim Smith ran off to the equally large train wreck known as the Falcons. The team began to show promise at the end of last season when you could see the lightbulb going off over the heads of both Robbie and Eddie. Once they got Sigi's system and began to understand what Guille wanted it all started to fall into place. Yes there are no doubt valleys ahead of this squad but right now the peak is looking pretty darned good.
The only thing I think you missed Tim is that McCullers has also done the work turning this club into a more professionally run soccer organization. Adding to the accomplishment of the youth acadamy and all the partnerships he's made with youth clubs from north and south OH, after 12 years, he finally got HSG to pay for a full time strength and conditioning coach. He got HSG to add a Technical Director to help the coaching staff with scouting both foreign and youth. The way the club is now organized is on par with just about every soccer club in the world from youth team on up to the FO.
I don't see what the big deal is. McCullers was in charge of things in Columbus before the promotion. He's just getting a job title that Smith and Rootes also had. Presumably he's getting a raise too, but I don't see this as very significant.
I'm not shy to admit scolding the "suits" in the past, but the GM showed his face giving high fives, which BTW he's got one stern high five. To add to what was a totally perfect night, it was great for him to make his way to the Nordecke. He earned a chant. Hell, can we get organization of the year also?
I haven't been shy about criticizing the FO either, but MM has turned things around, with Sigi. He went after a mid-season acquisition, and even pursued a DP. He recognized our window probably closes when Guille goes. Now is the time. Still, we have an impressive bunch of younger players (Rogers, Marshall, Gaven, Ekpo, Hesmer, Iro, O'Rourke, Moffat, Evans, Carroll, Garey, Lenhart, Zayner) mixed in with the vets (Schelloto, Hejduk, Moreno, Padula, Noonan, Ezra, Duncan). All we need now is FSC and ESPN classic in the tent. Mark, $5 a month for the digital pack!
From today's Dispatch: That's the way Not long after the game ended, Crew general manager Mark McCullers emerged from coach Sigi Schmid's office. "That's what it's supposed to look like," he said to no one in particular. When asked what he was referring to, McCullers responded with a single word: "Soccer."
I'm not quite sure how it works, but I think there's a cable box somewhere that the TV in the tent is hooked up to. At times, FSC can be viewed in the tent by changing the channel on the TV. They've also had ESPN News on in there at various times as well. Of course, when there's 15 people there watching Florida v. Miami... I also wish they had ESPN Classic on in there on Saturday night. Generally though, there usually is another MLS game on after the press conference, which is exactly the way it should be. $5? Try more like $7 or $8. Hasn't been $5 in quite some time...
I think you have to look at the history to understand the impact. Jamie Rootes was an exceptional, effective administrator who built a strong organization from scratch and when he left it was as good an outfit overall as there was in the league from top to bottom. Jim Smith drove it off a cliff. He had no respect for the game and little regard for anything beyond his own ego and career. There were times when, all kidding aside, he seemed a lot more interested in whatever dog and pony show he'd lined up for halftime than he was about the game. He was a worthless piece of crap and between him and Greg Andrulis they quite literally almost destroyed this club. Mark McCullers took over an organization that was like a big old oak tree with dry rot. It looked like things were terrific, but it was a hollow shell which collapsed almost before they got done changing the nameplate on the office door. Smith got out just in time and I think he probably knew it. It was nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen. Make no mistake, gentlemen, he was handed a bankrupt organization. Not financially, but it had no soul, no pride, no direction and was only marginally a soccer club. It was more like a second rate traveling circus. From top to bottom, the whole thing stunk. Smith, like most other "sports marketing" shitheads - including the ones he surrounded himself with - think the product on the field is a commodity, interchangeable with wrestling or NASCAR or golf, doesn't matter. Pimp some tickets, pad the crowd, bring in the dancing clowns and who the hell cares? It's all the same. McCullers singlehandedly changed that and it wasn't easy. I myself have found fault with some of what he's done and likely will in the future. But nobody can say that a "soccer guy" could have done more or taken this club farther than he has in the direction of a tight focus on the game as being the sole reason for it's existence. I don't know of anyone who could have done a better job and we all owe the guy big time. The Columbus Crew could not have survived another soulless bastard like Jim Smith. McCullers has done an exceptional job.
This is probably the quote of the year. Maybe this should be our new tagline: "This is what it's supposed to look like!"
Also, to MM's credit-he did not throw Sigi under the bus after last season. He could have easily gone in another direction and who knows how bad the Crew would have stunk up the field.
MM has done well to stick by Sigi and has made moves to make the life as a Crew fan less miserable. Until we are in the playoffs (beyond round 1) and until we have DP on the roster, I will hold off on letting my curent happiness cloud my judgment and hold off on declaring victory.
Bill, you just made me regret all the mean things I've said about MM over the past 2-3 years. You know, I think I like it. Post the idea in the forum and see if you can get any others to jump the MASSIVE ship, there is still time.
Who are we? Toronto? This season just proves that the last 2 years MM and SS knew something that many of us here didn't know. That we had a very talented team in town. I believe many of us were doubtful when we were told we were one or two pieces away from a contender. Turns out they may have been right.