As soon as I saw the Adu and the right-footed midfielder on opposite sides I knew we were in trouble. That's Nowaks answer to lack of creativity? ******** it, someone's got to start this thread!
It's going to be one of these things where one wonders if he really is a good coach or rather, does he have the luck of having quality players that were in the clutch at the right time? IMHO he won't get da boot.
There was a sign on the basebll outfield wall saying that Barra Brava approved of Nowak. And there are those 44 points before the break. If that United returns next year this thread will be useless. If the current United returns...
DC United was the worst team in MLS in the second half season. Real Salt Lake Los Angeles Galaxy Red Bull New York Columbus Crew Chicago Fire Chivas USA Colorado Rapids Houston Dynamo New England Revolution FC Dallas Kansas City Wizards Just for emphasis, all of the above teams were better. Two wins for DC United over their final 13 games. Two.
Two wins out of 13 is brutal. I'm on the fire Nowak bandwagon. The Adu fiasco today when Gros was terrible...just too much of the same old mule headed b.s.
We had 8 shots on goal and numerous other chances, with no goals to show for it. I hardly think Nowak is a part of that.
I would half to agree with getting rid of the coach. He was endearing his first year, winning the championship. But in hindsight, it seems that the late acquisition of Gomez propelled the team to greatness, with solid contributions from MVP Moreno and Esky. That being said, the last two years have shown a remarkable similarity. Looking good early, with players fading down the stretch and whimpering through the playoffs. Gomez was the only one with the effort to win. Novak's stubborn refusal to rest players when needed, an inability to substitutions based on the ability of players on a given night (it seems like he knows his subs who and when before the game starts), and his inability to make any meaningful tactical changes are liabilities for the team.
I was extremely disappionted with Nowak, but realistically, those who want to fire him are not only focusing on his weaknesses and not his strengths, but failing to notice that no matter Nowak wants or does, the weaknesses are going to take care of themselves. After today, the chance of Freddy going to Europe next summer shot up. He can't want to stay around any longer than necessary playing for Nowak. And it'll be obvious even to Peter that Moreno is shot. That means he'll only have one attacking player with dubious fitness, which will make his whole job easier.
ive never been a fan of novak and this game helped confirm that he was never the right man for the DCU job. He was given three of the most talented attacking players in the league and he has not been able to win with them. hes too rigid in his approach and he overworks his players. the worst, though has been the way he has developed freddy adu. never allowing him to get comfortable, shredding his creativity, and throwing his world-class skill by the wayside. if hed give him some freedom, give him some confidence, freddy can do some of the things he did today (3 goal scoring chances created). if he punishes adu for good displays like he did today, we can watch his confidence and potential be destroyed. i cannot stand petr novak.
You know what's really weird? Aside from Gomez, what were the key reasons DC was better in '04 than '03? Nowak played the youngsters Carroll and Esky, which Hudson refused to do. It's quite a contrast to his handling of Adu.
I'll be the voice in the wilderness. Peter is stubborn, yes, but he should get one more chance to learn. A championship buys you the extra chance. Next year, take this advice: 1. Rest your stars so they peak at the right time. By corollary... 2. Get lots of time in for the young bucks. Give some of the scrubbinis time, like Nickell and Moose. (Did we redshirt Moose this year? Does he now have an extra year of eligibility?) 3. Play Esky every other game at most, giving him time to heal and miss out on those chronic dings he gets. 4. No exhibitions for a few years. We peaked against Real Madrid. (Nice thing to say, no?) Serious slump since. Finally, let me be the first to say... Countdown to Champions cup -- 4 months.
Oh, Dr. Woo... you make some good points. But isn't this what we said last year? Let Moreno and Gomez take some games off, take Moreno out in the last 20 minutes? How many games has Moreno jogged around for the last half hour of the game? The advice has been given to Mr. Nowak. Last year was the big hint. Today's game was another hint? I just don't think Pietr takes hints very well. Especially when they're as subtle as this one. Hello, 4-0 was too subtle for him.
I won't shed a tear if Nowak doesn't return. I think he's shown the last two years that he doesn't know how to pace a team through the regular season and the playoffs. I'm also not thrilled with his adherence to the 3-5-2 when it's apparent that we don't have wingers who can actually play any defense.
Who do you replace Peter with? Look at a lot of the other people who have coached in this league, they're not exactly what I'd call "impressive". I know a lot of people would suggest Tommy Soehn, but no one really knows what he could do. We just know that he's highly thought of by some people in the league.
Wow! The biterness that is already in this thread is remarkable. I mean Peter's approach is unique in a league where flexibility seems to be the key to success. He is regimented, he puts a lot on the shoulders of his seasoned veterans and on the guys he has high expectations of. Has his approach worked? Well, yes and no. To his credit he has an MLS Cup and a Supporters shield, not bad in my book. We fans have every right to have high expectations of this franchise, but to the point where ever coach since "he who shall not be named" no coach can compare. I hate to be the one to point that out but its true. I think Peter was the right man for these last three seasons, and I will leave it to KP and Co. to determine if Peter is the right man to lead us into the future.
I dunno. If the Cup is THE trophy, and if Nowak's coaching philosophy now makes it impossible for us to win it, and the detrimental effect of his philosophy is getting worse not better, then I would think ANYONE is better. I'm not saying that's true, just making the argument...if you have a policy you KNOW won't work, ANYTHING else is better. The question is whether or not we KNOW Nowak's philosophy won't work.
Heck, that's the first convincing point yet to "do it now". If we don't, someone else will. Three things are inevitable: 1) Freddy's gone, 2) Nowak will be leaving eventually, sooner more likely than later, and 3) Tommy Soehn is going to be a head coach somewhere in MLS. We seriously need to get new ownership in place so we can pull the trigger on this one.