We have a crap team, no way to improve it right now and the on field product is not a priority at the moment. I can't be the only one not surprised. We stumbled into the playoffs last year and added Robinho, Francis and Mullins. Not a recipe for success.
I'm somewhat puzzled by these responses. One of the main jobs of a coach/manager is to get the most out of his players. We praise coaches when teams exceed their expectations. When a team is "more than the sum of it's parts" the coach receives praise. Virtually every coach of the year award that has been awarded across sports is given to a coach whose team has exceeded expectations. When players exceed expectations it's on the coach, when they make mistakes, it's on the players alone. This doesn't add up. In the instance of Aboubacar's "brain fart" this is emblematic of a style that Columbus Crew (and many other teams, to be fair) have played for years. This idea keeping possession and working out of the back no matter what. The need to continue cycling the ball through your backline. Continuing to insist that the least skilled on ball players on your team make so many passes in dangerous areas. This most famously bit the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup final against Portland but it's happened countless other times since. As the ball comes back to Lalas, you can see his hesitation because the game plan is to keep it slow and keep possession. He's in several minds here. Part of him is looking to play it back to the keeper, or thinking Sauro may be deeper to play it to him. As he get's closed down, he could play a quick ball to Trapp who is available, or he could just play it out. He does neither in the effort to keep possession. Is this error on Lalas? Absolutely. But let's not pretend that this error is completely independent of our game plan, or the pressure we put our least skilled players under weak after week in Berhalter, and now Porter's system. And more importantly, hold everyone accountable. If a player improves and the coach gets credit that's fine. If a player stagnates or a style of play is shown incompatible with personnel, then the coach and player both share the blame.
It's hard to read the back of his jersey as he's being spun around by the opposition or sprinting back chasing them after losing the ball.
It's not even least skilled at this point. Our outside backs are both injured and Abubakar is third string. Aimless possession has been discussed for years but many MLS starters struggle with the mental and technical ability to play this way. Backups and third stringers don't have a chance.
My point is that no amount of coaching is going to turn Lalas Abubakar into a world class - or even MLS All-Star - player. He's mediocre on his best nights, and even Lord Guillermo Barros Schelotto can't change that.
I don't know. Abubakar has had some solid matches. Don't forget the 2008 GBS-led team featured Andy Iro as a backup CB who put in his minutes over the course of 22 matches that season. I'd take Abubakar over Iro--and I like Andy! Go Gauchos! My point is: Lalas is not the problem. (And I bet GBS could get more out of him.)
I've got a couple pages to catch up so maybe this has already been said. I DO NOT think he's throwing this season. However, I also don't think that his 5 year contract was (just) some sort of security blanket. Though certainly anyone would take as many years as they could get. I'm guessing he knew he would be in for a rebuilding and tried to convince ownership he needed time to do so. You could say that 3 should be enough for that, and you'd be right. But he may also have thought that the team was better than it is and that a slower turnover rate was more feasible.
This is a sound and reasonable post. (Also, "throwing the season" is not my words, but I think that's understood.)
I dunno. If many of us here are correct that the roster is not good enough and deeply flawed, then surely Porter would also know. In that case, I think he would have been wise to inform the Haslems of that. One it would be the truth, but also would have been a CYA to cover the future scenario where the team looks like they do now.
dvr issues (namely, spectrum decided to not activate my brand new dvr, and it took two days to activate. got the call today before work), so no coach bot speak. #TankforTrevor #TankforTua
Caleb Porter tonight: "I’m thinking today is one of theses moments that will galvanize my group because we are a small market team. That’s why we’ve got one nationally televised game the whole year and that’s why we sometimes don’t get the respect from the officials. (1/2)— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) May 5, 2019 Caleb Porter is complaining that one of the leagues least exciting teams, with no marketable stars, no guts, no heart, and no clue how to win soccer games only has one nationally televised game. It didn't take long for Caleb to start speaking like the tinfoil hatted selection of Crew fans. I'm sure that will be endearing to some people. In reality, it's pathetic and it reveals a great deal about Porter's (lack of) character. What a nightmare.
"But Hang, the league - no, wait, just Don Garber, personally - has a vendetta against Columbus and the team is being punished for the fans saving them. It's probably gonna be like this for a few years. I hate MLS, I'm never watching again. Columbus till I die." - All of #Crew96 Facebook until the Columbus wins again.
I have a friend who says Atlanta will have more regular season games broadcast on national TV than the Crew have had this century by the end of the year. Anyone know where I can find this info?
You'd have to dedicate a big chunk of time time to trying to create a MLS national TV broadcast database yourself, near as I can tell. I asked Bernhardt if he had this kind of info but, alas, he doesn't. If Matt doesn't have a niche database about something Crew-related, then I tend to doubt it exists at all.
But let's be honest, how long would it take to put together a list of all of the nationally televised Crew games? Once you find a source, which would probably take a couple handfuls of minutes, it's probably a mid-double digit list.
Even if nationally televised games mattered for something (they don't), it's ridiculous to see a coach in the midst of a five game losing streak bring up the Crew's lack of nationally televised games. It does nothing but feed into the Columbus Inferiority Complex and only serves to enhance the losing mentality of the players and fans.
It’s just frustrating so he held his tongue until the refs pissed him off enough to let his feelings be known . You call him coach Bot but it’s the opposite of that