I'll start with the low hanging fruit: Mississippi State UT-Chattanooga Georgia Southern SMU Alabama Vanderbilt
From an SEC standpoint, I don't think you can count Alabama or Vandy as hot seat. Bramble is heading into Year 3 at Alabama so he still has a few years. Ronnie at Vandy has definitely dropped from her perch in the SEC pecking order, but I don't think this is a make or break season. Two schools I would add to take their place are Tennessee and Clemson. I don't think UT will put up with another losing season - that would be three in a row at a big-time women's sports school. At Clemson, if Hershey goes winless in the ACC two straight years, I'm sorry but how is that not grounds for going a new direction? Not asking for a winning campaign, just one little victory.
This is Bramble's program and it is not going in the right direction. Vandy- when they have the changes they did with their Asst Coaches looks very similar to what occurred at Ole Miss before he left.
Tennessee Tech has a new Head Coach - Daniel Brizard, an assistant at LSU http://www.ttusports.com/sports/wsoc/2010-11/releases/6_25_brizard_new_coach
Ronnie isnt going anywhere. I agree that Ang at UT should be on the "Hot Seat" Miss State evidently does not care about their program. They have had 3 miserable years in a row. Seems odd that a coach would leave TT to be an asst in the SEC and another asst from the SEC would leave to be their HC? Hmmm
Brizard is getting up there in age. Guess he wanted to get that first HC job after coaching for so long. Still had good keepers (Isom!) at LSU to work with had he stayed
Georgia State Houston New Mexico NC State- New AD is going to make changes????? Nebraska Oklahoma Clemson Cal- NM can he keep it afloat???? Indiana Iowa State UTEP What about Texas??? I think Tenn is Safe. I think AK will make strides this year. There were rumors last year that she was offered a long term deal, any truth to that?
Good list. NC State just got there and did a very good job. Noway he feels pressure already. He is the right guy. UTEP- They have been good. Why would he feel pressure? OU- Just got there. Have to think she has at least 2 or 3 years.
If she makes strides then yeah all will be good, but this is definitely a hot seat year. If those strides aren't made and UT falls under .500 for a third straight year, I have a hard time believing the AD will just go with it, order some AC changes and see what happens in 2011. Now isn't the time to let SC, UGA, LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn knock them all the way down the SEC pecking order like what's slowly been happening.
Interesting list....agree with most, but feel a few could go either way.... GA State...DM already was told contract is up Dec 31, so does it count as a "hot seat" Houston....SB should have been sacked a year ago, but she is a UNC Grad New Mexico...don't know enough NC State...agree that it's a bit early Nebraska...exedus of Asst coaches is a good sign it's sinking OK....can Van Linder save the day...NN hopes so! Clemson....he's done! Cal...NM wil implode again and try to get back into SEC Indiana....can't live up to men's successes regardless who's in charge Iowa St....made the Big 12 tourney, correct? That yearly success should keep her job. UTEP...KC has done a great job, and is ready to move. I don't see Admin pushin him out. Texas...WOW...tough one...lots of expectations since day 1...CP just hired a former Head Coach as an assistant, hmmmmm. What about: SMU Miss State Vandy Baylor Wofford
For those of you in the know, to what do you attribute the decline in the Vols program the last couple of years? Great facilities and support for women's athletics, a pretty good track record. Why the bad run?
I am no expert (need to start off with that), but I did get to see them play twice last year. If you see them on paper, they should be doing much better. So if you go with your "bad players" idea, then the recruits are not living up to their potential, which could mean they are burned out and maybe don't really want to play college soccer at a high level or it is the coaching. From everything I hear, they seem to be a close knit group and to have a lot of fun, so maybe the coach needs to address this next year and turn it into a more successful season. In reading their schedule for fall, they start off with three easy teams and then play North Carolina. They are only using two seniors, so there really is no reason not to pick it up a notch this year. Of course, the SEC is getting stronger and stronger every year, so it's a higher hill to climb than it used to be.
Oops, I did NOT mean "using two seniors" in my last post, I meant "losing two seniors". Sorry, I should proof before hitting submit and not after.
That's the reason I believe. SEC teams are getting stronger and for whatever reason she hasn't adjusted to it as a coach. It's easy to be a top dog when you have Florida and Auburn to contend with as she did her first eight years. Once Georgia, LSU and South Carolina VASTLY improved the last three years, UT was left in the dust while Auburn and Florida kept up. Look back to '06 and before, Georgia had specks of success here and there while LSU and SC were the perennial SEC doormats. Baker finally leveled UGA, Lee and Smith built their two from the ground up and now UT is looking at four to six SEC losses a year while playing a tough non-conference schedule. She either needs to improve the coaching (because the players are there but the style of play is bad -- last year was pass to Mick and let her blast it) or start scheduling for success.
In 2006 UT had a top 10 recruiting class. The following year, only 4 of those 13 remained. UT plays a very direct style, but does not have enough really strong players up top. AK's last 3 recruiting classes have been ranked fairly high. Not a fan of her style of play, or her technique on the sideline. You reap what you sow. And yes the SEC is getting better. Uscue, she used Mick quite a lot, the previous year also. They played it over the top expecting for the strikers to run on and score. Only thing is, they were not technical enough to score.
RE: Tennessee - A combination of tactical inflexibility (they've rarely shown an ability to successfully implement a Plan B when needed), substandard goalkeeping (Johnson wasn't as good as some people like to think she was and Baird is plainly average), and a distinct lack of mental strength/leadership (once you got them behind, they usually keeled over in short order). To put it quite frankly, the conference has evolved, the program hasn't.
Speaking of goalkeeping, I am in agreement with you. Also, a little late here but I noticed that Brizard is going to coach Tennessee Tech. On that note, the OVC has some of the best coached and talented GKs in the region and he will likely add to that mix. Murray, Morehead, EKU, EIU all have better keepers than many I have seen in the SEC, especially Tennessee. By better I mean command of the box, leadership, skilled with feet, distribution...quick off the line...much like the style of UNC's Harris or Santa Clara's Henninger. Actually one was reportedly coached by the Santa Clara GK coach way back when. Not just shot stopping hulksters. Maybe because every game ends in a tie, they get seasoned. It sure seems like the OVC schools score some sweet talent and develop it. Becky will be missed but I look forward to seeing what evolves at TTU.
Not so sure about all of those keepers in the OVC. I have seen some good GK's in the SEC. Demitri, I agree that Baird is not that strong, and Johnson got a lot of accolades that I am not so sure she was deserving of. UT's talent influx has declined over the last 3 or 4 years. She missed on some really good players.
I didn't mean that SEC doesn't have good keepers. There are quite a few, just not as many as one might think the SEC would have. And I don't like saying negative things about a college player, so I will put it on the Tennessee coach that her keepers have been technically and tactically lacking in the kind of skills and leadership that even the smaller OVC is developing. The point of the post was that the new TTU coach will have coached Isom as well as up and coming regional ODP players so will likely bring some talent in to the OVC. Keepers can be a weird lot and the best ones don't always play for the best team. Even Pia is noticing that.
On the subject of Tennessee, it does seem their non-conference schedule has a different flavor. Will be interesting to see how a second meeting with Western Kentucky will be. WKU reports this week. AK has a lot to pull together to change things. Maybe some of those on the schedule are hopefully guaranteed wins for the elusive +500. Hope it doesn't backfire.