I would say that a sweet deal would have been offered Tab to come. Why would he leave, why choose Houston etc. It's not impossible that the budget will be upped. It's no guarantee either, but why not hope?
He actually wanted to play Lucatero in a couple of games, didn't understand why he couldn't. Of course issue was the club needed to sign him to a contract.
Ramos was leaving the U-20s, that was pretty broadly known. No surprise, 8 years was long enough. He didn't get the USMNT job, he's a coach that has never managed a club team, which is very, very different from managing a national team (there are coaches who have proven incapable of making that adjustment) and there aren't a lot of open head coaching jobs out there for him. I very much doubt it was as sweet a deal as you think. He needs to build his resume a bit. Where better than with a team that is generally considered in US/MLS circles as a cheap ownership and a generally bad set-up where it is difficult to compete? If he misses the playoffs or barely makes them, he's just done what people expected. If he has seasons where he solidly makes the playoffs, he's done better than expected and enhances his profile. This is a low pressure job, not like taking over Atlanta or LAFC where you are expected to be in a position to win MLS Cup every year.
Right! Exactly how FCD, with the biggest, best academy in the land, built their large following! Err,, wait. What?
This take does not make sense to me. Without budget support and control of acquisition he will likely fail and be fired. It in no way will be considered a good thing on his resume. It may be the only chance he ever gets. If he failed to negotiate for proper budget and control then he just f’d up. Pure and simple. This take that going to a losing low budget team would be a great way to start his club career makes no sense to me.
Maybe you are right - it might not necessarily mean that we won't get bigger crowds but improved performance (i.e. wins) certainly will bring in more people if the academy produces players that contribute to that effort.
We asked, "Who would WANT to come to here???", knowing on face value how this club rolls. Well, Tab Ramos did! So at face value, we must conclude that he knows what he is getting involved with and as well he accepts the challenge with our club's perhaps limitations on spending. I am over the Moon with his signing!!! Spot on Ace! I have been advocating this exact concept, that if our owners are the way they are then we must think. Which is, knowing how talent rich our GHA player pool is, then grow our own players! At the same time cultivate the culture of following around our club. So that a la college gridiron and the following a school gets, there is a tremendous sense of pride attached to the success of said college gridiron teams and with this pride, a following that grows into a generational type of following. Parents to their children type of following, which is common with pro soccer all over the world and what us Americans have on lock with college gridiron. It does take time, decades really. But MLS is here to stay. We are confident in this. So looking way down the road to have investments that mature in time, the ROI is there to be had! I am very confident in this approach.
There's been 4 coaches, 1 playoff appearance since Brener took over. If Ramos reaches the playoffs once or twice, which let's be honest shouldn't be that difficult in this league, he's done well, no? Personally, my view is that a better coach would have had this team in the mix this season. Is just being in the mix enough from a fan standpoint? I wouldn't think so, but does it look good from a coaching standpoint after the last 7 years? I'd think so. Underlying thought is: how likely is it that after 6-7 years of being majority owner, Brener is suddenly going to radically change his spending behavior? Looks like Jordan isn't going anywhere either. So apart from a different coach, what is different? My thinking is Tab looks at this team and thinks they grossly underperformed this year and he can have them in the playoffs. I also don't think Tab is look at this job as a long-term job. Get the team in the playoffs a couple of years in a row, jump to something bigger. Obviously just speculation, but that's my guess.
exactly, my thinking. we're probably going to become the MLS version of the UofH Cougars football coaching carousel. a couple bowl games then Tab will move to a SEC job and we'll have to start all over.
If not so familiar with just what kind of player Coach Ramos was as a younger man, there is this from our club's website: Prior to joining MLS, Ramos was one of the first Americans to play in Europe, helping to open the door for scores of talented domestic players who have followed in his footsteps. All told, he played more than 270 matches as a professional in Spain, Mexico and the United States. Ramos spent five seasons in Spain, playing for Figueres in the Spanish Second Division from 1990-92 before transferring to Real Betis in 1992. He helped Betis earn promotion to La Liga in the 1993-94 campaign. After signing with MLS in January 1995, he joined LigaMX powerhouse Tigres U.A.N.L. on loan for their 1995-96 campaign. He was the first American to play for Tigres and helped the club capture its first championship in 20 years when they won the 1996 Copa Mexico. Tigres hinchas dig on this man! His knowledge of Liga MX will help us in playing regional matches, if and when we get to return to regional play that is.
This team was frustrating as hell, so much inconsistency. We spank LAG, and were one stupid Delagarza penalty away from tying them at home. We spanked Toronto, and beat the hell out of NYRB. Then we lose to Cincy, get destroyed by FCD and played like a amatuer team through so many matches. That is what sucks, the team we have is pretty good, we just have massive consistency problems. If Tab can solve that we automatically improve. I'm hopeful, I think he can do that. I expect more wins, and to make the playoffs. Sure, we are not better than LAFC and won't be without some investment but we are better than our record. But I guess none of that really matters. None of us on here just want more wins and playoff berths. We want the Cup and I doubt any coach can do that without investment from the owner.
It amazed me how poor we have been on defense despite the fact that Wilmer played as a defender on high level teams in club and World Cup matches, you would think he could actually understand how a team / which players / which tactics could actually be effective in defense for Houston.
Good riddance and I hope that Tab is better at creating a team and tactics that gives us better defense and results. I gave up on Wilmer in his second season after watching so many late game 70th minute collapses. Poor tactics and organization, poor player selection, no tactical changes in response to game conditions, poor player manangemt game management etc etc.
Correct. The most odd part of Coach Cabrera was indeed that he was a former defender that had his teeth cut in the Colombian first and as well played in the mundial! I thought as well that he would have made SURE the team he coaches was going to be defensively sound. A bend but don't break back line if a tight budget is an issue, which of course it was. And build outta the back tactically. But nope. That is not what we witnessed as the seasons rolled on. Again, correct. If the root problem of collapsing late, 70th minute and on really like you speak of Ace, than the head coach must make sure to respond accordingly to this specific plague on his squad. Wilmer just never really got his grip on this problem and for sure did not sub well late on. Thus the problem of gifting goals late on and losing matches late on become more and more of a headache for anyone watching.
From our Chron no less! https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...ach-Tab-Ramos-The-time-was-right-14572918.php
From MLSsoccer.com: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/10/25/bogert-what-appointment-tab-ramos-means-houston-dynamo From this article: If Tab Ramos can get the Houston Dynamo academy going and take advantage of opportunity in developing talent in that area, it would be huge. As @_jameshill would tell you, Houston is one of the most under-performing cities in terms of developing pro-level talent.
He has dressed for one first team game since he left for Necaxa, 20 months ago, and didn't make it in the game....age 22.....
his issue was the experience paradox, hadn't had the right job to get the job he basically admits payroll isn't changing unless they dump the GM, Jordan and not him is spending the money, then forget "smart spending"
QFT Also, at the end of this article is this summation: Houston are in a precarious position and Ramos could signify a culture change, focusing more on promoting youth and finding an identity. There are a bunch of questions still to be answered, but it's a promising start for the Dynamo. This is EXACTLY what many of us have been looking for in our MLS club, go long on our tremendous local talent pool and seer an identity that bleeds our culture! COACH RAMOS! DALE DYNAMO n VAMO' HOUSTON
Listening to the interview Glenn Davis did one of the comments that stuck out to me was Tab Ramos saying something along the lines of how his name always was floated in the soccer media as a final candidate to fill a vacant coaching position, but that he almost never (or never? that part was a bit unclear) interviewed or even spoke with any of these teams.
we've had 6 coaches in a few years, i don't think coaching is the issue. i think we have had better or worse coaches in that period -- including someone who had multiple MLS titles -- and maxed out as a 4 seed. the payroll situation requires a perfect alignment of the stars to even achieve that 4 seed. perfect alignment is unlikely because of our GM. and then MLS moves ever forward and by the next season a marginal player batch is rendered obsolete. the final 4 are all in the top 7 payroll teams. this is becoming more consistent as more teams spend. any given spender may or may not be the beneficiary of success, but as a whole the spending class has tiered away and decides it amongst themselves. you are either willing to match that spending or not. i think an academy could help, there is the FCD example, but FCD has also turned into something like what we were c. 2009-2013, the plucky team that usually makes the postseason but maxes out at conference finals. and even if we started that emphasis today, it's a 5-10 year strategy. you plant seeds now and plants grow later. we need to do it, but it's not a short cut. i think a US U20 coach in the abstract could help sort out if there are hidden academy gems already existing. but he is not the academy coach. he is not going to coach them up. and you could have made the same arguments about cabrera coaching the US YNT down a few years. and he gave the kids even less time than kinnear did. furthermore, the primary thing we need is an adult coach, not an academy head. ramos is interesting but unexperienced and thus a dice roll. i think the interest level perks up at liminal periods with hope for change. but in practical terms you have to make effective changes to expect effective results.