Official “Is Brad Friedel bad at his job?” Thread

Considering how great a job he did with Toronto, I don't think that's a good move. He was very effective as an assistant with Nicol, and Twellman has credited him with helping see things on a different level. Certainly our current crop of strikers could use that kind of insight now! "Yu see, when yuh shuute thu baw, yuh wanna poot it on goool, make thu keeper wurk furrit!"

 

No more broadcaster's with no significant coaching.

David Wagner anyone?

 

On a long term basis, probably not. But if they make a move soon and need an interim coach, Mariner seems the most likely candidate.

 

I think the low attendance is just an aberration - MLS started earlier than ever, we've been front-loaded with home games like never before - and the weather has done what you'd expect in March and April. And mid-week games have always been a problem (probably the best argument for an urban stadium).

Attendance will pick up, starting with the next home game. OTOH, if the mood continues to sour ...

 

Wagner would be great but there is 0 chance it happens. He quit Huddersfield because he felt the club lacked managerial ambition, so why go to another ambivalent club in a worse league?

 

I was guardedly optimistic when Friedel came in. Best American player at his position. Years of big league experience. It's gone way worse than I feared. There's just something "off" about him. Too much negative energy. Yelling at players only works temporarily.

 

I remember a Crew fan telling this story from a few years ago. They were in between coaches and the Crew were practicing for a couple of hours. Friedel, who was not in any capacity for the club, comes over and without saying a word to anyone, sits down at a table on the sidelines and begins to write frantically on a yellow legal pad. This goes on for a while, and when practice is over, he tears off several sheets and hands them to the club prez or GM or someone, and walks out, again without saying a word. Who knows what was in his notes that day,,,

 

If the only change that takes place is the coach, we will at best only see temporary improvement. The problem is the SUM of the management team.

And the ownership, of course.

 

I wonder how much SN and PM make over at ESPN supporting talking head web site content? I’m not sure PM would want to take the REV job - making some assumptions on what he’d be offered as compensation.

 

That's just it. What's the succession plan? There's no Soehn, Llamosa etc. Mike Lapper? I don't know if any of those assistants stick around sans Friedel.

 

Oh, all right, I'll do it. Geez!

 

As a long-term plan, you're right. As a getting someone there to settle everything down, it might be OK.

 

How do you define significant? If you're talking about Mariner, he certainly has coaching experience.

Wagner, or someone with a similar experience, would be an inspired choice.

 

What's Soehn up to these days? He did a respectable job in his short stint.

 

He's coaching Heaps' team in the USL (Birmingham).

 

Agreed, very much so.

 

Thomas Tuchel will be available presently...

 

Friedel coming across in twitter-verse and national reporting as very unlikable.

Here is the latest from the coach of the last place team in the east and 2nd worst GD (after the bottom of the barrel Colorado):
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/04/28/brad-friedel-after-draw-kc-referee-needs-have-review-game

 

Friedel needs to stop talking immediately.

 

Who knows but I think its typical of the whole problem. Somewhere along the way, Friedel got the idea that he has some kind of valuable soccer knowledge. I have seen no indication that that is in the least bit true nor does he seem to be able to judge talent based on the players he has brought in. The fact is, we were better under Heaps than we are now. The other question is how much longer will the Revs FO let this go on? I would love to know if the Revs were stupid enough to hire Friedel into some kind of contract that will cost them a pile of money to get out of? My guess is that they are stupid enough.

 

I love to hear Friedel talk. He is an arrogant, delusional coach. He's the problem... bad player selection, bad tactics... thats the problem

 

In a nutshell, that's why you should never, ever hire a head coach who has never had success coaching a professional team. If they interviewed some random guy--Jason Kieis, just to pick a name--who had 3 different stints, you could at least look at some of the things that happened with his teams. Everyone makes mistakes and some things are outside of a coach's control, but the key is whether he learned from mistakes on a previous job, and what areas is he better at now than he was?

I think you already know what I think!

 

The first domino to fall???

New England Revolution appoint Kevin Hitchcock as assistant coach
April 30, 2019, 11:41AM EDT
Tom Bogert

 

Garcia took a job in Spain, which is a step up. I don't think Hitchcock would be the "Nicol" to Friedel's "Clavijo" if that's what your thinking.

 

Especially since Hitchcock coached Friedel at Blakburn. This is his hire.