Gio being on the payroll is so much more than a dark cloud. If the story about Klein wanting a Mexican on this team to draw fans is true, and even more so if it was over Bruce's objection, it is the justification for firing Klein and whoever else approved that decision. If he stays, it means that Galaxy management values money in hand over success on the field and the potential profits that winning can bring.
We had a championship winning team and that didn’t bring more butts in seats, TV viewers, or STHs. Gio brought sellouts in his first 2 seasons. Ibra has pulled in fans. This is the unfortunate reality at the moment.
At times we had a championship team playing some to the best soccer in league history with the captain or formate captains of England, America and Ireland playing and still couldn’t sell out the stadium. Another era we had the greatest soccer player of all time announcing his retirement while chasing the league goal scoring and assists record not to mention an unprecedented 5th MLS Cup and still couldn’t sell out the stadium. As for Gio being responsible for sell outs that’s debatable. LA’s sellouts of 2015-2016 started when Gerrard arrived, dos Santos added to that, but he’s been unable to consistently draw a crowd as the sole draw for the Galaxy. His annual shirt sales have never been that great either. The “hire a famous Mexican” is a Galaxy tactic as old as the Galaxy itself and it’s never produced more than a temporary bump in attendance.
So it must be location then. Honestly though, for those folks who are in the marketing biz, is it marketing that has failed the Gs? The initial buzz of a big signing can only last so long, but it seems that there needs to be constant marketing to hold onto the buzz. Rightly or wrongly, the Gs seem to have a mickey mouse vibe to it. Not urban hip like what LAFC is trying to brand itself as, but not quite truly family/blue collar either. The Gs vibe since like the mid to late 2000s seem fake to me. They've rested on their laurels too much.
It's also a lack of Saturday night games, which seem to get fewer each year. Hard to sell out Friday or Sunday, even more so with two NFL teams in town. LAFC is still a novelty and they have a significantly smaller stadium.
I tend to agree that LAFC popularity, longevity is still a wait and see. They seem to be marketing to the machismo side of LA. It’s the raider nation fans they seem to attracting. I think they’re trying to get the urban hip vibe too. But those attendees won’t stick around if the ******** chants drown them out. South central has seemed to claim this team. That’s not going to go over too well with all the Silverlake, Arts District patrons they thought they could attract too. Unfortunately that toxic fandom has infected Dodger games, and it boarders on local nationalism. I’ve sat in sections at Dodgers games where Dodger fans put in more effort heckling and jeering opposing fans, then they do cheering the play on the field. As for the Galaxy games it seems like there’s something for everyone. Between the supporter group sections and family section and everywhere in between. However i could really do without the kids playing soccer on the field at halftime. I think a lot of the issues is the FO not standing up for the supporters. They want that grass roots feeling like in Portland, but they don’t know how to cultivate die hard support. The marketing for the past 2 and half years has been all about Gio. Now it’s all about Zlatan. I can’t remember the last time the team put something out that specifically focused on either of the dos Santos brothers. Their marketing is just PR without a purpose.
I wish people would stop insulting my Raiders like that. It's not really true though either. L.A. Raider fans are old school.(F the lambs and dolts) Except for ChivasUSA leftovers, lafc has attracted the younger crowds who seem to want to emulate extreme "Ultras".
Actually, the Rams are old school. They were the team of my childhood through early adulthood. I gave up on them after Georgia fired Steve Rosenbloom and screwed things up. I started becoming a fan again last year. I was a LA Raider fan and season ticket holder from the time they arrived in LA until the started trying to leave. I figured that Al in his dotage didn't want my support any longer. As for the LAFC crowd, based upon what I saw on TV for the RSL game, the less said the better.
How is what i said insulting to the raiders? Black and gold / silver and black are two sides of the same coin. It’s obvious that they were marketing to appeal to them. That’s the only reason you’d have all your fans and players in all black in this constant desert SoCal heat.
It was a half joke. I do agree they may be marketing to a certain fan, I just don't think their abhorrent behavior is caused by members of Raider Nation among their fans.
To be fair, Baxter confirmed it in an LA TImes article last night. Seems like De Kloese turned it down. Might be he wants more money or our club isn't the go to club anymore. Ali Curtis?
I am still okay with Dom as the coach if we can't find better. I am fearful about who will get the GM job though.
The longer we go without a GM and coach, the more convinced I am that 2019 will be more of the same ol' Klein shit. Hope they prove me wrong by hiring a competent GM very soon, but I'm thinking it's taking a long time because no one wants the job and/or Klein has hired someone but that someone is horribly underwhelming and they'll sneak the news in at an appropriate time.
Does anyone think Leighton Baines could do a job for us, as Cole’s replacement? He was rumored and linked with us over the summer. Also it seems that Everton has moved on from him and are only using Baines as sub in league matches and only starting him in the cup games.
I think the longer they wait to name a GM, the more likely that Bruce gets the GM position and then if he doesn't want the coaching position it goes to Dom with Bruce as the mid-season alternative.