NEVER!!!! Sounds like the a prioritization problem. Maybe the Sporting Director has too much on his plate and should give up side jobs like coaching...or vice versa. It's the lack of a clear plan that is so troubling. I've read here and elsewhere dozens of times that Gregg's teams always start slow. It was the mantra when we were playing poorly before there was a decision made that Kei is the one to blame. Regardless, even if the trade NEEDED to be made again there should be targets and the semblance of a plan to cope in the aftermath. It doesn't seem to be the case here. Possibly again the problem of the Sporting Director and Coach having too much on their plates. Look at the once moribund Philadelphia Union and see how Curtin and Stewart are working together to see how a Sporting Director can identify targets and assist the coach. ******** yeah! Kyle Point! You were sitting behind Pat Murphy or Alex Stanek?
On Bedoya Gregg said that Philly would not play ball..would not even consider a deal at all. Bedoya was never going to happen but there was an attempt
Gregg on Pipa..very high on his work ethic and his leadership. He didn't back down from this position when asked about Pipas form and not being the same player he was a couple years ago. Gregg said he still has quality and should be much better after hernia issue.. Sounds like Pipa could return next year but 3G was doing some selling throughout his talk...as expected. Gregg stated that Brazil and Argentina are realistic markets due to shear number of players.. Duka..got him cheap and still getting him up to speed..he wasn't in great shape coming in
I can just picture myself screaming WHY DO YOU THINK WE'RE STUPID? during the PowerPoint on possession and walking out.
Right, the interview Pipa gave about his injury clearly said he admitted he wasn't playing the same this season because of the hernia. I still think Pipa was amazing last season (not the most popular opinion here) and I look forward to seeing his form as he settles back in post-surgery. I hope he comes back to last season's form...but that's not a given. And if not, it's time to replace him.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without [edit - this quote was a started reply to someone's reference to no perfect player being available. I deleted the post without publishing but it showed up anyway. Clarifying as out of context it doesn't make any sense. My thanks were sincere even though I was disappointed in the information given by 3G.] Thank you for attending and reporting back.
People are mad at Gregg for thinking the March 2016 roster could compete for the title when it was nearly unchanged from the December 2015 roster that nearly won the title. Yes, we stood pat a little more than we should've. But Crew fans wanted Ethan Finlay on the national team. Meram has been one of the best Crew players this season. Did you really expect us to go get a sure-fire starting winger? The Larsen signing made sense. Wanted to break up Sauro and Parkhurst? Wasn't happening.
Why shouldn't they have been broken up? Parkhurst was garbage besides the last 4-5 games of last year. There should have been a CB signing to at least compete with Wahl if not Parkhurst. Or, you know, we could have actually let Tarek play a bit to see if he would stay.
Complacency gets you nowhere. Even champions don't sit idle in the offseason transfer window. If Gregg thought there were a few weak positions, he should have worked to upgrade those positions. I think most everyone who was at that MLS Cup final knew we weren't going to win a championship without changes. I'm glad to hear though that we can expect some big signings in the offseason. If we don't, I don't think I will be quite as invested in the team as I have been over the last 20 years. I grew up watching the Crew since I was in the 3rd or 4th grade and there was only one other time where felt the way I do now and it was towards the end of the Andrulis era. As with a lot of you, this team means more to me than just some silly sports team. The memories (good and bad) throughout the years with friends and family have become a huge part of my life and some of those family members are no longer here. When you invest a huge chunk of your life to a team, you expect the guys running the show to at least try and show the same enthusiasm as you do.
Again, if I may - note my extreme politeness - please allow me to point out that a "big signing" isn't going to solve this teams problems. Also, with your permission - moderators please note my respectful tone - may I add that I'm a bit flummoxed by the thesis that the Crew was successful last year using a scheme that, sadly, the rest of the league has since figured out how to defend. Stuff and nonsense sez I. Greggggggggggggggg didn't invent that mode of play. It was not some bit of strategical brilliance which struck him on the road to Damascus. It took exactly two minutes for every coach in MLS to recognize it. Their only problem was that other coaches are as stubborn as Gregggggg is and refused to change their own strategy to counter it. Until they did. Courteously.
3g also made the statement that other teams bunker because they are afraid of us. He seemed quite convinced. However, one could say, horsefeathers, other teams have figured things out and dare the Crew to play Smartly in the final third. Ex. Justin Meram, MFBTT give and go for a goal up the middle. I hope Smartly is available for Saturday's match..gonna need him.
I was definitely mad at Gregg for thinking that. My reasoning: Despite a great playoff run, we were very inconsistent for most of the 2015 season, and sometimes dreadful for long stretches. This was not a good sign. There had to be a chance we were over-performing and would return to being the team that struggled last year. A good team with no issues would not have struggled like the Crew last year. So yes, mad at 3G for thinking a miraculous, unrepresentative, run of good form at the end of 2015 was a given to repeat. I knew our cup appearance would be an excuse to go with the status quo which happened to be one of the lower cost options. (little did I know we would find a way to shed some additional salary). Should 2016 Crew start playing better, should we kid ourselves that the team does not have serious issues with roster and tactics? The best teams aim to improve every year. So even if we maintained our form, other teams get better. We should try to get better even if we think we are good. Even if we are some day the best, we should try to get better. I agree with Bill A - 2015 showed that a number of teams had a great blue print for playing the crew. 2016 - most teams have a great blue print for playing the Crew. Here's a reason, I didn't know, but apparently the organization did According to the team, Kei had a long history of poor behavior, so bad that he was one terrible incident away from being traded. We didn't know, but the team (according to their version) knew that Kei, nearly solely responsible for our playoff run, could be gone at any time. In general, we were hardly a juggernaut in 2015. We made an improbable, surprising run, not an inevitable run. So yes, thinking that a repeat was likely without improvement was foolhardy. Pipa's battle with Father Time. I am critical of Pipa often, but I recognize that we don't have anyone else close to him to play his role. To have no credible plan B for times when he is out is crazy.
On so many occasions this season when watching Parkhurst, I've been reminded of Jeff Agoos, especially in the twilight of his career. Age, size, and speed are starting to conspire against MP just as they did with Agoos. Back then, I didn't really understand the game well enough to appreciate Agoos' excellent positioning, the way he stood off, rarely went to ground, his reading of the game and so on. All I saw was him getting turned and/or otherwise abused when teams took it right to him, especially toward the end of his career. Parkhurst shares a lot of those qualities with him, he's just less vocal out there and doesn't seem like an ogrish jerk. The difference is, with Agoos you at least had the schadenfreude when he got worked over. With Parkhurst, it's "Goddamn it, this is our captain, people." It sucks.
Another thing with Parkhurst is that I've always thought of him as kind of a throwback Italian-style undersized sweeper, and he kind of needs to be used that way to keep from getting exposed too regularly. And when he was paired with Sauro I think we saw some of that sweeper-stopper dynamic, too, as Sauro was the one usually bodying people up, winning tackles, etc. But we don't see that with Wahl or Saravia or Barson or the tea lady.
We sucked with Parkhurst and Sauro too. Parkhurst is a liability out there and there isn't any way to sugar coat it.
Thanks to YeahMorgan's info Crew 2 A Possibility. What would you name it, where would you locate it? http://www.crewture.net/2016/08/81016-crew-2-possibility.html Thinking of throwing a poll up on twitter later if there's good ideas? Looking for names in close locales or in the city? They'll probably do Crew 2 but maybe if fans really get behind something else who knows.
Claiming that 'we could squeak into the playoffs' is in any way an acceptable result for a club that made it to the MLS Cup Final last year is simply absurd. Two years ago, sure, based on the fact that we'd missed the playoffs for multiple years beforehand, sure. But this year? No. This year has been a disaster. Statistically, the worst in the club's existence. I understand that Gregg's teams have finished strong the past two years. But that's just another way of admitting that we started slowly those years. And this year, that slow start has devolved into falling flat on our faces. So, presumably, according to Berhalter PowerPoint Physics, that should mean that we'll finish 2016 with an even stronger run than we did in 2014 and 2015, right? You know, for even action there is an equal and opposite reaction????? Of course not. We showed signs of life in 2014 and 2015 before kicking into gear fully in the stretch run. But in 2016 we were DOA. It is simply unimaginable that we'll suddenly start playing well during a season when we have never played well. Not even close to well. Getting Naess into the line-up; getting Sauro back and Higuain fully fit; getting more games with these guys and Ola K. on the field together. I mean, it can't hurt. But a playoff run? You gotta be kidding me. Such a suggestion doesn't pass the smell test.
Plus, making the playoffs is a low bar when 60% get in. It is especially a low bar if you have little chance of advancing and have played poorly all season. It's also not a great deal for fans and STH if you are paying to watch lots of shitty games. I want to enjoy the regular season, at least a little, too. I know, I ask too much.