Vancouver Whitecaps News Thread & other media

Discussion in 'Vancouver Whitecaps' started by whiteisthecolour, Aug 20, 2010.

  1. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    1/6 points in the first 2 games- so much for doing the pre-season in Wales- and with TFC coming in, we could be 1/9 points

    at this juncture, having too many DMFs and having techera and manneh as starters makes for a weak team- if robo can get bolanos motivated and connected to the team in the #10 role, then there will be some improvement

    the Caps are a #8-10 place team unless the owners will spend some money- and we all know that unless it is a free transfer (or MLS will pick up the tab), we will not get a player the stature of a lodeiro in seattle that changed the fortunes of the Sounders in 2016

    it could be another long season- hopefully both montero and davies can spice up the entertainment value

    PS as a side note, i think the overpowering play of waston will diminish the play of parker and dean- kendall would make any young player nervous and hesitant, thus prone to making mistakes like we saw on the red card play

    PS PS
    - if i were the head coach, i would bench manneh for his laziness on SJ's 3rd goal- kekuta is a sub role player
     
  2. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    re: alphonso davies- michael bradley shows his ignorance

    Toronto captain Michael Bradley, who also leads the U.S. national team, has also been watching the five-foot-11, 160-pounder with interest.

    “For a young player he has a lot of really good starting points,” said Bradley. “The way he can move with the ball and put defenders on the wrong foot is pretty special. Obviously (Whitecaps coach) Carl Robinson has done a really good job, not just with Alphonso Davies, but with a lot of their young guys of pushing them along and clearly giving them confidence and encouragement and room to grow.”

    firstly, davies was developed by other coaches, especially by colin miller and his staff in edmonton of the NASL- unselfishly, the eddies passed him onto the whitecaps- robinson has had little to do with alphonso's development

    secondly,
    robinson has done an atrocious job of developing young canadians- not 1 has been given significant playing time under his leadership- in fact, 3 WC2 players- hurtado, adekugbe and froese- have gone to euro to get a chance, and i am expecting a few more to go also - they wont get serious opportunities to develop to the 1st team under this head coach or under the whitecap club (its been millions spent over the last 8 years and not 1 player has graduated to the 1st team- talk about a poor return on your money!! or is it about having the belief that young canadians can actually play at a MLS level??)

    thirdly,
    under robinson, there has been at least 4 foreign-based young players who were given lots of chances to make it- rodriquex, flores, smith, aird- and all have been cut- why werent the young canadians given the same chances??

    bradley hasnt done his homework and is talking out of his arse
     
  3. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Brek Shea. Unfortunately, he is meeting my expectations. He has never been a strong player mentally or technically. Cost his team the chance to get any points.

    Bolanos showed well as a CAM. Hurtado back to form skewing shot off target when through on goal. Red cards again a problem. Not much else to say.
     
  4. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    HOME GAME VS TFC- MARCH 18- 0-2 LOSS- analysis/comments:

    1. Fear, fear, unbelief- the Caps played the game in the first half very tentatively, almost like they were afraid to loose, rather than having the belief they can win- TFC had almost complete control of the play- i dont think we even had a shot on goal!!

    2. What is a goal??- 2 goals in 3 games says it all- playing the failed system of a 1 striker attack is like a return to 2016- does this coach ever learn?- montero looks completely lost- is it the return of rivero and kudo??- maybe they are pen-paling with montero as freddie will soon need a shoulder to cry on

    3. Stupid is as stupid plays- 2 weeks, 2 red cards, both were stupid plays by ousted and shea-both changed the game

    4. Oh really!!- CB kendall waston has been a goat in the last 2 games, directly involved in giving the opposition a goal- he makes big blunders and causes goals

    5. My heart suffers for welsh air- pre-season training in wales was supposed to help the Caps get a good start to the season- at least, that is what coach robinson said- we now have 1/9 points- thank goodness MUFC is looking like a weaker team- sorry to their fans as they suffer from weak ownership and a naive head coach

    6. Money lost- attendance is down over 4 500 people- at a ticket rate of $35, it comes to over $ 155 000 in lost revenue- do the owners care??

    7. Where is the ball??- TFC had 60% of the ball in our home stadium!! 2 home games, no goals- WTF!!!

    8. Kryptonite Pill- the Caps must be taking the green pill, especially our MFs who, as a group, are one of the weakest in MLS

    9. The Plan is a failure- regardless of what the owners- nash and mallett- say, the team's Plan is a failure and will continue to be so- this market will suffer as long as the same owners are directing this ship and keeping the same head coach who is over his head- we will bleed for another 4 years under this Plan with the same owners and the same head coach


    9.

    9.
     
  5. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    i should have put my game report on the game thread- brain lapse :whistling:
     
  6. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    As we have been talking in this forum for over a year, Carl is just not a very good coach. We can quibble and debate on what players he should and should not have; the bottom line is each player under his watch either does not progress or goes backwards.

    Montero is the latest victim . A sure fire 10 + goal man and if he makes it to 5 under Carl this year it will be an achievement. Game #3 and Carl is already back to his trusty 4-2-3-1 kick and chase that has run our results into the ground.

    Carl's post game is the same shit he has been serving for his entire tenure...... hollow words that are not backed up.

    What other club would reward 3 years of regression with an additional 4 years. And why are people shocked that year 4 is the same as year 3? Is anyone shocked? Hey, people say we are negative... no, we are not.. we just say what it is..... there was no indication this year would be any better than last year.

    Bobby is phoning it in at this stage
    Rachel Lewis is sucking the life out of the front office (on direction from the owner, I don't blame her personally she is doing what she is paid to do)
    Carl is not a good coach, and a terrible recruiter
    Most of all , Mr Kerfoot just wants to snooze along and be the C student who doesn't want to be better for fear of getting attention.

    The attendance has fallen... a TFC match should lead to lifting of tarps.. they had empty seats last night and paid season ticket holders didn't show up. And this is only game three. With those lower ticket revenues guess what Mr. Kerfoot's reaction will be..... asking R Lewis to cut cut and cut more.. and forget about any serious DP's ever. This is sports, you can't run a club like some business where you cut every time your revenues go down.. you have to grow and energize a fanbase to grow those revenues and that requires growing a pair of nuts and taking action.

    Sad Sad Sad.

    I looked over at the Southsider Forum today for viewing.. it seems several more of them are FINALLY getting the picture about how this club is run and what kind of coach Robinson is.

    Hey, we only have until 2020 before Carl's contract expires.
     
  7. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    the true supporters- and i am one since 1977- must be loosing heart- i didnt even go to the game vs TFC- why would i waste 1 1/2 hours each way in the pissing rain to attend a game that is a repeat of 2016- the game should have been 1 of the hilite games of the season and the lower bowl filled- instead it had an announced crowd of 20 500- in 2 games, the attendance is down 4 500 and more who have tickets are not coming

    i believe that even the inside players dont believe the coach's tactics and rhetoric- the words are usually repetition from 2016- eventually, you turn a deaf ear- when a majority of the players do that, then its all downhill... and i think that has started and if it hasnt, it soon will

    i know enough of the head coach to know that he is very stubborn and keeps to the same plan regardless of the results- its why he keeps flogging a 1 striker formation, hasnt got a significant MF captain and cant get the best from his key players-good players are mediocre and mediocre players are weak and he keeps weak players far too long

    but the bottom line is...the owners as a group are weak and disengaged... basically dont give a shit as long as people keep coming regardless of the performances- its a fine line between believing and not believing, supporting and not supporting- it shouldnt always be about MONEY- it should be about PRIDE and HONOR

    give this quality of performances over the next 2-3 months and you will see what i mean- we will have 18 000-19 000 in the stands and there will be little positive talk in the city, or even any talk at all

    4 things need to happen to capture this great market:

    1. a new ambitious, engaged and visible ownership group

    2. a new dynamic FO president, moving lenarduzzi to a PR position

    3. a new professional coach with a proven pedigree, preferably in MLS

    4. the addition of a significant, highly paid MF general and captain

    i have supported the whitecaps/86ers for 40 years- i deserve better treatment and the name deserves better respect- this is the worse i have ever seen

    once the support train begins to leave, it will be hard to stop and bring back
     
  8. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Point Number One is where it all starts and there is no indication Mr Kerfoot wants to deviate from this "Plan" or divest himself of this asset. I hope he has a change of heart . Someone needs to get through to him that he is not the right man to be owning an operating a major sports franchise.
     
  9. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    perhaps we have it wrong

    OUR PLAN
    - to make the whitecaps a highly competitive, elite team in MLS, a team that has a chance to win the MLS Cup while also being entertaining and filling the lower bowl to 27 000 and rivalry games to 40 000

    OWNERS PLAN
    - to invest modestly, try and snatch a playoff position once every 2-3 years, have 20 000-22 000 fans come to the games, AND MAKE MONEY- they are being very successful with the PLAN- they paid $35 mill to get into MLS in 2011 and now it is worth north of $150 mill, and they are getting/have gotten expansion fees from teams #19-28 (how much we dont know, but it must be in the tens of millions); the team averaged 22 000 in 2016; they won the cascadia and canada cups several times, made the semis of the club CONCACAF competition and have 1 home playoff game since inception

    until there is a drastic drop in attendance to 18 000, they probably dont give a shit, at least their silence and inaction tell as as much- signing a weak coaching staff with a poor record in the latter part of 2015 and all of 2016 to 4 year contracts says it all
     
  10. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Whitecaps trade Manneh for Tony Tchani and $300k allocation money. I can see what they are trying to do and think it might work. Tchani is an "8" type CM who will provide energy, size and ball winning centrally in attack while paired with Laba. Manneh has probably reached his potential. Good speed but not much of a system player and there are others who can fill his shoes. Hopefully we see good use of allocation money down the road.
     
  11. CybrSlydr

    CybrSlydr Member+

    Columbus Crew
    United States
    Jun 30, 2013
    Casper, WY
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Was interested to see what you folks thought of Manneh.

    Tchani is pretty much what you describe - I think his control of the ball in tight spaces while using his body to protect it is one of his more underrated abilities as a player.

    Also, despite being 6'4", he has almost no vertical and was rarely ever a threat on set pieces or flighted balls in the middle of the pitch (GKs, etc).

    He's certainly a physical player - and he's got my all-time favorite troll. Couple years ago at the end of a DCU v CCSC game, Espindola had a PK that would have given DCU the win but Steve Clark listened to the report and stood his ground in the middle of the net. Espindola chipped it right into his unwavering arms. After the whistle blew and the game was over, Tchani ran over to Espindola and handed him the ball like a "Match Ball" reward. Espindola looked at it and who he was and swatted it out of his hands. LMFAO

    Absolutely adored him for that one. :D

    5:25 mark -
     
  12. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Manneh is a decent counter attacking player. His biggest weapon is his speed. He can bring fans to their feet when he runs free with the ball. On the flip side, he is not the greatest tactically or with defensive contribution and his touch can let him down at times. He has also missed a good amount of time the past two years with injuries. When he has the ball near the box, he has a tendency to put his head down and try to find a shot no matter what. I can see Higuain getting frustrated with him at times but then with Finlay on the right and Manneh on the left, that is a lot of speed the opposition must account for. Vancouver has other players somewhat similar to Manneh, but they don't have any like Tchani. Hope it works out.
     
  13. CybrSlydr

    CybrSlydr Member+

    Columbus Crew
    United States
    Jun 30, 2013
    Casper, WY
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    With Meram in the form he's currently in, I can't see him getting benched for Manneh. I'm guessing he's going to play out right for Finlay.

    Gregg's system is going to ask a lot of him - especially with Afful playing behind him and out-wide. Manneh will probably be required to cut in often.
     
  14. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    the trade was less to do with tony t, then it was to get some cash and get rid of dead weight- kekuta reached the end of the line with robo in the game vs SJ when he drifted into la la land and left his SJ player alone to get a goal from the 20 yard spot- it was pure laziness on manneh

    as i have said 2 years ago with kekuta- speed without skill, ambition, courage and conditioning means very little- his soccer ears are DEAF-

    the next one that should hit the door is techera- i cant stand lazy players who wont improve their skills, conditioning and game smarts

    the 1 problem for getting the extra money is that if carl signs a new player, his track record is very, very poor at getting an impact player- i cant think of 1 player he has had signed/resigned that has worked out- lots of failures- rivero, mattocks, kudo, rodriquez, smith, aird, morales and mattocks- probably missing a few

    its a desparate move by the Caps and robo to give the appearance that things will change for the better- tony t is a utility player- the Caps are still a weak group of players, especially in MF, and i dont see their fortunes changing
     
  15. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Tchani certainly isn't DP level but I believe that he will fill an important need at CM. Definitely an upgrade over Tiebert and will get forward more than Jacobson. I think he is the kind of player that can bring some balance to the squad. Moving Manneh on might mean that we will see less of Shea at forward and more at LM. There is no way Shea is a forward. Hopefully he can contribute at LM or just a matter of time before Shea is backing up Harvey at LB. Whitecaps still need someone other than Hurtado starting at striker if they really want to make noise. Allocation money can help.
     
  16. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    not enough if robo is doing the selecting- name me 1 player signed by him that has been a success- even bolanos, a top 11 player in CONCACAF, is underperforming- robo is a disaster at signing players to radically improve the team- its why we are in the mess we are since late 2015- tony t wont make much of a dent- and say goodbye to teibert, jacobson or bustos
     
  17. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A trade is never going to radically transform a team since you have to give up value to obtain value. It just helps plug holes. I am not a Robinson fan but I do think this trade makes some sense. As far as Bustos, he is a 20 yr old smallish midfielder who is a ways from making an impact in MLS. Teibert will remain as depth at CM. Jacobson is valuable as depth at DM and CB (especially with Edgar out for the season). Having depth in midfield is important particularly in heat of summer so not sure how anxious they will be to get rid of them. Seems like ownership isn't ever going to spring for a blockbuster signing like a Lodeiro was for Seattle so best you can hope for is a balanced squad with competitive players. Getting Tchani helps in this regard, imo.
     
  18. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    i get your point about filling the MF with reliable players- but in reality, they rarely can turn a game around in your favor with some magic- we are- and have been for 6 years- in dire need of a magical, creative MF, like a valeri, a lodeiro, a huquain, a bradley or a kaka- without one, the Caps will struggle mightily to stay off the bottom of the west conference

    but as we know, 1 magical player in MLS can turn a team around, like lodeiro did in seattle in 2016

    with this ownership group and head coach, it will NEVER happen
     
  19. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Balanced squad with competitive players, shrewd value DPs without big transfer , can be successful in MLS.

    HOWEVER, they need to be incredibly well coached, managed, and provided with a team culture that inspires.

    They are not well coached here and Bobby is phoning it in these days and the owner is an invisible man, so they are far from getting any results regardless of the players they bring in.

    As for this trade, Manneh is about the same as he was 3 years ago. A lack of growth in someone that young says one of two things... this is what he is, or he needs a change of scenery. (I personally believe he is not going to go much farther as a player). Either way, this was the right move for both sides. The guy coming in is a MLS experienced depth player and certainly can fill a role and $300 grand in allocation is really nice if spent well (which is unlikely with Carl making the player decisions). All on all I support the trade and the Caps did get a good return. They get a checkmark for having the gumption to make this move and get a fair return.
     
  20. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    after a terrific performance vs LA, will it be Bug On, or Bug Off, for the next 3-4 games?? like the departed manneh, techera has a history of having a surperb game 2-3x a season- he is NOT mr consistent which frustrates everyone- fellow players, coaching staff and fans

    if he can play more games like last night (he even shot on goal in the 2nd half with his right foot, but diddled away a clear goal if he had have hit the ball on his 1st touch in the 1st half), it would be a MASSIVE improvement for himself and the club's fortunes- not sure its in his soccer DNA to do that
     
  21. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Techera is what he is ... almost every game he will be an anchor, and from time to time he will have a good game like last night. I still think he needs to be removed from the squad. There really isn't room to start him when Shea is playing because that guy is taking up a DP spot and needs to play. And he is too expensive to be a bench player; he is lazy most nights, so one game doesn't mean he is a start.

    I am, and always will be, on the "sack Carl" bandwagon. I still roll my eyes at his undying love for his one striker formation . However, the game was good and people turn back to praising him as a coach pretty quickly.
     
  22. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Shea is a DP in roster designation only. Both him and Techera have their weaknesses. The TAM money that Vancouver got in the Manneh-Tchani trade could be used to reduce the hit on Shea's salary below the DP level (not positive, but think that is how it works). This would open up a slot to get a real DP, hopefully at striker. They need it. Whether anything actually happens is another matter. I can appreciate that it is difficult to find a DP that is available, affordable, good enough, fits with the squad and is willing to come to Vancouver.

    This last game was the first in awhile where it looked like the CM's were winning the midfield battle. LA looked horrid and disjointed so will be interesting to see how things progress.
     
  23. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    i agree that LA looked horrible and on this game, they will need a new goalie

    the other thing is that FINALLY, coach robo put bolanos as a the leading MF #10 role- i have been saying that for almost 1 year- bolanos was very, very good on saturday and his connection with the other players with his intelligence and passing skills was at a high level- he is the best player on the team and the best #10 player we have- its no wonder bolanos is recognized as 1 of the top 11 players in CONCACAF

    and should the Caps decide to use the extra money, we can be assured it will not be any high price signing- this team is all about mediocrity, at best
     
  24. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes, Bolanos should remain at the 10. Good to have him healthy and going 90 minutes.
     
  25. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Yeah, I really hope Carl does that too.... its where Bolanos should have been last year.

    He is a class player and was poorly coached last year.
     

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