Vancouver Whitecaps News Thread & other media

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

  1. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    This is where the Caps really ********ed themselves with the coach. Hey, if 3 years of poor results warrants continued employment, that is their choice. But, the FOUR year deal? It really backs them into a corner.. why?

    Because we have a club that won't pay 500 grand for a transfer fee to bring in a quality player. Yet, if they fire Carl this season (which most clubs would), they would have to shovel out more than that to pay out his remaining deal. What kind of message will that send to the fans?

    So, in saying that, they won't fire him even if they lose every game the rest of the way. The optics of spending 500 grand getting rid of Carl when they wouldn't do it for players would be really bad. Or, if they do fire him, they look even worse.

    Never understood why they didn't just give him 1+1 if they really loved him that much and didnt' care about performance.
     
  2. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    its because the owners have THE PLAN that, regardless of 6 years of mediocre- at best- and disappointing- at most- its a failed and will continue to fail PLAN- it allows the owners to get a spin doctor of a coach and as long as the supporters dont grumble too much, keep him as long as they dont have to be serious investors in the Club to make them a competitive, elite team inMLS

    robinson's spin doctoring messages allows the owners to fly under the radar while their investment grows- its all about saving money while giving the appearance that the Club is making serious progress- last time i read the standings, the Caps were 10/11 teams in the west- we will fluctuate between 7-10 all season IMO and not make the playoffs

    in 3 years under coach robinson, the winning point total is 45% and yet he is awarded a 4 year contract- what company would do that?? a company where the owners dont give a crap about results- its all about the money, honey!
     
  3. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    so the caps send out an email about a special voucher being mailed to us to enhance our matchday experience.....

    Well, it turns out it is a small cotton/linen drawstring bag... probably net cost of about a dollar....

    they don't give one to every season ticket holder, it is just to the account holder.. so if you have more than one ticket in your account, you get one.. .I have two season tickets and I am eligible for one bag

    And, since I didn't know about it yet (didnt read the mail until yesterday), the only way I get it it is to go to the head office this week DURING BUSINESS HOURS

    So, for me to get my cheap shitty bag, I have to take time away from business to get to gastown, PAY FOR PARKING THAT IS MORE THAN THE BAG IS WORTH, and walk in and have a jolly ticket rep hand me this thing. It is also a bag that is not waterproof which is just great since we are "Rain City FC"

    This really just is something to behold.

    yes, its free, and yes I am being negative... it just is something about the way the club does things that always comes off as bush league....... what they should have done is just email us saying we have a drawstring bag for you.. show you caps card at a merchandise section in the stadium at the next couple of home games, and you get it. The secret email to build anticipation, then to find out not all season ticket seats will get one, and that it is really cheap, is just bush. They shoot themselves in the foot when all they had to do was just say "Hey, we have this bag for you if you want it for game day carry-ins, just come by the merch stand with your card to get one for free. Thank you"..... then it would have just be a nice free thing.
     
  4. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    yup- right on- cheapness is not a good quality- i am surprised STHs didnt get the rachael lewis special of a box of paper clips... but that night have cost more than a drawstring bag

    having said that, the last 2 games at home- both wins- have been very entertaining- of course, our total points of 7/18 is 38% (which is what we had for 2016), but we have a reason to be happy at home games after a glut of very boring results, especially in 2016

    the next 4 games on the road will tell us a lot- if we get 5/12 points, then that would be good, but i think it will 2-3 points and we will be in the #9-11 spot; getting to a 47-50% winning point total for 2017 will take a small miracle for this team, but with parity in MLS that would be enough to probably be in the top 6 for the west conference

    if montero gets a lt injury, we are in serious trouble for scoring- his replacement has to be the hard-working, scoring-challenged, eric hurtado- freddy is a classic poacher who can knick goals even when he plays with mediocrity- PLEASE, whitecaps, refrain from asking montero to take high, lofted ball upfield- its begging for him to get crushed and injured- he is not a rivero type of player

    and, as much as possible, keep bolanos as the team's #10 player- IMO, christian is the Caps most unheralded player- talented, soccer-intelligent and hard-working
     
  5. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Whitecaps are looking for another forward to help Montero do what he does best (score goals) according to Robinson. Seems someone a little taller to help knock down balls for Montero would be useful. Shea can do it in a pinch but isn't really a forward. Hurtado is willing to do the hard work against CB's but isn't much help in the air. Hate to say it, but a Rivero/Montero pairing would look pretty sweet right about now! Finding a striker that is a fit in the squad, available, affordable, etc, won't be easy. Until Shea or Hurtado are healthy, Montero will continue to get balls launched his way as sometimes that is the only option available. Better than trying to make a pass in midfield that isn't there and turning over in a dangerous spot. I don't think anyone is expecting Freddy to get into physical battles for the long balls like Perez or Rivero but I understand your concern as an injury to him would be a disaster. A big, competent forward for Freddy to play off of would go a long way. We'll see.

    Three points against Seattle was huge and allows Carl to breathe easier for a week. At the end of the game, one could see how thin this team is with current injuries. Davies was obviously gassed but bringing on Mezquida meant Bolanos had to move to LW where he was going to have to work hard defensively for last 15' after already putting in a difficult shift. Rosales came in for Techera and I was shocked how slow and over matched he looked for coming on with fresh legs in last minutes of the game! If that is what we can look forward to from Mauro's 36 yr old legs, yikes! Interesting that Tchani wasn't brought in but he isn't the greatest defender of combination play at top of box so maybe that was in Robinson's thinking. Anyway, Seattle was able to work Vancouver flanks for last part of match and made it almost too close for comfort.

    Away matches are always tough so coming month will be interesting. I agree 5 pts out of 4 matches would be good.
     
  6. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Yeah good point on Rivero. The problem was Carl spent all that time making him a lone striker without a consistent #10 (Pedro was invisible way too many nights or injured) and it was a disaster. Rivero was miserable it seems and it was just the wrong player with the wrong coach in the wrong formation. Even with a good #10 , Rivero just is not a lone striker type of player. It was so frustrating to see Carl trot this guy out for so many games as a lone striker not scoring and never tried to change it more than a one-off here and there.

    With 2 striker formation, Rivero and Montero could have been a very viable force from what I can envision.

    This is where I consistently fall back to the coach being the problem more than the players or even the money we spend. Carl just is not good enough to figure a lot of stuff out. he defaults to the same things over and over again and keeps trying to shoehorn players into tactics that don't suit them. In spite of this great game, Montero is really not a lone striker and he was invisible most of the night. Carl is especially brutal on the road and having 4 road games in a row now is very concerning.
     
  7. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    good follow-up comments

    on another note, newspaper writer, iain mcintyre- pt/somewhat literate soccer writer- stated in an article that camilo was a bastard for leaving the club

    IMO, the Caps FO/ownership group dropped the ball, either purposely because they didnt want to pay an increased salary in camilo's option year, or were just downright negligent and lazy in resigning him

    in either scenario, camilo wasnt a bastard for leaving the whitecaps
     
  8. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I can sympathize with Robinson somewhat. On paper, Rivero and Morales sounds good but in practice, not so much. The problem with Morales was that he was a defensive deficit whether he was at 10, deep playing mid or wing, so you had to play a 5 man midfield and that left Rivero stranded up top. To Pedro and Octavio's defense, they are now teamed up together at Coco Colo in Chilean league and are top of the table.

    It is difficult in MLS putting together a coherent roster as you have salary caps, international slots, etc. that you have to work within. If a coach gets one player wrong that he brings in, it can spell a lot of trouble.
     
  9. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    we can assume that, if colo colo, is top of their league because of rivero and especially morales, then it is inferior to MLS in quality- but i am sure both players are happier playing in chile with a different pace to the game, a new coach and more suitable game formations and tactics

    and because our head coach has got sooooo many signings wrong, we have/will be suffering- his list of ineffective/poor signings is very long- he got 1 right in bolanos, 1 maybe right in techera and he lucked out with montero- his winning point total for the past 3 years is under 45%- in 2017, we are at 39% with 4 road games coming up- we could be at the bottom of the west/MLS when we have another home game- if montero gets injured lt, we are in serious trouble- freddy is a natural goal scorer and getting him in vancouver had all to do with mauro rosales, a free loan and probably some MLS extra cash pot to help pay his salary
     
  10. msilverstein47

    msilverstein47 Member+

    Jan 11, 1999
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  11. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    a once-in-a-generation player that basically grew up in canada (yet retains a liberian citizenship- i hope canada can get him to join our national team before he leaves for euro, but i doubt tthat will happen- doors will open for bigger countries and one cant blame him for holding off for putting on a red and white jersey; alphonso was passed onto the whitecaps through the edmonton eddies NASL team, colin miller head coach, so the Caps kind of lucked out

    the KID's talents:

    1. physically strong for his age- i have seen him throw/bump older mature players to the ground when he drive towards the opponent's goal- he doesnt shrug away from physical contact and fights for every ball- quite amazing really-- and he will get stronger in the next 3-4 years

    2. trickery when dribbling the ball- he has an ability to make deft moves to get the opposing players on the wrong foot- good hip movement to bring confusion

    3. pace when dribbling with the ball on a string, unlike kekuta manneh who couldnt help letting the ball get too far ahead of himself- davies can shift gears quickly

    4. a multi-trick pony being able to use both feet- inside and outside the boots- and head adroitly; he has a powerful shot and isnt hesitant to take a crack on net

    5. responsible for his defensive side when the opposition has the ball- he runs back to cover spaces and opposing players

    6. passion and hunger to learn and develop his game- his huge grin says it all- the KID loves to play the beautiful game

    7. vision to see his teammates and make connecting passes and find open spaces

    8. ambition and courage to fight for every ball inside and outside the opponent's 18 yard box

    9. steady feet to keep himself grounded and not get a BIG head- euro teams like liverpool and man united have scouted him- he is being noticed

    10. composure that belies his 16 years of age- he thrives on a bigger stage, nor is he over-awed

    can he make it BIG in euro? he certainly can make a career in euro football- how big is tough to say- but he is the best young prospect i have seen in vancouver since the mercurial, peter beardsley, who came to the caps at 21- 1982-1983- and then went on to play for such clubs as liverpool, newcastle, everton and bolton and also played in WCs for england- peter scored the first 2 goals vs seattle on the opening of bc place stadium and i was there- alphonso is 5 years younger- just have to make sure he isnt burned out by 21
     
  12. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    on a further note- if you were at the game vs seattle last friday, davies took the ball near the center line, cut inside to off-set 2 seattle players and made a bee-line toward goal like a hot knife cutting through butter- then he made a great outside of his right boot swerving pass to techera who had a golden opportunity to shoot

    IT WAS A THING OF BEAUTY! graceful and electric- that play said it all about davies- the future looks very bright
     
  13. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Unlike supporters favorites like Mattocks and Manneh.... Davies is legit and is going places. Carl might mess up him a bit with his shitty coaching, but he will be sold as soon as the Caps can do it (either by a club bending the FIFA rules with his parents or waiting until he is 18) . So, he will have plenty of time to be developed. He is going places and highly unlikely he will play for the Canadian Men's program after his sale. If he gets sold to England (likely), they will groom him and get him a passport and set him up for their national team one day. Yes, I am saying he is going to be good enough to play for England if that is where he ends up.

    I would love to see him here and for Canada. But unless the Caps unloaded some overpaid DP contract on him for his 18th birthday as a trade-off for not going to Europe, he won't be staying. They want to sell him, not pay him a bank vault.
     
  14. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    as a side note, did you get the free tote bag gift from the Caps? what did you think of it??
     
  15. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    In my other post I gave my thoughts.... the parking in Gastown will be more than the cost of this "bag" and to take some time away from making money in business to get there during business hours

    I think the funniest part is it is marketed as "rain city" and is not waterproof. So if you want to use it to carry your shit to the stadium, it will all get wet. The other funny part is they were so cheap it wasn't even "per seat"..... just one bag per account so the rest of your family can ******** off ;)
     
  16. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    re: iain macintyre's column in the newspaper:

    http://theprovince.com/sports/socce...-cats-caps-still-looking-for-home-on-the-road

    some thoughts from the game vs portland:

    1. any coach who takes a winning formula- 2 home wins vs la and seattle, scoring 6 goals to boot- and mixes up his lineup and places his best player, bolanos on the wing rather than his effective role as the team's #10, is naive, foolish and just plain DUMB

    robo did the same vs RSL 3 weeks ago when he went with a disasterous 3 man defence (and 5 MFs!!), exposing the weaknesses of dean and allowing RSL to run rampant- rather than adjusting once it was obvious that dean couldnt handle the RSL attack, robo kept the same formation rather than taking 1 MF (de jong) and putting him on defence

    2. read bolanos' comments to know how confused and frustrated he is- and probably montero too- it was just asking for portland to win when he went with a very defensive MF- tell me any other team that takes their most valuable #10 player and puts him on the wing- bolanos is the Caps most skillful and soccer-intelligent player- what a waste to put him on the wing!!

    3.playing a very defensive line-up/game tactics for fear of loosing usually leads to loosing, which the Caps do in great numbers on the road- see 2016-2017 results

    4.QUOTE- 'Robinson praised the performance of his team and is confident that the Whitecaps will generate wins on the road this season.'

    robo said all the right things last year... and it was a disaster- he's a spin doctor of a coach- the results speak loudly that he a coach who is failing to learn and repeats the same mistakes- we are now at a 39% winning point total- 2016 was 42%- and we have 3 more road games in a row

    how the hell the owners gave him and his coaching staff a new 4 year contract is beyond baffling- its incompetence and i dont care attitude- things will not improve until major changes are made at the top and a new experienced head coach is brought in

    i said this all last year and i predict that the Caps will finish between #8-10 spot, out of the playoffs- and when montero gets injured from robo's punishing 1 striker/lofted balls tactics- it will be sooner rather than later- we will be in dire scoring trouble again- you dont win if you dont score!

    i have read your columns about the canucks coaching- you called a spade a spade- i hope you use the same approach with our soccer team
     
  17. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Carl's comments after the game are quite frankly getting disgraceful at this point. I am not expecting him to throw people under the bus, but for christ sakes, stop saying that you played well and had a great game and so forth when you keep losing. It's like he has a pre recorded message after every loss and you just have to push a button and he plays.

    He is not a results based coach (and neither is the club management so that is why he gets extensions). If he feels they "played well" or "worked hard" then he is at peace and keeps going.

    ANd another thing, his time invested in nagging the 4th official seems to be increasing. He is on that guy more than he seems to be watching the game. What purpose does it serve? It doesn't change the game, the outcome, or the calls. He just goes on and on and on whining to the 4th official about how everything is against the Caps... Hey Carl, why not focus on being a good coach instead of blaming the officials every time the ball gets taken from one of your players?

    If a coach teaches his players that they are always the best side, and they are losing because of refs, bad calls, bad luck, jet lag, too much for breakfast, or whatever other excuse he has..... the players become far less accountable and certainly will lose respect for the coach because it is all just bullshit.

    Right now, all I can think of is how refreshing it would be to have a guy like Teitur back at the helm. Whether people think he is a good coach or not, he talked to you like a real man and said how he felt and didn't pump you full of catchphrases and nonsense. The players respected him greatly even if they were not a good enough group to win during his 12 games of MLS coaching
     
  18. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    THE MANNEH WHINE:

    http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/...s-kekuta-manneh-im-not-used-being-left-behind

    kekuta has always been under the illusion that he can play effectively for 90 minutes- he is a role player- a sub- for 30-35 mins- he will never make it big in euro- a southsider fantasy which i said 2-3 years ago would not happen- and he will not make it to the usa team- he is a defensive liability and rarely adds skill, work ethic and courage to his speed

    trading him was the right option and we got a utility player- tchani- in return
     
  19. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Manneh is very close to the same player he was 3 years ago. He is not progressing and for a young player that means he "is what he is" at this stage.

    I always lumped him in the Darren Mattocks category .A young talent with some physical gifts but would not progress much beyond where he was at 20 years old. 2017 Darren is about the same as 2014 Darren, he will get his 1 - 3 goals, maybe 5 if he is lucky. Kekuta will be about the same.. if he plays enough he will get his 5 goals a year and that is that.

    He would be much more effective as a "super sub". No more starting unless there are injury issues. He can be dynamite in short spurts as a sub.. as a starter he pretty much checks out by the half .

    His fitness is not very good, his mental toughness is suspect, he appears to be Techera levels of lazy at times, and instead of working on his game he is blaming outside forces (as Darren did and still does).

    He is burying his career by mouthing off so soon after a trade... that is Omar Salgado level of self entitlement and we know how that ended for Omar.
     
  20. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Old Fan said:
    His fitness is not very good, his mental toughness is suspect, he appears to be Techera levels of lazy at times, and instead of working on his game he is blaming outside forces (as Darren did and still does).

    i dont think that manneh has the physical capability to play effectively, semi-effectively more than 30-35 mins- its not in his DNA- he just gets gassed easily- but his ego doesnt allow him to see the truth so he mouths off- welcome to the bench, kekuta!!
     
  21. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Have to love Kekuta exposing himself to be a problem..

    So, he is complaining he isn't playing (fair enough). But more so, he is having trouble with their fitness regime (which is why they are not playing him, he can't go a full 90 both physically and mentally). he believes he does not have a fitness issue and is moaning about it.

    Basically, he is being a whiny kid because he is being asked to bust his ass in his workouts.

    I have felt for 3 seasons he had peaked and he "is what he is". A fast player with some skills who is best coming in for 30 minutes as a sub that can spark out a turnaround. He can give you 2 or 3 great games a season as a starter. Beyond that, he is lazy, doesn't work hard enough, and when he starts is basically a non factor by the 50th minute other than a rare dazzle. He won't be making it in Europe and he will likely never be an MLS starting regular unless on a team with injuries or depth issues.

    Yes, Carl didn't coach him very well and that is/was part of the problem. But he is moving to a system with a better coach who demands a higher level of fitness and work ethic and he is moaning and groaning. That says something about his character that goes beyond poor coaching. Yes, he is a young player, but this is year 5 of his professional MLS career and he is not progressing.... and this behavior is regressing him because they will want to dump him for next season.
     
  22. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    some of the soccer neophytes from the southsiders pronounced 3 years ago that kekuta would be sold to a euro team for millions- i said at the time it wouldnt happen- he is all speed but very little else
    as you see, both you and i are right- kekuta will not progress beyond what he i- a sub for 30-35 mins with 1-2 times each season doing something terrific- please wake me when that happens
     
  23. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Well, I liked what I saw from the Caps today. They didn't win and that will happen sometimes but the did look in line with how they have been the last few games

    I have consistently railed against carls 4-2-3-1....... I don't really like lone strikers and Montero is not best by himself

    But this 4-1-4-1 he has been trotting out seems to be running quite nicely. I still would love to see this roster do a 4-4-2 diamond type of idea so there is an extra striker out there; but this certainly is an improvement.

    I will never be a Carl Robinson fan, but he has found a formula that is working for now. I can't call for his sacking at least until the end of the season .......
     
  24. hot potato

    hot potato Member+

    Feb 21, 2014
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    but somehow, carl has to get montero playing in a position where he can score- fredy looks like rivero did- frustrated, disconnected and, most of all, not scoring- the team cant let fredy slip into that kind of rivero-mode
    whenever i see waston pushing long lofted balls upfield, i can feel montero's pain- kendall has to stop doing that- its a wing and a prayer type of play and rarely produces anything concrete... but it will produce a montero injury
    having said that, robo has to be given credit for:

    1. the better play of techera (i think getting rid of manneh has had a positive effect)

    2. using the rookie sensation, alphonso davies, smartly- 60 minutes and sub him out

    3. playing bolanos in a better role as a driving force in the MF- such a smart player

    4. getting waston to be a positive leader and controlling his physical play

    5. having tchani and jacobson working in tandem alongside laba

    6. motivatiing shea to be a very effective sub

    7. signing the steady playing williams at RB

    it will be interesting to see how he plays reyna when he returns from injury and the newly-signed ibini
     
  25. OldFan2015

    OldFan2015 Member

    Nov 29, 2015
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Well, everyone knows the news about Williams and the residency players so no need to go into a whole lot of detail.

    But, one thing I am concerned about is the mothers allegation that the Caps tried to keep it internalized, didn't go to the RCMP themselves, and encouraged the family to let them self investigate. That is bad, really bad. Such as, heads in management should roll bad.

    Word is there was a culture of hazing (which isn't an issue if it is silly things like carrying bags, washing the jock straps, and so forth); but the word is it was quite harsh and this was a culmination of a culture of acceptance and things were pushed farther and farther without consequence until this happened. It may even be that other players watched while this alleged assault happened.

    It doesn't look good on the organization at this stage. But of course the owner will play the invisible man and not show any leadership. All the shit will fall on Bobby's desk.

    As for Williams; there is no known history that I can find, so this is not anything to blame on the Caps. If this results in a conviction he should be gone. If the charges get dismissed/dropped or so forth I would not be outraged if he returned. I am not one of the "guilty by accusation" types...... My feeling is the Caps will cut bait no matter what.
     

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