All I can say is enjoy the games as someone who loves to watch it.... don't go in expecting to see many wins the rest of the way. Carl has lost his way, the team has lost the muddled message, and several players have mentally checked out. Robinson should be sacked and I hope the Caps do that. If they give him another year, next year will not be much better and I will be very disappointed. He just wasted this year's summer transfer window attempting to clean up his own messes instead of improving the club properly. If you really look at it, this is his third season and without question is the worst of his tenure (and not just on simple measures of making playoffs or points; but by player decisions, chemistry, tactics, feeding bullshit to the fans, and so on). Pretty sad that he lack so many answers he ships off two of our young talents for loans (so much for the Caps taking pride in development). I know a "rebuild" doesn't feel too great. However, because of the rules and the cap and DP spots, a good manager can put you back into the top quarter of the league within less than two seasons. This isn't just about "owners too cheap " as a lot of Carl's blunders are with players under the salary cap and also with his absurd commitment to a failed tactical system. We have tried two "up and comer" coaches in a row..... need to go for someone else next.
I had no problem with the call made on the field, but apparently PRO and Hawkeye technology saw it differently. http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...al-win-vancouver-should-not-have-been-allowed
coach robinson says the Cap players should not play with any fear vs SKC- rubbish!! they need to play with passion, committment and unity- and we dont have enough players doing those 3... plus, our lineup is weak jacobson says the team is filled with great players, so where does that leave messi and ronaldo, let alone giovinco, villa, kaka and keane- great is an overused word from andrew- i respect the grit and committment from andrew, but his claim of greatness for this team is severe hyperbole this is a weak team that has been disengaged by the ownership group, a coaching staff not held accountable by the FO, overestimated talent-wise by the players and coaches, poorly managed and upgraded by the coaches and is a mess- major overhauls will have to be made for 2017
we now have 30 points with 9 games/27 points on the table- my guess is a final total in the low 40's at best and be in the #8-9 position in the west conference- thank goodness that houston is just as messy as us
This is a better roster than the standings show. It is poorly coached and that has cost us a lot of points. The roster we have should be able to make the playoffs, but won't. We have commitment to a failed tactic, a commitment to Pedro starting, a commitment to Rivero for half the year, and a gong show at RB. Those are all coaching issues. A new coach would have some good pieces to work with as long as he cleaned up RB, got rid of Pedro and Techera, signed 2 better DP's, and introduced some better tactics.
almost completely agree with you- the coach and his staff, especially the scouting of players, made a hash since the end of the 2015 season- i gather that the FO allowed the coaching staff to make decisions about players, but within a certain budget- whether or not coach robinson had a large enough budget is unknown, but they are spending slightly better than the average teams in MLS- if he wanted more and the FO and ownership said NO, then they are more responsible for the hash- many of the players are MLS borderline or less quality the long list of miscalculations in signings (or in not signing steven beitashour), resistance to change tactics/formations, being far too patient with some players and relying on basically ineffective, over-valued DPs has to be on the coach- he simply missed it in the off-season and for this season- he and some of his his staff should be dismissed asap IMO- he failed to adjust and now seems totally bemused as to what to do- his cliche of playing without dear is absolutely foolish- can he grow through this?? not sure as one thing i do know is that robinson is a very stubborn coach and isnt ruthless enough with some of his under-performing players hopefully, one of the owners- and it wont be the majority owner, greg kerfoot, who is terrified to even have his face seen- needs to step up and lead this team and make some tough decisions EXPECT MORE, BE MORE we need 3 significant pieces for 2017- a RB, a #10 DP and a goal scorer DP, then i believe we can come back
did you watch the replay of the goal? the ball went over the line first, by about 1 inch, then the toe came in- anyways, no matter, the best team won the game and we played with little heart and purpose
GAME ANALYSIS AT SKC- 2-0 LOSS 1. Passenger Pigeons- so many whitecap passengers in this game, led by their supposed captain, pedro morales- i doubt he even needed a shower and no doubt he is playing with injuries which is his MO- if the whitecaps have him back- which they shouldnt (did i mention a buy-out??)- 2017 doesnt bode well; other passengers- techera, sometimes bolanos who looks frustrated with the lack of talent he has to play with, perez who had NO impact, and a lot of mediocre heart from so many players and coaches who all need to look in the mirror for what has happened 2. Can It Get Worse- yes, yes, yes with 3/4 next games on the road and the 1 home game vs NYRB; then 4 games with teams who will be fighting for a playoff spot (3 at home) - seattle, portland, colorado and SJ- - BOOS could be the dominant sound at bc place stadium 3. The Worst- this is the worst commitment i have seen from the whitecaps since joining MLS 4. Under The Bus- pres bob lenarduzzi was interviewed at half-time- did i say he is totally PISSED?? he said the players are playing for next year- not sure how many will want to be here unless the coaches are changed and new talent comes in- but he did say about finding cheap talent- GROAN!!! he needs to be actively involved in ALL player transactions and be ruthless ... and ask/demand for the money to acquire 3 high-quality DPs 5. The Rescue- who can rescue us from all this mess and not have it repeated in 2017?? THE OWNERS- DO THEY CARE?? we will see by january- if i see robinson and morales leading this team, i will SCREAM in pain EXPECT MORE, BE MORE
Honestly, this was disgusting to Tommy Soehn 2011 levels. Look, if the Caps come back next season with Robinson, they will lose a lot of trust from the fans. This is not about a team that isn't good enough and loses; we can live with losses. This is about HOW they are losing, and a coach that is so absurdly stuck on one tactic with a captain who needs to get out of this league ASAP, and a team that has clearly given up on the message. This has turned into a dumpster fire and the only way to fix it is a management change; because Carl isn't going to change. He fires off some statement to the media about not playing guys who are playing poorly, and he trots out Pedro yet again. What a bunch of crap. Get someone with MLS experience (no more "young up and comers" or first time coaches this time around), and get that person to clean up the mess in the offseason. Have you ever seen a 1st division manager stick with the same formation for 3 years in spite of losses , lack of goals, and a plummeting performance? I can't think of one. Just tank the season and get him fired; then we can move onto something better (I hope)
My favorite Canadian team to watch over the years but TFC has overtaken them. More Canadian content and more talent in general. Its a shame to see it unfolding this way.
sadly to say, my hope is that the rest of the 2016 campaign gets worse, even a last place finish for the Caps in the west conference- then perhaps- PERHAPS- the disengaged owners take notice and get involved and demand more, expect more and invest more in a great soccer market- OF THE 4 OWNERS NEEDS TO STEP UP AND SHOW LEADERSHIP AND CARE sometimes things have to get worse before it can get better and in MLS, that is quickly possible with leadership, well-thought out change, investment and new players and coaches- i think the change should be done asap, if nothing more than to send a message to the existing players that the play is just not good enough- loose with honor and integrity, not the way we are watching with some players- and too many players have tuned out the coaches and dont appear to give a damn or have MLS-level ability!! its time to clean house and give new hope for 2017 for the great supporters do cosmetic changes- same coaches and most of the same players for 2017- and risk loosing its supporters and the club's imprint in vancouver EXPECT MORE, BE MORE
KEEP OR RELEASE FOR 2017: Players to keep for 2017- ousted, waston, harvey, parker, de jong, jacobson, laba, mezquida, bolanos, teibert, manneh, davies, tornaghi, carduzzi, mckendry Players to say good bye to- morales, techera, smith, aird, kudo, hurtado, flores, dean, kah The whatever players- perez, bustos, edgar, barnes, froese, adekugbe The coaching staff- all replaced- just too many mistakes- and the list is extensive- we are worse than 2014 when the previous coach was fired Riding the bubble- the FO staff headed by bob lenarduzzi- clean up the mess, set a new direction or suffer the consequences in 2017- and stop wasting so much time and energy looking for hidden and cheap player gems in CA and SA- they rarely exist Invisble men- the owners- make major changes or suffer the loss of fans in 2017- surely 1/4 wants to take action and be an ambitious, visible majority owner to improve the club The good news- its MLS, so a team's fortunes can change quickly for the better and 2016 will seem like a long time ago
A Message from Gabriel Brener Dynamo http://www.houstondynamo.com/post/2016/08/22/message-dynamo-fans-managing-partner-gabriel-brener if only the vancouver whitecaps FO and ownership had this type of communication- but FO Pres, bob lenarduzzi, said on the half time tv interview from the debacle game in SKC on saturday that the players are now playing for 2017- when the pres goes to a road game, its not for love- its to send a message- he's pissed and will do what it takes to save his own arse and the integrity of the team (it must come from the ownership group) i think the hammer will fall soon on the head coach, maybe before the end of the season- its that bad!! the players are shutting the coach off and many are playing with indifference- when that happens, there is only 1 possible outcome
Lost credibility: the quote from SKC head coach, peter vermes on tonight's game at BC Place "We'll have to go in with another plan," he said. "We know they have an excellent team. i dont know what soccer planet he is on, but it's a ridiculous statement- the whitecaps have moved from a middling team, to a weak team and is on the way to being a poor team- pure and simple- his statement is a load of crap! The spin: head coach, carl robinson- quote- "If you're not going to score goals, you're not going to win games," said Robinson. "We need to address that, whether it's personnel change or a system change, we will. We've just got to get back to work." we all know that no matter what, he will start pedro morales (if he is not injured which he looked like on saturday's game in SKC where he could barely run), go with a 4-2-3-1 (which rarely gets a goal- we now have a goal differential of -9) and bring on subs about the 60th minute if things are not going well- i dont have any confidence that any whitecap player can get a goal unless it is a PK or off an opponent's arse Could it happen??: because SKC is in a playoff hunt, they might choose a weaker team against another weak team in the Caps- the result has all the earmarks of a dull offensive match with 1 team in a severe drought and 1 team fielding a reserve team- its a coin toss as to who wins.. and really, does it matter?? The winding slope to the obvious: marc weber quote: But if the Caps want to sell some hope to a confounded fan base, coach Carl Robinson and the committee will have to carefully weigh their options for Tuesday. confounded?? it was obvious to me and a few others a long time ago- and its obvious now to most supporters- that the Cap team is just a poor mixture of players and weak talent, and it wont get any better without significant changes for 2017 options?? what are they that will have a dramatic, entertaining effect on tonight's game? bringing on kudo for perez? techera for bolanos? teibert for morales? bustos for mezquida? smith for aird? parker for edgar or waston? tornaghi for ousted? really!!?? The refusal: to drive over 1 hour, pay for a ticket and believe that i will be entertained by a Cap team that will play with honor and passion... and maybe a win- i am loosing interest in 2016 and it will be a challenge for me to come for the remaining 4 MLS home games and take a chance that my night will be ruined I CARE, THE WHITECAPS SHOULD CARE!!
VANCOUVER VS SKC, CCL GAME- 3-0 WIN 1. Handcarts- no, i am not doing handcarts with this win over a very weakened SKC team- the game vs LA on saturday will be a better indication- all i expect- and i think all supporters expect- is an honest, energetic effort that represents the best about a vancouver whitecap team 2. Great to see- eric hurtado getting a goal and an assist- while he wont be better than a reserve player in MLS, you gotta love his attitude, passion for playing and his energy 3. Can it be??- the Caps played a 4-4-2 formation and we scored 3 goals-- when was the last time we did that??- and no pedro morales to clog up the midfield 4. No i dont!!- i dont trust that techera has turned the corner on his attitude and committment- he still is a 1 trick pony with his left foot which is just not good enough for a professional footballer (unless you are an arjen robbens or a alan hinton, anointed by the soccer gods with a wondrous left foot) 5. I am not!!- i am not a hater of morales- i admire him for his efforts- he does try to play his best- but its just not good enough to be a high-priced DP for MLS- he never should have been expected to be this soccer leader and wizard on the field 6. Enjoy- i will try and enjoy this win, but saturday's game will say it all as to what to expect for the rest of the season 7. It lifted- the 1 ooo pound weight on the shoulders of the coaches- i wonder how they will feel after the LA game GOOD LUCK BOYS ON SATURDAY- PLAY WITH PASSION AND HONOR
4-4-2 and no Pedro... makes the squad better by default. Which means, Saturday we get 4-2-3-1 and Pedro
i think that robinson is soooo desperate that he will go with a 4-4-2 and no morales- he cant be so foolish to go back to the 'soccer abyss' of a 4-2-3-1, can he??? and LA needs a win to stay near the top so they will be licking their chops at a weak Cap MF and RB- a 4-4-2 offers more control of the MF and more quick counters with 2 forwards to pass to 2 questions: 1. will he start morales and if he does, where does he play him? its still a mystery after 2 1/2 years, but it sure aint the #10 role 2. who starts at RB and LB (if de jong has to go to the canada camp)- i suppose robinson could go with aird at RB and levis at LB- YIKES!!!! 2 rookies- waston and parker will be stretched and keane and zardes could have a field day!
Gotta love Weber and the Province today. Techera has one decent game against a sup par opponent and they blast "The BUG IS BACK". This reminds me of the Mattocks stuff. He would get one goal and people would rave about how he was finally breaking through and a star. Of course over a season he would still end up scraping the bottom of the barrel. I don't get such proclamations. If he plays well in 3 - 4 straight MLS games, you can say that. Not after one CCL game. Saturday we are likely going back to 4--2-3-1 with Pedro in the lineup . So, it is highly unlikely anyone has a great game, including the bug.
weber also stated that the team had a very good 2015 season, due to a very good start and then a summer spurt until mid-august- little does he remember that the last 2 months of the season, the Caps had a significant loosing record, an indication that major upgrades would be needed for 2016 what we got was an extension of morales' contract ($over 2 mill CDN, scored 1 run-of-play goal in May), a significant contract raise for techera (1 MLS goal, 1 PK, 3 CCL) to well over $400 000 CDN, a returning mattocks at over $300 000 CDN (now traded to portland), a free agent scorer in kudo (has 2 this season), a MF-attacker in bolanos (5 goals, hasnt scored in months) ), a trade for perez (2 goals, hasnt scored for months), a trade of beitashour to TFC (who now have 1 of the best defence records in MLS and the Caps have 1 of the worst), 2 rookies- aird and smith to replace beitashour (over $200 000 CDN) and the signing of 2 older canadian defenders in edgar and de jong to help stop the sieve on defence it should be no wonder that the Caps are near the bottom of MLS- will they go cheap in 2017? will they keep the coaching staff who have made multiple failed player decisions? should make for an interesting off-season BE MORE, EXPECT MORE
If they come back with Carl Robinson; well, the market will turn on him if he serves up the same shit next year. He sounds nice in interviews but if you actually break it down it is mostly cliches and bullshit. Nothing of substance
Morales's body is done for the season. He can barely move out there and his kicking power is evaporating, he can't even take long free kicks at this stage. A complete liability at this point regardless of where you put him in the formation. I know Robinson is going to keep starting him, it is just sad to see. Most people seem to realize this except Robinson and Weber it seems. Great to see Teibert; he works so hard he really does make a difference. He is far more meaningful than Pedro. De Jong had his best game as a Cap. He is not the answer as a full time starter, however, I would love them to keep him around next year for depth. 2 strikers, yay. THey did look dangerous at times and Barnes had a solid game. I hope we get a new coach next year so Barnes isn't wasted. Laba needs to be taken out of a DP spot (if that is even possible). Not good enough to warrant using those precious spots. I want him on the squad, I just hope they can move things around so he doesn't take up that spot. In a vacuum looking at the schedule , a 0-0 draw down there is a good result. So, I guess the Robinson death watch is put off for a couple of weeks with two positive results in a row. Techera truly does not give a ********. Look at his body language on the bench, sidelines ,and lack of hustle in the game. He will give you 2 or 3 good games like last Tuesday, and that seems to be it. Pretty clear he was playing for a contract last year, and once he got it, has fallen way down in terms of ethic. Grossly over paid at this stage and a real cap space liability. I hope Kudo, for his sake, moves on. He clearly is not going to flourish under Robinson and can't be happy with the way the season has played out for him Eric has so much going for him, however, he just can not score at MLS level. It is what it is. I can envision him one day being in the NASL or with an independent USL club and being one of thee leagues 5 goal scorers. He has a lot of talent and work ethic if he finds the right level of league for him.