Firing Coaches

Discussion in 'MLS: General' started by ChrisE, Oct 12, 2003.

  1. ChrisE

    ChrisE Member

    Jul 1, 2002
    Brooklyn
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    American Samoa
    MLS season 2003

    Coaches that have been fired:
    Mike Jeffries

    Coaches that a good number of fans currently want to be fired:
    Sigi Schmid
    Greg Andrulis
    Bob Gansler
    Ray Hudson

    Coaches who a good number of fans wanted to be fired, but not so much anymore:
    Tim Hankinson
    Steve Nicol

    Coaches not many people want fired:
    Dave Sarachan
    Bob Bradley
    Frank Yallop
    Colin Clarke
     
  2. Fah Que

    Fah Que Member

    Sep 29, 2000
    LA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    I think Greg Andrulis will be the only one fired if he doesn't make the playoff.

    Personally I would like to see some new blood in coaches, especially those with experience in playing or coaching overseas.

    If the person(s) succeed in doing something new, the rest of the league are very quick copycats. It's a good way to get new ideas to improve the league.
     
  3. kevbrunton

    kevbrunton New Member

    Feb 27, 2001
    Edwardsburg, MI
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Personally, I think that those that have been the best coaches have been those that were most in touch with the American soccer scene. We have a pretty tough salary cap that greatly limits the ability to move players and to bring in "guaranteed" strong players. That means you have to know about the fringe players and the youngsters.

    That's where Bradley and Sarachan (both having been involved in the American Youth system) have been extremely successful.

    I think that having coached overseas with their much higher budgets and larger rosters can actually be more of a negative impact than a positive given what a coach has to work with in MLS.
     
  4. Jose L. Couso

    Jose L. Couso New Member

    Jul 31, 2000
    Arlington, VA
    I couldn't agree more.
     
  5. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Andrulis is history.

    Hudson is borderline depending on what happens in the next few weeks.

    Everybody else is pretty safe.

    You contention about Sarachen and Bradley is one I've been making for some time now regarding John Ellinger. His contract has another year on it, and he says he's happy where he is (but they always do) but there's not anybody in the country with a better feel for the entire next generation of young American players.

    If he was willing, I'd take him in a heartbeat.
     
  6. Knave

    Knave Member+

    May 25, 1999
    I actually think Hudson is safe. But that's more of an indictment of the higher ups at DC United than it is a defense of Hudson.
     
  7. FlashMan

    FlashMan Member

    Jan 6, 2000
    'diego
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Presuming he makes the playoffs, Hudson is safe. And even if they don't, they'll probably give him one more year.

    Unless I've missed something, I don't think Clarke has a chance of hanging around. But maybe you guys have read something that I haven't...

    Andrulis, barring a miracle, is history.

    Gansler will hang around for a couple of more years of medicrity.

    Sigi has at least one more year to develop a midfield.
     
  8. Viking64

    Viking64 Member

    Feb 11, 1999
    Tarheel State
    I think this thread illustrates how unrealistic MLS fans are. How can half the coaches in a ten team league be blamed for finishing 4 through 9 in a league ruled by a uniform salary cap?

    The difference between Metrostars and Crew is 10 points. The difference between Rapids and Galaxy is 8 points. Hardly "Titanic" proportions. Goon and Quakes ran away from the pack, everyone else settled around the mean.

    Can anyone remember a coach besides Dir who was fired BEFORE his team was a basketcase? the only one I can think of is whoever Schmid replaced.
    (Osiander was it?)

    But I don't see anyone else getting fired. While the Crew might miss the playoffs, he at least was competitive. The only basketcase in the league is Dallas. And as this week demonstrated, even the basketcase of the league can deny a front runner points at home.
     
  9. Fah Que

    Fah Que Member

    Sep 29, 2000
    LA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    The guy who took over Tampa Bay after Tim Hankinson absolutely terrible, probably worst of all time.
     
  10. Arisrules

    Arisrules Member

    Feb 19, 2000
    Washington, DC
    Yea, hadn't hankinson led the Mutiny to an incredible record the season before?
     
  11. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You miss the point here, IMO.

    There are a lot of reasons for firing a coach. Finishing last may factor into it, but that's hardly the only criteria.

    With Andrulis, he isn't going to be fired for finishing last.

    Among other things, he's going to be fired for having been handed probably the most talented team in MLS and supervising them as they consistently underperform.

    He's going to be fired because, when injuries and callups occurred, as they inevitably do, he was unable to adapt, as guys like Yallop and Sarachen did. He'd simply plug Jeff Cunningham into McBride's role, for example, and wonder why it didn't work. Or use 92 year old defender Mike Clark to fill in for Frankie Hejduk running the offense from the flanks.

    He's going to be fired because whenever the team got a lead, regardless of when, he'd pull all the offense and put eight defenders in the box hoping to hold on for 70 minutes.

    He's going to be fired because the players seem to have tuned him out. The locker room is a morgue, the players are angry and pissed off and Greg seems incapable of doing anything about it.

    He's going to be fired because he really didn't have the credentials for the job in the first place. He was the head coach at a midsized college nearby when the Crew needed a keeper coach. The keeper at the time was some guy named Friedel. He played good.

    SO he was still there a couple years later, presiding over the professional disintegration of Mark Dougherty, a previously good keeper, when Tom Fitzgerald was fired. They decided to name him interim coach until the end of the season. The only other possibility was assistant coach Marcello Carrera, who barely speaks English.

    The team, which had grown to loath Fitz, for a number of reasons not worth getting into right now, went on an absolute tear, kicking ass and taking names. Greg didn't do much other than make out the lineup, but the team won some games.

    So management was more or less forced to give him a two-year contract. He'd had some success, and he was willing to work cheap.

    But most of all, he'll be fired because the Crew, which leads MLS in season ticket base, stands to lose a bunch of money if they don't. The guy is so roundly unpopular that to resign him (his contract expires in about two weeks) would mean saying goodbye to a couple thousand customers who just aren't going to pony up again next season to sit through more of the same ugliness. They just won't do it.

    So no, my freind, it's not just the numbers, or where you finished.
     
  12. Viking64

    Viking64 Member

    Feb 11, 1999
    Tarheel State
    Perhaps I miss the point. But perhaps you missed mine--complain all you want, but his results are only 4 wins worse than the second place team.

    If the players on the field had won 4 more, they would not be blaming the coach for their position.

    I did not know his contract was up. "Firing a coach" in MLS is a lot different than "Andrulis will not be asked back."

    Based on results it is smarter to NOT renew him.

    And by the way, Clarke won't get the job either.
     
  13. Viking64

    Viking64 Member

    Feb 11, 1999
    Tarheel State
    And the Crew win again, this time away in overtime to keep their season alive. I got to see the end of this one.

    One game out of the playoffs, 7 points out of second place. Didn't McBride get called up for confederations cup?

    I think firing Schmid makes more sense than firing Andrulis. But if you want to fire him, you sacrifice continuity and stability. I wish the Burn had fired sucklack first, then fired the coach if they still needed to.
     
  14. Viking64

    Viking64 Member

    Feb 11, 1999
    Tarheel State
    Half the fans of MLS want their coaches fired.

    I don't think that is really what bothers people. I think what is bothing people is that the league is too physical, and the beauty of play is not what we want to see.

    I think the answer is raising the salary cap by one max salary player for every team, and cracking down on physical play that takes away from the speed of the game, and takes away scoring chances.

    I think some of us are blaming the coach for ugly soccer, when the state of MLS is really the problem.

    I love MLS and I want it to be the best league anywhere. I think making it less physical would be a good start.

    so, let's discuss.
     
  15. Bonji

    Bonji Moderator

    Feb 4, 2003
    Denver, Colorado
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    After the aweful end of season and playoff performance I want Tim Hankinson fired, quickly.
     
  16. Fah Que

    Fah Que Member

    Sep 29, 2000
    LA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    I don't think MLS is too physical compare to the rest of the world. In fact I don't think MLS is physical enough. If you think MLS is too physical, you watch too much Mexican soccer. The reason Mexican soccer is not physical because if you touch any part of their body, they fall down like they have been shot and have to be carried off with a stretcher and an ambulance will come into the stadium.

    If every team has a free kick taker who is as good as Stoichkov in his prime, see how physical each team will get within 35 yards of their goal.
     
  17. whip

    whip Member

    Aug 5, 2000
    HOUSTON TEXAS
    what????

    If MLS is going to bring a foreing coach together with soccer stars we could bring my granny she is a good friend with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, thats a MLS cup, guarantee

    Come on guys....If MLS is bringing any foreing coach this individual need to be a real coach, able to work with a good number of U-17 and the average soccer player in USA, show results in one year or be fire.....NEXT.....
     
  18. whip

    whip Member

    Aug 5, 2000
    HOUSTON TEXAS
    Forget about the points buddy...just look at the mediocrity of play they have develop, would you like to try THE CREW /MORELIA again ??? Perhaps we can complete another half dozen of goal ....It should be a requirement for MLS coaches not to be whoop like MORELIA whoop the crew, thats was awfull ....
     
  19. Viking64

    Viking64 Member

    Feb 11, 1999
    Tarheel State
    this weekend I watched Mexican (3 games), Spanish (1.5), Argentine, Champions League, EPL(only a half), and MLS games (3). (Yea, I was resting, but I digress)

    MLS games were notable in that there were cheap hacks that went uncarded about 5 or so times in each MLS game that disrupted the flow of the game. When you see that every 10 minutes, it starts to grate on you. Just when a team has a good build up or a great transition, some goon from the back line knocks the guy down and plods back to the back line, and he's seldom given a card. When you kill good play every 10 minutes, what kind of soccer are the fans getting?
     
  20. Fah Que

    Fah Que Member

    Sep 29, 2000
    LA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Personally speaking, as long as I have been watching soccer, I believe fouling is part of the game. Cheap hacks is part of the game.(of course there has to be consequences) Fouling on purpose to disrupt the flow of the game has always been a tactic that is available to every team if they choose to. Taking that option away is like bastardizing soccer.

    As I said already, the best solution is for each team to have very good set piece play. If they don't, they deserve whatever borderline yellow card fouls that happen to them.

    Edit to Add: On another thread you said hackers ruin the game. I think it's the lack of skill that ruins the game.
     
  21. Viking64

    Viking64 Member

    Feb 11, 1999
    Tarheel State
    I believe fouls have their place in the game. It's not a sport for wimps, and never should be played that way.

    But your comment at the end is important. You mention lack of skill, and I say "who's?" I think it's no-talent defenders that are slow and big and not good on the ball, so they hack to take down faster and better attackers.

    I agree that MLS players have an unusual lack of ability to nail free kicks...but many of the fouls I am talking about are committed at or beyond midfield where a free kick is essentially useless.

    PS. Sports Illustrated noted that Andrulis has been renewed, it seems for a year.
     

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