who knows what LD is thinking? but i don't see what would stop him from wanting to play in LA, even if for some reason the Galaxy wanted to (or had to) let him go. who knows about Chivas USA -- I just mentioned it as a option, not at all thinking about how "likely" it would be that LD ends up there. if they have the cap room (or a new DP slot or whatever) and they don't have to give up too much for LD, i can't imagine the club not wanting him. he's a damn good soccer player with a history of success in MLS, and he's bilingual to boot. whatever the case (and if he is able to stay in LA or if he has/gets to go play professionally in a different city), i find it hard to believe he'd actually walk away from the game (and his USMNT career as well) prior to 2014, or possibly 2018 -- (yes, I can see a 36 year old LD playing in his 5th World Cup at USA 2018).
I wonder if he'll speak out against the pointyball lines during games, playoffs, USSF match officials, and canned PA stadium music/noises during the run of play.
I remember at Chelsea they asked him to decide on what his salary should be but not long after that they hired Gianluca Vialli, Claudio Ranieri and then Jose Mourinho.... Then again that club doesn't look that stable. The only thing I don't like about these types of coaches in the MLS is they have no clue about how the MLS works. The MLS is going away from signing college players but they still rely on the colleges for draft picks and players as well as the waiver wires and they also are signing many USL players which I don't think foreign coaches really ever consider too highly. I don't see him lasting but I guess most coaches in the MLS or wherever don't last too long.
Yeah, "assuming LD refuses to leave"-- I agree with you options. But I think the most likely scenario is #3: they negotiate some sort of new agreement before things get nasty. It will definitely cost AEG some money, but this is the normal way of doing business. This is, of course, if (and I think it's a big if) LA no longer wants him and they can't work out the DP issue.
Just to be clear, I don't think LA wants to get rid of him and I think they'll do whatever they have to to keep him (and Beckham of course). The scenarios/points I've been making about all this are in response to the "trade LD"/"is LD leaving?" comments and threads. I wanted it made clear that LD is holding pretty much all the cards here and has said he's "not going anywhere."
That's the part I don't agree with-- I think you're over-estimating the importance of his contract. LD definitely has more cards than the average bear, but he still has plenty of reasons to negotiate. AEG will need to compensate him somehow if they renegotiate the contract, but there are plenty of carrots and sticks they can use.
I don't follow Dutch football very closely, but I don't really understand how people can say this. He may not have been a superior coach, but it seems a stretch to call him poor. Feyenoord final table position: 2002-03: 3 2003-04: 3 2004-05: 4 - Guillit's only year in charge; and they finished fourth by only 2pts, with a superior goal differential (+39) to third place AZ (+30). 2005-06: 3 2006-07: 7 The fact is, his managerial experience is too limited to really pass judgment. Considering how mediocre Chelsea where when he was there, the case can be made that he actually did quite well as manager there - both in the league and in winning the FA Cup. Chelsea final table position: 1994-95: 11 1995-96: 11 1996-97: 6 - Gullit in charge; Won FA Cup 1997-98: 4 - Gullit sacked in late February due to a dispute with management; Chelsea was in 2nd at the time of his sacking 1998-99: 3 1999-00: 5 And his semi-failure at Newcastle seem much more an issue of personality conflict with a Schearer. Newcastle finished 13th the season before Gullit took charge, finished 13th again during the only season that he was in charge (and were runners-up in the FA Cup), and then finished 11th the season after he left. I think if you're being honest, the jury is still out on Gullit as a manager, and, despite my general loathing of the Galaxy, I'm very interested to see how he does. This may, in fact, be one of the reasons why he was lured to the Galaxy. He may be looking to get a little more management experience under his belt, in a lower pressure situation, before returning to Europe for another shot at higher-profile gigs. I think this is a very, very good hire for everyone concerned.
Take with a grain of salt, but my sense from the Dutch side of my family is that the difference between 3rd and 4th for Feyenoord is huge, like the difference between 2nd and 3rd for Real Madrid or Barcelona. It's a minor failure to not win, but it's a disaster to finish behind someone other than the leader. Feyenoord isn't quite Ajay or PSV, but they're supposed to be up there with them. Any Dutch fans able to give me a better picture? Of course, the Dutch relatives are also ridiculously critical of any failure (and they're Twente supporters, so they ought to be used to it).
Yeah, but have a look at the tables. They may have finished 4th in 04-05, but they collected 62 points with a +39 GD. Those 62 points would have been enough to finish third in the three seasons prior to Gullit taking over. I don't think it was so much a failure of Gullit, as it was the improvement of AZ and Heerenveen.
I think that you overestimate how much he wants to stay in LA. I think that if somebody upped his contract significantly to consent to a trade to San Jose, he'd say, "Yeah, I like LA, but I like fat piles of cash even more." And given his huge contract to play soccer, I'd be highly interested in hearing what he could do that would pay him more in LA.
Chicago could improve their ticket sales by 6%, easily. If they host the Eastern Conference finals -- not a long-shot at all -- they immediately up their revenues from ticket sales 6%. Not to mention jersey sales and concessions. Parking, etc. Like I said, by improving the product on the field, they up their chances at making money in the future, through tournaments, friendlies, away attendance, merchandise, etc. Another question is: can Chicago -- or anybody -- AFFORD to miss the playoffs? The stakes have been raised, dave. 1. I doubt that all 14 DPs are going to be used next year. There will be one or 2 hold-outs. 2. I'm not saying that Chicago is going to go out and get a 2nd DP. 3. Like I insinuated above, what do you think is going to be the reaction if/when TFC, DC and C'bus go out and get themselves a DP or 2? Can teams sit back and do nothing and hope for the best? How would the above scenario alter the DP landscape in the West? Can Crado and RSL afford to maintain the status quo? How can they when it hasn't worked? What happens if/when Dallas, RSL, Colorado and Houston get a DP? That again will have a ripple effect back on the East b/c only the top 2 per conference are guaranteed a playoff spot. I dare to say, dave, that you haven't thought about this.
My impression is that Landy is getting some sort of pressure for a possible move, and is telling/reminding folks that he will be difficult to move if he doesn't want to. As to where he will end up, if anybody knows they aren't saying. Before we can know that, the DP situation with LA [and the league as a whole] has to be set for next year. This assuming that the Galaxy need to know what the rules are before they can break 'em.
Is Dallas not in the same postion as LA? They have Denilson and Ruiz. I know FCD will probably just not pick up Denilson's option but if they do will they not have to aquire another DP spot as well? Was Ruiz not grandfathered in this season like Donovan and Johnson?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Although I'd be curious to see if they make him take a pay CUT 'cuz Grown Ass Man ain't been playing like he's a DP.
If I am negotiating for LD, I make a huge point about how I can't be traded and how I won't budge. If I'm the league, I make a big deal about how they're not going to add another DP to try and force all the non-DPs right now to keep their salary demands under DP numbers, as well as move any potential DPs where the league/clubs want them. In either event, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out completely different in the end from what the parties are saying now.
Those stats are not saying a whole lot. Still, at the time it was all PSV, Ajax & Feijenoord competing for the top 3 spots, with AZ on its way. Ending 4th was considered bad for them. The true damage he has done was signing players that were either crap, or didn't work out as planned. Feijenoord is still suffering from this financially. His time at Newcastle was just bad. At Chelsea he actually did a good job. The player pool at the time was laughable compared to the superstars Chelsea has now. So will he be a great coach? I don't know. He hasn't been doing it for quite some time now. Let's just hope he has learned from it all. Plus everyone is just looking at his coaching career which isn't much to go on imo. Lets just look for positives. He knows the game inside & out. Some people will call him an tactical clown, but I don't agree. Make no mistake, he ain't no Hiddink either. But I've seen & read in the U.S. forums that there isn't that much attention given on the tactical & technical issues. Here is where he could really shine for you. He probably already has the respect of the Galaxy players because of his status as a player which gives him immediate authority. He's inspiring & charismatic, and will say what is on his mind ( that can be a bad thing at times though, but at least you know what you're up to with him ). He likes his footy to be attacking minded as well which is always good. Only time will tell, but I think this could be a great move. Either that, or he'll fail miserably. I have a feeling there's no in-between.
You sure you haven't been watching 2006 game tapes Carlos? He may have faded as the season progressed, but Eddie only finished one goal behind Taylor Twellman in the final goal-scorers standings. He earned his bread. Carlos Ruiz on the other hand...