Wasn't it Bill Parcells who said, you are what your record says you are. It's so lame. The refs screwed us, we were unlucky, we had injuries, we were tired, the dog ate my homework. Resign Steve.
I'm rarely shocked by the posters on this Board ability to find a way of turning anything having to do with this team into something negative but the above posts actually shock me. What part of Nicols statement and my expansion of what he said isn't true? He's talking about the players on the field not the roster thats been assembled. Fact is this team has consistent been able to snatch defeat (or a tie) from the jaws of victory. Nicols statement is valid. When you expand the context in which you view his statement you change the discussion,
I have decided to blame the Rev Girls. Haven't we gone downhill since we brought those cheerleaders in?
Isn't George right? The one thing that Nicol can't say directly (though he has said it indirectly), is that his players aren't good. Never mind the truth or falsehood of the statement, it would destroy the team. I didn't hear him blame the referees or anything other than failure to play well.
Yes he did Jon. But where is his own accountability? There are far too many "it was schoolboy defending" press conferences and far too few "My staff and I need to do a better job" for me. In business if you blame your staff for everything, poor as they may be, without looking yourself and your own personnel decisions in the mirror it shows a lack of leadership, accountability and competence for the position. I'd much prefer a stand up coach willing to say "this one's on me" than trot out the old "basic stuff" lines. It's no different than the cook blaming the ingredients he selected when the stew doesn't taste right and people complain. Side note re: quotes, I commented on the Revs/Portland post game quotes page and it was apparently censored (it was not derogatory, I just said I was disappointed).
I'll buy that. Speaking of schoolboy defending, is anyone else concerned about lack of defensive intensity (the number of uncontested shots allowed), including the poor marking on set pieces?
OK, Doc, fair enough. With your Mr. Spock brand of logic, yes, the Revs have made terrible mistakes that have cost them games time and time again this season, too many times to even count. If we had all those points back we'd be solidly in the playoffs. But we don't and we aren't. You can quote Parcells or Popeye -- "you are what you are" or "I yam what I yam," but either way it holds true here. So who is responsible for that? Here are a couple of possible answers: The players who made said mistakes. First and foremost, if a guy makes a givaway that leads to a goal, it is his responsibility. What about les obvious situations where the team comes out flat, or the wrong tactics are employed for that opponent or poor choices in substitution are made? Whose responsible for that? And if you argue that the players are doing their absolute best they can (which I generally believe), but they simply aren't good enough collectively or individually to compete at this level, whose responsibility is that? Mike Burns might hand Stevie the ATM card when he is on his way to the supermarket, and Kraft is the one to make sure there is enough money in the account, but ultimately Steve Nicol is the one pushing the cart up and down the aisles deciding what to buy. If he buys cans of cat food because it's labelled "Fancy Feast," it's his fault if it isn't the basis for what most of us would consider a gourmet meal.
I love it when occasionally the Patriots lose BB will always say, we played bad, we planned bad, we coached bad..... he will ALWAYS take responsibility. And when the season is over he will look back and find the weaknesses he sees and he will endeavor to do something about it. Jeeze Kraft owns both teams..... hmmmmm where is the consistency?
Nicol used to do this too... In the heyday, if they'd lose or play badly (which wasn't all that often) he'd open the presser with something like this: "Wasssit a penalty? Ah dinnae. Yue ken blayme tha raffaree eff ya lake, bu' a' thu endathadey, yuh gut tae loo' a yuurself inna mirrra..." That's why it is so heartbreakingly sad to see him resort to the ridiculous excuse-making that makes him seem so weak. We know he's better than this, but it seems that working for Kraft Soccer just makes you compromise your ideals so much that there is little left but the shell of a man. Like an old dog that is limping along due to painful hip dysplasia, sometimes Youth in Asia is the only option.
I have mentioned this a few times. Tons of shots are being taken right in front of the net. CB just standing there ball watching, outside defenders not marking, allowing balls into the box,,,,,,Back line is a mess
Not just the back line, but the defensive midfield as well. 4 defenders can only do so much against 4 attackers. They need defensive support.
oh there is plenty of blame to throw around.....bottom like they just don't have enough talent,,,,period
People on this board don't turn things about this team negative, the team does a bang up job of doing that themselves. Sorry Doc, but when you lose in professional sports, the paying customers have every right to question every word you say, decision you make and action you've done. We help pay them to do this for a living, so it is our right to demand more. Just because Nicol says something that is true, it doesn't mean that it can't be construed as an indictment of failure on the entire franchise. Paying professional sports customers have two potential ways of dealing with a product they deem to be unworthy of their money: Criticizing the product, or refusing to buy the product. Which would you prefer they do?
But it is literally a fancy feast. I mean, a feast is the best of all meals and this feast happens to be fancy on top of it.
I don't buy this analogy. I think of it something more like this: Mike Burns tells Stevie to go to the supermarket and pick out what he likes, Kraft makes sure there's enough money in the account. Except, Stevie is blindfolded (because he has no scouts to work with) so he has to either ask store employee for help, or use his sense of touch and smell to choose his "items." Well, he finally finds a gem of an item at a reasonable price then he goes up to the cash register where Mike Burns proceeds to bargain with store employees for 3 hours to settle on a better price. In the course of doing this, Burns pisses everyone off and the guy at the register tells him that item is no longer for sale. So Burns tells Setvie that he has 30 seconds to go find a replacement. Stevie rushes back into the isles, picks up the first thing he can find, runs back to Burns, and together they check out. THEN they get home and realized that they've purchased fancy feast.
I am now definitely rooting for no Playoffs. We would be better off next year if this happens. If we made it, we are one and done anyway, so... If we don't make it, it may get Kraft's attention and maybe initiate a housecleaning and a review of the cheapskate scouting system.... maybe, maybe not. If we can finish last we get the draft pick.