Courtesy of Jen Chang, Senior Soccer Editor for SI.Com: http://twitter.com/#!/JenChang88 "Revs had been poor lately but Nicol and his staff were seriously handicapped by New England front office's unwillingness to spend $$... Revs turned down chance to sign various "name" players such as Robbie Fowler, Pauleta etc that had agreed to sign for Nicol over the years...On 1 trip to South America a few seasons ago, Nicol & his staff came back with a list of 20+ players they felt would take Revs to next level. All would have been of pricey by MLS standards but affordable (one was striker Jose Sand - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Sand), (but) Revs front office turned down the entire list..."
Telling information. I've always thought Nicol was a good coach, but it was certainly his time to go. This only reveals that the problem is not fixed by firing Nicol, Burns must go as well, and if there's still stinginess, so too must the Krafts (yes, I'm aware they own the franchise).
This is a disgrace. This team had the financial means to improve, but chose not to. It makes me a sad panda
A lot of long-held suspicions confirmed here. Gol TV's Phil Schoen shared some enlightening information as well: To paraphrase an old Bill Cosby skit- we said they were cheap, saw they were cheap, and they were in fact cheap...
Lanus-era Jose Sand was quite good. Heck, he's still playing in the Mexican League with Tijuana, so he can't be chopped liver. The details that leak out over the next few days are going to be far worse for Kraft than for Nicol. The skinflint pigeons are coming home to roost.
If all these guys knew this stuff before, why didn't they say it when it could have made a difference on the field? Enthusiast media sucks :/ You want access, you have to play by the rules, you don't play by the rules you can't get the stories. It seems these stories were just sitting there, and should have been blockbusters.
While ive said it for a long time (SN must go) I really hate to see him be the fall guy for the people that wouldnt sign the players he wanted. If this is in fact true... I feel a lil bad about it
As I've often posted this has been my take for a long while. Unfortunately even if our decline is not primarily his fault I've come to agree that Stevie is burt out in this system and his leaving is for the best. The big question at this point is---will the Rev system recognize that their player management system is significantly broken and no matter who they hire the team will stay mired in the lower half of the table unless they are willing to make fundamental changes?
I've always heard that Pauletta never came because they could not agree on the money, he also declined New York for the same reason. It makes me wonder what the actual situation real was, for some reason I don't think we'll ever get a straight answer.
I totally feel sick...! 16 years of undying support for a cause that never had backing..! FANS MAKE THIS GAME..not some billionaire MONGER MORON who speculates on the mere fact that 55k showed up for a USA-Ireland game and packed his house during WC94...! Disgusted beyond belief. I wish SN well..and am sure the man will land softly! Wouldn't it be a kick for him to get to a team where the ownership appreciates the feisty attitude and dedication..! Wish these SO CALLED SOCCER WRITERS would come out in force now..!!
He's done the same with the Patriots. How many Pro Bowlers has he let go because they wanted more than he was willing to pay? Because it's worked for the Pats may make him think the same lowball budgeting style will work in MLS. Some of why it has worked for the Pats may be the skill of those doing the scouting and coaching. If he wants it to work for the Revs he's going to need to get the same quality management team in place.
The Patriots have also gone out and made bold moves, acquiring Moss, Ochocinco, Haynesworth, Dillon, etc. They've been risky but typically inexpensive acquisitions, I'd like to see something like that implemented with the Revs. So far the only risks I've seen are acquiring aging European players and the signing of Caraglio. The European players were costly and a failure, like many here predicted. Caraglio has shown potential, I hope to see more acquisitions of this nature.
It's the Phil Schoen tweet that intrigues me. What is it about the Revs/Pats set up that is causing Revs' front office personnel to act so cautiously? And how does THAT change? Also thought it was interesting that Jack Bell tweeted that the Revs were one of the few teams in MLS that actually turns a profit. Never would have guessed it.
This surprises you? What are the costs or running the Revs? Up until recently we never spent to the cap and only opened up half of the stadium. Add in an international friendly or two, a Beckham game, and a couple youth soccer promotions and you've got yourself a real breadwinner.
The other difference between the Revs and the Pats is off the field. A good NFL team basically markets itself. On the other hand, building a fanbase in MLS takes a lot more than just putting a good product on the field. The Revs are unable or unwilling to make the effort to build the kind of atmosphere and game experience that more and more fans around the league have come to expect. This can't be accomplished overnight. It requires doing all the little things right and even then you won't see much in the way of immediate returns. But what really frustrates me is that a lot of the things they could be doing better don't even cost any money. The cardinal sin of the Revs FO in off-the-field matters is that they just don't understand the symbiotic relationship between hardcore supporters and the club. Sometimes the hardcores can be a little ridiculous and I can see the headaches they would occasionally cause any organization. Still, this group is fanatical about the team and when not utterly depressed -- as they are now -- they serve as brand evangelicals and excellent marketing tools. They do lots of heavy lifting, buying and wearing merchandise, bringing friends to games, and spreading the word on social media and elsewhere. Most organizations in the league have understood that hitching your wagon to this phenomenon is a recipe for success. Make efforts to put a good team on the field, keep the lines of communication with the fans open, make them feel appreciated, and you are rewarded with a hardcore fanbase that is proud of and excited about their team and are eager to serve as a volunteer marketing army. This group is only a minority of the people in the stadium, but they more than carry their weight and as such shouldn't be simply brushed aside. In the Revs case, they are obstructed somewhat by the nature and location of their stadium, but that doesn't excuse the counterproductive relationship they've chosen with their most ardent supporters. Interesting, although I never trust what sports owners say about profits. There are too many accounting tricks. Hypothetical: maybe FC Dallas loses money...but Pizza Hut Park and the surrounding youth complex made a fortune.
Leaving aside the point that I've never read a quote from TT or JL that said Kraft is cheap in as many words - perhaps I missed them - The fact that these players were approached and were actually interested in coming here is compltely new. People on this board have speculated for years about what level of contact the FO had had with game-changing players. This is the most specific reporting we've ever had.
I've said it many times, and will say it again: Kraft doesn't want soccer to succeed here. Owning the Revs, and not spending any time or money on them, is the best way to hold the sport back. He has successfully quelled interest in the game here. His mission is almost fully complete.
In a league with non-guaranteed contracts, and the average player lifespan on 3 years. Comparing the two leagues and sports is about as useless as defending Kraft.
As I've said previously, you can run a car on the cheapest gas possible rather than spending more on premium unleaded and more than likely it will still run alright, getting you from point A to point B. That's what Kraft has done for years with the Revs: putting just enough money into the organization to allow it to (seemingly) keep pace with the other clubs in the League, that and to garner support from non-League entities that might look to Foxboro as a venue for their soccer interests. The thing is, that approach no longer works, hasn't worked for some time, and won't work going forward. Letting Nicol go while bringing in some half-baked trialists isn't going to cut it... not nearly. Burns has to go, Bilello has to go as well, and the Krafts would do well to reach out to the likes of Derek Aframe at Octagon (or similar) to solicit help in evaluating the state of the club with an eye towards becoming more competitive both on and off the pitch.