Questioning the depth

Maybe the depth is lacking, but im starting to question Rennie as a coach. The player turnover throughout the year has created a disjointed unit IMO. I don't think Robson or Miller have the quality to change it around either.

It wouldn't surprise me if they missed the playoffs now TBH.

 

rennie is a v g coach IMO-- he isn't just planning for the rest of this year, but he is building for 2013-- the caps needed-- and still need some more upgrading, but the players like robson, o'brien and richards have added a lot of quality and depth to the team; so far, miller is a major bust and not just because he hasn't scored

i still hope for the playoffs, but u can expect some more roster changes in the off-season with fringe players like harris, nanchoff, watson and mitchell (maybe thorrington) being let go and more durable, quality players being added- MLS keeps improving each year and the caps have to improve also in order to stay competitive-- thats just the way it is-- and will be for a number of years in MLS

rennie's 1 mistake might just be miller, but another 4-5 games should let us know whether or not not he made the right decision by signing him to a 3 year contract-- i hope miller is able to show us caps fans why he is truly worth $1.2 mill/season

 

When all of these trades were announced, most of them seemed to make sense but it seems like it hurt team chemistry. The Caps haven't been as good since.

 

I just dont understand why Rennie made all these changes at this point of the season. They are slowly but surely losing touch in this conference.

The Whitecaps are the only team in the top 5 in both conferences with a negative goal difference, Rennie had to bolster the defence, but most of the changes occurred in the front part of the field. Since Chiumento left, the team hasn't been the same and only Mattocks I believe has been worth the while.

At the start of the season, I thought making the playoffs would be an acceptable achievement, however seeing the Caps lose ground in such a way is disappointing to say the least. Hopefully they still make it, but they will need to turn it around quickly.

 

IMO, a lot hinges on bringing Miller into the team--and the kind of thinking that led to that move--along with ripples of that decision and that kind of thinking throughout the squad.

Miller worries me; I agree that he may be a bust. My reasoning is not that he isn't scoring, or even getting shots on net, because he is getting into goal-scoring spots. My worry is more fundamental--he seems to have little or no touch, and the ball's behaviour on artificial turf seems to completely baffle him--several games and training sessions in. Game shape is something you can easily work on, but feet of stone and an apparent lack of ability to adapt to basic conditions are way harder to fix. I still think they should have left Miller out, and played Le Toux in Miller's position as the veteran ahead of Mattocks instead of trading him to New York. Le Toux proved himself a good scorer in Philadelphia for two seasons running as a center forward. Le Toux as a center forward being fed by Robson and a more offensive-minded Koffie would have been at least as successful in Vancouver as he was in Philly, IMO.

Keeping Le Toux would also have helped team chemistry, I think. Le Toux has paid his dues in MLS, and came here with an obviously good attitude an work ethic. What's more, he played his way onto the team throughout pre-season. What better mentor, then, for the precocious young Mattocks, than the level-headed, hard-working, similar-style-playing MLS veteran Le Toux? Instead, Le Toux is rewarded for his hard work with a trade for Dane Richards, who we now realize was never really expected to stay in Vancouver (http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2012/08/whitecaps-fc-midfielder-dane-richards-join-burnley-fc-2013) and allocation money. With a few differences, that's essentially what Philly did to Le Toux, a move that was roundly criticized in Philly and elsewhere as harsh at best, and classless at worst. In his place comes Miller--unproven save for the manager's say-so--who is instantly made a DP for a pot-load of money. It also becomes obvious that Miller's playing style barely differs from Le Toux's, except in two respects: 1) Miller gets to play in his favoured center spot; 2) he can't seem to finish worth a bean. Miller promptly proceeds to under perform, but stubbornly stays in the line-up anyway. And it's expected the under-performing, seemingly over-paid Miller will act as Mattocks's mentor (WTF?)

At the same time, Barry Robson is playing well, but causing even the fans in the stands to wince at times with his on-field tirades at the ref and his own team-mates. The final straw for team chemistry had to be, IMO, the starting of O'Brien over Bonjour against Portland. Bonjour has made some gaffs this year, but by and large has been an honest, hard-working and dependable player from the time he stepped foot in Vancouver. O'Brien may have quality and experience beyond Bonjour, but he was responsible for his fair share of mistakes in the first few games he played as a Whitecap. Yet once again, Rennie seems to go with a favourite over a proven team player.

Rennie himself said from training camp on that players would have to compete for spots, and play their way into the starting 11. Yet in the past few weeks, with Robson, Miller and O'Brien, he's given fans and players alike the distinct impression that that isn't the case, even when players he favours don't perform, or seemingly act like jerks to their team-mates. Are we surprised there's a problem with team chemistry?

All this could have been averted. The team has said that Atiba Harris has been garnering interest from other clubs in MLS. Why not trade Harris (for the same allocation money they got for Le Toux, if nothing else), keep Le Toux, and use the money they paid Miller to shop for a speedy winger in the off-season (one who might actually stick around too). And leave O'Brien on the bench as a depth player until he proves both fitness and performance beyond that of either Demerit or Bonjour. All that would have been planning for a solid future--big-picture stuff. As it stands, they opted to keep Harris with a dodgy knee and little real experience playing and contributing for the club, and have brought in two under-performing cue-jumpers, and one cranky-ass performer whose mouth has not been reigned in, it seems. And they've traded a proven MLS performer in Le Toux to boot for essentially nothing because he didn't perform in a position he wasn't suited to play, for a short-term fix (Richards) who'll ultimately leave them in the lurch next season.

Again I say, no wonder we've got a problem with chemistry on the team. But most worrying to me is the combination of a LACK of planning for the future, favouritism, and just plain poor decision-making all of this shows from Rennie and anyone else who had a hand in these latest decisions. This is decision-making approaching Tommy Soehn-esque proportions. I have a lot of respect for Rennie, because he has done a lot of good in his short time here, but I think he needs to come back down to earth and have a good hard think about how to fix these latest problems.

I've never seen a team so obviously pissed off and unhappy after only three games of poor play as they were in Portland this past weekend. Miller didn't even crack a smile after he scored his first goal, which should have come as a visible relief and source of joy for him; Thorrington looked like he was ready to rip someone's head off as he left the field after being subbed. The only noticeable improvement--blatant, actually--was when O'Brien came off injured and Bonjour went in. You would expect the team to deflate, or at least look nervous, after a top CB comes off the field injured (crap!--not the injury bug again!). Instead, the whole team seemed as if released from some great burden upon Bonjour's arrival, and for a few minutes the increased enthusiasm showed in their play. It's a little thing, but sometimes the little things speak volumes.

Chicken or egg? Is player frustration the result of the latest poor form, or is the poor form itself caused by frustration with coaching decisions that have upset the balance in the dressing room, and left the players wondering if they can trust Rennie?

 

i have been a BIG supporter of rennie and even supported his signing of robson, o'brien and richards-- miller leaves me a little baffled when one considers his salary and what he brings to the team
on paper, the caps are a better team with more depth, quality and experience-- but something is happening beyond the weak, disconnected team performances and it comes down to dressing room stuff between players
so i reluctantly agree with dehun that something is going terribly wrong in the chemistry of the TEAM and rennie will have to show his mettle and soccer-smarts to change it quickly
i had predicted a strong finish for the caps-- and that can still happen-- but the players have to be united
ARE THEY???

 

Maybe the players found out how much miller was earning and thought hmmm................

But i agree if they dont turn it around soon, the Whitecaps will be toast.

 

Another game, another loss.........

Next weeks game against Dallas is now pivotal before a run of home games but even that might not save the Caps now.


If only we had someone of the quality of federico higuian. Since Columbus have picked him up they have been on fire and great to watch.