In the Quakes' big picture, this is what worries me when the talk of a Billy Beane taking over as GM because "he's always wanted to run a soccer team", or "BB's been a big soccer fan his whole life, he even attended the last World Cup", or claims of that nature. When I hear thoughts about Billy Beane becoming the GM of the new Quakes, I wonder what he's ever done, in soccer, to be able to evaluate talent, hire personnel, and run a club. Don't get the wrong idea--I've been an A's fan since 1968.
As unrealistic as blaming Beck's for demanding to go in and play against the Goats when he really had no business being on the field. Lalas' 'performance' seems like a good window into how AEG must operate.
Adjusted your post to make a point that if he really had 3 or 4 years at LA or San Jose or NY then this argument should hold up. His work history looks more like a recipe for confusion. Seems like that's what the fans are getting. Ah, saw Mark already went this way...
Relax. Billy Bean will not become our GM, even Billy says that he has his hands full running the A's and he's not going to give that up. Expect David Alioto to be "President" of the Earthquakes, or some such. He'll be in charge of keeping the books, hiring and firing GM's, and overseeing the whole operation. He will hire a GM, a real soccer guy, someone with experience and instant credibility. And they will hire a coach and technical director. You'll like their choices. These guys aren't idiots. Those who have come out of the A's organization know that they don't know enough about soccer yet. They are going to hire the best people they can to run the show. Alioto's job - and his immediate cohorts - will be finding stadia, marketing the hell out of the team, doing out reach to every possible soccer constituency in the Bay Area (including Sacto) and signing up sponsors. They will also try to figure out how to use statistical analyses to evaluate players, but Billy, David, and Lew have all said that the fruits of such an effort are years off. Relax. Es tranquilo! GOOOOOO QUAAAAAAAKESSSS!!! - Mark
While I myself don't have sympathy for Lalas... you make a brilliant point. At some point in the last couple of years Alexi should have realied that he's in over his head, respectfully bowed out, and found a less critical position where he could learn the business without his screw-ups being so huge or so public.