What overall grade would you give Alexi so far? Well, isn't it silly to be evaluating a GM this quickly? Under normal circumstances "yes", but under Alexi's term so far, there's been a lot of activity, both on and off the field. Here are some of them: ROSTER CHANGES 1. Jonny Walker- Dealt to the Crew for a 4th round supplemental draft pick. Grade: D= Played injured last year and rehabbed hard since the offseason to get back in shape and makes considerably less than Meola. When Walker was healthy in 2003, he may have been the best keeper in the League and now is a starter for rival Columbus. 2. Tony Meola= Acquired a week ago to eventually replace Wells as the starting keeper. None of the 11 other MLS teams made a serious offer to sign Tony this year. Grade: D= Adds more to the team salary cap, adds more baggage and still isn't 100%. 3. Ryan Suarez= Acquired after being waived by Chivas after a spat with his coach. Is this a genius signing by Alexi getting a former all-star with minimum risk or are they acquiring a head-case who was a part of the defense that gave up the most goals in MLS. Grade: Incomplete 4. Gilberto= Waived. Bradley's decision. Grade: Not applicable MISCELLANEOUS 1. At the press conference announcing he was replacing Sakiewicz, Lalas said his goal was for the MetroStars to be a "SuperClub". Is it an unrealistic goal with the current MLS salary cap restrictions or just someone trying his best to bring some excitement back in the area? Grade: C= Let's get out of the first round of the MLS playoffs before the word "SuperClub is even brought up. 2. His first move after taking over was to "ask" Bradley and Johnston to wear suits, which is the norm in international soccer. Grade: C= Although Johnston's low-cut sneaker look...or were they sandals?...was less than professional, I think there are more important things to be worried about. 3. During the Metros first home game after taking the post, he spoke with fans and signed autographs. Grade: A= A much needed first step in establishing a long missing connection between the dwindling fanbase and an organization that has been out of touch for 10 years. 4. Lalas tells the NY Times that he "would love nothing more than Adu to get fed up with DC United" and that "he would certainly play in New York" causing DC United to complain to MLS that he was "tampering". Grade: D= Whether it was a clever attempt at trying to get free publicity or an attempt by an agent (Alexi and Adu share the same one) to try and put pressure on AEG to make a move to the MetroStars isn't known. What is known is that the League is still considering fining him for his comments.
Umm I will just stick to an overall grade instead of trying to grade EVERY move he makes. So far in 1 month Lalas has managed to get a large amount of media attention (for MLS standards) and featured spots on many local and national segments, he has stirred up some good old fashion NY contraversy in the Adu Times piece, he has brought in Razov, Meola, and Suarez, and he has shown a genuine desire to connect with the fan base of this club and look to new potential fans as well. I give him an A. Because lets not forget what we had before....this is what we wanted Nick out and a more fan friendly FO...why whine about it?
Razov joined the team about a week before Alexi officially came aboard. The deal was in the works for weeks and the team even tried to acquire him before the season. It's possible to be glad that Nick is out and still be unhappy about moves his successor has made.
Sure it is possible, but the moves he has made and the good he has done or tried to do in his first few days here is such a massive improvment from business as usual that i can give him a high grade....for now.
I'm definitely giving him an "A" as of now because of his attitude, his high profile, and his seeming committment...but only time will tell if it all pans out. But the A is warranted for me, because he has me very excited about Metrostar soccer
One only has to look at my avatar.... It's not even worth trying to judge him at this point. And as has been pointed out, he does not get points for the Razov deal. When I'm feeling good about the club, I hope he is similar to Pat Croce; on bad days, I just think he's just here to shake things up and stop the bleeding until AEG figures out a real long-term plan for Metro. I wish him luck, but I'm skeptical.
No news about the stadium since the press conference that called for an announcement in 1-2 weeks. That's disturbing. I suppose that's Nick's domain though.
We've lost only once since Alexi took over. OK, yeah, we're only in fourth place... Hey, we got rid of Nick. OK, yeah, we don't have a stadium yet... But hey, we got Tony back. ... I gave him a B.
Alexi has upgraded our goalkeeping, talked of making the team into a real force someday (and no one here takes his comments to mean it'll be overnight or easy) and has reached out into the fan base in a way that only he can. He gets an A.
He made the goalkeeping worse. He made the experience better, but getting guys with experience, such as Jeff Agoos, havent done much this year yet.
Remeber, Alexi unloaded Agoos in SJ....... Also, how many games has Meola played this year for us? How many games did Walker play this year for us? Comparing resumes, I am willing to give Lalas the benefit on this one. If it doesn't pan out, then I'll eat the crow.
See: "List of old foreign players who havent worked out for the Metrostars" posted in thread about getting Xavier. While Meola may not be foreign, the point is that resumes dont make the player. Just ask SGR, or maybe you know him better as "The King of Goals".
I don't want to turn this into a Simon v. Mathis thread, but look where all the youth got us the past two years? Out of the playoffs, first round. Walker was poor down the stretch in 2003 and awful in 2004, injury notwithstanding. And whose to say that Barrett v. Xavier is a wash to? Xavier had a cold stretch but he is also an international caliber player and has played at very high levels. We could use an enforcer in this squad. Right now, Lalas hasn't done anything glaringly wrong in my opinion and we'll have to wait and see.
I want to get Xavier also. I think there is defintly a spot for him on this team. As for saying Walker was terrible, I blame the defense for his poor GAA. He didnt stand a chance on most of the goals he let up, he was just put in a real bad spot. I agree with Lalas not doing anything wrong yet, even though I think it was terrible to trade Walker, but it hasnt hurt yet. But then again, he hasnt done much right. So while I agree with you somewhat, I dont think he deserves an A.
From what I am reading, people want an automatic answer to the few weeks of Alexi Lalas GM reign. Yes he has said some big things. "Super Club" will always be the #1 big thing that sticks in everyones heads. And let's remember that the new stadium motto of 1-2 weeks since the announcement of Lalas being our new GM has come from the mouth of AEG's GM of Soccer in MLS Tim Liewikie, so if you want to pass the buck and the blame on to Lalas you are barking up the wrong tree folks. That's coming from AEG not Lalas, all that Alexi is trying to do is improve the club and try out new things for promotion of the club. As it comes to the new Goalkeeping situation, Yes Jonny Walker wasn't at fault for a defense breaking down in front of him, but at least half the shots were saveable and he is still responsable making a save at a crucial time of the match. He played hurt towards the end of last year and that was also added cause for him to being traded to Columbus. Was I happy that this happened to Jonny? No, but even though you have the bad in the whine & Cheese that is Meola, the good is that Tony has the experience and if Wells does look like he is going to falter, then Meola is going to come up big. I also believe that the signing of Ryan Suarez was a big positive, because right now we do have a problem on the back line. Jeff Parke has quickly become a shell of his rookie season last year. Maybe it's time for Suarez, or Carlos Mendes to play in the middle till Tim Ward is fully fit and ready to retake his position. Tim Ward looks like he is going to be the real thing for us in the future. Can Xavier be a true solution to help our back line? we shall see. If Neil Barrett is going to be signed then I think that will signal the end for Mike Magee. Not so much he has been playing out of position on the wing, but sadly his attittude on the field has been down right atrocious. A promising rookie season two years ago and a nice start to the season last year on the road in Columbus he has slowly started to fall. Right now I'm not going to give Alexi a grade. There has to be alot more for him to get a grade from me. I am happy he has said all the things he has said, I know he is trying to bring back the supporters while trying to create new ones. He knows that he needs the people from NYC to make it happen as well. Incomplete from me. I'm not going to bash him right away unlike so many others want to do this early in his tenure.
What the hell is there to grade him on? A press conference, an internet chat and a walk through the stands. Wake me up when something happens.