Rumor has Bliss and Johnston's stock falling. I always had the feeling that Colin was receiving only courtesy consideration. The Sigi rumor seems to have been discredited. Mr. college soccer turned us down. Are we still on schedule to make a decison by MLS Cup?
I do not think so. In fact, I am fairly certain the choice has been made, in favor of Colin. As to "courtesy consideration," it might have been true. It certainly would have had the team lost all the games remaining. But with two wins, I am certain those making the decision will have spoken with the players. If Buzz is correct, and the players have responded to Colin, that certainly must weigh heavy in his favor. The reason no announcement has been made is that Sigi intrigues the team, much as the possibility interests us. The Burn would like to talk to him, see if they can make a deal. The Burn will not wait forever. If I worked for El Lay, and I thought it was time for a change and I knew I had Klinsmann all but signed, I would certainly not make the move until the Burn had announced Colin was taking over.
Although Collin is better than the other assistants, he is still not qualified. This will be a huge disaster if it proves to be true. Tell me honestly, how many teams would have any interest in Collin as a head other than Dallas? What is on his resume? He is part of the Jefferies fiasco. I still use Dir as my measuring stick, and Collin falls far behind.
my ticket rep said this: they want to announce by the mls cup, but if they don't then look for the announcement to be in dec.
Extensive carrer playing at high levels in EPL under great coaches scoring bunches of goals. Playing and scoring in the World Cup in Mexico. Something like 12 years coaching expereince in the US. Winning records as head coach of a couple A-League teams: Richmond, San Diego, etc. Bringing into US soccer Ronnie O'Brien, Steve Morrow, Dewayne DeRasario (At Richmond) Lots of international contacts. Three years as an assistant in MLS. Two good, one not so good. Which makes him more qualified than any other candidate the Burn interviewed. Since as far as we can tell they have not talked to Sigi. And much more qualified than when Dir took the job in 95.
As I've said, if you are going to hire an unproven novice, Collin is high on the list. However, since the GM is "a hockey guy who is a fan of soccer" you screwed the franchise out of the flexibility of speculating w/ its coaching hire. You have to have rock of Gibralter type of stability with the coaching hire given the past year and inexperience within the franchise. If the wheels come off early, who has the experience to weather the storm? You end up letting Collins twist in the wind without ala Jefferies. Pointless, predictable, and stupid. The point about Collin spoting O'Brien and De'Rossario is impressive. Maybe he is a diamond in the rough, but we need the proven polished high grade diamond given where the HSG's left us this year. MLS leaving the DFW area is a high possibility if we have a repeat of last year. As to the scoring goals in world cups and playing experience, totally irrelevant. I've ridden in plenty of airplanes, but that doesn't make me a candidate to be a pilot. Low level rah rah experience is better than none, but I still want to see high level pro experience on the resume. Can he handle a prima donna international player? We do not know. Can he teach the loads of youth on the team? We can only guess, but do not know. Where would he have picked up such knowledge? It is not on the resume. Knowledge of the US pro scene, he does have. Too risky for this team. Dir, was originally the guy MLS hired to evaluate talent for the new league. He backed into the coaching part of it. But he was well known for his eye and developmental skills. So yes, his original hire was with superior coaching credentials. The league is better than it was in its inagural year, so credentials should be better. Now, if you are looking to save a couple of bucks and wish to appease a couple of rah rah fans then hire the guy. I am not ready to risk the future of the Burn on an unproven commodity. this hire will be the make or break decision for this franchise regarless of where they play.
From what I've heard Colin seems to be the type that is a rock and can deal with all the personalities. And as for DFW not having a team if we have a repeat of this year, don't count on it. It's probably better to be naive and take that point of view to encourage a little effort all around, but I think it would take five or six years to sink this franchise now that there has been such a significant investment made into the stadium. As long as groundbreaking isn't delayed indefinitely and does happen before the start of the next season.
The Burn will leave DFW when hell freezes over. Ok, maybe before then, but certainly not before a decade of testing the business model at Frisco (or when the league folds, if that comes first, thank goodness for Freddie, though).
let's be realistic. Who are you going to get on Hunt Sports Group Budget. The money in this job is lower end of MLS, A college coach turned it down twice now. Serisouly. Give us a list of legit candidates who are more qualified than Colin, or the unconfirmed Sigi. You are not gonna get a foreign coach in here. The money is not there. You want some MLS retred? Seriously? You want Dir back? Mooch? Rongen? Elinger? Steve Sampson might be willing to come to MLS. Hugo Snachez gonna bail on UNAM to come here? Oh wait being an ex player doens't help. Bradley? not leaving Metro. Areana? yeah he'll quit to comeback to MLS. I would love to know who you think would take this job and this money that has the resume you are talking about. And if playing at high level has nothing to do with coahing, why is it then that virtaully every coach in all major sports come from a background of having played at the high level. Not all of them but the vast majority. You look at soccer world wide and you will see almost every coach with a pro playing background. I bet most all of your high profile big resueme guys are former pro players. If playing at a high level is not important then the best candidate is either you or me. I watch a bunch of soccer on TV.... that has to make me a good coaching candidate. Heck I don't even have an "A" liscence like these guys but I bet I can out coach them. I have read a bunch of soccer books too. Believe me I would love Sir Alex or Carlos Bianchi but it is not gonna happen. I can name you a bunch of guys who I like better, but Burn are not gonna get them. Of the guys listed in papers and other places, Colin is the best choice. The kind of guy you want, and maybe we all want really, is just not gonna take this job. Not unless Hunt raises the bar considerably. Look at Clb and KC, the other Hunt teams. Gansler and Andrulus.... whoopie!
Actually, across all sports, most of the best coaches tended to be mediocre players at best and most of the best players tend be mediocre coaches. Yes, there are great players that become great coaches, but they tend to be the exception that defines the rule.
All I saw in the games when he was the acting head coach was more of the same that we saw from Jeffries. Also, I remember reading that he said that he could not take credit for finding O'Brien. 3rd Degree is stating that HSG will pay a lowball salary for an MLS coach compared to the other MLS teams. Well then, we should use a lowball approach with them when it comes to paying for tickets and such.
DC newspapers report that Ray Hudson may be on his way out as United's coach, and if that's the case, I'd say there's a good chance that Sigi would choose DC over the Burn: http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20031121-111129-8104r.htm
No. Stop saying this. No. The Dallas Burn are getting a brand new stadium in Frisco. Did you hear about this? Have you noticed what happened to Columbus and Los Angeles when they got their big stadiums? How they instantly became profitable? Yes, that's what's going to happen with the Burn, we're going to become a team that MLS refuses to abandon because we're either profitable or very close to it. Oh and we're one of the ten largest metropolitan areas in the United States. If you think that attendance is going to be anywhere near as bad as it was in Southlake at Frisco, regardless of how good of a team we put on the field, you're wrong. Is there a chance it wouldn't be as good as at the Cotton Bowl? Not really, but even conceding that point, the Burn would be making a lot more money than they have for the last eight years. The fact that MLS is getting a eight figure stadium in Dallas makes it a virtual impossibility that the league is leaving Dallas within ten years (probably longer), unless the league itself folds. And, if you can look at the news coming out this week, and still say you think the league is going to fold, I think you're just being difficult.
Saying that the Burn will move is the most ridiculous thing that is said on the Burn boards. Any of you who truly believe this care to make a wager on it? Dallas will have a team for as long as MLS is still a league. There are plenty of real topics of concern, so quit wasting bandwidth on this topic.
C'bus did not become profitable when they built their stadium. Garber just announced that for the first time in history a team made a profit, the Galaxy at the HDC. Don't know if these numbers are confirmed but I heard it was a profit of 150,000 versus a loss of 3.5 million last year in the RB. But I do agree (and I can't believe anyone wouldn't, I guess Theo proved me wrong) that the investment in a new stadium guarantees that even in the worst case scenario of year after year of bad teams the Burn would be here for a while, as I posted earlier. That said I don't think any team in this league will be last place for five or six straight years. And even that might not be enough.
yea they're going to move us to Miami. Come to the Cotton Bowl next season when we're winning again and I'll buy you a nice, refreshing glass of shut-the-hell-up.
One thing to remember is that the team could lose a little money but the whole entity including the Stadium could make some when National Team games, concerts and other sporting games - Lacrosse, football, rugby? are included. The owner can make money off his venue that doesn't show up in the bottom line for the team.
You make me laugh. However much Dave Dir was a decent coach, he still coached one team as long as anyone else did, and never won MLS Cup. He picked Ted Eck as the first person to wear a Burn uniform. Chad Ashton once started. Tom Soehn did too. The Burn are not going to leave Dallas for as long as they have a lease. That is either 20 or 30 years, if I remember right. See, in the world of real money, the Burn will make a profit in less time than Columbus, or Chicago, or Metro, because their capital outlay was one third or less of all the other teams that are building stadiums, or have built them. Lamar gets his original investment out of the team in 10 years max, and from there it's all gravy. They have a better deal than HDC in that department. And because it's partly owned by government entities, he pays no property tax on an asset he controls, but does not totally own. Now back to topic, if Sigi is getting canned in LA I'd love for him to come to Dallas. If he's not, Collin is the man for the job, given all the constraints. Eddie P would be a long shot, but not a single person in SJ said "we got the steal of the league" when Yallop was hired. It's a crap shoot, and nothing more. You pick a guy you think will work out, and once in a while you are right. Most of the time you are wrong. That is the way of the soccer world.
So are we expecting an annoucement on this tomorrow? At least one saying there won't be another annoucement until December? And by the way boys, there's two O's in Goose . . . I mean one L in Colin. And a C in Behncke. And two C's in Cassar. As for Nkosinathi Nhleko, well Toni works just fine for me. And to Max Betros from FSW, check out the MLS pronounciation guide. It's BAHN-dee. Not GA-Bahn-dee. Why am I still working on a Sat night? Yes, I am bored.
Thanks Gotyourback!! I can officially go home now. If I can't even indicate that I meant to say there are two S's in Cassar when I'm surfing the Burn website, I can't be doing quality work at the office. I'll have a round for you now. LOL
Theodore, trust me, the team is not going anywhere. A lot of teams have had terrible years on top or terrible years. They did not move. While two teams were contracted, one was coming off a fantastic year. Further, one did not have an owner, the other with an owner who no longer wanted anything to do with the MLS. To the point of this thread. Tomorrow was supposed to be the day. I doubt we will hear anything. The longer this goes on, the more I think Colin will be our coach. With three out, Colin is the only one left standing. Sigi has yet to be let go, nor has (as far as I have heard) any contract been offered by Los Angeles. It is my opinion that the Gals will decide to keep him. It is time for Colin to be given a chance. Two years. The biggest scar on his record on his record is that he was selected by Jeffries. To his credit, though the team, gutted by Jeffries, did not perform perfectly, the team hung two skins on the wall, and did show some fire. To his credit, he immediatly hired Steve Morrow. The next step is to put Oscar on the staff, and allow him (and maybe even Steve) to pull on a jersey and play. I will agree with Theo that Dir is (for now) the stadnadrd that future coaches of the Burn should be judged by. Jeffries did not measure up, and some of us knew he never could. Big Dave is not coming back. Time to see if Colin can lead us to the promised land.