hops..I´m in trouble...another "oldies"... my father also liked The Doors and I also always teased him.... regarding coach..maybe we can compare Arena with Klinsi (he is currently in Germany, he got big prize from Angela Merkel, Federal Cross of Merit - Bundesverdienstkreuz, visited his family in Stuttgart, met his friends Löw, Bierhoff, Köpke and had an "unexpected" appoitment with Zwanziger, Kaiser, Klinsi is flying tomorrow home, he is alone in Germany without his wife).... the biggest difference between Klinsi and Arena is that Klinsi is excellent motivator, is not afriad of changes and is pretty innovativ...
I wasn't on BigSoccer in 2002 so I didn't realize this thread was that old until I finished reading the first post. Despite the results in Germany, the analysis still stands up fairly well. What leapt off the screen to me was the section about building the team around the stars, not a team of stars. With the benefit of hindsight, it seems this principle (attribute, characteristic, whatever) was more the undoing of that WC06 squad than any of the other traits Nutmeg listed. Again acknowledging the benefit of hindsight, I must say I've always been more of a system guy -- hopefully Bradley or whoever guides us to/through WC2010 can put together a system that does not rely so heavily on attributes only 1 or 2 players possess (Reyna's ability to hold, McBride's target skills, etc.) and more on a system in which players can be plugged in should a regular XI kind of guy for whatever reason go cold, get injured, etc. This season's RBNY team really will be make-or-brake on how Bruce's legacy is viewed, at least until the team performs in South Africa.
There was only one Duke, and that was Duke Ellington. The same as there was only one Duane Allman, only one Luke (Steve Lukather), only one Miles, only one Larry Carlton, only one James Douglas and only one NoRightfoot. Hope you'll keep all that in mind.
In hindsight, the biggest mistake that Bruce made in 2006 was relying on players who couldn't be expected to be at full health. Specifically, John O'Brien. I got the distinct impression that even the box midfield being used in 2004 was mostly being worked on in anticipation of O'Brien's return... it seems now like the 4-5-1 we used in the World Cup was a hasty reaction to a combination of factors including Eddie Johnson's injury and O'Brien clearly not being ready. Then again, I think most coaches would have assumed our talent fit a 4-2-3-1 really well. We just happen to have so many "tweeners" who aren't quite forwards and aren't quite midfielders...
And, unfortunately, that's not going to change in this cycle. We will likely not have anyone quite like Brian McBride in this cycle. We will have to win via good defense, goalkeeping, ball winning, set pieces, and counters. We will not have the players to unlock a team through dynamic and extended attacking play.
So bogus. I'm at Duke right now and one of my good friends was born and raised in NC.... and is a lifelong Duke fan. And his whole family. He even went to ECU as an undergrad and was a Duke fan the whole time. Is he a traitor to his state? God forbid he should be a fan of a university that has a bunch of awful Northerners at it.
if arena had NOT selected JOB, who would he have taken who would have made any difference...?? arena took a calculated gamble which failed....