That was a very very good read. Very fair and some decent comments by Jonathon saying they know it is broken and they intend to put in a new structure. I wish he had tied in the fact that MLS attendance is going up while the Revolution attendance remains near the bottom of the league but that is a minor quibble.
Great piece by FDA. I think now you will now see a restructuring of the front office along with a better chain of command, where everyone will have a more clearly defined role. Hopefully now the Revs will start seeing the results on the field due to the changes off it. Like Garber points out to FDA, the Krafts have been very successful with the Patriots and if taking those same philosophies to the Revs should net positive results.
Well it definitely sounds like the problem was ineptitude rather than being cheap. It also sounds like the Krafts are reevaluating the structure of the organization. If they really are stretched thin, I really wouldn't mind if they spent less time with the Revs and hired a trusted "czar" to oversee operations. It also sounds like the Krafts caught that "team" fever (no individual is greater than the team) from the Patriots. This was probably the reason they were willing to let so many good players walk. After all, the Patriots lost great individuals over the years and didn't always suffer for it. Obviously, this didn't work for the Revs and we suffered the consequences.
The front office muddle is fixable, but to me here's the critical quote: Time and again we watched solid players walk because the Revs failed to negotiate in anything resembling good faith. That's down to the Krafts, no one else, and until it changes we're not going to get anywhere.
Interesting quote from Jonathan Kraft: "Mike Burns understands MLS and American players" (emphasis mine). It seemed to me, perhaps reading between the lines, that Kraft was saying that it was no longer adequate just to know either of those things. In my reading of the tea leaves, Burns is headed for the exits.
Great job by Frank. Lucky to have him in the market. Puts it all on the table plus quotes. Sounds like they are going to spend $$ on Belichek type for soccer.
Bookmarking this thread for the next time someone says "the media won't call Kraft, Gulati et al out for missteps cause they're afraid of losing access".
Plus, maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it seems to be an interesting tone coming from the commish regarding how he feels the Revs will recover. It's almost as if he's indirectly hinting to them to get their act together. “It’s a lot easier to be new than it is to be new and improved,’’ MLS commissioner Don Garber said. “That’s just Marketing 101. I think the Krafts, the Hunts, some of the original investors greatly appreciate the new energy in the league, the way they are helping change the way we think. “I’m confident Kraft Soccer recognizes that and will continue to show the innovations they have become legendary for in operations of [the Patriots], and transfer that thinking and knowledge to what they do to the Revolution. It’s a lot easier to come in without a history and create a brand-new plan. “I have no doubt the Krafts are really smart and they are great sports operators, one of the most respected sports operators in the world. They will figure out what to do with the Revolution.’’
My guess is that it's detecting my IP address from North Carolina (school) and has some blackout in place. If anyone could paste the full body of the text, that would be great.
Yes - I would agree with that. The Krafts instill a "find the value" approach in their culture, which is reflected when the Revs or Pats negotiate contracts. Once a player hits his sell-by date, they're quick to show him the door. I thought it was interesting that Nicol thought Dorman was expendable by 2008 when he was the 2nd leading scorer on the team. Larentowicz. Parkhurst. So many examples of this approach backfiring!! That said, I do think this approach is better than being like the sox who bring/brought back declining players for nostalgic reasons. The Revs need to find middle ground where they don't treat players like worthless crap or are at least more professional about it. For the sake of the franchise making improvements, here's hoping this is the case. That's a critical role - it's basically sales - and since Burns can't do it, for the club to improve we need someone who can.
finally out in the open...more or less. Blow up the FO...start over...what have they got to lose? Spend some $$ on a quality coach and some quality players. Begin a serious attempt at rebuilding. It's been a long time coming. Give the region a reason to support the team and sport. Set the foundation for folks to see the benefit of a SSS in the Boston area down the road.
Great observation. Pretty damning and not that subtle. Jonathan said expect an urban stadium announcement in 12 months is part of it.
this article makes clear the the revs need a president or a CEO exclusive to the revs that can make the soccer decisions, and has no other iron in the fire.....much like luchino is for the redsox. this person would hire the manager, and also hire the GM. The krafts would set the budget, and this person would have autonomy to make decisions within that budget!
This piece certainly settles some of the arguments we've been having for a long time. This should be a very interesting and exciting offseason.
For the first time in a while I agree with you. Maybe not truly exciting because many of the problem figures are still around but certainly more exciting than past years.
Yes, yes, and yes. Why they haven't done this after 17 years is part of the justifiable criticism they've received.
I do however agree with frank that the team on the field does not need to be blown up....with a core of zerka, benny, carraglio, soares....there is something there to build on