He's a really nice guy, but accountability starts at the top and the common denominator of the debacle that is the past 4 seasons is Klein. Being the GM means being held accountable for any sustained failure, which means it's time for a clean sweep from the top down. Discuss....
If things go according to past form, Klein will not only not get fired, but will get promoted to a position at AEG overseeing a number of assets, including the Galaxy.
I don't think he needs to go assuming he's not absolutely controlling signings like Chich. The club President should be in charge of everything soccer related. If Beckerman was being stingy that would be a problem but purse strings haven't been tight, except that stupid USL experiment year.
I always felt it was a bit fishy, that klein went from a player to a lofty executive position that quickly without working his way up the executive chain, this told me he was better at politicking then actually running a well established organization. also as Benny mentioned he will keep failing up instead of being held responsible for his ineptitude. I said long ago that onalfo's "influence" on the future of the team would last at least a decade and it seems to be coming true and klein and company are scrambling to cover up all the deficiencies with quick fixes and unfortunately the Gs do not have a person with a high soccer IQ implementing these quick fixes. on a side note, I was looking forward to the Gs adopting a more latin style and tactics and that has been an utter failure and now I hope they return to the European route as that seems were the team has had success. its just a frustrating situation and I don't see this ship being righted any time soon
Klein absolutely has to go. He should have gone in 2017. Ultimately this is his team and bears responsibility for the utter failure of the organization.
I think it was the recent Kevin Baxter article that indicated he was behind the decision to cut the wage bill 50%. Also I believe Kings fans have similar complaints about his installing “yes men” and driving the franchise in to the ground. I don’t realistically expect Beckerman to go unless profits are down, but id rather see a CFO use their expertise to support a more strategic vision rather than the other way around.
Regardless of what happens, I do think it's time for Klein to go. I think, like a lot of the guys from the Galaxy FO, who were basically just former Galaxy players, Klein is an earnest and hard-working individual who is in way over his head in the job he was hired to do, which is managing the front office of what's supposed to be the best soccer club in the country. I think the decisions and direction from AEG / Beckerman (which I'll get to momentarily) have put Klein in a tough place, but his own inexperience / lack of competence has only exacerbated those already difficult circumstances. So I get rid of Klein, but I also push for Beckerman to go. I can't say it enough -- this guy gave Chris Klein the contract he's currently on after the 2017 season, the worst in our history. One of the biggest differentiators in MLS today is front office spending and our owners seem perfectly willing to run things on a shoestring budget as long as they can throw enough money at Chicharito to make him the most expensive player in MLS. Think about that -- Chicharito is making more money than Gonzalo Higuain to (not) play in MLS. AEG has deeper pockets than anyone, but looks very naive compared to some of the newer ownership groups, who have their finger much closer to the pulse of how modern sports / soccer teams operate and connect to their cities long-term. Maybe it starts and ends with Klein, but AEG still seems very focused on an MLS 2.0 strategy.
What if Klein and Beckerman are just doing what they are told to do on matters of large sums of money and/or regarding DP signings? It would explain why Klein still has a job. Uncle Phil knows Klein's has got nothing to do with it because Klein did not make those decisions. Anzchuts did. It would not be the first time an owner of a pro team sits in the driver seat and shifts gears at will. Everybody else is along for the ride.
Many on this board have said the opposite in recent years. Phil is elderly (80yo now) and in recent years has pulled away from active AEG participation. We miss him pushing for soccer like in the early years. Instead its Beckerman who is about bottom line and doesn’t care about soccer and his buddy Klein who clearly isn’t a strong leader.
Yeah, I am aware on what page everybody is around here. I am just thinking outside the box for a bit. Uncle Phil is on in years and he is delegating some stuff to other. I get that, it's understandable. But this guy is no regular Joe. He is a self made multi-billionaire. A man driven all his life to be all he could be and very good at it. He is not exactly sitting on his rocking chair waiting for the big one and I propose to you that Galaxy may be one of his few joys in life. Something he wants to keep for himself. And who could blame him? I mean clearly this dude loves soccer based on what he has done to save and prop-up the league. It happens in other sports. In NFL you have Jerry Jones of the Cowboys and Al Davis who died at 82 I believe with the reigns still his hands as acting GM. Anszhuts has always been a man to shy away from the limelight and a keeper of the low profile, but would it be that shocking to learn that he has been quietly behind all things Galaxy related?
Unless.... the age? Set in his ways? Still thinking things can work in MLS 90's 1.0 mode? Senility issues? I mean, I fail to see the great intelligence in watching your investment go to pot over the decisions the people he hired have been making for a very long time now. Not to mention all that money down the tube. You know?
All that money down the drain from the Galaxy is hardly material to AEG. Plus its not like the Galaxy have been losing money (even if the books show a loss) in years past. SUM alone probably brings him more revenue than the Galaxy. Plus he's at the age where paying people to take care of the trivia is worthwhile.
I agree. Klein and Kirovski have had nearly a decade to show something and all we have done is wasted some great talent with nothing to show for it. I’m glad we weren’t the ones that got Bale. Imagine wasting the rest of his career like we almost wasted Zlatan.
Hi all, For those who don't know, I'm co-running a French Twitter account about the LA Galaxy. I've just published a thread (in French, obviously) about how and why the Galaxy have fallen through the recent years. One of the answer is "fire Klein and Kirovski". I wanted to do something, because I'm depressed to see the current state of my club. It probably won't help much, but it's always good to write about what is going on. You can find it here : [FIL]Considéré un temps comme le club locomotive de la @MLS_FRA, le LA Galaxy est rentré dans le rang ces dernières années. De plus en plus de supporters du club remettent en cause l'équipe dirigeante, jugée responsable des mauvais résultats, on vous explique pourquoi :⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hcTyEJJ3Tp— LA Galaxy 🇫🇷 (@LAGalaxy_France) July 21, 2022 Have a good day !
“Since Bruce Arena, the team’s former coach and general manager, left six years ago to manage the US national team, Klein has hired five coaches and three general managers who have combined for one playoff win.” https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2022-07-26/galaxy-franchise-struggles-chris-klein-mls Kevin Baxter lending a hand to the movement.