Well, sort of http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120823/SPORT01/708239967 Maybe they will use him as an example of how not to shoot the ball
This post will probably be deemed "negative" or "pessimistic" by some, but are the Revs just lazy when it comes to hiring new employees? The Revs now employ Mike Burns, Jay Heaps, Nick Downing, Jeff Causey, and Khano Smith. That's five former Revs players who are working for the team. At first I thought this was actually a good thing, and I still do in some regard, as it builds tradition and history. As MLS gets older it's good to see former players stay involved in the game, especially with the clubs that they played for. However, how many of these guys were actually qualified for the positions that they were hired for? I ranked these in terms of importance of their role: Burns (Unqualified) - Appears to have no business experience at all, nor any experience with acquiring players/dealing with other clubs. His only soccer experience outside of playing was as a member of the MLS Disciplinary Committee, and as part of a board that worked on rating and improving officiating in the US. Heaps (Unqualified) - No coaching experience and no coaching certifications. But he played basketball at Duke for Coach K... Bad hire. Downing (Qualified) - After retiring from soccer he transitioned into a career in health and fitness. Gained various certifications in the industry and has a wealth of experience dealing with professional athletes. Good hire. Smith (Unknown) - Apparently coached a club team in New Hampshire last year. It's unclear how qualified Smith is for this small role as the U-18 asst. coach. He doesn't seem to have much experience coaching, but he is a recent professional and that can be good to expose the U-18s to. However, his play on the field was always erratic and left something to be desired. Then again the best coaches usually weren't the best players. I'm undecided on this one. Causey (Unqualified) - Had a bit of the coaching experience that Heaps was lacking, but doesn't seem to have the voice or personality for TV. This isn't a job that one would need experience for, as I think Twellman has adjusted to his role beautifully, but Causey doesn't seem to have the natural talent neccesary for the job. Bad hire. It appears that the Revs have been lazy in their hiring, going with unqualififed former players instead of going out and finding qualified candidates. Sure, you could argue that they feel more comfortable hiring someone who is more of a known quantity, but to each his own. I'm unimpressed.
The Cobras are a youth team (U-18 is the highest, I believe) in Nashua, so he has some real experience at this level. Good pick up, if for no other reason that the kids in the Academy saying "this guy played on the field, he isn't just some schmuck"
That's good to hear on the first part. And I agree that he'll demand some respect as a former MLS player, unless the kids actually watched him play.
I think it's a bit of "at least we know these guys" and a bit of "they won't cost us a lot." It's kinda like that hire they were going to do for Jay's assistant coaches, so he'd have some experience around him ... oh...
At least Khano holds a B coaching license, which is more than can be said of Heaps (when he was hired anyway, don't know about now).
Khano was always an intelligent, thoughtful guy, and like many other situations in all sports, sometimes guys who were mediocre players end up being great coaches, simply because they know how hard it is to be successful if you don't have a boatload of talent. They tend to be the guys who made the most of what they had. He was also the Captain of the Bermuda NT and from playing at a high level, looked at as a role model both on an off the field. He was also a high school math teacher before he came to the Revs, so working with teenagers seems to be a good fit. I would rate this as either a good hire or too early to tell, but on the surface he looks as good as anyone else they might have wanted, unless Rinus Michels was the other finalist. That said, Crooked is on the mark with the general premise of his post. Repped.
Yup, the guy did win some games for us back in the day. But he's become the butt of jokes around here in recent years. He was an erratic player. But, I like the hire. Even if it falls into the Kraft m.o. of only hiring people they know, or who have worked for them before. Which is how you wind up with a FO of Bilello and Blooter, and Heaps as head coach.
I like the hire for all the reason Tom so clearly articulated. He may have become the butt of the Riders scorn as a player but he has a lot of qualities that he bring to the table as a coach. Welcome Home Kenny.
I suppose it is always good to have more coaches around but do we really want Khano telling the youth what to do? "So you get the ball, run really fast, and then kick it as hard as you possibly can, don't even bother to look at the net" This reminds me of the guys I hire in 'Football Manager' when I have absolutely no money. Or the 'one star' level scouts in FIFA 12.
They set goals on their way to becoming a MLS player - 10th row back, 15th row back, 25th row, off the replay board.... I can't believe Khano is back. I always think of this video from 2008 with Shalrie, Khano and Parky. Hard to imagine him being an effective coach based on his playing days, but he's probably cheap and that's all that matters in this organization.
Hey he threw out the first pitch at Fenway, (I was the ONLY person in the stadium that day that knew who he was) and thats enough to convince me he'll do a good job.
That's true, there is a strong correlation between those who throw first pitch at Fenway and successful soccer coaches. Makes a lot of sense.
Hey, you are way younger than me! Since the Polo Grounds was torn down at least 25 years before you were born, um, well, I won't call you a liar, but I just might post a video on you-tube with you running around frantically trying to find a bucket of water to put out the fire on your behind!
I saw a NFL game at the polo Grounds between the NY Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. In those days the weight of the average interior linemen was about 265 pounds. Of course these were the few healthy men still not in the army over in Europe fighting the Axis. Yes, I am that old.
And I bet the stegasaurus tips at the tailgate were delicious! Except for the war-time rationing of barbecue sauce... See? I really am all-knowing!