McCullers is the problem!

Please go back to the Matchnight forums.

 

No.

Next question.

 

What he said.

 

I'm not saying fire the guy, but do you seriously believe McCullers is doing a good job?

 

He hired Sigi and I think most would agree that Sigi is the right guy for the job.

 

I think that the typical GM in MLS is far different than those in other sports. In most other sports, the GM is the boss of the coach in all decisions, including personnel. In MLS, I think most GM's would be more aptly described as business unit managers in charge of the operation of the club, excluding on field talent. Or at least that has been the traditional role here in Columbus as well as places such as Chicago, Dallas, and New England.

 

McCullers is supposed to make sure that what Sigi wants fits the budget, not just for this year, but won't hamstring us in years to come. Other than that, the way we seem to be set up, I don't think Mark has a lot to do with player choices. He just helps broker the deals and run the other aspects of the club.

Now, that being said, Mark can still be held responsible for how much authority he gives Sigi.

 

Really? I get the impression that MM is more of a bookkeeper like you said, when it comes to the players. He just tells Sigi the financial ramifications of his ideas and then lets Sigi do as he chooses, so long as it doesn't push the team over the salary cap.

 

Mark was involved with the hiring, in which Sigi is provided a description of his responsibilities. If Mark wanted to be the kind of GM that dabbled more with the on-field product, he can choose how much control Sigi really has. However, it appears that Mark waived most of that so that Sigi could "do as he chooses", like you said (not disagreeing with you). So, because of his choice, Mark is still ultimately accountable because it was his judgement call to give Sigi free reign (more or less).

If Sigi bombs the team, yeah, Sigi would be at fault, but Mark's head would be on the block with him.

 

This thread sucks.

 

Amen.

Completely uncalled for and out of line.

 

WTF

How about we see how the season goes before we start demanding Sigi's and McCullers heads on a platter dippy. Can we delete this thread just so McCullers or someone from FO doesn't see it. Seriously we should be positive about the players, the FO, and everything CREW at this time of year.

Busch had two knee surgeries in two years, yes we may all love the guy. But, don't get radical it doesn't work for you. WTH do you want a new general manager and a new coach before the season begins.

Oh by the way we are 4-1-1 in preseason contests so far.

Yes everyone is going to just jump right on your weak argument bandwagon. Hell, you can't even formulate one sentence with correct grammar.

 

Exactly. How many of us have even seen Busch play this year? We do know that he has had two major surgeries, seriously limiting his playing time and it's not all that far-fetched to assume that he isn't what he once was.

We can't get too emotionally attached to players. Remember what happens when we keep players past their expiration date?

I'm not putting too much stock into that 4-1-1 preseason record. Our one loss was to a DC team, who was preparing for Champions Cup play. A few of our wins were against lower division teams. While it does look nice, 4-1-1 preseason is not 4-1-1 in MLS regular season play.

With all that said, something is a little fishy about the way he was unceremoniously dumped. Maybe the option was given where he could be a backup in Columbus, or start somewhere else, and he didn't want to ride pine? It would have been nice to keep him around as a reliable backup, but maybe he didn't want that option?

 

If the organization, NOT THE TEAM, is a nightmare in terms of customer service, advertising, and overall presence in the community then yes, he should go. Sigi is ultimately responsible for the team, and it's performance. Mark just makes sure it stays reasonably within budget. That said, McCullers is responsible for the hiring of a new PR guy, if that was the wrong choice, then he's accountable for that. Same with a new any new or existing administrative employee. If that end of the organization is a grease fire, that's a Mark McCullers problem.

 

The whole our PR sucks thing needs to take a rest and I'm not pointing at you but various threads.

Okay guys let's take in account that we are a last place MLS team in it's off-season that hasn't made any spectacular news or had any DP signings.

Let that sink in.

What the hell kind of PR are we expecting here? It is March. We haven't done shit. Would you guys rather have 100 stories about Marshall being an abhorrid fisherman?

But hey finally we have our sintalating PR story dealing with Busch. Happy? I'm just hoping the PR from this Busch thing dies down quickly the last thing I want is for the train to derail before the season even begins. Truth is things have been a little odd especially how the Busch thing was handled but I'm willing to give McCullers and Sigi another year. Do we have much of a choice? I think this thread and this discussion is more for the end of this year. Oh BTW I still get emails from the Crew about everyday. I think everything will be okay.

 

Word.

Can we please not give up on 2007 before the season even starts?

 

Wow! Bill Archer calling this thread! Maybe I haven't been around BS long enough, but this caught me by surprise!

 

You and your little buddy there can stop beating this straw man any time.

I've seen very little posted that could be interpreted as condemnation of the move itself. People have mainly questioned the way it was handled and speculated on the reasons for Jon's seeming bitterness.

Moreover, Crew fans are generally sad to see him go. Is this alright with you? May we have your permission to stop for a second and express regret at losing someone who has meant this much to the team?

It would be pretty odd if a longtime player as popular and as obvously passionate about our team as JB was got th axe and everyone just shrugged and said "OK, next!"

And would that even be what the Crew FO, up to and particularly including Mr McCullers even wants? Do they want their fans to be passionate about the team, to care about the players, or not? You can't have it both ways.

Fans cheer for people, Peter, not uniforms. If it's time for Jon to go, then so mote it be. But may we please have your permission to be a little sad about it. to ask if it was truly necessary, to be concerned that it was handled in a manner befitting someone who has given as much love and passion to this team as anyone, ever?

Thanks.

As for the PR thing, look: we took two hits recently, one was when CrewBoy Craig was replaced on the Crew beat and the other was when Jeff Wuerth got popped.

Now, everybody understands that unless they put the Crew in scarlet and gray and play Hang on Sloopy during breaks that The Columbus Disgrace, a lousy rag to begin with, isn't going to give the team the kind of coverage we think it deserves.

And only the DCFilth gets really, really great local coverage. Would that we had our own Steven Goff. Maybe if we had won four MLS Cups we would, but we haven't so we don't, and mores the pity.

The Crew does not and never will have any control over what the clowns at the local paper choose to devote resources to covering. If would help of we could win something, get some fans and generate some excitement, but even that isn't ever going to get the kind press DC gets.

ALl anyone has said is that the team is not doing a particularly good job disseminating information and explaining what's going on.

We don't know preseason training schedules, other than "the team will practice in Forida from the 10th to the 14th andthen return to Columbus for a week" which tells us pretty much nothing.

We don't know much about various trialists unless someone from some otehr team mentions seeing a certain player he recognizes during a scrimmage or something.

We don't know exactly who's injured, how injured they are, what the prognosis is and who is taking their place.

Recently, a team roster appeared that indicated that Oughton and Ngwenye had acquired Green Cards. This is major news, and has been speculated about, commented on and griped over for years by Crew fans everywhere. So where was the announcement? There still hasn't been one, as far as I know.

Mr McCullers wants that guy to know that he gave Shawn Mitchell a half hour's worth of discussion on the Jon Busch thing, and the problem is that Mitchell chose not to publish it.

With all due respect, no, that isn't the problem. The problem is that when the FO saw that The Disgrace did not include any of the teams sentiments and regrets about the situation in their article, they didn't imediately scribble up and post something online, a statement from the GM for example, thanking Jon for all his contributions, wishing him well and assuring everyone that he is a highly respected freind of the team and will always be welcome in Columbus, blah, blah, blah.

And if the damned local cage liner won't serve to disseminate this kind of info then the team has to do it themselves. They have web space, they can issue press releases every day if they want. They act as if the "Weekly Press Update" or whatever they're calling it now, is all the fans are entitled to.

Well some of us think the fans are enitled to more. Sue us.

The bottom line here, and it's a fact not an opinion, is that the Crew is doing a really lousy job of letting the fans know what's going on with the team. It's not that tough, and if there's nobody over on Velma Ave who is competent to write up a little blurb every otehr day letting the fans in on stuff, then I wish they'd let me recommend someone. I can think of a dozen guys including myself who could easily do it for them, and would be happy to do so at no charge.

This is not 1957, and nobody is reliant on newspapers to serve as the only source of public information. This is the internet age, and they have the means and the capability to disseminate whatever information they choose in a matter of minutes.

And if the problem is that MLS runs the website and are slow and uncooperative, then there's a simple solution: write up a "press release" or team notes or something and email it to anyone with a website. SoccerCapitalNews would be happyto post it, and if Mark McCUllers emailed out a statement about JB, fid would absolutely break a leg and burn up a keyboard posting it.

If that isn't enough, tell us and we'll start a couple more fansites. I'll do one myself, today. Just say the word.

Bottom line is they're doing a lousy job reaching out and communicating with their fans, and if that is not the PR Director's fault, and ultimately Mark McCuller's fault, then pray tell me whose fault it is.

 

What Bill said... which is why I never posted much on here; I refuse to be seen as anyone's sockpuppet.

This isnt about Busch or an individual issue. It's about us fans getting what we wished for... a strong seasoned senior manager. If you dont like the way it's done, fine. But it comes with the territory.

If I have a gripe about the way the GM has handled things, it's with Jeff Wuerth being tossed. But I cant criticize that too much because I dont have insider contacts. All I know is he bled Black and Yellow.

Why is there still no middle-finger smiley?

 

I would love the opportunity to criticize someone but when it comes to Mark McCullers and what he does for a living.

Maybe they will let me shadow him for a day?

 

What about this statement:

http://columbus.crew.mlsnet.com/new...tent_id=84671&vkey=pr_coc&fext=.jsp&team=t102

I mean, they certainly could have put more out there, but its more than we got really from Shawn Mitchell's column. I only point this out because I think 99% of the people commenting on the situation have forgotten about it.

 

Here, here.