1) Rochester Rhinos' coach 2) Erwin Koeman (PSV Netherlands' assistant coach) 3) Balboa 4) Pibe' (couldn't be any worse than Hanki)
The TV announcers mentioned Brian Bliss and Mo Johnston as former players interested in coaching, though not specifically with the Rapids.
uhhhhh.....ready for what? ....complaining? I think he was born to do that. Exhibit 1998 World Cup fiasco....he was a great leader there!?!?!?
IMO he is the only one who tells it like it is... I would like him to be a coach. He wouldn't tolerate any player not working hard all the time and would expect team play from everyone.
I don't know if he's interested, but I always thought Peter Vermes was destined to be a coach. Maybe a coaching team of Balboa, Vermes and Bravo.
Re: Re: New Coach Shortlist: Even the Rhinos fans don't think he's a good coach. Considering all the talent he has on that team, and the mediocre results and performance he's gotten, I don't think you want him. Just because you coach a team full of talented players doesn't make you a good coach. Much more likely options are the former Impact coach, Lilley, and the Battery's coach, Chris Ramsey.
Tell it like it is? I can do that too. I hearby accept the position of head coach of The Colorado Rapids. Thank You First order of business: I'm bringing in Freddy Adu, whether he likes it or not.
Omid Namazi http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/coach/omid_namazi/ This guy is a winner. I'm from Philly and this guy took our beloved Kixx from a doormat team to the level where now every year they contend for the championship (they won in 2002). Then, he left and went to San Diego where he turned that team around immediately and got them into the playoffs for the first time in their team history.
Don't care as long as we hire someone that has won hardware in the past. A proven winner. I'd take Lorne Donaldson or Dave Dir before many.
I have a friend who played for Dir on a youth team locally and said he is a looser alcholic who can't coach worth a damn. I don't think the Rapids need someone in there who will be as all over the place as a potential alcoholic.
I have one qualification: I do not want someone who has already been on the MLS coach merry-go-round. I like Dave Dir, he seems to know the game, but the guy's already been fired in MLS from Dallas (although admittedly, I do not know the full circumstances. You see this in every sport...teams don't have the guts to make the call to bring some new blood in. I would like to see us bring up someone new, either from another league, or from within MLS...I would take a Bravo or a Balboa any day over another Hankinson-type who is already comfortable with being fired from an MLS team.
I know Dave Dir from youth soccer and from when he coached the APSL (?) Foxes. He's a decent dude. He at least knows how to help instill a winning attitude. Yes, I have seen Dave spill himself out of someone's automobile at the kicker's clubhouse before (he wasn't driving). He definitley likes to party. But he is a good coach. Take a look at Sir Alex Ferguson's nose. I'm sure he is no teetotaler. I was just throwing names out of people who I knew would do better than Hankinson. Not necessarily the names that would be a first choice.
Denis Hamlet Great Rapids player who's tutored under Sacharan and Bradley in a winning system for 5 years now.
Who can forget the Hammer??? Might be worth a look, at least bring him in. Something is definitely going right in Chicago, and it's not just their on-field talent.
You bring up an interesting idea, Daksims. Player-coaches aren't unusual all over Europe, but I'm not aware of any real success stories resulting from a player-coach arrangement. The most recent example I can think of is Gianluca Vialli at Chelsea, although I'm not 100% sure of their results during his tenure as player-coach. There's a first time to try anything, and right about now, I'm thinking Colorado needs to do something different with their coaching, period.
If Spenny weren't the team's best player, I'd be all for it. But I'd be afraid that preparing the team to play well would impact his own game negatively, and the Rapids can't afford that.