No, head coach with the others as assistants would do. Spencer might be interesting as a player coach. I'm not worried about his numbers so much as I'd feel more comfortable if the player coach were a defender. Don't know why it just seems to fit better. I don't think Dir would be an option. I actually think that he's the best color guy the MLS has, and they should boot Ty Keough for him. Can Tony DiCicco coach men? The Rapids have a bunch of ex-players that might be the second coming of Yallop. Any one of them could also be the second coming of Fernando Clavijo. Anybody have an opinion of Trittschuh?
Historical note, this would not be the first player-coach for the Rapids. Roy Wegerle (I think?) managed the club for the final game of 1996 while playing.
Well, Houghton resigned before the last game that year. I think you are right on, this wouldn't be a first then, but obviously, Wegerle was just a band-aid coach for one game on a team that didn't make the playoffs.
I think what the Rapids need at this point is a young, players' coach. Someone that can come in and fix all the damage that Hankinson has done, someone that recognizes how to work with players -- specifically, MLS players -- and look towards rebuilding a positive environment. The unfortunate reality is that no amount of offseason acquisitions are going to make Colorado into a title contender in 2004. They were never a title contender this year, whether on the field or on paper, and the team is in worse shape today than it was at any other point in the season. Even in the unlikely event that the Rapids get a new coach and a GM for next season, Colorado will not be a team high on the lists of players looking for change. The Rapids need to make their club into a team that players want to be part of, not dread. Hankinson and Counce did have one idea right: the team needed to be rebuilt. Unfortunately, they failed in carrying out this task, despite having three years to do so. It only takes one year to re-tool a club, and shouldn't require dropping the team into the mire of a 5-win season. I'd like to see the Rapids find a coach that does not come with baggage (sorry, Dir), was a recent failure in MLS (Jeffries, Andrulis) or has no understanding of MLS (any foreign coach not already in the system). To attract new talent to the club, the Rapids need someone who players will believe understands what needs to be done, understands how they should be treated. And someone who will spend more time observing and learning from his players, rather than forcing them into a futile system. To me this job seems like it would be capably filled by a former MLS player who has spent the past few years involved as an assistant coach in the league. I can't think of any candidate that better fits this decsription than Dennis Hamlett. Hamlett's experience as a player in MLS was limited, but given all of his pre-MLS time in the A-League he's someone who definitely knows the psyche of a player in a struggling league. He understands and appreciates the sacrifices players make just to be part of the squad, and I think as a result he'll be better equipped to deal with an existing conflict (see: Herdsman, Baba, Martinez) as well as recognize potential conflicts with incoming players unaware of the trials and tribulations that MLS produces (see: Grimandi, Palacios, Amokachi). As mentioned in a post above, Hamlett has been coaching in MLS for some number of years now, and doing so with what many, including myself, consider the top organization in the league: Chicago. This guy will come in having learned from two of the best coaches MLS has ever seen (Bradley and Sarachan), will have learned that if you give young talent a chance, they may produce startling results, and will not be someone whose ego places him above approach by the players. There may be better options out there than Hamlett, but I think all the qualities and potential that he brings to the table perfectly define just what the Rapids need. Worst-case scenario is that a coach like this comes in, promotes a positive environment for players but can't take the Rapids farther than being a mid-table club. At least then the Rapids would be able to find a coaching replacement that would start from something positive, rather than where they are now: an organization with unhappy players, fans, and front office.
Does management even understand (or care) that the fans are restless and looking for changes to be made? I really hope KSE is listening... New ownership can make the change happen and there's no time like the present. Why waste time? the opportunity for change is now...
If they're gonna fire Hanki it needs to be done sooner than later, namely before the draft. The new coach needs to be more actively involved in the off season changes.
Lilley Just a plug for Lilley. Was a great manager at Hershey before the $#&$()@ Hershey Corp. decided soccer was not their flavor of the week and did good things in Canada. I saw he refused an extension there, so maybe he will head for the Mountains. Could do a whole lot worse!
Understand, certainly. Care? Hm. I'm still stinging from that "gotta shut the fans up" comment last summer, and probably always will be (gee thanks, Hanki, we love you too). I guess they care, insofar as they want to sell season tickets for 2004. That's about it, though, imo. Hoping that KSE has its own best interests strongly at heart here -- if they want ANY sort of ROI in the first few years, the time to start is now.
I wonder if it's worth it to tell the Rapids that until a decision is made on the status of the coach and GM, I won't be renewing season tickets. Pressure on the pocketbook might be the only thing that will get them moving on this. Though, since the sales staff is either leaving or being told to go by KSE, I doubt my rep is even with the organization anymore. There's always a letter writing campaign. Greenie, you want to get this going again? I know you got a great response with the last campaign. Cough.
While I agree the Hammer would be a good candidate ... I'd like to see everything you described Greenie ... except add in some European playing experience. This would be important to me because I think they have seen and can bring more to an MLS team ... like Yallop has done for example. So a couple names that pop into my mind: Thomas Dooley and Mo Johnson.
Question(s): Was Mo strictly a midfielder throughout his career or did he play any defense? Was Yallop ever a defensive player? Just not sure of their respective histories.
What about Sigi Schmid. Today's Soccer America Daily email makes it sound like he might be out of a job. He is a proven winner with one bad year. I'd rather have that than Hanki time.
I'm not sure about their playing complete playing histories either ... but what has that to do with it?
Not much more than curiosity and my personal opinion. I think that the better ex-pro-players that become coaches are typically those that played a defensive roll during there playing career. They played the game with the majority of it played in front of them. In my opinion, typically they have a better feel of the "total game" package. I think an exception to the rule are ex-pros that spent the majority of their career riding the pine. Those types of players got to see the man management side of coaching (watching their coach administrate and solve problems during the general run of play), plus they get to see the big picture of the entire field from the sidelines also
I'm not sure if Sigi would leave SoCal. He's been there at least 20 years between heading up the UCLA program and now the Galaxy. Then again, that hasn't stopped many Californians from relocating to Colorado, now has it? I think if the Galaxy dropped Sigi, you would either see him go back to coaching D-1 somewhere or quit entirely.
What about Sigi Schmid. Today's Soccer America Daily email makes it sound like he might be out of a job. He is a proven winner with one bad year. I'd rather have that than Hanki time. ------------------------------------------------- I do not want someone who is in his "bad" phase. I would like someone totally new to mls or an assistant mls coach.. They would bring excitement, new ideas etc than someone already in as coach who didn't have a good year. He could be burnt out. also i want someone in shape. .....
why do we have to get a US based coach? I am all for having a limit of 2 or 3 foreign players but I would love to see a coach from Europe.
I have nothing against a foreign coach as long as they have their eyes open to the specific problems of coaching in MLS. I guess there haven't been any foreign coaches mentioned (ex-MLS'ers aside) because there isn't a lot of awareness of who the possibilities might be.
Personally I think that it's important to get a coach that is willing to work with and is aware of how MLS works. I can't think of any non-US based coaches (meaning a guy like Hudson is English - but he's US based) that have succeeded in coaching an MLS team.
We play at altitude here in Denver (5280ft). Why not look into coaches from Mexico, Equador, Bolivia that have experience with teams at altitude? We're always scouting players, why not scout coaches? Look for a coach who is used to a wide open style to tire our opponents. Someone who understands how to piece a team together and pick good talent that will fit into his style. I don't think there are very many American coaches with enough experience.
Not that I know much about his coaching ability, but Marco Etcheverry has to be close to retirement. I know he may be moving on to Dallas as a result of the Adu signing since DCU has to give up some allocations/SI spots, but he's Bolivian, knows the MLS and might have an inside track to all of that young talent that Tahuichi produces. Simply brainstorming names here, but he's the first to come to mind.
If we were to go outside of established MLS pedigree I nominate Ray Reid from the University of Connecticut. He won a number of National Championships with Southern Connecticut (DII) and took over the Huskies program in '97 (maybe)? They immediately became a contender and then won a National Championship (can't remember what year but it was only a couple of years ago). He obviously has an eye for talent (Damani Ralph) and knows how to manage different personalities - most, check that... many, of his players at Southern and UConn were/are from countries outside of the US. Sigi made the jump and has been pretty successful. If someone didn't give Bruce Arena the chance to lead DC United then the USMNT's run in Korea may not have ever happened.