So what is the origin of the Chacon-Nichol feud? And please give me something more substantive than "he had a crap game against LA". How hasn't he fit in?
There's no feud. They got on quite well actually. Alex just doesn't fit Steve's tactical plan in any way.
Like Brother Lewis, aka (The Courtship Of) Eddie's Father, wrote - there ain't no feud. FWIW, Chacon has been nothing short of a class act, too, when he's been asked about not getting any PT.
APC has been very good about this whole situation, really, which makes me hope he finds somewhere that needs him and gets his touch back.
Amazing, APC doesnt fit in so he sat on the bench. Diallo didnt fit in so he was traded. What is wrong with us. We came into the season with last two leading goal-scorers and they have a combined 2 goals for us I believe. O and dont forget Serna.
Diallo doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. He is feuding with his coach, and he had a shouting match with Clint Mathis in Saturday's game. I think the Metros will rue the day when they got Diallo. As to APC, the man cannot create goal-scoring opportunities. Last year, with Serna, Henderson, Preki, et al., he didn't need to. They created lots of activity on the offensive end. With the Revs, there's no such activity in the box. APC can't dribble, he isn't fast or quick, and he can't defend. As Nichols says, he's a luxury player, and the Revs can't afford the luxury.
I am sick and tired of people saying "he doesn't fit into nicol's tactical plan" or the such. In mls, with the limited players you have access to, a coach makes him fit in. You get your best players in the game, and nicol has consistently not done that. He has very little coaching experience at low levels, and it shows.
"You get your best players in the game, and nicol has consistently not done that." * Maybe when Nicol gets a chance to bring in his own players your above statement will hold more water. The Magpie
APC hasn't looked like one of our best players for Nicol, and he didn't for FC (who tried to get him as involved as possible) either. I don't know who besides APC and his agent decided that he should be a midfielder, but every time he goes in as a middie we have much less posession. I doubt if letting the other team control the middle should be Nicol's "tactical plan". While that (rant) may seem a little harsh, it's not completely a criticism of APC, just APC in OUR midfield. Part of the problem with playing APC in the midfield is our lack of a true D-mid. If we had someone like Armas or Pablo or a younger Leo Alvarez (who can handle the spot on ther own) then we could get away with APC in the midfield. Hernandez, Rooney, Cullen, and probably Joey are all either too old, limited, or inexperienced for this role. While any two of them can handle the defensive aspects and help us control the midfield, they all lack offensive creativity. However, I don't think that we should give up the run of the midfield in order to try and add some offensive flair. As for APC himself, I didn't see that many of Miami's games last year, but most of his goals that I saw reminded me of Twellman's goals this year, one or two touch, lethal finishes of good service. I wouldn't sit Taylor to fit APC in, but neither of them hold the ball well or beat opposing defenders off of the dribble. As for Nicol's coaching ability, it's hard to judge him due to all of the injuries. The healthier the lineup, the better he seems to coach. Also, there seem to be more criticisms of his coaching style than solutions. When FC was here, many of the posters spent a lot of time posting better formations that the Revs eventually adopted or complaining about players that were replaced weeks (or months) later. I haven't exactly seen a barrage of posts about how to get APC into the midfield and still maintain posession of the ball.
"He doesn't fit into Nicols system" What system? The system that's kept us near the bottom of the league? I'm not sure that I'd want to fit into that system. Coaching 101 - you play the cards you're delt. You come up with a system that works with the players you have. You don't force a system on players that can't make it work. Failure to do this brought an end to FC with his repeated faliure to make his 3-5-2 work and if Nicols doesn't wake up, he'll be next. This ain't Liverpool and we aren't going to score too many goals off long crosses leading to head shots when our forwards are not over 6 ft tall.
... And you don't force players on a team when they're individually not getting the job done whether it's a player like Chacon, Fuller, whomever. The Magpie
Hear, hear re. forcing players onto teams and systems onto players. In this case Nicol looked at the bleeding patient, lying on the sidewalk in a puddle of bad goals and made a clear triage decision to shore up the defense both with players and by formation. It hasn't been pretty but, with everyone back more or less it has been effective. APC doesn't fit this method but that doesn't make him a bad player or a rotten person. He is a round peg amongst the squarest of holes. Can this change? Maybe, if we get a true D mid and use APC in the ghosting role he performs so well. Remember, Nicol played with a couple of champion ghosters in Dalglish and Rush and I am sure he would use Chacon in a heartbeat if he could fit him in. JIM DOW
I've got to go with Nicols on this one. Chacon has done absolutely nothing to help his case this year. His finishing touch has been pedestrian, his passing erratic, and his ability/willingness to hold the ball nonexistant. Okay, maybe if he was on the (now defunct) Miami Fusion, he'd be scoring boatloads of goals. Then again, maybe Tony Eason would have won a Super Bowl if he'd played with the "85 Chicago Bears. Point is, ain't happenin'. Chacon came to a team which (like it or not) is now playing a certain style. If he could simply gird up his loins and at least make it look like he's capable of exerting some defensive intensity and making an occasional tackle when necessary (I just can't bear the sight of a grown man sitting on the pitch, hands upraised to the heavens, while a player from the other team runs upfield with a ball that is rightfully his - I can't take it I tell you!), well the grass is always greener in Tegucigalpa.
(not Trolling) If you guys are looking for a defensive mid of high quality there is a player called Pena who played for LA. We as fans were very upset when he was let go. He brings grit strenght and great defensive skills, He is also a team leder. Nonestly i have no idea why he was let go and i think we miss him as Vagenas does not have the same grit.
Switch system? Sure, Nicol could change his system so APC fits in, as some have suggested. However, that would mean that other players, possibly several, would no longer fit the system, and that would hurt the Revs even more than having a talent like Chacon on the bench.
The question is... Has the vaunted system your idea would protect been worth preserving? At 9-14-2, I'd say not.
Re: The question is... I think the material point here is that the Revolution's poor record is a result of letting in too many goals, not not scoring enough. In that respect, Chacon is no help at all, and more than likely a detriment.