Wow. Actually on paper it looks like a pretty good choice. I watched Serbia play in the u20 WC vs the US and came off impressed with their team. Good style of play? Check Good tactics? Check Ability to work with youth? Check Experience in MLS and in one of the best league (s) in the world? Check Only negative I guess would be he's only had coaching experience with the Serbian YNTs not an actual club. But he definitely passed the test with Serbia's u20 team
Veljko, will you work for potatoes and Slivovitz? Yes, youre hired. edit: http://el9ymedio.mx/charla-con-veljko-paunovic/
Paunovic was a guy that Philly fans were getting excited about potentially hiring. Only played a half season in Philly, but played his ass off when he was there. He sadly left the team after the 2011 season to take care of his father who suffered a stroke. He jumped into coaching in Serbia soon after and has has nothing but success since. He's also fluent in Spanish FWIW from his time playing in Spain. He's not a household name, but he's a good hire that had a lot of MLS fans excited.
He can actually speak SIX languages . So definitely a smart guy. And paraphrasing here, he said he saw the fire like a wounded Lion ready to unleash all its power. Interesting... This is weird i feel positive about a Fire coach for once.
Don't really know much about him, but from the quick reading over the last 20 minutes it seems like it might not be a bad hire. Thank goodness that Hauptman was too cheap to hire Tab Ramos.
To be fair, it could be that the costs were somewhat similar so that Rodriguez concluded that if we are going to pay that much, we might as well get the better option.
Wahl saying that the Fire also talked to Kreis. Can pretty much guarantee Paunovic came at a discount compared to Jason.
A friend asked me if I felt like this was a good hire. I told him no. I'm never optimistic for the Fire. He seems like a good hire on paper, but the Fire are notorious killers of talent and drive. Many players and coaches have come into this organization full of promise and left jaded and completely average. Let's just hope the Fire don't ruin him. Like I said, good hire on paper. Led the Serbian U-20 team to a WC win, playing good football in the process.
I totally forgot I did a poll. It wasn't very clear, but... 16 out of 69 votes were correct if you assume "mls experience" included playing 8 out of 69 votes were correct if you assume "mls experience" meant only coaching experience (I think this is what my thought was while writing it).
Looks like N-Rod has fully embraced the company philosophy NR: Paunovic has a hunger to succeed. He thought #cf97 was the best opportunity in the world.— Orrin Schwarz (@Orrin_Schwarz) November 24, 2015
NR: At times we ran the risk of losing him #cf97 Offered a job in Greece, but we chose to see our process through— Orrin Schwarz (@Orrin_Schwarz) November 24, 2015 But... we felt Tab Ramos was better at first.
2nd period: I find out about there being an announcement. I get excited about the possibility of getting GBS. 3rd period: I start to get angry with logic slowly consuming me, saying that we've just hired Pardo. 4th period: I go to lunch extremely confused not knowing what the heck a Paunovic is. 4B period: I use the computers in my Study hall to research the guy. I start to get a strange feeling about this situation. 5th period: I realize that feeling is optimism. I haven't felt that in a long time.
wait a couple years until you're writing "Why MLS left Chicago" for your freshman comp class and talk to me about optimism.
Actually, I'm writing "Why Chicago isn't a Soccer Town (and how YOU can change that)" for my radio station's blog. It's been a work-in-progress, sort of like the Fire.
That's exactly what my argument is. We can do it, but apparently (due to lack of success) Chicago "can't handle a soccer club" according to most people.
I've seen a lot of remarks along the lines of: seems like a promising hire but the Fire will ruin him. Well, to those who say that - did it occur to you that the Serbian Football Association is *also* kind of a dumpster fire? I'm sure it'll take a lot to give him a shock. Great hire for your team, wish the Fire success and a return to glory days.