http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=5881 All week long the boys didn't look sharp in practice because of the heartache that Red Bull gave of all the rumors of Mo's Dismissal. Glad to know Mo is still here, but still with all the hiccups this thing did to the boys and it's going to affect their play this Saturday, I'm going to blame Red Bull for a loss for all this crap that was going on for the week. I understand they will make any changes that they see fit but I'm sorry, if this screws up the boys that badly against D.C. then I will point the finger at Red Bull ownership for this loss. I bet it's a sigh of relief now for the guys, but still I will point the finger at Red Bull ownership if they don't get three points.
Oh Jesus H Christ. What kind of little faries do we have on this club? If my manager was on the hot seat you better believe i would be busting my ass in training to be motivated to win for him that weekend....because if he goes who is to say my job is safe as well. No sympathy to the players from me. They need to sack up and play like men and win.
Good point. They are professionals, so they should be ready for these kinds of things. Besides, if Dream Team on FSC has taught me anything about the inner workings of professional clubs, it's that snipers, bus crashes and affairs with other players' hot wives who all have bottle-blond hair and wear too much eyeliner could happen at any time and footballers need to be ready for anything. Losing a coach pales in comparison.
From everything I've read it was Mo who started the rumours. When RB wouldn't OK his Peguero trade he said goodbye to the troops. So if you want to blame anyone for the loss to DC today blame Mo. =NLK=
Mo has nobody to blame but himself if he can't keep his feelings and thoughts to himself when there was doubt. Be professional and coach the players as if you would be there until told otherwise. If our guys are this much of whimps then i also have to question their resolve.
Nobody thinks comfort and stability has anything to do with confidence and productivity? I'm sure for the last 2 weeks it was like playing on a minefield for players and coach. All of a sudden BOOM your gone, anyone at anytime. How are poeple supposed to concentrate when there is that looming over them, pro or not. This is how they pay the rent, and if any of us were told we could be fired at anytime on the whim of the boss or maybe you will lose this boss so the new one might get rid of you, i'm sure nobody would be performing at peak levels. IMO
A tad harsh, IMHO. However; Mo hasn't done himself any favors with much of what he's said in public on this "matter".
I think the team will be fine today. They better be or they will start have to worry about Mo's job even more. Its simple, win, and Mo will be fine, lose and it makes it hard on the Front Office.
I think the guy has handled the nonsense since he got hired late last year VERY professionally. MLS has seen quite a few characters hired as coaches over the years and have never been in the situation where Mo has been. The guy took the team to the playoffs and still had to wait to have the "interim" tag taken off him. This year, the teams roster is considerably weaker than most and yet they're still undefeated. The guy is right on. He doesn't need Red Bull to get a coaching gig because if he gets canned after today's game, he'll be on someone's sidelines in Europe coaching within a few months.
On the contrary. If this was me i'd be coming in early, staying late, working extra hard to show my employers that i am someone they need to keep. My ass would be training and focused as possible to be sure i aint the one drawing attention to myself for messing crap up. I dont buy this excuse that my training suffered this week because of uncertainty and pressure. Suck it up, play hard and train hard and take your career and this game seriously. Every player in that clubhouse needs to approach this game with a mentality that every game could be their last and they need to use that to be prepared and fired up to go out their and kick some ass.
Each individual reacts differently to the type of churn we have seen this week. Just look at the posts on the boards, and you'll see reactions all over the map. The players and coach are not machines. Yes, they are professionals. And I have seen many professionals react emotionally to the kind of uncertainty we've been reading about this week. Get off their backs. Support them 100%. They need us to be positive right now!
Of course instability is tough to deal with and there has been plenty with the RBs. It doesn't follow, however, that you can blame management for Mo's failings (real or perceived). There is always instability and if a coach is going to fall apart every time he faces it then he's not going to be employed for long. Yes this has been extraordinary, but I don't hear Mo complaining. Frankly he should be given some more time but there are peripheral issues involving revenue that may force RB to hire someone else. Again, it's their money and team and they have a right to have someone they're comfortable with coach it. As someone pointed out above, it actually might work out better for Mo if he WERE fired now. At least then he could legitimately claim he was never given a chance and potential employers can dream about what he MIGHT be able to accomplish if he had more time. If RB waits and the team doesn't improve it can only tarnish Mo's reputation. I would prefer he stay as well but I don't think it's going to make a BIG difference either way. =NLK=
People from all walks of life can react badly to organizational instability. A friend of mine works for PSE&G (the local gas/electric provider) which is being bought out by another company, and everybody's on edge about their jobs. Similarly, here at Rutgers there's a big plan to consolidate all the individual colleges into one, and lotsa administrative people are freaking out about their job security. Why should soccer players (or professional athletes in general) be any less human in their reactions to these types of issues? If anything, I'd expect them to be more affected, as there's a lot more $$$ at stake. That said, they do have a job to do, and anything less than 100% on the pitch is inexcusable (although it'd be nice if somebody explained that to Amado one of these days...).