so when can we buy playoff tickets?

I understand the frustration but think it's pretty well documented that Nowak wasn't looking to coach in Winter 2002 when we were looking for a coach to replace Bob Bradley. And Dave, no matter what you thought of him this year, won 2 titles and came close to a third in 2003. Until he interviewed for the DC job no indication was ever given that Nowak had any interest in coaching yet.

Fault him if you want for hiring Dave I guess but Nowak wasn't ever an option for us. I think he may be down the road, though.

 

So you started a new thread just so we could all see your "cleverly ironic" thread title. Bravo. *clap.... clap*

 

Where were you when they both took this team to the US OPEN CUP & MLS CUP Finals in 2003, with a bunch of kids on the roster. Get over it this was a bad year, injuries callups and just plain bad luck. If we start out the same way in 2005, then you could call for Dave's head.

 

Dumbest thread ever (outside the Rivalries and Politics forums).

 

what in the hell has Peter Nowak ever done as a coach? Honestly now. I'm not saying he's embarrasing himself out there, but it's no great feat to make the playoffs in this league.

And, even IF DC does something in the playoffs, that team has talent and has had more talent than past results have shown for years. How would that be any different from Sarachan 2003?

Get your head out of Nowak's ass.

 

I fully sympathize with your desire for some perspective on this past season but to be fair to both Nowak and DCU, they've have some serious obstacles to overcome this year and, unlike Sarachan and the Fire players, Nowak and DCU were able to overcome those obstacles.

First, it's Nowak's first season as head coach and he was able (after a period of painful experimentation) to impose his will on his squad, keep them motivated, and find a playing style that successfully adjusted to his squad's limitations. The contrast here with Sarachan is striking.

Second, Nowak was saddled with the Freddy sideshow, having to cope with the media circus and the pressure of developing a child prodigy in whom Nike and others have invested millions of dollars.

Third, DCU had an injury/call-up/'sold to Europe' situation on par with the Fire's.

Fourth, Nowak got into the playoffs without the league stocking his team with ex-/current USMNT players like Heydude and Sanneh. Or even foreign national teamers like Herron.

In short, Nowak is a legit 2004 MLS Coach of the Year candidate, especially if DCU makes MLS Cup 2004. Of course, none of this was predictable in November, 2003 when the Fire were kicking ass and DCU weren't.

 

I think you make some good points in your post.

However, my reply is "let's see what he does in year #2".

After 1 year of Sarachan, I thought HE was the coach who allowed the Fire to play more creatively, with more speed in the attacking 1/3, and he was a coach who continued to motivate the team-- much like Nowak 2004. Of course, in year #2 that all came crashing down for Sarachan, and it very well COULD with Nowak too. I'm not saying that it WILL, it's just that it's maybe too early to proclaim that Nowak can do no wrong.

Nowak is a legit coach of the year 2004 canidate-- but Sarachan was in 2003.

Only time will prove if Nowak is truly good enough as a coach to warrant some of the comments that some Fire fans make about him. As it is right now, some Fire fans only want him because of who he was as a player.

 

So true. I'm sure we wouldn't have to try too hard to get a few of the folks on the DCU threads to tell us what they think are Nowak's weaknesses as a coach.

I do think that to a large (but NOT complete) extent, Sarachan was simply in the right place at the right time with the squad that was mostly Bradley's in a year in which there were not many national team games involving CONCACAF countries whereas Nowak had more work to do with his team in his first year. I also think Sarachan got lucky with Ralph last year when nobody, not even Dave, thought that Damani would rip up the league like he did.

Maybe the thing that hurt Dave most this year the fact that the Fire needed more leadership from Dave and the remaining veterans and this leadership was not forthcoming. Dave's looser, friendlier approach to coaching was not what this team needed and the veterans were either hurt (Razov, Marsch), just didn't step up (Armas, Brown), or positively slacked off (Beasley). What the '04 Fire needed was a no-nonsense, ass-kicking disciplinarian like Bradley or Nowak. I hope Sarachan learns this lesson and makes "No More Mr. Nice Guy" his coaching theme for 2005. He also needs to sit down and watch some game tapes to see where his tactical and his substitution decisions were directly responsible for lost points. His job may depend on it. I wish him the best of luck next year.

 

...and cups.