Okay, you knew it would happen sometime....and here it is. But hold on...before you claim "kneejerk", allow me to provide some backup. 1. I'll give free rep and a hearty pat on the back for anyone who can tell me what FCD's team strategy is. Hell, I should offer up $5,000 since I know that no one can, because they don't have one. I can tell you what DCU's team strategy is, I can tell you about Houston, New England, even Colorado. And they all work with varying degrees of success, but, most importantly they actually have one. 2. Who is managing the defense on this team? Feruzzi isn't a defensive minded guy, Pareja isn't a defense guy, Morrow played D-mid and on the backline but claims that he's not really a defense guy. Regardless, either we don't have a coach that focuses on the defense or we do, it's Morrow, and he sucks. 2 of the goals yesterday, like countless others this season can be chalked up to amateur level defensive mistakes. For a team that was supposed to challenge for championships this year, that is simply unacceptable. It's been a problem for months and there has been NO IMPROVEMENT. 3. Anyone know what formation we utilize? Can anyone tell me why? The best I can figure the formation is a product of the players available. Morrow wants Ruiz, Denilson, Alvarez, Richetti and Toja all on the pitch at the same time. The one formation that we used that allowed us to both control play and protect our shaky backline was the 4-3-1-2, but we don't use that one anymore because it would mean sitting Alvarez. What kind of team management is that? Find some convulated formation that fits the players? How about develop a strategy and formation that will guarantee success and then utilize the players that best fit that strategy. That's called team management. Morrow came into this job and claimed he was a "player's coach". Well, I guess he's living up to that...I'm sure there are a bunch of players that just LOVE him. Great. I hope they also love the continued emptiness of our trophy cabinet. 4. Here we are, a season later, and despite bringing in Richetti, Toja, Denilson, Richardino and Serioux we are basically the same team as last year, the same team that got Colin Clarke fired. The same team that threw away all the wins and points gained in the first half of the season. We were up CC's butt as soon as the summer hit.....but nobody is calling out Morrow. Well, I am. I hated this hiring from day one and it's living up to it's billing. Thanks FO.....we can now enjoy watching Colin Clarke Jr. take us out of the playoffs in craptacular fashion.
things are bad right now, but are we really ready to fire a coach simply because he failed to avoid the perennial mid-late season slump? I say no, it's still all about the USOC and the playoffs. but now you never again get to use the "I trust Morrow" argument when defending the Denilson signing.
I'll be back for my input late Wednesday night. I have a feeling I will be in the mood to rant about things I hate.
You think we have a chance in hell at winning the USOC or doing anything in the playoffs?? Are you mad?? The offense isn't good enough to make up for all the goals our defense just hands the opponents. And our midfield....all three of them....have no ability to hold possession. New England is going to tear us a new one....at home....in a championship....extending our streak to 12 years without success. I trusted Morrow et al. Denilson has until Wednesday to prove to me that he has any value. Then I'll be happy to label him a bust. To be clear, I'm quite positive Morrow won't be fired. Doesn't mean I can start talking about why he sucks.
Jose for Dallas! Now back to the real world...This team has no identity and no flow on the pitch. The defense is an unmitigated disaster, they cannot hold possession or string together passes. Before the all-star break you could have made a legitimate point for this team contending for the MLS Cup...now they will make the playoffs because they accumulated a lot of points early and the teams behind them didn't step up at take advantage of Dallas. Players on the pitch deserve blame, but the simple truth in sports is that you can't fire players, but you can fire the coach. The whole coaching staff needs to go. Period. I know I have a earned reputation for posting stupid s*** and being a hot head. I know what I say lacks a certain amount of credibility because of that, and I accept that. From my point of view, the FO has not access the situation and determine the message they want to send to the fans. Are they going to accept mediocrity or strive for excellence? Is one season enough to determine if Morrow is the man, honestly, no. One season is enough to show that he is not a tactically sound coach and that he ignored the glaring issue of the team's defense and tried to make up for it by bringing in mid fielders and trying to play a possession driving style.
of course we have a chance at the USOC. it's a one-off against a bunch of choke artists. winning it won't mean we're good, I'll grant you that.
New England is disciplined. New England is organized. New England knows how to take advantage of our crap defending. New England scores 2 before halftime. Book it.
I hope to hell it doesn't happen but I've seen nothing to make me believe it won't. Wednesday night is gonna be ugly.
I'm not going to argue your various points. But I don't think we were ever "supposed to challenge for championships this year." We dropped a coach and dumped all the veterans and brought in new players. This was always going to be a rebuilding year.
If I have time I will bring up the quotes from the various FCD leadership that will back up my point. They all said the standard was championships.
the near future doesn't look bright but Stevie should be given to at least this point next season before the FO reviews his status. He has his strikers and his midfielders. Let him go out and get his defenders and then lets see what happens. If Stevie can't hold onto some of the better midfielders or strikers then his ship is probably sunk. I reckon he loads up the back and starts a search for a new DP if Toja isn't signed into that role. If he loads up and then the team still fails then you look for new leadership.
actually I think the FO did think we should be championship ready. what I don't think is that the FO was only giving Stevie one season to do it.
No, they don't. They were effusive regarding the expectations of this team. It was given as a reason for the firing of Clarke.
Okay. Maybe I stand isolated on this one. I sure didn't expect us "to challenge for championships" going into this season, regardless of what the FO told us.
more belief in the inerrant truth of what people in suits say? FOs don't say it ALL the time, but they say it a lot of the time, and when they do it's usually just rhetoric. we were pissed about the playoffs and it was their way of covering their butts for promoting the assistant coach of a failed regime rather than spending time looking for new blood. this is a very lazy FO, and I'd rather see it change than Morrow. how about a big "Sell us" sign on Wednesday?
Okay.....I *might* be with you there. I thought we had a better chance than what we are throwing out there right now, from a pure talent perspective. I didn't think Morrow was going to be that great, but I felt we were strong enough as a team to win despite that. I was wrong.
More like just wanting them to live up to their claims. The noise I was hearing out of the FO, from multiple channels, indicated it was more than just rhetoric. As in, they needed to perform to justify certain expenditures. I'm not basing my "must win" standard on just what was said publicly. Not on Wednesday.....but next game it's something to think about.
And I think it was the general mood around BS too - not many disagreed with the early season prognosticators who said FCD would drop off the pace substantially - some said we wouldn't even make the playoffs. Of course, then we had some good early season results. The new signings appeared to be working out. We were playing good soccer, and expectations were raised. So it's understandable that we're feeling pretty upset - we're right in the middle of the worst results of the season. It's very frustrating.
oddly enough the timing is there to support this, but he wasn't exactly lighting it up when he was here.
Oh this is easy after watching the game yesterday. I'd like to solve the puzzle: It's long kick from Sala up to Ruiz who will go up against a defender twice his size and when he ultimately hits the defender with his head because he has no choice he will get called for the foul. Repeat. I'll take my $5,000 now.