Team "didn't give our all," Revo player admits

He'd be my first cut

No matter what his talent level is you NEVER say things like this

Imagine if someone on the Pats said something like this ? Belicheck would be kicking his behind over the lighthouse and his bag would be following him

What a joke

 

So if Tom Brady goes on the record as saying "we didn't give it our best effort," or some equivalent after a Patriots loss, he should be sent packing by the club, right?

 

After one loss no

But to say after a horrible season "we just didn't give our all in some games" then you bet

 

Actually, I wouldn't. If there are some players who didn't give it their all when they were capable of doing so, then yes, perhaps their status should be re-evaluated. On the other hand, **********canning a player simply because he was willing to go on record after a disappointing loss with some measure of concilatory rhetoric... that makes no sense.

 

I think this team needs a boot in the rear

The coach needs to go and an example needs to be set that winning is the ONLY thing this team is about

Sharlie is the scapegoat because he was quoted. Had he said we just didn't have it tonight or we made too many mistakes then fine. But to say you didn't give it your all, that you didn't leave it all on the field in my eyes is a sign that this team just doesn't care

Something has to be done

This team needs a shake up of epic proportions

 

Monty

I think cutting a player who is a good player at that sends a message - whether you are or top goal scorer or a Tony Frias - if you dont want to win and give it your all, then you can pack your crap and get out

 

This is a case of shooting the message or shooting the messenger? In some ways, Shalrie Joseph has something in common here with BigFrank. You may not like what they have said, but it is difficult to get past what they are saying because it cuts to the truth of what is going on with the Revolution.

Joseph never said that he hadn't given his all, but he said that the team hadn't always given its all. That really is an amazing revelation for any player to make about the team he happens to play for. It could be argued that it is a sign of leadership because he had the guts to stand up and tell the hard truth in public. I'll bet that the coaches and some teammates were none too pleased to read those comments, but they are also likely to be the ones that most need to look at themselves in the mirror.

It would be very sad if this team's failings were down to lack of effort as much or more than it is down to a lack of ability.

The quote came at the end of Frank Dell'Apa's article. I wonder if that means that it is his conclusion or that he missed out on the most telling quote yet from this terrible season.

When a key player comes out and says that his team did not always try their best and that it is one of the reasons for the lack of success, then it is beyond the time for a major shake up.

 

So you're suggesting something that may be described as "cutting off one's nose to prove a point to the face?"



I can appreciate how something like this can be used "pour encourager les autres," but there are more subtle, yet similarly effective ways to motivate players or shake up the team.

Suffice it to say I very much expect to see some signficant turnover and team restructuring in the off-season, from the top on down.

 

What ways would you motivate this team ?

 

I think we may be jumping to conclusions here about what Shalrie meant by the phrase "didn't give our all in some games". BigFrank and georgeplmr have read it as a failure to give full effort in a number of games. However, Shalrie might have simply been saying that there were a number of games in the year where they did not perform to their full potential. It is a semantics thing and open to interpretation.

Let's not throw Shalrie under a bus for a simple comment that we might be taking in the wrong context. Perhaps, one of the reporters could seek clarification of what he meant by the phrase in question. I believe Roy Keane said basically the same thing about the ManU team earlier in the season when they were struggling. Sir Alex didn't cut him and the entire team for the comment (ManU might have the buying power to have considered such a thing, the Revs don't).

Incidently, the idea that professional players cannot have off days where they simply can't give out a full effort is a bit harsh because they are in fact humans playing a difficult game. None of the players in MLS are getting independently wealthy playing the game, they have families and other concerns that humans do, etc... I am a professional at my occupation (I'm paid for it, and more handsomely than many MLS players), yet there are days when I fail to give 100% concentration to my job because of one thing or the other. Maybe my kids were sick and up all night, or my grandfather is deathly ill and I get distracted by it. Luckily for me, my boss does not fire me for one bad day because my job performance as a whole shows a skill and effort befitting my employment.

We are, by nature, very bipolar fans in New England. When the Sox were up 6-1 in Game 3 of the ALDS, I was flying high and getting ready for a World Series title, but when the Angels came back to tie it, I immediately sank to a manic depression felling like the Sox were the worst team in the league and all the players useless. Maybe SoccerDoc can subscribe something for us, so we can keep on an even keel and not over-react to everything good or bad.

All this being said, if, in fact (and I am not debating this here), some players have intentionally been giving less than 100% effort, there needs to be some accountability by those players and by the organization.

 

O.k., I'm ducking out of this one -- the debate over the semantics alone will bring forth the end of civilization...

 

If there is any player that doesn't have to face charges of not caring, it's Shalrie (not Sharlie) Joseph.

Didn't Nicol say effectively the same thing the other day? - something like "We were often not physically or emotionally ready to play for 90 minutes."

Of course Frank and George are right when they say that full effort every game is basic professionalism, but obviously a clean sweep and a new set of players will not be happening. If any one person is damaged by that comment, it's Nicol.

 

Taking orders from the Cabana are you

I KNEW you looked familiar

 

This is rather naive.

Do you give "%110" every minute of your job?

I don't think there's ever been a professional player who has come off the field without something they could have done better - or some way they could have tried harder. And in fact, if a player gave maximum effort every moment, they wouldn't make it to half time. It is a game that requires pacing.

My other point is that what athletes *say* - is meaningless. It's pure p.r. pablum for the public. Looking for truth in a sports interview is also rather naive.

 

BigFrank Says:

"The team s*cks, management doesn't have a clue, casual fans have abandoned ship and hard core fans are joining them."

BigFrank- Do you ever have anything new to add or is this quote the bain of your existence???

Maybe you should print some t-shirts with this quote and sell them on Saturday.

 

According to our average, about 12,375.
Hey, try the new logo too.
And put Howey's name and number on the back.

 

BigFrank, I never said that your interpretation of Shalrie's use of an idiomatic (and cliche) expression might not be the one intended, but rather that there could be some other less condemning interpretations as well. Idiomatic expressions are always a bit ambiguous by their nature and tied to local culture and language. Now, Shalrie has been living in the US for a number of years and probably does have a good sense of how said expression is used here. However, as pointed out by rkupp, athlete-speak is as meaningless as politician-speak, in a public forum.

I do agree with the idea that complete dedication to winning and the willingness to put forth the necessary effort is a requirement for professional behavior. This "full effort" is as much mental as physical. Sometimes, though a player will not be able to give that complete mental and phyical effort for a good reason (the coach should recognize this and plan accordingly). To me, what is not forgivable is a player intentionally giving a less than complete effort, "mailing it in". Do we know that any players intentionally gave a poor performance?

You are also not calling for Shalrie's "head on a platter" for his comments (I think you are aiming higher in the organization, and rightfully so, if players are permitted to not "give the fans their money's worth"). My main beef is with those calling for some sort of punishment of Shalrie as if he is guilty of shorting the team and fans, when (assuming he meant lack of full effort/desire/whatever) he was merely pointing out that the team recognizes it could have done more in previous games and that they will "show up" for the next game. (Athlete-speak).

No need to get belligerant with me, or anybody else on this board. See, we actually agree on some key points, but I don't share your zealous bitterness toward the Revs management, nor I have I sworn my life-blood to their utter destruction.

 

Usually when people complain about a professional team's lack of effort, it points to a lack of talent. If you're evaluating whether a player has talent, I think you have to look at effort as an ingredient of talent.

I point to a guy like Andy Williams as an example. He's never going to change. Some nights he'll give you 100%, some nights he won't. That's just part of the package and if he was capable of giving 100% all the time, he would probably be in Europe.

With the Revs, the fact that fans are still bitching about the effort this late in the season means they just don't have enough talent to win in MLS.

 

Not that it will change the minds of anyone, but Brad Feldman dropped me an email earlier today to provide some additional context with respect to Shalrie's comments (understand he was there when Shalrie made them). According to Brad (and this could be supported by the likes of Tom Hill, Tony Biscaia, Jim Dow, Mike Marshall, or anyone who has close access to these players), Sharlie meant to say that the players "didn't show our best," which may seem a case of sliptting hairs until you appreciate how uncomfortable Joseph feels dealing with the press: there's a reason you don't see him doing radio or TV interviews -- he often feels misunderstood.

I wasn't in the locker room after the Revs loss to United, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sharlie was one of the few players willing to speak to the media after the loss, this in support of his teammates.

So take an idiomatic expression, regard it at face value without appreciating the context, and you may read it differently than how the quote was originally offered or intended. Believe me, words and meanings can be twisted as easily as Joe-Max Moore's knee at this point.

If the players haven't been giving everything they should, then that's a problem that needs to immediately be addressed. If a player misuses a figure of speech to describe something, then he deserves to be cut a little slack.

BigFrank's vitriol is well established, and he selectively chose to interpret Shalrie's comments in a particular way, and as has always been the case, is taking every opportunity to be the resident "back bench bomb thrower" of the Revolution boards. While I respect his frustrations with the club, his opinion is a bit suspect in this particular case.

 

Thanks for the update Magpie