http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/01/crew-to-name-br.html Per Ives, Bliss is in as tech director. Plus, he spreads the news from Mitchell about Guille's arrival.
Look, I'm a simple man. I'm just not smart enough to ask complex questions. But would someone please, for the love of God, tell me why it is Ives Galarcep seems to have a really good source inside the Crew and usually has better info on what's hapening at Velma Ave. than Mitchell of anyone else? Could someone over there explain to whoever this "source" is who seems to spend hours every day on the phone to Clifton N.J. that Ives Galarcep is no friend of the Crew, that Crew fans resent having to read Crew news on that asshole's website and that his salary is paid by the Crew, not the New Jersey Daily Crapwrapper or whoever it is Ives works for? Hello? Crew? Local writers and fans can't ever find out a goddam thing but this jerk in New Jersey, who really hates us, always has the inside poop on the Crew. Does this strike you as odd? Hello? Anybody home? (All of you whiners can now commence to jumping me for daring to utter a discouraging word. I have a message for you: eat me. If this "Check Ives website for the latest Crew info" method of public relations doesn't strike you as peculiar, then I'd suggest that YOU are th one who's screwed in the head, not me. Spare me your indignation. I don't care.)
Not gonna whine, but per Ives he is mainly focused on his blog and the soccernet gig, so I have noticed much less of a "hate on the Crew" vibe than I did back when he was just writing for that Jersey paper. Also, it's possible that the source calls Mitchell first but has to leave voice mail and while Mitchell is in the shitter or something (maybe even at training and therefore unable to post to his blog) Ives gets the story up first. I really mainly check 3 blogs during the day, Ives, Goff and the Dispatch. Unless someone else posts about it, those 3 give me most of the info that I need... But I do understand your anger Bill, I'm sure things will improve. After all, Shawn did just start the blog up like 2-3 weeks ago...
Well, no mention of Bliss' tenure as a Crew player before blowing his knee out, or his national team service (44 caps, 2 goals) and World Cup service (1990). Ives may have inside Crew info, but he's still a tool. Bliss is qualified. And a legit candidate to be the next head coach if Robert leaves (or even if he doesn't). Ives news is better than no news, but just barely.
So Brian Bliss returns to Columbus. Of course, every trace of the organization that traded him to the Metrostars in the middle of the night are long gone. Possible candidate to replace Sigi?
I'm glad we have a technical director. I think the idea is that he's an independent soccer mind, not subordinate to Sigi. Maybe next year he can run the draft.
Think the blip about Metrostars is mainly because Ives news is primarily focused on NY (i.e. Goff and DC).
Yippeee, Bliss is coming back. Always liked the guy and I'm glad that we now have a TD help share the weight. Perhaps we might actually begin to build the skeleton of a scouting organization. As for news about the Crew coming from anywhere but the Dispatch or the Crew itself. I too find it a bit disheartening but I wouldn't expect it to change anytime soon. It would seem though that if there was a leak inside the Crew organization that has no problem going to Ives that the individual would rather be on here under an assumed name ala Joeyinfo. Maybe it's less obvious and easier for him/her to cover their tracks the other way.
Can someone tell us what the hell Bliss is supposed to do as technical director? In the other post we had twenty-seven thousand definitions, from coach to scout and everything in between (I think janitor was just outside the job description). I really don't want to wait to hear from the Crew front office as 12/21/12 is less than five years away and I have other things to do until then.
Listen fellas, I'm done trying to understand the level of hate some of you have for me but I really am trying to give the Crew some extra coverage to go along with the Dispatch coverage. Some of you might think that's a bad thing but it's actually a good thing because competition makes everybody better. I'm sure Shawn Mitchell would agree. My goal with the new website is to offer coverage of all MLS teams but I've got sources with Crew info and I know there are Crew fans who are hungry for news so I'm digging hard for Crew news. Why do some of you (Lookin at you Bill Archer) care where it comes from? You guys think people in New York or Minnesota care that USA Today broke the Johan Santana trade? Why should they? What matters is that you get your news somewhere. I NEVER hated the Crew, nor do I hate the Crew now. I've always considered that notion ridiculous. Yeah, I went overboard with a Szetela column FOUR years ago (I still feel the premise was right, but the delivery too much) but damn guys, let it go. Now that I speak to McCullers and Schmid (and know Brian Bliss) I think it's safe to say that I'm going to do my best to give the Crew some proper and balanced coverage on my site. How about we start fresh? I'll deliver you Crew news (and keep Mitchell on his toes) and you guys stop hating me for stuff I wrote years ago. Deal?
Fine, but I still don't understand why the Crew can't release news in a press release that Crew fans will see as early as anyone instead of sending stuff to other teams' bloggers in the hopes that it might filter back here eventually.
Did DC put out a press release about Marcelo Gallardo before it broke on a blog? Perhaps, just maybe, Ives beat the team to the punch and broke the news prior to a press release being issued from the PR Department - just like Goff has been doing with regularity in DC and to certainly extent Ives has done with various stories around the league.
While I would love for everything to come through Shawn, I think that the serious blog writers like Ives, Goff, etc who don't just recycle BS bullshit are the ones to check out regularly. I mean, maybe because I wasn't around during the whole Szetela debacle, I might have less of an animosity towards you, Ives, but I for one am certainly willing to listen to what you have info on. Think about it this way guys, it could be just Trekker spreading info. ;-) Thanks for taking a stand for yourself Ives.
Personally, Ives, I think you do terrific work. However, if you are Catholic, Bill is the man to see for a catalog of all your sins. The Szetela stuff was a bit over the top -- I see Racing is looking to loan him out now (thanks to you). It would have been nice if you had mentioned that Brian Bliss was an original allocation to the Crew in 1996 and was a fan favorite in his short 17-month stay. You mentioned that he has "lengthy experience as an MLS assistant" but failed to note that those seven years were spent in Kansas City when Kansas City was still owned by Hunt Sports Group. I'll have Bill fax you your complete list of transgressions tomorrow morning.
shouldn't every story stand on its own, to be judged on its accuracy and fairness, its own merits? and who the fck cares where stories come from? the important this is that they're coming. why should ives be punished for breaking news before everyone else?
I think I fully understand why the local media does not consider the Crew/MLS major league. McCullers doesn't know we sold Gonzo back and we break stories around the country before the local press. A nice set of PR gaffes that match the *extra* game that nobody attended... Please, HSG - set us FREE.
My opinions are what they are. I don't feel the necessity to justify them to any Red Bulls fan on the face of the Earth. I want to hear Crew info from Crew sources, or at least local sources. Shawn Mitchell will do just fine. I understand your desire to go more national, a la Mssr Goff. Were I you, that would be my goal as well, if for no other reason than hanging out with NYRB fans exclusively would tend to lower ones' IQ dramatically. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not exactly thrilled to get Crew news from Goff either. He's in DC for Christs' sake, and I hate DC more than I hate Brussels sprouts. I mean, what next, a new source for Crew info popping up in Chicago? That would just complete the trifecta. I have high hopes for Shawn, and I hope that the Crew FO recognizes the value and desirability of "leaking" info through him. The Crew has had a real paucity of fanstes and local coverage over the years. I can't think of another MLS team that doesn't have even a single viable fansite. It's embarrassing. Even a halfassed outfit like RSL has at least a half dozen. As for the Szetela thing, it isn't that you were over the top. It's that you were wrong. The kid signed a professional contract paying him over $70,000 a year and you still felt that he needed to be tucked into bed and read to every night. That ain't how it works. Hell, until Mom screwed the pooch, he was trying to swing a deal in England, which is just a bit farther away than Columbus, and I doubt you would have pissed and moaned about how mean and cruel Fulham was for not trading him to New York. As for the internet soccer landscape, there are lots of changes afoot for the immediate future. For a bunch of us. We'll see how it all shakes out. But you don't ever need to look around the sweat lodge for me beating on a drum and leading a rousing chorus of Kumbaya. That just ain't in the cards.
Sorry, not an Ives hater. I read and enjoy SBI darn near everday. I'll take my Crew news where ever I can find it on the internets. It's all just a series of tubes anyways.
Damn, if that's for real (and no reason to think that it is not) dude you got some balls on ya. Sure, I've never thought one way or the other, except the DannyS deal was a bit over the top, but if we get fresh Crew news on something like a regular basis I'm behind you.
I'm all for getting Crew news from wherever we can get them: Mitchell, Goff, Ives, Argentine reporters. Hell, maybe in the future we could even get them from our own front office. Well, no, who am I kidding?