The Official Bruce Arena thread

https://www.patreon.com/posts/from-...-170e-4e51-81b0-3be23c02d344&utm_medium=email

 

The back of my head appears at the 29:59 mark. They ended the press conference and two photographers (one was John Todd I believe) enter the frame to get pictures and then I pop into view from the left.

 

OK, a couple of comments about the press conference.

1) Bruce was almost effusive when talking about Fish and his commitment to the team. Apparently they met twice for lunch / dinner, once in SF and once in PA. Sounds strange to hear it, and you wonder if it's really a new turn or if Fish is bamboozling yet another coach. But Bruce has been around a long time. I would think that his BS detector would be fully functional. One thing that does seem to be true is that the facilities changes they are making seem to be coming directly from Bruce's suggestions if not requirements.

2) In terms of building out the roster Bruce mentioned 3 things - 1st pick in the reentry draft, 2nd pick in the Superdraft, and free agency. I think we're gonna lean heavily on MLS veterans, as he has suggested before. I wouldn't be surprised if we bring in 0 players with no MLS experience. Doesn't necessarily bode will for U22's, though you could sign a young player with MLS experience into those slots.

3) In terms of style of play, Bruce very explicitly said he's a pragmatist guy who looks at his roster and bases the style of play on that vs. a dogmatic guy who has a style of play and then gets players to fit it. He also said he doesn't think the team has the resources to be the latter type of team - to just go out and get a bunch of guys to fit a particular style. At this point he says he has no idea how we'll play.

4) Ann Killion (former Quakes / MLS basher from MN days - she's still around?) basically played the part of Joe Simitian and, while trying to be tactful, basically implied that Fish is a terrible sports owner and what makes you think he's gonna give you what you need. Bruce kind of reinforced #1 above.

5) As I expected, and as I predicted even before Bruce was hired, CL is going to do the administrative stuff. Bruce called it the "day to day" stuff, and CL says he basically coordinates the activities of 5 or 6 other people. I never expected Bruce to take on these kinds of high-level day to day task of running the technical side of the org.

 

Bruce is not a former Quakes player OR coach?

Unlike BOTH Ian Russell and Chris Leitch who he is replacing in his dual role actually.

Also in this case "past glory" was winning Supporters Shield and setting the all time points record in 2019 and having his team on pace for 65 points when he lost his job in 2022.

 

At least that is good to hear. Play the hand you're dealt, not the hand you wished you had.

 

What? Bruce is already being inducted into the SJ Sports Authority Hall of Fame (I’d prefer that he wins a game for SJ first)? Or just a guest?

 

I'm hoping he gets the leeway he wants to sign the players he wants. If not, the relationship will sour quickly. Now that the A's are in hiatus (i.e. Sacramento) you know he's not going to be spending money on their roster....

 

Your comment got me thinking. Well, not really thinking... rather hypothesizing in a wild stupor...

Let's imagine that Fisher is much more interested in a valuable baseball team (A's) than a soccer team ('Quakes). He wants to build a stadium in Vegas and need funds to build it. Hmm... he is sitting on an asset ('Quakes) that has appreciated considerably over the years despite his minimal investments.

So, he decides to spruce it up to get strong market value for it so he can sell it and build what he really wants. He agrees to hire Arena and even agrees to take on some expensive players/coaches or whatever to show that the team is competitive and has value. He then sells the team for a generous capital gain and leaves the newly acquired expenses to the new owners. The proceeds are then trotted over to Las Vegas and reinvested in the A's.

OK. I will imagine any scenario in which there is a hope that Fisher sells to a more committed ownership group...

 

It's possible - a savvy business move, like putting in $100k to remodel your home before you sell it and make $300k due to the upgrades. Is Fish playing 3D chess, or as someone once said about a highly visible public figure, "trying instead to eat the chess pieces"

 

You people are thinking a little too far into the fetish box.

 

On the "pragmatic vs. dogmatic" scale I'm actually on the dogmatic side - coaches who have a specific style of play and they stick with it no matter what. Wilfried Nancy comes to mind as the most positive example in MLS currently. But OTOH, Matias Almeyda. So there is that. Maybe it takes you a while to get there, but you're better off for it when you do, ideally. You have a clear plan, you're constantly working at it, and you get better at it over time. You also accumulate a roster that fits that style over time, so that you're not constantly flailing, trying to redesign your style of play with each addition.

In fact, I would like the Quakes to define their style of play at the top levels of club management, so that it's consistent across coaches. Make it part of the "brand". Earthquakes soccer is... We should be able to finish that sentense with something other than something like "crap". If a coach will not or cannot get the team to play that way, then that's not the right coach for the team. I actually wrote Jesse Fioranelli about that one time and he was gracious enough to respond with a very long message. It was unconvincing in the end - a lot of words but difficult to come away with a clear concise plan, but I appreciated his responsiveness.

That said, we suck and for now, if Bruce can figure out a way to get this team to even be a mid-table team with the current roster + some key additions, I'm on board.

 

It's not a fetish to desire a new, committed ownership group.

 

JJ, I often agree with your point of view, but not on this one. I am definitely in the "pragmatic" camp. Having managed teams of engineers (and also done some youth coaching) for decades, I have come to the realization that ALL you have going for you is making the best out of what you have. The famous Tim Harford quote "No plan survives first contact with the enemy. What matters is how quickly the leader is able to adapt" is apt here.

You can scout a player, watch videos, perform top notch due diligence and still miss. Like each ingredient in a stew, the flavor shifts in concert with the other ingredients. So, if you are a good cook, er..coach, you need to be pragmatic and adjust to what you have and get the most out of it.

I think that's what Arena has done his whole coaching career and I hope he can do that again with us. I really don't care about finishing your sentence. What I wish for is both entertaining and winning soccer.

 

I think there is a tactical component to this and a strategic component. Sure on game day, or in general in the short term, you have to do the best with what you have. But on a strategic level I think it's better to have a vision and to drive to that vision over the longer haul. Certainly at a youth team level, you don't get to pick who is on your team so I don't think that is a particularly apt analogy. Professional sports is different. You can choose who is on your team and build your team according to your vision over a period of time.

And what I'm driving at in terms of vision goes beyond a particular coach. IMO the club should have a brand, a style of play, that transcends coaches and even GM's. When someone says "Earthquakes soccer" that should mean something other than "Earthquakes Soccer - They're Gonna Do The Best With What They Have!" Get your season tickets today! That doesn't inspire me. I can't work with a brand like that. If however, I've established a brand like Earthquakes soccer is "possession-oriented attacking soccer" or "direct attacking soccer" or "we play the kids soccer" or even "defense first soccer" (questionable value proposition in that last brand but you get the idea).

The other value of driving towards a style of play is that you're always working on doing the same kinds of things. So you get better at them over time. You're not adjusting your style of play for every player and every opponent. One week it's 3 in the back and then 4 the next, and one week you're supposed to be focusing on defense and the next you're supposed to be attacking, etc. There's a lack of consistency. You're being asked to be good at too many things, and to think about too many variables.

When CL came aboard as coach he definitely took the dogmatic approach - we're gonna attack, 3 in the back, and we're not gonna wilt when we get behind - I don't care if we lose 5-1 as opposed to 2-1, we're going for it. Now we saw the result of that - we were great at home but often got crushed on the road. But remember CL just started coaching the team midseason. I am confident we'd eventually start learning how to win on the road with that style of play with more practice, and by acquiring a few players in 2018 that fit that style (instead we got Mikhael Stahre and "bearing walls" ).

Bruce is an example of a pragmatic guy who's had success, but Wilfried Nancy has been arguably even more successful in his short tenure in MLS as a dogmatic guy. So I think either can work and the end it's all about execution. But the dogmatic approach, if instituted at the higher levels of the club - beyond the coaching level, can really build the brand and value of your club over the longer term. If Bruce has success with the Quakes as a "Well We'll Do The Best With What We Have" kind of coach, what happens when he leaves? We still don't have a brand or distinct style of play and we're just kind of a tall blade of grass blowing in the wind hoping that the next guy is a good tactical guy like Bruce.

 

Dolphins brand under Don Shula was fullback plunge with Larry Csonka — until it was bombs away with Dan Marino. Only constant was winning.

#nflexplainstheworld

 

And yet they never got over the top with Marino. Should have stayed with their brand - the balanced attack of Griese / Csonka.

 

A Griese Csonka!

 

I would say Paul Warfield was pretty good and Bob Griese wasn't too bad at quarterback. So, a little more than just a run game.

 

Miami won their first Super Bowl, finishing an undefeated season, with Griese throwing only 11 passes, and completing 8 for 88 yards.

 

Thanks for the link!
Enough platitudes there to drown an ox.

The Bruce sounds optimistic now. We’ll see how he sounds in June.

In ‘24 we had a lot of injuries, and we had a lot of shitty calls go against us. I think those two things, plus the absurdly long delay in getting Hernán really crushed our players mentally. It’s going to be a new season, so they should all have a mental reset. Still, I’m not optimistic.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

I am honestly looking forward to Arnea’s future roster or who from around the league he will be bringing in?

I think he may be able to sign some good free agent players and maybe even find someone in college.

Anyway , can anyone be much worse than what we have now?