I’ll never understand being afraid that you can’t do better when you’re already terrible. Can’t get rid of Jordan, what if we can’t do better? Don’t get rid of Ramos, can we really do better? This makes sense when you are tinkering with a good team. Like, how much should we rework the roster in 2013, I don’t know, we made the final last season. That makes sense. This? Not so much. I can get not wanting to turn into early year revolving door Toronto, but consecutively turning in two of the worst seasons in Dynamo history and then keeping the coach is something else. I’m not talking about “sending a message”. I’m talking about he has objectively been the worst coach in Dynamo history by a wide margin. I can get it if people are sentimental about his playing career or his time as the U20 coach, but he’s just been abysmal here. And forget about saying it would be different if we get Mourinho or Guardiola. Here’s some names that aren’t anywhere as lofty who are proof that we can do better because we have! Kinnear Coyle Cabrera Arnaud Not an argument to bring any of them back, but rather pointing out that if you are looking for a better coach than Ramos, you don’t have to aim for a Pep or Jose when even a Wilmer or Davy is measurably better. I’m not afraid we can’t do better. I’m afraid we’ll flush another year down the toilet hoping Ramos rights the ship.
I say bring back Oliver Luck and let him build a new front office. Start over with the GM side of things to include a new coach. If anyone had season tickets to the Roughnecks, the product on and off the pitch was absolutely first class under Luck's leadership. The organization even gave full refunds for unplayed matches 3 days prior to filing bankruptcy - something they didn't have to do.
I would be all for Oliver Luck returning to President of the club and having him bring in say Craig Waibel as our new GM! And yes, if one attended a Roughneck game last year they were very fun! The way that U of H turned the old Rob into a modern stadium is also appealing to the old Houston Dynamo eye. Great times on that plot of land!!!
Call me crazy but I feel like Coyle was the worst coach in Dynamo history. He benefited from coaching at the being of the scourge of Jordan as Jordan hadn't totally F'ed everything up yet. But Coyle still managed to do bad. Ramos is not a good coach at this level and has made some questionable choices but the Dynamo is a beat down shell of itself. The scourge of Jordan has eaten into the bone. I feel like Ramos has a box of screws and only a hammer to work with.....I don't know if Ramos could be good at this level but he hasn't coached his players up and gotten more out of them....great coaches can do that. Tab hasn't....
Varus makes a good argument. I appreciate and acknowledge that. For me, it really is about being fair to Ramos. I don't know how to evaluate anyone in the organization under Matt Jordan. His incompetence and complicity with Brener to destroy this organization is so comprehensive I just don't know how to evaluate Ramos. But you know ... if they make the coaching change I won't view it as a clear mistake. Oliver Luck might be a good call on President. That is where I fear we will not see change. Current club leadership is selling a strong line of BS and I don't sense the new owner has the experience to see through it.
I agree with those who say they can't evaluate Ramos. It is hard being given the squad he has. Yet, he has made some absolutely terrible sub choices. However, he has a truly terrible squad so who knows. I'm good with him staying or going. Personally hope he goes just so we can start over truly fresh.
Here's an opportunity to ask some questions of Ted Segal. I just registered and gave a link to my resignation letter saying that the problems of 2 years ago still exist today. I'm pretty certain that it will never see the light of day. https://houstondynamo.zoom.us/webinar/register/9116312155865/WN_t_53ZVUaRUCu-8GFplJd2w
I registered and sent this question: Coaches from all around MLS have spoken for years of the incredible amount of Houston area local youth talent. Our eternal rival MLS club up I-45 has already shown how to grow and sell their own local talent for profit. Our club is behind the curve on this front and it shows. Will you please consider funding a full time residential academy to cultivate this tremendous resource of talent that grows in our own Houston backyard?
Regarding those who criticize Ramos for his substitutions. This board (and every other team board in the world) has been full of complaints about substations made and not made since I first read this forum in 2006. Soccer teams are icebergs and we see only what is above the waterline. I take my view of in-game decisions by coaches with a huge bucket of salt.
has there been any news/gossip/movement/anything at all about the new GM search?? Starting to feel like we won't see one until the off season. I kinda need to know this owner is kicking over every rock to be ready to pounce whenever some one is available or if anyone at all is being targeted. I know I'll never hear specifics, but radio silence is not how I would communicate with the current fanbase.
When Segal was interviewed he said "we" are looking for a GM. I just want to know who "we" are, I'm wondering if it actually includes anyone with knowledge of the sport or just the FO and the other 4 minority owners.
#Quakes74 GM update: I'm told there are 4 finalists: Craig Waibel, Chris Albright, Chris Leitch & an unknown mystery candidate. I'm told this candidate is *not* Pat Onstad, who was involved in an earlier round of interviews. (I suspect he'll pursue #ForeverOrange GM job).— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) September 14, 2021
One nugget I can confirm re: #ForeverOrange 's hunt for a new GM. I'm told that Houston has retained Nolan Partners to aid in the search. Nolan also took part in the search that saw Houston hire John Walker as president of business operations.— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) September 17, 2021
https://www.si.com/college/2019/05/22/coaching-search-firms-consultants-freshmen-mailbag A useful article on what search firms actually do. It’s written from a college football perspective but I can’t imagine the the role of the firms are that wildly different between CFB and MLS
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/sour...stad-frontrunners-in-houston-dynamo-gm-search not interested in te Klose, his Chivas USA team went downhill and LAG under him underwhelms relative to how much they spend not sold we need a GM at all would be open to Onstad with his history and CV but not sure we're getting that the ideal personnel man is hand in glove with the coach and should probably be hired as part of an assistant package -- like part of a "team" -- not a "boss" pushing his own agenda....it's not just jordan sucks but the players we do sign often seem not what the coach wanted. inefficient both ways. i want us signing people the coach would want to run out tomorrow if fit.
to me this still conveys the absentee landlord problem of having "payroll" set high up but "hire/fire/explain/accountability" coming from hired hands below. like someone has to explain who to pick. gets 5 or 6 figures to do so. as a consultant that we don't even keep. where is the institutional knowledge? the owner did a knowledge flex at his speech. the owner was reported to be yelling at ramos, though that could be read as symbolic when he survives. i could get a consulting firm for a business side job but this is soccer. i assume some MBA had to read up on soccer or ask soccer people to advise who to pick. cut out the middle man. either have a soccer side exec you trust to make soccer decisions like this, or talk to soccer people on your own, or know enough in the first place. re the walker comment and the article posted it would then be telling that walker was picked by the firm who then helps pick his subordinate. feels like log-rolling. my whole point is end the corporate hierarchical game of "you're it," pick good soccer people, try to win, and get away from what almost feels like preemptive defeatist CYA beforehand. like we are going to win. you are heading the team to make us win. hire people to make us win. if not, you will all be gone. amuses me jordan for years cushioned his fall on the breaking of coaches beneath him and now some want jordan to break ramos' fall. sounds like walker is slightly distancing himself from this decision before it's even made. come back later, well, we thought he was good, the search firm liked him, darned search firm, don't fire me. this team sucks. i want people to start owning it and be replaced until it's done right.
if you throw out Waibel -- and i'd be curious if he possibly wants Norcal so bad he leaves top of conference seattle (but then kinnear) -- SJ's list is pretty terrible. cincy's GM? that's the worst team in soccer. which is part of where i come from where if we just got our crap together there are several "mess" teams around us, not just us. we're a mess? we're cheap? so are FCD AFC SJ RSL Vancouver. all we have to be is a more competent mess. mere competence would climb us towards the line. competence plus spending money would be playoffs.
last point here, get a move on and make the decisions, the idea is avoid the winter 2014 debacle where the GM comes in in November and the coach is being hired in december when key roster decisions already need to be made. this is why i was like fire everyone long ago. you want the new braintrust in place putting together the coach's concept from day 1 of the offseason. even if ramos might be brought back it should be, you're gonna turn this over dramatically. if i keep you, which "names" or "types" should i go buy you to fix this. if he doesn't have a convincing answer here is a pink slip. that needs to be done now so he can still be replaced. if he can't convince the GM. if he can convince, he and the GM are already sitting around watching tape of MLS and beyond plotting the future. personally i feel like the search committee stuff acts like CYA or like this is a public sector job justifying taxpayer expense. or like we have no clue where to take this. a team with its crap together would just go ask the names it wanted, here are a couple big checks, here is the budget we will allow. this whole process is designed for the appearance of effort and deliberation. i want reality. for example, new england. past a point they did not kid themselves on friedel the youth coach. they didn't see what would happen with more time and different players. they did not do an interim for months to burn time. they didn't run a search committee. they didn't set up organizational CYA if it went wrong. they went out and got who they wanted, hired bruce arena -- in may -- who regularly wins, doubled him up as the TD, and said make us a winner.
I only really see two ways this fails: 1. Onstad isn’t good in the GM role. 2. Segal doesn’t give him the resources to be successful and hired him because he was a big name that makes people happy just because he’s around the team again.
3. He gets stuck with a coach he doesn’t want, there’s no accountability and we get to continue the time honored Dynamo tradition of pointing fingers and avoiding responsibility. Glad we have a GM in place and I’ll indulge in some nostalgia that it’s Onstad. I just hope we’re done with this stupid blame shifting game and he works hand in glove with whoever he wants as coach. Also hope there’s some accountability and we get away from the corporate no-speak crap that’s typified the post-Kinnear era.
This is a promotion. Bezbatchenko is the GM in Columbus and he is not going anywhere. If Onstad wants to move up the food chain he is going to have to leave.