Whither thou goest... the GS thread - f.k.a. "How much rope.."

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

But isn't this the main point? Not only does Seattle have the money to pay 2 DPs, they also have the money to pay the players in the two leftover regular roster spots high salaries. Since we have no DPs, we're essentially talking about four fewer highly paid players for us vs. them. That could make a big difference I think.

Like I said, I don't think that this is whole story; the more first-team experience your reserves get, the better your depth will be almost automatically. In all honesty though, considering the injury problems we had over the course of the season, our depth was tested pretty strongly this year and I think we didn't do all that poorly. Consider also that Seattle had to deal with CCL, USOC and League last year too, so they were more mentally prepared for it.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

True on both counts. However consider two highly paid non-DP players on the Rapids (Casey and Wynne for example). With more money, we can dump 2 "throwaway" low paid roster players and get 1 (or 2) DPs, keep Casey and Wynne on current salaries and perhaps still come in under cap. We're left with two more highly paid, highly skilled players than before. I haven't taken the time to add up the salaries and see how much wiggle room we have, but I think such a scheme is at least plausible.

Thank the Heavens that there is a cap; it keeps the whole league much more competitive. But LA and Seattle's performances this year (and last year) I think show that having deep pockets matters even with a cap.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

Losing a player can be as much a financial loss as a loss of talent. Take Zakuani, losing him is a skill loss for Seattle, but at 90/188k he's not an overly large salary constraint. Casey on the other hand is a big talent loss for the team, but at 400k he's also a big salary constraint going forward.

Unless the league gives some cap concession for the long term injured that'll continue to make paying big salaries to non-DP's a major risk.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

I guess I'm not sure how a few posters saying this or that on an internet message board explains how/why the Seattle Sounders could have a deeper squad than the Colorado Rapids? Your criticism of other Rapids' posters aside, could you expound on the relevance?

And FWIW, honestly, this Rapids soccer forum is by far and away the mildest soccer fan forum in terms of criticism that I know of anywhere.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

Depth is a matter of perception.

Glad you like it.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

Well yeah, of course deron. This being a forum for discussion, most anything in here is perception and opinion. And presumably thats why we come in here, to hear what others think, to hear what they have to say, and to share our thoughts.

Is our squad deep relative to some other teams? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Ask Gary. Allegedly, at times, he's forced to start starters.

I know this much. Its close enough that a case could be made either way, and it could be debated. In a discussion forum.

Yeah, I do. And I assume, despite your criticism and judgements of others, that you do, too. As I said, in my experience, as far as soccer forums go this one seems fairly mild and balanced for the most part. Too bad then that, as you have acknowledged, its a ghost town at times.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

this board is far too much sunshine rainbows and gum drops... stan is a cheap bastard end of story... the avs are barely above the cap floor because a player they stash in the minors for a mil a year...

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

That's old news. It's been common knowledge for a while that he's a cheap prick. The problem is that there is not a lot we can do about it. He bought the team and got Dick's built for a real estate deal. He's not gonna sell anytime soon.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

I don't disagree, but I think there's something to be said for preserving our collective mental health. Getting all worked up about Silent Stan's non-management or the RFO's incompetence does nothing but raise my blood pressure. Sure, sometimes it's nice to vent on an online forum about it, but in the end, my nerves are happier when I just play Pollyanna.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

Has anyone been following Stan's recent comments at Arsenal regarding Wenger's future, Fabregas departure, etc? I've been a bit surprised at how 'hands on' he is there and how open he's been with the media. He seems to know a bit more about the game and the players and follows it more closely than I had figured. Hard to fathom why he seems so distant with regard to the Rapids, with Gary's future up in the air, he doesn't know Gary, has barely met him, etc.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

Only Stan really knows but I'm pretty sure it must have something to do with the Rapids not being an ATM machine.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

I don't think his comments show he is hands on. They were 100% damage control. He can afford to never comment on the Rapids but Arsenal is an entirely different story. Not saying something when Arsenal are selling their top players and many people are doubting Arsenal can finish in the top 6 would be a PR disaster. I'm not sure how intelligent his comments made him seem. I didn't think his comments about Fabregas made much sense at all. So it is tough to say how much he knows. He did correctly name the coach and two former players (Fabregas and Nasri). That is probably more than he could do with the Rapids but that is a pretty low bar.

If Kroenke doesn't come out and say something when the team is struggling he will lose the backing of the fans pretty quick. It is a lot different to piss off all of Arsenal's supporters than it is to piss off all the Rapids supporters. I don't know how much he knows about football but he certainly knows that.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

Arsenal is far and away KSE's most valuable asset. None of the other teams generate the same kind of money or have the same global reach. That's why he cares about them.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

According to Forbes, Arsenal's worth approximately $1.2B with a yearly revenue of $336M. The Rams are valued at $913M with an estimated yearly revenue of $217M.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

That is closer than I thought it would be. Heck I thought the CSU Rams would be closer in value.

 

Re: How much rope does Gary Smith get?

Even still... I just think about what I would do if I had that kind of loot and owned an MLS team; man I would be an even bigger fan than I am now. It's incredible to me that Stan seems to take absolutely no joy in any of his teams except for the Rams (and maybe a little bit from the Nuggets). I think that of all high-roller, tycoon style business ventures, sports would be the most fun. But the only thing that catches Stan's attention is the bottom line. Then again, maybe that type of thinking is why he's a billionaire and I'm a goon.