CSA response coming up on Soccer Central.......

[TOcanadafan]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

Ah, but he was not the head honcho. Note I said the new man should be president and CEO much like the fellow who took over in Australia.

Nykamp was the Executive Director and CEO - he was the big cheese. He quickly fired the coach (who is now the Assistant coach for US men's national team - funny how the Americans thought he was good enough) and now Steve Nash won't play for Canada. Frank Lowy "the fellow who took over in Australia" hired a Rugby person (O'Neil) to run the Association. And O'Neil hired the executives.

This is the kind of structure we need. It does no good if a business man is making all of the sports decisions. There needs to be a team in place like I said.

[Guest speedmonk42]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

A Canadian flag with a marijuana leaf in it at regular TFC games has no association with the CSA or the Voyageurs and by extension, me. It is just a boyish prank. Using or defacing the Canadian flag to make a statement about the CSA with even the vaguest connection to the Voyageurs at this point is very different, will harm your cause in the public mind and risk alienating people you need/want as allies in your cause.

You want to be taken seriously, behave responsibly and like mature adults.

People don't want to do it, no problem. I don't care. It was just a suggestion to get attention and capitalize on peoples stupidity to even care about it. Dead issue. But don't use petty nationalism/symbolism as the reason not to do it.

Anyone so weak minded as to care about a symbol so much is not anyone I would want as an 'allie'.

There is nothing childish or defacing about it. It is a recognized SIGNAL of distress. Perhaps too serious a one, but when should one take military PR seriously.... it is not meant as an insult, but a sign for help.

To become a better soccer nation, nationalism may be the very thing we have to give up.

[Metro]

quote:Originally posted by TOcanadafan

Nykamp was the Executive Director and CEO - he was the big cheese. He quickly fired the coach (who is now the Assistant coach for US men's national team - funny how the Americans thought he was good enough) and now Steve Nash won't play for Canada.

Jay Triano is the Assistant Coach of the Raptors, a position he held while he was the head coach for Canada. He is also a consultant for one of the American junior national teams. He is not an assistant coach of the senior team. I did not agree with Triano being fired, but Leo Rautins did lead Canada this week to 5th place in the FIBA Americas and a spot in Pre-Olympic Qualifiers next July. Triano would have not done any better.

Steve Nash has retired from the national team because he's not the young player he once was. He needs adequate rest between NBA seasons. A part of him may be protesting Canada Basketball's actions, but I've never heard that to be the case, and frankly, I don't think it's in Nash to do it.

My take is give Nykamp a shot...he's still a better option than the yokels who currently run the CSA.

[Massive Attack]

Jay Triano was/is an assistant coach for the US B-squad who were used to practice against the full team to warm up for the FIBA Americas.

Nykamp is actually the kind of person the CSA needed. He was a big **** disturber who pissed off a lot of people at Basketball Canada. The kind of people that were trying to protect their regional fiefdoms. Very similar to the situation with soccer in this country.

[VPjr]

I can't tell you if Nykamp would be good or bad for Canadian soccer but he could not be worse than having no CEO and I doubt he'd be worse that good 'ol Kev Pipe.

I can tell you, as a huge Canada basketball fan, that firing Triano was a bad PR move but likely not a bad move at the time, Nash isn't happy Tirano's firing but that's not the reason he retired from internationl hoops, alot of local and Provincial B-bal execs were none to happy about some of the policy changes Nykamp brought about (especially requiring all levels of basketball to standardize their rules to FIBA standards rather than the hodge podge of rules that used to exist) and many people were happy to see him go.

Nykamp was a s--t disturber but I never felt that the moves he was making were simply "change for change sake" moves. Canada Basketball then, like the CSA now, needed a big shakeup. That organization was in big financial trouble and the national team programs were a shambles. He turned out to be a decent administrator and, from what I understand from a friend at Basketball ontario, he also was a fairly effective sponsorship seller. Canada Basketball is by no means thriving but in better shape than before Nykamp showed up and Leo Rautins has brought about some improvements to the national team program . He appears to have busted up the old boys club to some degree and I am told he has a fresh and very inclusive attitude when it comes to talent identification and development.

Long story short, having Nykamp fill the CEO position at the CSA is by no means a guaranteed slam dunk success but I would rather have Nykamp as CEO than anyone the CSA members would choose because I just don't trust them.