Nesta new Montreal Impact manager?

[Yohan]

http://soccer.si.com/2013/11/01/alessandro-nesta-montreal-impact-coach/

Wahl reporting

[nolando]

OK, all VWFC needs to do now is hire Jay DeMerit as head coach and all order will be restored in Canadian MLS LalaLand. WTF is going on?

[Grizzly]

Not sorry to see Schalibaum go but Nesta as coach seems like a recipe for disaster and continued meddling with the team by Joey and NDS.

[youllneverwalkalone]

Not sorry to see Schalibaum go but Nesta as coach seems like a recipe for disaster and continued meddling with the team by Joey and NDS.

Did you dislike Schallibaum because he also appeared to be a puppet or do you think he's a bad coach?

[Grizzly]

Did you dislike Schallibaum because he also appeared to be a puppet or do you think he's a bad coach?

Answer D: All of the above!

[shermanator]

So, for the 3 Canadian MLS teams, this will make 15 coaches in 15 years of play? Yeesh....

[Soccerpro]

Why aren't MLS teams lining up to throw buckets of cash at Bob Bradley when's out of a job after Egypt's 2nd leg against Ghana?

It makes too much sense, he would be the perfect coach. I don't understand MLS ownership.

[fil]

Why jump to fire Schallibaum? At least give the guy a chance at the start of the season, and then give the unproven coach Nesta an interim coach`s job for the rest of the season to prove himself.

And if Nesta is the coach, will he really be be the coach...

There is a rumour that Schallibaum was forced to play Rivas, it wasnt his choice to play him.

[tmcmurph]

Bradley is such an obvious choice for any MLS side that I'm with Soccerpro on that one. Maybe it has to do with tampering while he still has a gig or he has offers in Europe. If he is available for MLS teams they'd be totally nuts not to jump at the chance.

As to fil's comment I don't understand their plan either. With either Montreal or Vancouver. Why not let the current coach start the season and then move your man in if things don't go well? In the case of Vancouver it would be Robinson and Montreal Nesta. That would give the best of both worlds. If the season is going great then you kept the right guy and if it goes bad then nobody will hold a bad season against the new guy. I think that would be better than throwing the new guy to the wolves at the start of the season.

That and one other thing I find strange in both cases. Both those teams are measurably better than last year. Rennie helped get the Caps a 15 point boost his first year and a 5 point boost his second and Schalibaum added 7 points and a playoff berth his first year. Why get rid of a coach when the team is improving? I know 5 and 7 points don't sound like a lot but that is 10-13% improvement. Why not wait for part of another year to see if they can do it again?

Maybe I'm too patient or maybe the owners are too impatient. We'll see next year.

[RS]

Why aren't MLS teams lining up to throw buckets of cash at Bob Bradley when's out of a job after Egypt's 2nd leg against Ghana?

It makes too much sense, he would be the perfect coach. I don't understand MLS ownership.

Why are you assuming that this hasn't already happened?

[Michael Crampton]

There is a rumour that Schallibaum was forced to play Rivas, it wasnt his choice to play him.

Schalli seemed strangely un-volcanic Thursday night. Removed even. Almost as if he knew the writing was on the wall.

[A_Gagne]

Bradley is such an obvious choice for any MLS side that I'm with Soccerpro on that one. Maybe it has to do with tampering while he still has a gig or he has offers in Europe. If he is available for MLS teams they'd be totally nuts not to jump at the chance.

As to fil's comment I don't understand their plan either. With either Montreal or Vancouver. Why not let the current coach start the season and then move your man in if things don't go well? In the case of Vancouver it would be Robinson and Montreal Nesta.

VWC already did this and it was disastrous... think Teitur Thordarson and Tommy Sohen

[tmcmurph]

VWC already did this and it was disastrous... think Teitur Thordarson and Tommy Sohen

True that may have been their plan all along in 2011. The difference this time is you have/had coaches who have improved the team. Regardless of how many games are in a season getting 1.5 points per game seems to be the magical number for making the playoffs. You can make it with less and miss it with more but that seems to be the line in both conferences that almost guarantees post season action.

Montreal went from 1.24 to 1.44 and Vancouver went from 0.82 to 1.26 and 1.41 and that is the correct trajectory and getting real close to that 1.5 mark. Once there not dropping below becomes the next goal. I'd keep the coaches on both as they are on the correct path (upwards). Oh well owners are very impatient I guess. They all think their name is Roman Abramovich Maybe they should look into how the Rooney's do it and their results.

[shamrock]

True that may have been their plan all along in 2011. The difference this time is you have/had coaches who have improved the team. Regardless of how many games are in a season getting 1.5 points per game seems to be the magical number for making the playoffs. You can make it with less and miss it with more but that seems to be the line in both conferences that almost guarantees post season action.

Montreal went from 1.24 to 1.44 and Vancouver went from 0.82 to 1.26 and 1.41 and that is the correct trajectory and getting real close to that 1.5 mark. Once there not dropping below becomes the next goal. I'd keep the coaches on both as they are on the correct path (upwards). Oh well owners are very impatient I guess. They all think their name is Roman Abramovich Maybe they should look into how the Rooney's do it and their results.

Informative post, excellent. I'll have to take a closer look at those game-statistics. But I like the argumentation.

I don't agree with you though, the progress is not all the coaches work. The players have been together for another year, some players have improved but moreover, weaknesses within the squad have been adressed (ideally of course). So the correct trajectory might be more of a reflection of the organisations course than the coaches influence.

I'm not saying Rennie or Schällibaum should be fired, but I think if you hire a new coach, he should be allowed to manage his team from the start.

[tmcmurph]

So the correct trajectory might be more of a reflection of the organisations course than the coaches influence.

I'm not saying Rennie or Schällibaum should be fired, but I think if you hire a new coach, he should be allowed to manage his team from the start.

So the organization gets all the credit for things that go good and the coaches get all the blame for things that go wrong. Got it.

Not all of the player moves worked out but enough did that they improved. I don't know how it was in Montreal but in Vancouver the coach made the player decisions. I agree the new coach should be allowed to manage the team. I also hope they keep them until they are not improving the team any more.

[Trillium]

True that may have been their plan all along in 2011. The difference this time is you have/had coaches who have improved the team. Regardless of how many games are in a season getting 1.5 points per game seems to be the magical number for making the playoffs. You can make it with less and miss it with more but that seems to be the line in both conferences that almost guarantees post season action.

Montreal went from 1.24 to 1.44 and Vancouver went from 0.82 to 1.26 and 1.41 and that is the correct trajectory and getting real close to that 1.5 mark. Once there not dropping below becomes the next goal. I'd keep the coaches on both as they are on the correct path (upwards). Oh well owners are very impatient I guess. They all think their name is Roman Abramovich Maybe they should look into how the Rooney's do it and their results.

So if Joey S as alleged involves himself in day to day decisions on who plays and has done so with each edition of the team in NASL and MLS, it would seem his interventions have represented a positive impact on the points per game statistic.

The idea of coach continuity in soccer certainly is not something you see in the Brasilian lower leagues they are hireed and fired or rather hired for a set competition, i.e. Serie C championship and at the end are out of contract to be renewed or not. Some coaches can get you from C to B, but never to A, so they are great choices if your in C or D level but not a good choice when you get to A cause they are outcoached or do not have respect of the players / referees to be able to succeed.

So coach turnover is less a concern to me when I look at a Club and team, it is the year over year continuity and investment ( intelligent ) that matters, so in Montreal case DeViao smart investment, as were others in terms of players, would coach stability in Montreal have been better then what happened ? Up to the Soccer Gods to know and mere mortals to wonder.

[Tuscan]

I saw some tweets already today saying Schallibaum is gone in Montreal. I honestly didn't think he was that bad a coach aside from having no control over his temper. If they really do pick up Nesta as their coach this has got to be essentially Montreal doing a favour for someone who wants Nesta to get his coaching start somewhere. Ridiculous, and I think Montreal will suffer next season if it is the case. They have a TON of work to do this off-season to get younger, fresher legs out there.

[shermanator]

They have a TON of work to do this off-season to get younger, fresher legs out there.

I wonder who's going to take Nesta's role in CB. Does Lefevre get more starts back there? Ouimette started the season at CB but moved to LB, does he go back to CB? What about Tissot, could he play CB? Does Rivas take over?

Or do they bring in someone new?

[Keano]

^Rivas and Ferrari were a very comfortable duo at times last season, question is can Rivas stay healthy; it's been a issue his entire career even with Inter. Ferrari slowed down late this season but maybe too much was asked of him with injuries etc. Adrian Lopez will be healthy in March one would assume which would mean 3 experienced veterans ahead of LeFevre. Camara has played CB over the years as well.

[Yohan]

http://soccer.si.com/2013/11/05/nesta-backs-saputos-denial-of-impact-coaching-move/

wahl apologizes

[Mr.Impact]

I saw some tweets already today saying Schallibaum is gone in Montreal. I honestly didn't think he was that bad a coach aside from having no control over his temper. If they really do pick up Nesta as their coach this has got to be essentially Montreal doing a favour for someone who wants Nesta to get his coaching start somewhere. Ridiculous, and I think Montreal will suffer next season if it is the case. They have a TON of work to do this off-season to get younger, fresher legs out there.

They're old, they're tired heard that the season before, and they still manged to post the beast season of any Canadian club in MLS. The question that's need to be answered is what happened in the last 9 games of the season, where they went 1-7-1? Keep in mind, that they were fighting for the Supporters Shield in late August.

How do you explain the performance against TFC, where a win would have guaranteed them a third place finish. Even worse, how do you explain the disaster in Houston?

I'm not accusing Schallibaum, but to me, it seemed that he lost the locker room. Getting rid of him is not necessarily the solution, but they have to address the blown tire at the end of the season.

Here Saputo's statement

Today is the post-mortem of our second season in MLS.

We achieved our main objective this season, which was to participate to the playoffs, and as a bonus, we participated in the CONCACAF Champions League following our Canadian Championship title.

But after a first half of the season that was exceptional, the end of the 2013 campaign was less than acceptable.

I am disappointed with how we qualified for the postseason. After fighting for most of the season for top spot in the Eastern Conference, I never thought we’d have to watch the results of three other games to find out if we made the playoffs after losing our final game of the season to Toronto.

With opportunities to clinch a spot over the final stretch of the season, we were unable to impose ourselves, especially at home.

And our performance in Houston last Thursday, especially our lack of composure at the end of the game, is not what we expect as a club.

On behalf of the club, I would like to extend an apology to our supporters and the entire MLS family for our behaviour in Houston. This is not the image we want to project for our club.

There was a lot of frustration over the last couple of weeks of the season, but that does not excuse our actions.

***

Despite some of the difficulties experienced at season’s end, there were a number of positives that came out of the 2013 campaign:

In only our second year, we got more points this season than any other Canadian team in MLS history.

Our 50 goals scored were second best in the Eastern Conference.

We had solid performances on the road, with character wins in Seattle, Portland and Kansas City, but also results in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Jose.

Individually, the performance of our first Designated Player, Marco Di Vaio, stood out as he was in the race for the Golden Boot all season long as the league’s top goal scorer.

With a lot of stability in our roster, the group was united all season long, in victory or in defeat.

I am proud of our players from the Academy who gave us important minutes. With our help, they now have to continue the progression they showed this season.

Even though there is still room for improvement, we had the 4th best average attendance in 2013 with 20,603 spectators.

And the backing of our supporters was once again phenomenal all season long. The ambiance at Stade Saputo was extraordinary, making it one of the most intimidating places to play in all of MLS.

***

As for the situation with our head coach, we still have not made a decision. It’s too early to say if Marco Schällibaum will be with us in 2014.

We had an excellent discussion with Marco yesterday, but we want to take our time in making the best decision possible.

Marco is a passionate coach who helped the group experience some great times and some tough times.

But the most important thing is that we realised we need to continue to improve this team, and we have to keep working to see how that can be done.

Therefore, we will continue analyzing the situation over the next few weeks.

***

I would like to clarify that all season long, roster choices, substitutions and technical decisions were made by Marco and his coaching staff.

I am insulted that people would think otherwise.

A passionate president and a sporting director like Nick and me are not synonymous with interference.

We have the success of the club in our hearts, so it’s normal that we are involved, especially when we see our club nose diving.

With that said, we never superseded the authority of the head coach.

***

As for the roster, important decisions will be made in the upcoming weeks. We have to improve the roster in certain positions.

I am confident that these changes will help the team progress, as our objective is to improve each year and be better than the previous season.

And as we continue to improve our team on the field in MLS, we want to further the development of players within our Academy.

As such, we will be making an announcement in the near future concerning our U21 team, but also the expansion of the Academy.

It is with great optimism that we look to the future. We want our supporters and members to be proud of their club.

And as you’ve done over the past 20 years, we ask our supporters to put their faith in us because together, we will ensure success for another 20 years.

Thank you.

[Trillium]

They're old, they're tired heard that the season before, and they still manged to post the beast season of any Canadian club in MLS. The question that's need to be answered is what happened in the last 9 games of the season, where they went 1-7-1? Keep in mind, that they were fighting for the Supporters Shield in late August.

How do you explain the performance against TFC, where a win would have guaranteed them a third place finish. Even worse, how do you explain the disaster in Houston?

I'm not accusing Schallibaum, but to me, it seemed that he lost the locker room. Getting rid of him is not necessarily the solution, but they have to address the blown tire at the end of the season.

Here Saputo's statement

Today is the post-mortem of our second season in MLS.

We achieved our main objective this season, which was to participate to the playoffs, and as a bonus, we participated in the CONCACAF Champions League following our Canadian Championship title.

But after a first half of the season that was exceptional, the end of the 2013 campaign was less than acceptable.

I am disappointed with how we qualified for the postseason. After fighting for most of the season for top spot in the Eastern Conference, I never thought we’d have to watch the results of three other games to find out if we made the playoffs after losing our final game of the season to Toronto.

With opportunities to clinch a spot over the final stretch of the season, we were unable to impose ourselves, especially at home.

And our performance in Houston last Thursday, especially our lack of composure at the end of the game, is not what we expect as a club.

On behalf of the club, I would like to extend an apology to our supporters and the entire MLS family for our behaviour in Houston. This is not the image we want to project for our club.

There was a lot of frustration over the last couple of weeks of the season, but that does not excuse our actions.

***

Despite some of the difficulties experienced at season’s end, there were a number of positives that came out of the 2013 campaign:

In only our second year, we got more points this season than any other Canadian team in MLS history.

Our 50 goals scored were second best in the Eastern Conference.

We had solid performances on the road, with character wins in Seattle, Portland and Kansas City, but also results in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Jose.

Individually, the performance of our first Designated Player, Marco Di Vaio, stood out as he was in the race for the Golden Boot all season long as the league’s top goal scorer.

With a lot of stability in our roster, the group was united all season long, in victory or in defeat.

I am proud of our players from the Academy who gave us important minutes. With our help, they now have to continue the progression they showed this season.

Even though there is still room for improvement, we had the 4th best average attendance in 2013 with 20,603 spectators.

And the backing of our supporters was once again phenomenal all season long. The ambiance at Stade Saputo was extraordinary, making it one of the most intimidating places to play in all of MLS.

***

As for the situation with our head coach, we still have not made a decision. It’s too early to say if Marco Schällibaum will be with us in 2014.

We had an excellent discussion with Marco yesterday, but we want to take our time in making the best decision possible.

Marco is a passionate coach who helped the group experience some great times and some tough times.

But the most important thing is that we realised we need to continue to improve this team, and we have to keep working to see how that can be done.

Therefore, we will continue analyzing the situation over the next few weeks.

***

I would like to clarify that all season long, roster choices, substitutions and technical decisions were made by Marco and his coaching staff.

I am insulted that people would think otherwise.

A passionate president and a sporting director like Nick and me are not synonymous with interference.

We have the success of the club in our hearts, so it’s normal that we are involved, especially when we see our club nose diving.

With that said, we never superseded the authority of the head coach.

***

As for the roster, important decisions will be made in the upcoming weeks. We have to improve the roster in certain positions.

I am confident that these changes will help the team progress, as our objective is to improve each year and be better than the previous season.

And as we continue to improve our team on the field in MLS, we want to further the development of players within our Academy.

As such, we will be making an announcement in the near future concerning our U21 team, but also the expansion of the Academy.

It is with great optimism that we look to the future. We want our supporters and members to be proud of their club.

And as you’ve done over the past 20 years, we ask our supporters to put their faith in us because together, we will ensure success for another 20 years.

Thank you.

Did TFC management ever make such a succinct summary of the season and go foreward statement as this ?

[tmcmurph]

"I would like to clarify that all season long, roster choices, substitutions and technical decisions were made by Marco and his coaching staff.

I am insulted that people would think otherwise.

A passionate president and a sporting director like Nick and me are not synonymous with interference.

We have the success of the club in our hearts, so it’s normal that we are involved, especially when we see our club nose diving.

With that said, we never superseded the authority of the head coach."

Well so much for who picked the line up for the games. Late season slides happened to us last year but the points per game is in the right direction. Biggest question is if Marco Di Vaio does retire who will they get to replace him? He really showed he still has it for a league at the level of MLS.

[El Hombre]

Did TFC management ever make such a succinct summary of the season and go foreward statement as this ?

This thread is about Montreal and their potential change in management, not about TFC. Try to keep it on topic.

[Mr.Impact]

"I would like to clarify that all season long, roster choices, substitutions and technical decisions were made by Marco and his coaching staff.

I am insulted that people would think otherwise.

A passionate president and a sporting director like Nick and me are not synonymous with interference.

We have the success of the club in our hearts, so it’s normal that we are involved, especially when we see our club nose diving.

With that said, we never superseded the authority of the head coach."

Well so much for who picked the line up for the games. Late season slides happened to us last year but the points per game is in the right direction. Biggest question is if Marco Di Vaio does retire who will they get to replace him? He really showed he still has it for a league at the level of MLS.

Di Vaio is signed for next season.

http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2013/10/marco-di-vaio-only-team-id-play-impact