Vancouver Whitecaps 2018

[toontownman]

2 minutes ago, Gian-Luca said:

They are touting him for the spot already on the MLS site.

Would be positive PR for Canadian Soccer. I see they say it would be a bit of a gamble, which it would be but so would most appointments. Not least a big money one. 

Have to check whether Marcos has an agent brother to bring players in. That is a prerequisite. 

[Chad_Impact]

Dos Santos is a fantastic coach, I would be so damn jealous if you guys get him. 

[The Beaver]

4 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

They are touting him for the spot already on the MLS site.

I would welcome that. 

[The Beaver]

The thing that I kept waiting to happen under Robbo's tenure was on field evidence that the Caps were developing a cohesive method of play, that they were getting better and better at playing an intelligent and effective brand of football.  But it never happened. The last three years have been particularly telling.  I'd almost hold my breath thinking that a string of half-decent games--in terms of cohesive, deliberate play--meant that this team WAS on track, but the next three games would be very poor or disorganized etc.  While I will credit Robbo for creating and nurturing a culture of inclusion and hard work within the squad, it became far too evident that he didn't know how to build a culture on the field.  This team did not really have an identity.

I wish Robbo well. I think he is a good human being.  He needs to develop as a coach, but after this firing I am not sure where he'll land next.  We've got coaches like Tata in MLS!! 

Great piece on MLS.com about why the Caps made the move now, with some speculation about Dos Santos as a great choice to take over, especially as the Caps are about to spend some Fonzie Bucks very soon.  I believe I heard that at least one other MLS club has its eyes on Dos Santos--immediately--and I would imagine that this may have forced the Caps' to move a bit earlier than we all expected, presuming of course that they are keen on Dos Santos.

I will give the Caps FN props for making the move now, especially in light of the fact that the organization has a very real opportunity to take this organization up a couple of notches (because of the Davies deal).  This is somewhat akin to the move the CSA made with Herdman, in so much as both organizations recognized the golden opportunities ahead of them and decided they need the right managers to fully seize those opportunities.  

Bring Dos Santos on! Bring on the next evolution of the Caps!

 

 

 

[Ansem]

Lenarduzzi interview:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/whitecaps-president-robinson-firing-time-move/

Pretty much defending the low spending philosophy of the Whitecaps when being challenged on that.

[ardsa]

Robinson had to go , but it seems that the front office was throwing him anchors when he need a life preserver:

https://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/whitecaps-have-fired-head-coach-carl-robinson

"For example, the coaching staff hadn’t planned on bringing Brek Shea back for this season. But by playing in a playoff game last year, it triggered an automatic player-option year. The coaching staff reportedly mitigated his minutes during the season, but the decision was made somewhere in the team’s murky bureaucratic depths to play him against Seattle, activating the clause."

[BearcatSA]

4 hours ago, ardsa said:

Robinson had to go , but it seems that the front office was throwing him anchors when he need a life preserver:

https://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/whitecaps-have-fired-head-coach-carl-robinson

"For example, the coaching staff hadn’t planned on bringing Brek Shea back for this season. But by playing in a playoff game last year, it triggered an automatic player-option year. The coaching staff reportedly mitigated his minutes during the season, but the decision was made somewhere in the team’s murky bureaucratic depths to play him against Seattle, activating the clause."

Surely, the guys signing the cheques and the guys coaching the team should have been on the same page with the decision to find a way ditch Shea.  Which leads me again to think that this club is run like a mom & pop convenience store as opposed to a much bigger time operation.  And that's probably the biggest problem here.

 

[The Beaver]

3 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

Surely, the guys signing the cheques and the guys coaching the team should have been on the same page with the decision to find a way ditch Shea.  Which leads me again to think that this club is run like a mom & pop convenience store as opposed to a much bigger time operation.  And that's probably the biggest problem here.

 

Yes, which means at some point we have to start calling for Lenarduzzi to be replaced. We need a serious upgrade in his role, for sure.  I appreciate all he has done as a player, coach and president, but we need a fresh brain with better experience at the helm. At some point ownership will figure that out: these guys are smart dudes.

[Unnamed Trialist]

5 hours ago, The Beaver said:

Yes, which means at some point we have to start calling for Lenarduzzi to be replaced. We need a serious upgrade in his role, for sure.  I appreciate all he has done as a player, coach and president, but we need a fresh brain with better experience at the helm. At some point ownership will figure that out: these guys are smart dudes.

I feel the same way. Bobby was the player I most admired when I was a Caps fan in the 70s, we all loved him. His legacy is ensured. I am not sure what his real role is, but for me he could be our honorary president, and do representation, and put on that Bobby face. 

But please hire someone with real football management experience, not a guy who just transitioned into a job and has stayed there, and has zero knowledge of anything anywhere else. He has reached the level of his own mediocrity, we need someone new who is mandated to win the MLS Cup in 3-4 years, using Davies transfer money as the booster.

[SthMelbRed]

14 hours ago, ardsa said:

Robinson had to go , but it seems that the front office was throwing him anchors when he need a life preserver:

https://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/whitecaps-have-fired-head-coach-carl-robinson

"For example, the coaching staff hadn’t planned on bringing Brek Shea back for this season. But by playing in a playoff game last year, it triggered an automatic player-option year. The coaching staff reportedly mitigated his minutes during the season, but the decision was made somewhere in the team’s murky bureaucratic depths to play him against Seattle, activating the clause."

Are you suggesting that someone other than Carl Robinson made the decision that Brek Shea would play and forced that decision through? I highly doubt that.

[BearcatSA]

3 hours ago, SthMelbRed said:

Are you suggesting that someone other than Carl Robinson made the decision that Brek Shea would play and forced that decision through? I highly doubt that.

That doesn't quite add up, right?  I'm also skeptical of the decision making process here. 

[BearcatSA]

4 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I feel the same way. Bobby was the player I most admired when I was a Caps fan in the 70s, we all loved him. His legacy is ensured. I am not sure what his real role is, but for me he could be our honorary president, and do representation, and put on that Bobby face. 

But please hire someone with real football management experience, not a guy who just transitioned into a job and has stayed there, and has zero knowledge of anything anywhere else. He has reached the level of his own mediocrity, we need someone new who is mandated to win the MLS Cup in 3-4 years, using Davies transfer money as the booster.

This might seem irrelevant or noneffectual, but I always wondered why Robbo never had Latin-American on his coaching staff.  Pert, I believe, was the lone Spanish speaker.  Do you think that would have helped here?

[ardsa]

4 hours ago, SthMelbRed said:

Are you suggesting that someone other than Carl Robinson made the decision that Brek Shea would play and forced that decision through? I highly doubt that.

It is not my assertion, it is directly quoting J.J. Adams in the article. I assume he has a source on this info and an editor he needed to convince of the accuracy of it.

[BearcatSA]

10 minutes ago, ardsa said:

It is not my assertion, it is directly quoting J.J. Adams in the article. I assume he has a source on this info and an editor he needed to convince of the accuracy of it.

Hence, the sentence was written in the passive voice, which is great for ambiguity.

[masster]

What I had heard is that nobody was aware that appearing in the playoffs would trigger the automatic renewal clause in his contract. If that is accurate, I put the blame on management.

[BearcatSA]

47 minutes ago, masster said:

What I had heard is that nobody was aware that appearing in the playoffs would trigger the automatic renewal clause in his contract. If that is accurate, I put the blame on management.

This just adds more  to the notion that this is a upper management structure with people in it who are over their heads.

[Nerf]

We won't see any upper management change because they have been successful at accomplishing their task...maximise revenue and minimise expense.  Robinson had to go because he didn't deliver the Moneyball team that management expected year after year. Whoever the new coach is must have two abilities: 

• Find the diamonds in the rough that we can bring in cheap on a consistent basis. This, in my opinion, was Robinson's big failing. He found some, but too many signing were complete failures, or failed to stick around long enough to build a team around.
• Squeeze the most out of the players that we do hire. So many of Robinson's signings were busts, barely lasting a year in most cases. You can't build a cohesive team that way.  The team has be together long enough to bond. To win and to lose together. If the team is rebuilt every year, you will not succeed.

I look forward to seeing who is hired and what they can do to return an exciting brand of soccer to Vancouver.

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

5 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

This might seem irrelevant or noneffectual, but I always wondered why Robbo never had Latin-American on his coaching staff.  Pert, I believe, was the lone Spanish speaker.  Do you think that would have helped here?

I am pleased enough that they signed South Americans and that they were cool about them being a bit cliquey (sp?), since that would be pretty normal. I think the squad had a decent rapport and do not think the Spanish speakers were ever made to feel out of place.  

So all power to the Caps for that. Mind you, it is the tonic in MLS, and makes sense given what you can get for the money from Central and S America. 

There was never really any sort of rebellion or push back from S Americans wanting to play more possession or more jogo bonito, that never came up. Though in general they are able and used to playing it. Question of the coach requiring it from them.

[ardsa]

My recollection is that Mauro Rosales was credited with helping the Spanish speakers feel included and coached. He was first here for a full season in 2015, in Dallas in 2016, and back in 2017. It was his work with the team, not is play credited for is return in 2017. It seems that was considered a missing element in 2016.

[Blackjack15]

Oh Henry not again, you’re way too risky for club & country, the list of mistakes continues for Doneil ??‍♂️ Not a safe option, if I were Herdman I wouldn’t trust him 

[toontownman]

He wasn't horrific the rest of the game imo. Could easily say the same about Dejong his penalty give away was ridiculous, doubt he will get the same scrutiny levis got for the backpass a few weeks ago.

All said, Beggars can't be choosers with our backline depth. 

[Bison44]

Henry was in a tough spot with Ibra twisting and turning and trying to muscle him aside.  As if Ibra doesnt know how to I dont sell a foul in the box, as soon as it went into the box I thought hes going to fall over for a pk and Henry will get trashed.   

[masster]

On 9/27/2018 at 11:50 AM, Nerf said:

We won't see any upper management change because they have been successful at accomplishing their task...maximise revenue and minimise expense.  Robinson had to go because he didn't deliver the Moneyball team that management expected year after year. Whoever the new coach is must have two abilities: 

• Find the diamonds in the rough that we can bring in cheap on a consistent basis. This, in my opinion, was Robinson's big failing. He found some, but too many signing were complete failures, or failed to stick around long enough to build a team around.
• Squeeze the most out of the players that we do hire. So many of Robinson's signings were busts, barely lasting a year in most cases. You can't build a cohesive team that way.  The team has be together long enough to bond. To win and to lose together. If the team is rebuilt every year, you will not succeed.

I look forward to seeing who is hired and what they can do to return an exciting brand of soccer to Vancouver.

 

You think the current management has done a good job in maximizing revenue? They are one of the lowest revenue generating teams in the league despite having attendance that consistently puts them in the top quarter! When they joined MLS in 2011 the Bell sponsorship was one of the largest deals in the league. Much of the credit for that goes to former exec Paul Barber. When that deal was renewed it was estimated that is was barely league average. Have they grown at all or accomplished anything in his absence?

The management team may have succeeded in keeping expenses down, but you can not say that they have been successful in maximizing revenue. 

[BearcatSA]

On ‎9‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 11:11 PM, Bison44 said:

Henry was in a tough spot with Ibra twisting and turning and trying to muscle him aside.  As if Ibra doesnt know how to I dont sell a foul in the box, as soon as it went into the box I thought hes going to fall over for a pk and Henry will get trashed.   

I hope he doesn't dive in against Giovinco tomorrow at BMO, ditto De Jong. 

[SkuseisLoose]

19 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

I hope he doesn't dive in against Giovinco tomorrow at BMO, ditto De Jong. 

I mean you sorta got your wish he decided to slide in with his hands instead