MLS coaches in trouble? Let's update the list
by Steve Davis on Aug 15, 2011 9:48 AM EDT
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While you wait for the editors at SI.com to post the Week 22 MLS review (posted here now, with Team of the Week and Power Rankings), let’s take a moment to update a list we all like to watch. We like to watch it the same we can’t help but stare at automobile accidents on the shoulder of the road. We all have a dark side; what can we say?
Let’s update the list of coaches in trouble. Because there are some surprising names on my list:
1. Frank Yallop. I like the guy. He’s had success before. But in this case “before” is getting to be way, way back. As in 2003. What were you doing in 2003? Sending your first text messages on your cool, new flip phone? Humming along with that young new thing Norah Jones? See what I mean? Yallop took San Jose to a 2003 MLS championship. But his subsequent time with Canada’s national team wasn’t a bit fruitful. Nor was his spin of the Galaxy wheel (2006-2007). The Earthquakes have finished 7th, 7th and 6th in the West over the last three seasons, making the playoffs just once. Now the Quakes’ post-season chances don’t look good for this year, so I just don’t see Yallop surviving to see out another season. (Oh, and judging by the personnel churn at Buck Shaw, technical director John Doyle probably needs to go, too. They need a complete system reboot.)
2. Hans Backe. I write more about this in today’s SI.com piece. So, I’ll leave the details for that one. Bottom line: the offense is OK but the defense stinks. Rafa Marquez is killing ‘em right now, and Backe damn sure needs to untie the Mehdi Ballouchy anchor from around his ankle, ‘cuz that thing is gonna drag the manager to the bottom for sure. What he ever saw in Ballouchy, only Backe can say. Why he keeps playing Ballouchy now, in the face of mounting evidence that this guy is a career killer … well, let’s just hope the coach wakes up and smells the stench of mediocrity that has settled over Red Bull Arena – and does something about it. Fast.
3. Peter Vermes. Sporting Kansas City is moving in the right direction. Kind of. All those ties at home may yet spoil the first season at Livestrong Sporting Park. And if Vermes can’t steer the side into post-season grace, I just don’t see him surviving. Vermes fired Curt Onalfo in 2009 and the club failed to make the playoffs that year. Same for 2010, Vermes’ first year on the hook after putting himself in charge. I just don’t see a club that spent $200 million on a boffo stadium holding fast with a coach who misses the playoffs (in MLS, where it remains mathematically easier to make than to miss the post-season) for three years in a row.
4. Martin Rennie. I know, I know … the Vancouver Whitecap just announced Rennie as coach last week. He won’t even take over until the end of this season. But you read it here first: The man is already in trouble! Look, there’s not a lot to go on when assessing ownership in Vancouver, but early indications don’t look good. Firing Teitur Thordarson back in late May says very bad things about the organization in my mind. Why hire the guy if you’re only going to give him a dirty dozen to prove himself? (By the way, the points per game is exactly the same since firing Thordarson, and the goal difference is significantly worse.) So, yeah … if you run into Rennie today, you might advise him to rent, not buy, once he arrives in the Pacific Northwest.
5. Steve Nicol. Speaking of needing a reboot. This guy is the dean of MLS coaches, but things are going the wrong direction. New England missed the playoffs last year and the view of the post-season is fading fast in 2011. A loss to Columbus over the weekend leaves the Revs with just 21 points from 24 matches. If the old standard of 40 points still applies as a target for optimum playoff chances (and it probably does) Nicol’s men will need to turn up 19 points over their final eight matches. That’s a record of something like 6-1-1. Ain’t. Gonna. Happen. Will Nicol survive? Honestly, I’d love to see him get a chance with a better player budget. But judging by frugal ownership’s track record, the chances of spending more money around Gillette Stadium … Ain’t. Gonna. Happen.
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Of all these guys
I think Backe needs to go. If you can’t make it work with a budget like his and the starpower he has, time to try something else.
Yallop may be another that could step aside. I think Vermes is doing decently given the circumstances for the beginning of this season. NE are in a slump for sure, but given his long tenure and overall relative success, I hope he stays on.
In general I think the idea of keeping coaches around for the long term is the best situation. The problem is finding that Ferguson, Wenger, Moyes, etc to build your team around.
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 15, 2011 10:28 AM EDT reply actions
Yes, but the FO needs to take their share of the NYRB blame
The roster is top-heavy in expensive, aging talent. The pick-up of Auvary is another example. It just leaves the team exposed when the inevitable call-ups and injuries happen. The FO, especially Erik Soler, shares the blame for the bad signings and trading away all those draft picks for young talent. Then the FO goes and courts even more injury and fatigue with the most ridiculous summer friendly schedule in MLS. At least the other teams kept their cash-grabs to this continent.
I respectfully disagree
New York makes a coaching change annually or semi-annually. They’ve had managers with all sorts of pedigree- a World Cup winner, several managers who were either former or future National Team coaches, ad nasuem, ad infinatum.
All get rosters the rest of the team dreams of. Each gets a brief reign.
Backe is the best thing that has happened to NY in quite a while. While he hasn’t brought stability on the field this season, he did last year. More importantly, he and Soler have brought organizational stability, something that has been lacking in the revolving door of managers and admins.
Getting yet another new one doesn’t seem to be the solution. If a fan wrote a Dear Diary, akin to Nick Hornsby’s Fever Pitch, only the names would be different- hdefre we are again… though, again, THIS time the foundation seems more solid.
And yup, tethering a managerial tenure to a career journeyman (whispers of Ballouchi’s ‘potential’ increasingly faded after each move until there were no more whispers at all) seems risky business at best.
Getting a new skipper might bring the type of results Backe brought last yr, but I’d be willing to bet the same situation would emerge with the next in line in a year to a year and a half.
Who is not on the list is also interesting.
Ben Olsen comes to mind. Remember this? “That franchise is lost. Young Ben Olsen may be a good coach, but the odds are against it…” I won’t believe DCU is out of the woods yet until they make the playoffs and boost those attendance figures, but Kevin Payne and Co. have done some good things this year, and the players seem to want to play for Olsen.
Of course DeRo’s addition can’t hurt, but Payne can take some credit for that too.
re: Frank Yallop
I blame this season on ownership and Lenhart, not Yallop and Doyle. Yallop’s system worked well last season. Doyle wasn’t allowed to spend any money by ownership… our payroll is 2nd to last in MLS. A couple of key players got injured and wham the season went up in flames. Lenhart was our key off season acquisition and we let him take the second half of the season off for personal reasons b/c his father passed away.
I don’t think ownership will get rid of Yallop anyways they just signed him to a 4 year contract and they are cheap so they don’t want to waste that money.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Aug 15, 2011 3:02 PM EDT reply actions
I understand your point ...
… but I disagree about why things worked last year. I really believe Wondo’s amazing campaign obscured a flawed offensive strategy, one that’s too direct and without any other definition. Still is. It just worked last year b/c everything the man pointed toward goal went in. I don’t really disagree about ownership … but at some point, you just have to say things aren’t working and try something else.
If Steven Lenhart played 30+ games this season
the Quakes would be in the 9th or 10th playoff spot
Hat Trick by Lenhart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvqjnjCufXg&feature=related
Lenhart on sportscenter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD6p0elWNRQ
Most Quakes fans agree with you that a change is needed. But Yallop is ownership’s man. This is Lew Wolff, the same guy that refused to fire Bob Geren for years and years at the Oakland A’s. Maybe, if the Quakes miss the playoffs the next 2-3 years, maybe in the last year of his contract ownership might consider making a change. But he is on year 1 of a 4 year contract right now.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Aug 15, 2011 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions
thanks
thanks to SJ for giving DCU McDonald for a bag of balls… great addition to DCU, think McDonald would make it a lot harder for Lenhardt to post a hat trick on DCU again. And another Will Dancing Bear Bruin hattrick? McD would simply muscle him out of the way…
McDonald is going to europe after this season for sure
This is the last year of his contract. We had 4 quality centerbacks so it made sense to trade one. He has made it very clear publicly that he has no intention of re-signing with an MLS club.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Aug 16, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions
maybe...
If he’s paid more and part of something big in DC (this was supposed to be the rebuilding year) maybe he sticks around. We’ll see. In DC he’s a penned-in starter right now who took the place of a rookie. Think that might change his perception vs. possibly riding the pine in Europe.
One more thing re: longball
it works pretty damn well for Stoke City!
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Aug 15, 2011 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Re/re, Frak Yallop
You’re probably right so I am officially a Galaxy fan till they put some money into the team.
Life is too short to drink cheap wine, bad beer and watch garbage teams, Adios Frank I know the Earthquakes wont fire you but my wallet sure can.
I'd be a bit surprised of Vermes goes
but I guess I’m also pretty confident of KC’s ability to make the post-season with their huge glut of home games left.
As for the other coaches – if Backe and/or Nicol go, I think both stand a good chance of getting a shot elsewhere in MLS (if not elsewhere in the world). Nicol is a proven winner if he can get decent players (i.e. for an FO that actually gives a rip). Backe has had recent spectacular success to supplement his recent spectacular failure-in-progress.
I must admit to being a bit nervous for Vancouver, though. They are headed the way of Toronto and fast – the difference being they actually have some very quality pieces to build around on the field, none of whom are named De Ro.
Nothing like a good bit of schadenfreude
to start the day.
I think Nicols might be higher on this list. It’s been a while since he’s done something, and the FO might be looking for an easy way to prove they do care.
Also things are going to get a little nervy in Seattle the closer things get to the Alliance election. Whether or not things are going well now.
Nicol?
I kind of disagree with Nicol being on this list. The Revs had zero expectations heading into 2011 as Twellman’s retirement pretty much committed them to rebuilding mode — especially after last year’s poor finish. I’m not sure they’ll better last yaer’s record, but I am pretty sure that no one expected any more of them.
Honestly, I’d love to see him get a chance with a better player budgetThis, however, I agree with wholeheartedly and wonder why other clubs looking for coaches haven’t tried to poach him from Foxborough.
Jagr? Seriously?
Re: Twellman
I use his retirement as the end of an era rather than any fleeting signs of a comeback. Makes a nice benchmark.
Jagr? Seriously?
by Matthew Artus on Aug 15, 2011 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
The coach often bites the dust in rebuilding.
I like him. But I do think his seat is passing warm.
by Shawn Gillogly on Aug 15, 2011 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Nicholball
Bunker, bunker, hack, bunker, coutner to score 1 goal, bunker, hack, bunker, finish the game 1-0.
I’m sure he’s a lovely person but his tactics are negative and boring. Think it would be good for the league to see him move on down the road.
He was more creative when he had creative players.
But NE’s roster right now isn’t an embarrassment of riches. You have to have eggs to make an omelet.
by Shawn Gillogly on Aug 16, 2011 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions
MLS coaching
I don’t know enough about the MLS coaches’ contraints by their front offices, team salary caps, etc. that make such a difference. I know that AEG owns both the Galaxy and the Dynamo, but the Galaxy get all of the DPs. I know, neither of these coaches make the list, but it just shows my point. So much may be out of the coaches’ hands.
That said, I’d love to see what Nicol could do with FO and ownership support for the team.
