Open Season: We're Hunting Nowaks
Apparently the flood gates are open. In addition to The Washington Post's Mike Wise calling for Nowak to depart, the Big Soccer "Fire Nowak" thread, now the Voice of the Conventional Wisdom of American Soccer, Ives Galarcep, lays into Nowak at ESPN. Also, on Ives' blog (Ives has a blog? Why did no one tell me this?) we see him state that he doesn't think Nowak will be back.
Now, without getting into the question of whether or not Piotr Nowak should come back, I find it fascinating that blame has coalesced around one individual. Right now, the sense I am getting is that soccer fans want to see someone go down for the last part of DC's season, and they've decided it should be Nowak. Even if Piotr gets another contract, you get the feeling that the fans and soccer press will want him on a short leash. I'm not sure if that's right or not, but it is definately the mood out there. As for me...
Well, look, right now I'm too depressed to think clearly about this matter, and I know it. I'm not saying I'm overly emotional about my team, but I think my wife considered confiscating my shoelaces before today started. And, as such, I realize that there is no way I can think clearly about this right now. Give me a day or two.
posted by D @ 4:36 PM
6 Comments:
And is it time to start thinking about taking the captain's armband from Moreno?
Not advocating, just wondering. If Jaime isn't a 90+ every game player anymore - and that's the real question - should he be captain. And if not him, who?
Taking it off Marco and giving to Nelsen seemed to work.
A few years back when the Seahawks were thinking about canning Holmgren, a top columnist in Seattle posed the question....who out there is better than what we already have? To make a change, a team must be certain that a better option exists.
Who is out there? Bradley? Yallop? Kinnear? They all have jobs..and I can't see them leaving.
A good foreign coach? Maybe, but who would come to the US for a lower salary than they can command abroad?
My suggestion is hire new assistants..not saying that they are at fault. Send our top assistant on his way..I'm sure there's an MLS team that could use him.
Let's get some fresh ideas into the coaching staff...someone that Nowak respects, and will come into the team with different ideas..training methods...etc.
Nowak knows what he's doing (unlike some MLS coaches...Real SL? Dallas?), has a great resume as a player...building one as a coach...and is very well respected throughout the US and Europe.
He screwed up...didn't manage the team well...and will hopefully learn from this year.
If he doesn't...send him on his way after next year and hire Harkes or Richie Williams...
One more year...let's change up the assistants, and see if Nowak can learn his lessons.
PS: after watching the total shit style of soccer that some MLS teams play...I'm REAL glad we have a coach that stresses possesion and attacking soccer.
Watching DC ping the ball around last night was beautiful.
NE played crap soccer and won...yes results count...and no one can dispute that DC was the better side and played way better soccer. i give NE a free pass on crap soccer yesterday because of their injuries and the fact that they reacted to DC pounding them. They did what they had to win..and usually play good soccer.
DC plays the best and prettiest soccer in the league...at least give nowak credit for that...
I'd like to see Peter Nowak come back next year.
Heh, rwhgeek, you're right about the sharks thing. I think we'll all feel better in a few days. The supporter's shield is definitely not nothing but we all wanted this too. It sucks, especially after the way they played this game. Benny in particular. I was so proud of him.
I'm not a shark, and i'm very pleased with the season. After last year's internation dissapointment, the most important thing for me was putting the team in position to get back and show that we are one of the best teams in the Americas, and not a team that walks onto the field and gets slapped around like Pumas' rag doll. We won the supporters' shield, and guaranteed our opportunity for redemption. I'm thrilled about that. My whole argument about Novak is not that i'm bitter towards his time with DC--my point is that he is not the guy to take this team to the next level, pure and simple. In my mind, there's no blame and no feeding frenzy. We simply just need to take it to the next level. Matt wonders if there is that guy out there? I definitely think so. I think Harkes is gonna be an incredible coach and would be the perfect man for the job, and for salvaging Freddy's career if he comes back. I also think that Raul Diaz Arce or Etcheverry would make outstanding choices. This is not to say that they will necessarily be better than Novak. But what i can say is that we have seen the best that Novak has to offer, and we already know that Novak is not going to change. As shown, Novak's best is just not quite good enough to take us to the next level. Let's give one of these other guys a shot to see if they can...
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