it’s working.
If the Timbers want to be success going forward all they need to do is following the example of other up and coming team. Hire someone who has played in MLS and who has a solid plan for how the game should be played,Andrew Luck Jersey. ,Matt Schaub Jersey;
You can’t really blame Spencer for bringing players he is comfortable with and who play a style he grew up with. Spencer is Scottish and it is only natural he would bring in Scottish players. But that is precisely the problem. In the early years of MLS, many teams could get away with playing English style soccer. British coaches were all the rage. The really good ones have stuck around (Frank Yallop, Dom Kinnear) but the rest have faded into history,Eric Decker Jersey. Even the great Steve Nicol is out of a job after leading the Revolution to so much success. It’s not that British coaches were bad coaches, in fact, we have to be grateful for their contributions when the league was in its nascent stage.
Portland is doing the correct thing and taking their time to find a coach, but if they truly want a coach for the future, they shouldn’t look overseas. Instead, they need to look for recently retired American players that have a sense of how they want to play the game.
Now however, the style has changed. Teams are now modeling themselves after Spain and other teams that stress technical ability. We have gone to great strides in the U.S. to boost our players technical abilities and now that is being shown in their play. Maybe someday this style will fade away as well, but for now, it’s working.
Still, it’s not as if you can bring in a coach that favors possession and everything will turn out alright. They also have to have a knowledge of MLS. Spencer had that from his time as a player and as an assistant coach for the Dynamo. However, if you look at the trend of young successful coaches in America,Robert Griffin III Jersey, they all spent the majority of their careers in MLS and they came in with game plan on how to best succeed in America. Jason Kreis, Robin Fraser, Jesse Marsch, Ben Olsen, and Jay Heaps have all succeeded to one degree or another because they knew what worked in MLS and have implemented that style.
The first name that comes to mind in this discussion is Steve Ralston. Capped for the U.S. and with a lengthy career in MLS, Ralston would be the perfect candidate. He’s played at every level in this country and been successful. In addition, he has spent the last couple of years as an assistant coach with the Houston Dynamo. Ralston could step into a side an instantly have a rapport with players. He would be a great evaluator or talent and value in MLS.
It’s still unclear what exactly led to Spencer’s downfall. True, results had taken a downslide from the previous season but was not unexpected. Most agree that the Timbers exceeded expectations last year,Steve Smith Jersey. This year key players like Jack Jewsbury just haven’t been the same force they were last year. Additionally, the signing of Kris Boyd has not worked out the way the organization would have liked. His addition changed the way the team plays, making their style more direct, less dynamic, and easier to defend. At least Kenny Cooper played defense,Tim Masthay Jersey, unlike Boyd.
John Spencer is the third MLS coach to lose his job this season following the firings of Peter Nowak and Aron Winter. Unlike Nowak and Winter, Spencer’s departure is a bit surprising. When hiring Spencer as the Timbers inaugural MLS coach, owner Merritt Paulson stressed the need to stick with a coach for the long-term. Well, only a year and a half later, Spencer is gone and the Timbers are looking for a new coach.
Other players that might fit the bill include Greg Vanney who established the RSL Academy and is now the assistant coach at Chivas, and Cobi Jones, who spent time as a Galaxy assistant. Any of those ex-players could easily step in and help out the Timbers.
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