Can R Nelson do the job?

[C.Ronaldo]

Are we at the point that a monkey can run these players?

Or is ryan nelson still in over his head?

Do we need a coach that has one to pull all this together?


Personally, this is the one area I am worried. Really lack coaching experience. And these players arent the type that you learn on the job with.

[Yohan]

We can say whatever, but Nelsen will get till at least mid season to prove himself. Nothing will get get Nelsen fired now.

[Ultra & Proud]

Are we at the point that a monkey can run these players?

Or is ryan nelson still in over his head?

Do we need a coach that has one to pull all this together?


Personally, this is the one area I am worried. Really lack coaching experience. And these players arent the type that you learn on the job with.

He did better as an inexperienced manager last season than pretty much everyone before him in regards to implementing a system that could work in MLS. Of course the results were shit but with better players and more attack the final outcome would have been better. People often complained about lack of tactics, etc. but we were more solid defensively than in any other year minus the Preki year and were more balanced than we were in the Winter year and a bit. For the first time that I can remember it looked like pretty much everyone on the pitch at least knew what was happening and what they were supposed to be doing, even if at times they didn't manage to do it. For sure the pressure is squarely on Nelsen's shoulders now and it's a concern but I can't say I am overly worried about it.

[C.Ronaldo]

I remember games where all we did was hoof and hoof

Thats not tactics.

Bendik hoofs it every time too as if under orders to.

Towards the end it got better, I dont know if it was part of the plan. But there were many a game where the coaching was clearly to blame.

[pdubs]

just give the ball to bradley.

[Ultra & Proud]

I remember games where all we did was hoof and hoof

Thats not tactics.

Bendik hoofs it every time too as if under orders to.

Towards the end it got better, I dont know if it was part of the plan. But there were many a game where the coaching was clearly to blame.

Bendik did for sure but we had an unfamiliar back line, lots of loanees, and no cohesion early on. Plus I think Bendik tended to want to long ball it because he has a heavy foot. Not accurate at all but heavy. As the season progressed you could see what Nelsen was trying to implement, it was just that when you have Wiedeman & Braun up top the end product will never be fantastic.

[Red CB Toronto]

All I can say is he is on one short leash.

[Jack]

I'm giving him a chance. He's got the excuses out of the way and this should be, for the most part, "his" team now.

[ag futbol]

He'll have a chance, think that's what matters.

Regarding the long goal kicks: not only was that a low percentage strategy but Bednik's accuracy is rather shocking. He is often nowhere close to his intended target. Hoping we see way less of this in 2014

[OgtheDim]

Hmmm....coulda seen this thread coming. People got to find something to bitch about. :)


Give him half a season. We will take time to gel, but if we do not look like a playoff team by the friendly against Spurs, he can't do the job.

As for the hoofing, I saw Bendik get really annoyed at not having outlets to throw to. Everybody but Caldwell has positioning issues back there and Laba and Osorio could only do so much running around.

[trane]

just give the ball to bradley.


Bradley is a great player, and probably the best TFC signing ever. But lets understand what he can and cannot be. He is a CDM/CM types, he can pass, he could be a play maker in this leaque, and he can score some, but he will not carry the ball coast to coast, nor should he be expected too, but yes, he can move the ball forward well.

[pdubs]

Bradley is a great player, and probably the best TFC signing ever. But lets understand what he can and cannot be. He is a CDM/CM types, he can pass, he could be a play maker in this leaque, and he can score some, but he will not carry the ball coast to coast, nor should he be expected too, but yes, he can move the ball forward well.

it was tongue and cheek. we need more help obviously. but we also have jackson, dero, defoe, rey, osorio to link up and move it forward. if we loose laba we will get a starting CM with the cap room we have left.

[Jack]

I get the feeling Bendik will have a lot more options on goal kicks than he had last season.

[T-boy]

I'm not judging Nelson on last season - his squad was awful through no fault of his own, and he had around a 3rd of his salary cap tied up in injured players most of the season. If you account for all that, his first season wasn't all that bad!

[Detroit_TFC]

It is a fair question. This season will demand more from RN, both tactically and in terms of man-management. If he seems not up to the task, he's done. But he'll be given some time to demonstrate what he can do, and that will be more than 5 games.

[ag futbol]

It is a fair question. This season will demand more from RN, both tactically and in terms of man-management. If he seems not up to the task, he's done. But he'll be given some time to demonstrate what he can do, and that will be more than 5 games.
Baring any major stumbles I would expect they give him until at least mid season. Falling behind in the race for the playoffs will be fatal no matter how early. If we started 0-5 (won't happen), I have no doubt he would be sent out the door in the hurry.

[Mark in Ottawa]

It is a fair question. This season will demand more from RN, both tactically and in terms of man-management. If he seems not up to the task, he's done. But he'll be given some time to demonstrate what he can do, and that will be more than 5 games.
^ +1
The last thing this franchise needs at this time is any even remote reminder of what has been going on for the last 7 years.
Sacking the manager would certainly bring the usual howls of management interference and same old same old.

The fanbase is nervous enough what with hoping that the club really has turned the corner on past knee-jerk behaviour and in fighting to risk giving us all the "queasies" anytime soon.

[C.Ronaldo]

But why stack your team full of stars but not with a superstar coach?

if this was the plan, then i think coach should have been issue number one dealt with before the last season even ended.

I dont want TFC to be a but-her-face. (all body no head)

Im all up for giving chances, but if you have $100,000,000 to invest, would you risk it all with a 1 years experience financial advisor that did really well in school?

[Ultra & Proud]

I've seen top drawer, experienced, can't miss managers walk into what should have been good situations and fail just as often as "new" managers have. Plus MLS has a proven track record of success with young managers.

[ensco]

How important was Nelsen in recruiting Defoe? That is the only question.

I think it's very possible that Bob Bradley will be here very shortly. But he may wind up as President or something (ie Bez's boss).

[Ultra & Proud]

How important was Nelsen in recruiting Defoe? That is the only question.

I think it's very possible that Bob Bradley will be here very shortly. But he may wind up as President or something (ie Bez's boss).

Supposedly very important and also very important in getting Gilberto too from some connection with an agent or something I was reading. You don't shitcan the guy who just scored you two of your new prime players as soon as they get in the front door. That's our classic, old school, bush league shit people around here have been bitching about for years.

[Ultra & Proud]

Also, name me an experienced manager who is available with MLS experience?

At least Nelsen had MLS 1.0 experience last season which was important because the weather conditions and travel hadn't changed since he left plus now he has a season of experience managing in the new era.

I remember some guy named Mariner who had a boatload of experience in MLS and abroad. I think he's available now. Maybe we can get him in here and he can use that experience to get us into the promised land. Fingers crossed.

[Yohan]

How important was Nelsen in recruiting Defoe? That is the only question.

I think it's very possible that Bob Bradley will be here very shortly. But he may wind up as President or something (ie Bez's boss).
Bob Bradley just signed with Stabaek in Norway.

[Ultra & Proud]

Bob Bradley just signed with Stabaek in Norway.

Yup. Said he had no interest in MLS whatsoever. Interview the other day said he looked at using Stabaek as a stepping stone to get a higher profile gig in Europe.

[Heart of Stone]

If he played for Hot Spur Harry, he's ready.

[MightyDM]

I actually thought Nelsen was very good in his man management and tactics, but poor in his substitutions, particularly early in the season. My worry, before the amazing news of this week, was actually that the close losses flattered us because the team was so disciplined under Nelsen, and that it would take more than one or two signings to improve. That point isn't relevant now but I think I am right about Nelsen.

[ensco]

Yup. Said he had no interest in MLS whatsoever. Interview the other day said he looked at using Stabaek as a stepping stone to get a higher profile gig in Europe.

He may have said that, but it doesn't often work that way for national team coaches. Raise your hand if you have ever heard of Stabaek before today. It is a pretty dubious steppingstone.

Steve McClaren won the Dutch league with Twente 3 years ago, and still hasn't had a sniff at getting back to the EPL.

[ag futbol]

Supposedly very important and also very important in getting Gilberto too from some connection with an agent or something I was reading. You don't shitcan the guy who just scored you two of your new prime players as soon as they get in the front door. That's our classic, old school, bush league shit people around here have been bitching about for years.
They mentioned this on the tsn fc podcast I believe. Nelsen had a good relationship with the agent and that cleared the deck for TFC to sign him.

[molenshtain]

He may have said that, but it doesn't often work that way for national team coaches. Raise your hand if you have ever heard of Stabaek before today. It is a pretty dubious steppingstone.

Steve McClaren won the Dutch league with Twente 3 years ago, and still hasn't had a sniff at getting back to the EPL.

Stabaek won the Norwegian league a few years ago and are generally one of their bigger teams, having played in Europe albeit briefly in five of the last six seasons. sounds like a pretty smart stepping stone if you want to show you can build something.

ole gunnar solskjaer also just got a job in the premier league by proving his coaching abilities in the exact same league.

and the season McLaren took left Twente to take over a bigger, more expensive team in Wolfsburg, he rejected quite a few offers from some of the lower to middle teams in the premier league.
He's now gotten an underachieving Derby team to look like a promotion contender in the Championship.

[ensco]

^Yeah, well, I stand by my comment. He'll be back in MLS soon.

[tfc007]

if the season starts bad Nelson will be gone in the first 10 games.