I think we've seen the inevitable crash that happens when players' egos are pumped up continually, beyond their ability or history.Originally Posted by Ultra & Proud
Since 2018, we have been in a slow crash. Ali and Bill decided, quite clearly, that we were going to become a youth talent farm, and that the way to do that was to hype the shit out of what we had.
So for five years, we've been promoting kids up who weren't ready. We have not only infused them with overconfidence to the point of arrogance, we have hired other arrogant players to compliment them, as if collective belief would somehow outstrip work ethic, talent and drive.
In fact, good players don't have self-confidence in the NOW. They have confidence in their ability to always get better and work harder than others. They don't think "I'm 22 and have signed for a first team, and everyone says I'm going places."
The front office and management have instilled the WRONG ethic throughout our player base.
When we still won enough games to compete, any problems of poor ethic or technique or training could be put down by each individual to it being someone else's fault. "Yeah we're losing, but I'm busting my ass." This was rarely better exemplified than by the twin images of Omar Gonzalez and MAK both excoriating teammates despite their own terrible performances.
Then, they brought in guys with REAL talent... but the same poor attitudes.
So now, the guys who were arrogant enough, and self-delusional enough, to think they had a chance at winning as long as someone ELSE didn't fuck up are left believing that, in fact, they were never good enough. They never had the kind of talent to play at the top level.
We are a macrocosm of Jonathan Osorio's revelation at the World Cup that, surprise, he wasn't of the ability to play at the top level. It really gutted him, that was obvious.
Now, the whole team feels inadequate. It's clear. The ones who don't and are still arrogant don't help fix that.
We've gone from players thinking they could wind up in La Liga in short order to players who think they aren't good enough for MLS. This has been MAGNIFIED by having Insigne and Bernardeschi, actual talent, telling and showing them weekly that they think they're shit.
And as their initial work ethic was already jeopardized by that prior arrogance, they have simply continued to not work hard enough, not push hard enough. So there is no resolution in just pushing through.
After all, what's the point if you know you're not good enough?
That's where we stand. Arrogant, overconfident people who are exposed as such and accept it tend to withdraw, to lose sight of their own potential. "If I'm not everything, I'm nothing." But the reality is several of them are easily of MLS standard (not necessarily lock starters anywhere, but in the picture). They just don't believe it anymore.
Ali, Bill and Jack Dodd poisoned the well. Bradley tried to unpoison it with tough love and by getting rid of egos, but then made it even worse by bringing in replacements who were substandard, because he's old and the league has grown. Had he just been a coach, with a serious GM behind him, it might have worked, at least until the year 3 BobBall burnout that happens at every one of his teams.
I suspect the only cure at this point will be to start over with a mostly new first eleven. If these guys are going to regain their confidence and start winning, I highly doubt it will be possible working together, in this environment.
This current stretch of playing guys like Mbongue is, I believe, for Herdman to judge if there's ANYTHING salvageable.
We have enough leaving and enough open roster spots that those they can't force to move -- by promising they will NEVER see the pitch if they stay -- could easily wind up perma-benched, or sent down, or on perma-loans.
THAT is almost certainly going to be his message. You either have enough self-belief, fight and pride to show it and stick, or you'll be stuck to a bench here or at TFC II until your contract expires. That, or get your agent to arrange a move for you, because we've had enough.
Now the bigger issue is whether someone with zero club management experience can pull that off. That seems to me a dramatically high bar.
Herdman is either a junior Postecoglou in training... or this is just going to get worse, with slightly different faces.
And even if he is good enough, there's no guarantee Hernandez is good enough at attracting and signing players to give him what he needs.
So, I hate to be brutal about it, but I think we're still a long way from knowing this will turn around.
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