Monthly Archives: August 2012

Some Thoughts on Plan B

Posted on August 31, 2012 | 1 Comment

Sitting down to write this column, I was tempted to write that the 3-0 battering that we got away to Colorado at the end of June was one of the real low points of the season. At the time it seems like it was. It was part of the death spiral of the John Spencer regime; part of a four game run in which we beat Seattle and San Jose 2-1 and lost to the Rapids and to RSL 3-0. I suppose that you could say that worse was to come, since after Spencer’s departure we managed to lose four in a row, including the 5-0 hammering by Dallas. At the time, however, our performance at Colorado was gutting. Having just caused our hated neighbors to the north to shut their mouths for a couple of minutes, we contrived to give up two goals in the opening 22 minutes in a match in which we simply never looked competitive. The goal that they scored in stoppage time was just the exclamation point on a sorry, disorganized performance.

Here it is two months later and perhaps things have changed for the better. We are coming off our first win in a long time (in the Cascadia Cup no less) and, with the hiring of our new manager being confirmed yesterday, there is at least some reason to believe that the club is moving in the right direction. Of course, you’re only as good as your last result. All of this good news isn’t going to mean a whole lot if we don’t do the business tonight.

At the risk of raising expectations, it’s probably fair to say that Colorado is one of the few teams in the league on worse form than we are. Since beating us two months ago they’ve lost eight of their ten matches. Most recently, they were dismembered away to San Jose. Not surprisingly, if you look at their fan sites you will find a certain degree of joy among their supporters at the prospect of playing us. They clearly think that we are a team that they can beat. Give the recent history, why wouldn’t they?

Personally, I think that they are in for a pretty rude awakening. Although, putting aside our win against the White Caps, our recent record has not been that great, the team has actually been playing a lot better. We seem to have come to a moment of recognition about the role that Kris Boyd can (or perhaps more properly can’t) play for this team. In recent matches, the Timbers have gotten back to basics; to the things in football that allow you to have success even against teams with a higher level of talent. If a team is willing to pass the ball quickly and positively and to keep moving…blah blah blah. You get the point.

I’ve been kicking around an idea that I thought I might run by all and sundry. It seems to me that, given the development of a new attacking approach in the last few matches, it is perhaps the case that we now have the options to run two distinct plans. Recent experience suggests that the first option should be our dynamic approach, with the front four who have been playing for the last few weeks: Songo’o, Nagbe, Zizzo, and Dike. Is this the best group in the league? Well, no. Is this group good enough to carry us forward in the long term? I think you’d probably also have to answer that one in the negative. But they are the best thing we have going, and I think that experience has shown that they can be successful if they are stubborn about playing aggressively and at a high tempo.

There are some nights on which this will not work. In particular, teams with a lot of smaller, mobile players are likely to be able to frustrate this approach. With the personnel currently available, we now have a second option. If things aren’t working out for us by minute 65 or so, we can send in some combination of Boyd, Richards, and (maybe) Mwanga. Let Boyd post up in the box and just start lobbing balls in there to see if our opposition to cope with it. This is what good teams do. If attacking from one direction doesn’t work, change the angle of attack and make the opposition show that they can adjust. [Caveat emptor: I am probably fascinated by the idea of having a “Plan B” because it is something that Arsenal has signally lacked in the last few years.]

Ok, I know that a lot of you will say, “It’s great to talk about Plan B, but the fact is that it’s not yet clear that we have a viable Plan A.” Point well taken. We have scored two goals in each of the last three matches, and that’s the first time that that has happened all season. Nagbe finally seems to be growing into the role of an attacking central midfielder, and he’s been scoring, which is great. All of that adds up to one win, one draw, and one loss in the last three. It’s a sign of how grim our resuls have been for the last two months that this constitutes a distinct uptick in our form.

This match isn’t quite the dawning of a new era. That won’t happen until the beginning of next season when Caleb Porter has had a winter to really put his stamp on the team. But it is the beginning of a period in which the current players are going to have to audition for further work. No one’s spot in the squad is sacrosanct. As the benching Kris Boyd has shown, a place on the pitch has to be dependent upon results. It probably took a bit too long to make that determination in Boyd’s case, but given the kind of contract that he’s on, it’s not totally surprising that the club was desperate to get some kind of value for money.

I’m excited for this match with Colorado in a way that I haven’t been for some time. If the team can put together a decent run to the end of the season it will go a long way toward salving the collective psyche of the club and its supporters. “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

Magadh

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move over donny wahlberg, caleb porter is here…

Posted on August 30, 2012 | 2 Comments

well the worst kept secret in major league soccer has finally been acknowledged, as merritt and gavin announced caleb porter would be the next head coach of the timbers. perhaps i am in the minority, but i really had hoped merritt would announce a coach no one had discussed–a shot from left field. instead, he went with the fella we all knew he would. as much i would have enjoyed the twatterverse explosion, the choice of caleb porter really is preferable to any drama on #rctid.

i think the timbers have done well for themselves. sure, he is not pep guardiola (and pep is no jurgen klopp), but like pep and jurgen he is a student of the game, constantly learning, devoted to the sport, and a solid human being. merritt repeatedly acknowledged these qualities throughout the press conference. getting the obvious out of the way, merritt jumped into the discussion of porter’s character:

Not the best kept secret over the last couple of days, but this is a great moment for us. A lot of work went into the announcement that we just made. It is a bit unusual not having a formal presser with the new coach here. It is critical to Caleb that this announcement not be a distraction from what he is focused on with the Zips right now: winning an NCAA title. It is a testament to his character.

yeah, it is, and the reflection on this organization’s decision to disrupt the team midway through the season is glaring. even when taking a job that will advance his career and his visibility, porter remained with the kids he developed. a similar choice could have been made by the front office in july. unless those philosophical differences were so disparate that sacrificing continuity and results to begin the transformation into porterball was easily reconciled. but then perhaps the differences were simply two egos that got in the way of the queen’s english. regardless, by the comments made yesterday it seems clear that gavin was either looking for and found a little buddy or he and spencer spared too much and too often.

It’s nice to have somebody in that I feel very comfortable working with and looking forward to the future of Caleb being here.

i am sure when reading that quote the very cynical will suggest that gavin has found his puppet. i know that i did. but then i read the rest of his statement and began to ask questions i had never asked. has gavin softened? is there really a person in there? does he actually want a collaborative experience at the timbers? because the way he describes porter’s expected position and influence in the club resembles a man who has a reasonable level of acceptance and faith in his colleague.

It gives us a joint partner in evaluating the current talent that we have and also looking at the direction going forward and what we have going forward. … For me, it was very easy communicate with him about the team, about individual players. We agreed on a couple of things and disagreed, and the disagreements were very healthy.

that last portion was shocking. perhaps there is growth in the organization after all, or maybe gavin is open to change. or, maybe, just maybe, gavin realizes he has met someone he cannot hoodwink into believing he is better equipped than he is. regardless, if these pronouncements are true, i am optimistic.

as i have discussed on several occasions, porter is a student of the sport. and when football educations are concerned study-abroad coursework at la masia is like receiving a rhodes scholarship in comparison to the grounds of wellington. that education can only impress an ivy league educated owner, who was insistent on inflating porter’s intelligence, stating ”this is a coach who is a cerebral coach, a great leader, a great tactician. He is extremely reflective.”

regardless of whether this is actual regard for the new head coach or simply lip service for the press, porter is starting his new position in december. and with that expectations are likely to follow. but it appears the expectations placed on this season will no longer be the tools of assessment for a successful campaign in the future. rather than stating he expects a coach, who has won a national championship and who has taken his team to the ncaa playoffs 4 times since taking the position in 2006, to deliver the timbers an immediate playoff berth, merritt was more reserved in his expectations.

I think that he is poised to do some great things, but we have got to give this some time to grow as well. That is something that I want to be clear about from day one as well.

those words express a disparate sentiment than the mandated playoff berth with which he yoked spencer. perhaps through the lessons of the first year and half, and now the gavin part deux experiment, the owner has learned to have realistic expectations rather than pipe dreams. personally, i hope he holds himself to this nebulous timeline of growth. if he does, i think the disappointment and resentment developed from this failed season may be averted next season so we can get back to this feeling.

have a great day. oh, tomorrow is friday which means magadh will have some pre-match blag about them rapids in rapid decline. hopefully we can close the 2 point gap and overtake stan kroenke’s other team.

sunshine

for the full transcript of yesterday’s announcement, head over to stumptown footy.

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Of Boyd and the Future

Posted on August 29, 2012 | 7 Comments

I got a text from sunshine yesterday afternoon about the imminence of the announcement of the Timbers new manager. Those who read yesterday’s post will be aware that sunshine had speculated (or repeated the speculation of others) that it would be University of Akron and U.S. U-23 head coach Caleb Porter. With his usual aplomb, sunshine provided what I think is a pretty good account of what we might expect from him. It cannot be a bad thing that Nagbe was a member of a national championship winning side under him at Akron. In any event, I am in agreement with all the salient point he made. With all due respect to John Spencer (or more than what was due depending on your opinion of him) I am afraid that the available evidence suggests that he was just not flexible enough to work with the materials with which he was presented here.

It now appears increasingly clear that the central problem with Spencer’s approach was personified in the figure of Kris Boyd. I don’t think that bringing him here was obviously a bad move. I also think that, given the right circumstances he could still provide value. We have the best part of a season’s evidence, however, that suggests that running the offense through him is a losing proposition. Boyd’s most positive attributes over the course of his career have been his imposing size and his finishing ability. He now seems to possess only one of these traits. Sadly, it is the former. Boyd was never the most mobile guy in the game, and time and injuries have certainly not improved this. According to people around the team, he is still a deadly finisher on the training pitch, but that and two dollars will get you a cup of coffee.

The lack of pace up front meant that teams could play a very high line against us. Thus it was no surprise that we tended to get suffocated in midfield. Normally, the way to counter such an approach is to put balls over the top and have your forwards chase them down. This was simply not an approach which Boyd could make work. For him to do the business it was going to be necessary for us to work the ball to the byline by building up effectively on the outside. For much of the season we simply did not have the personnel in wide positions to do this. The failure to make this approach work could be seen in the repeated midfield giveaways. Without the speed, technique, or creativity to make the strategy work, players simply dribbled themselves up blind alleys or turned around and passed the ball negatively.

The end result was that we couldn’t get Boyd anything like the service he needed to be successful. Even when we did, he didn’t demonstrate the requisite level of precision in terms of finishing. The failure to score had a ripple effect throughout the team. It magnified the defensive frailties in the side. This is not to say that things like the 5-0 tonking that we had from Dallas was Boyd’s fault. No, there’s blame enough from that dreadful outing to go around. When we did keep it close, however, the fact that we couldn’t produce much in terms of attacking threat meant that the slightest error in defense was liable to wash all of our good works down the drain. That’s just how football is. It’s the mirror that flatters not, and in fact times it makes you look downright ugly.

There is no mistaking the improvement that has been wrought in the team since Boyd was shifted to the bench. Faced with the combination of Zizzo and Dike, teams are now forced to respect our speed and to play a little deeper in defense. The added space has done a power of good to Darlinton Nagbe, who can now use his mobility to much better effect. It also helps that Frank Songo’o seems to have turned a corner in terms of his fitness, as well as his willingness to take on defenders and force them to make plays in the defensive zone. This constitutes a fundamental change in approach from that which involved just lobbing the ball in Kris Boyd’s general direction and hoping that he could somehow find his way through the swarm of defenders crowding around him. Now teams have three or four guys that they have to think of in terms of attacking threats and the results have been promising.

I like Kris Boyd and I think that there is still possibly a role for him to play here. But the days when the idea was that the offense was going to run through him are (or should be) over. This does not mean that he has no valuable contribution to make to the team, only that he is going to have to make it under different circumstances and with rather less playing time in which to work. I can imagine Boyd being an effective changeup thrown on later in matches against teams that have managed to thwart our passing game. I suppose the question has to be asked as to whether he would accept such a role (even if it was on offer). For this I have no answer.

In a not unrelated news item, the Oregonian reported yesterday that the club is planning to widen the pitch dimensions at the JW for next season. It makes a certain amount of sense if you think that one of the other things that they are trying to do is build a more mobile, passing oriented approach. As an expansion team, it was nice to have the smaller dimensions, if only to keep things a bit tighter at the back. Now that the team is really learning to play in this league, it’s probably time to spread things out a little bit. Anyway, this topic has been beaten absolutely to death in these pages, so I will spare frequent readers any further repetition.

Ok, I have an annoyingly early work meeting to which I must toddle off.

Magadh

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you can go your own way…or you can coach the timbers

Posted on August 28, 2012 | 5 Comments

i grew up in a community that had little vice other than insidious whispers and self-gratified giggles. given the boredom developed because not one person was breaking bad it was necessary for them to create tales even the brothers grimm would find difficult to believe. but, you know, they never lied. and while i never really participated in the production of the wonderful fibs, i sure developed a taste for them. if you have not gathered by now i love a good rumour and a bit of gossip. though i avoid the disarmingly mean-spirited gossip for the small-minded, i cannot but help but chase rumours of player acquisition and, germane to this blog’s topic, the hiring of a new manager.

yesterday, the unofficial official mouthpiece of the timbers let loose a bit of gossip. gca informed those who care enough to follow him on the twatterverse that the timbers had made a coaching decision and the contract offer was in the hands of the chosen one. cue the endless speculation.

as i suggested last week, and as many others have as well thanks to a fella over at the washington post so i cannot take credit for breaking any sort of news, the forerunner of the timbers pursuit appears to be caleb porter. now, rumours are not news, but they certainly anticipate and suggest the news. after dropping that little bomb on the twatterverse, gca wrote that his mythical sources, whom we all know as gavin and/or merrritt, informed him that indeed caleb porter was offered the job. so the rumours have now become something like news because the sources have spoken.

merritt remains silent on the subject, which is ironic given he chooses to speak on every other subject. frankly, the timbers front office have been entirely too secretive about the managerial search. that silence has frustrated many of us who have been waiting for any hint or sniff at what the timbers may have in mind. which brings me back to rumours. because we want to know what is transpiring within the front office but are given no indication that something is actually happening other than multiple interviews and tactical inquiries mixed in with the occasional advisement on player acquisition, rumours will develop. without any official news, i expect it to continue like wildfire until gca’s sources decide to make it official.

but given a name has been positively identified not just by some east coast fish wrapper, but also cubbie and his hometown fishwrap, i think it is time we can entertain what this means for timbers. first, if the timbers do in fact hire porter, they are getting a young and well-respected name. while he failed to qualify for the 2012 olympics with the united states mens national team u-23 side, the fact that at 37 he has been retained to manage that squad is indication of the regard for his quality.

second, while only an opinion based on my reading, he strikes me as a true student of the game. this to me is a key component in any coach. unlike his predecessor, who was stuck clinging onto an antiquated form of football, porter appears to have an appetite to learn, include those newly earned lessons into his coaching, and adapt for the times. one of my biggest complaints about spencer is that he rigidly and stubbornly held onto the belief that a team can win by relying on the old school play of crossing balls into the 18 yard box for a number 9 to head home. times have changed and with them so has football. understanding that trend, on the off-season porter has taken several trips to europe in order to learn techniques, training skills, tactics, proper sideline attire (to scarf or not to scarf), and the like from some of europe’s elite clubs. while he may not be pep guardiola, i think his cv includes a few weeks observing pep’s work at la masia.

third, through his continued educational excursions into europe he has likely developed a broader net of contacts for potential talent. while gavin’s talent pool of oceania and the nether regions of bogata are great, a bit of european flair may do this side some good. in addition to the european connections, porter also has his attachments to the usmnt and the us football programs in general. he scouts local talent and has won a national championship with his picks.

one thing that does concern me is whether he may be too naive yet to handle the job. not glossing over the loss to canada, but he will be stuck in what we supporters might consider a power struggle between a desired autonomy and doing as gavin tells him to do. this is a fella who ran his own program and who is likely not well-equipped to accept puppet strings. however, listening to his assessment of akron’s win against ohio state, you would think the match was made in heaven. he ticks all the right sound bites, the platitudes, and makes countless references to the converting chances, taking chances, being more clinical, and finishing.

finally, to consider one of the highlights of his coaching career consider this victory over the mexican u-23 in february 2012. aside from the fabulous commentary, you will notice the attempt at forming a disciplined defense, which saved the u-23 bacon on a number of occasions. conversely, it was defensive naiveté that prompted this recent lowlight in his coaching career. ultimately, this is the type of football  we can expect to see played if he makes his way to portland (excuse the lame soundtrack–the absolute garbage people consider music these days is frustrating–i suggest watching with the sound on mute).

regardless, until merritt has recovered from the herniated disc, i doubt we will hear anything on this front. he does like to participate in announcements.

have a great day

sunshine

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Player Ratings vs. Vancouver

Posted on August 27, 2012 | 4 Comments

You can talk about all of the positives that you want, but the simple fact of the matter is that there is nothing like winning. Given that we hadn’t done it in eight matches, it felt pretty good. And then, of course, there was the fact that the win came against our old rivals from up British Columbia way, which is always sweet. A lot of good things went on in that match. Foremost among them was that the team took another real step toward developing an actual identity. Much as I’ve talked about the things that Kris Boyd can bring to the team, one cannot avoid the conclusion that shifting him out of the starting lineup has had salutary effects on the way this team attacks.

Before going on to the actual ratings, I feel the need to break up the warm fuzzies by point out that, not for the first time, we gave up a really egregious goal in this match. It’s hard to know what was more irritating: the fact that two opposing attackers ended up completely alone at the far post, or the fact that the Timbers failed to close out the half with a lead. This could easily have cost us the result, and it illustrates the fact that, although we’ve gotten back on the right track lately, there is still a lot of work to do in terms of sorting out the fundamentals before we can really say we’ve turned a corner.

1. Donovan Ricketts: His best game so far as a Timber, although the sample size is still pretty small. He really saved our bacon in the 49th minute. Less impressively, he made an ill-conceived charge for a ball in the 72nd minute and was only bailed out by Smith’s header off the line. Otherwise, he was positionally solid and did a good job of distribution. His tosses up the pitch in the direction of Songo’o kept the right side of Vancouver’s defense honest and added a dimension that had not been present with Perkins (meaning no disrespect of course). 5

12. David Horst: Closed down well and got his body in the way of a lot of things. He played with a really spikey demeanor all match and that’s important given that Vancouver are the league’s nasty boys. A smart and energetic effort. He gets an extra point for getting elbowed in the face by Darren Mattocks. 6

33. Hanyer Mosquera: Partnered well with Horst and added an element of aggression that was needful given the absence of our usual midfield enforcer. He got up and chipped in on offense from time to time, which is obviously not the primary element of his brief, be constituted a nice addition to his performance. However, he should have been looking to the far post when the goal happened. It didn’t cost us, but it easily could have, and thus his rating must take a bit of a hit. 4

14. Steven Smith: After a few visits from Mr. Hyde, it was quite nice to see Dr. Jeckyll for a change. He was solid on defense (which as well all know is not always the case) and got forward well. He put in a really beautiful cross that Dike nearly buried (and how sweet would that have been). Read the danger and cleared a ball off the line in the 72nd minute, saving the day for us all. After some shaky performances, Smith got himself back to the mean. 5

15. Kosuke Kimura: He wore a mask all night to protect his broken nose after nearly getting brained by Tim Cahill in our previous match. He mostly kept things in front of him and did a good job of distributing the ball into midfield. He marked no one in the lead up to Vancouver’s goal for reasons only he will know. Other than that, he did well. 4

17. Eric Alexander: Deputized for Diego Chará in midfield and made a good showing. He’s not as mobile as Chará, but he really ran his socks off and let Vancouver’s midfielders know that he was about on numerous occasions. He didn’t add a whole lot in attack, but he was on there to do a job, and for 79 minutes he did it. 6

6. Darlinton Nagbe: There are a couple of legitimate candidates for Man of the Match this week, but Nagbe gets my vote. His growth as an attacking midfielder continues apace. He used his speed and technical ability to excellent effect all night, running at defenders and putting himself in dangerous places. Scored the opener, his third in three matches, and could have had one or two more as well. He really seems to be benefiting from the more dynamic attack that the Timbers have been using of late. He was simply the best thing we had going all night. 7.5

8. Frank Songo’o: Seemed to be getting kicked a lot by the Caps defenders, and every time he went down my heart was in my throat. He’s really come on in the last few matches, and his performance on Saturday night was once again first rate. He ran at defenders and threatened the goal repeatedly. His free kick for the goal was well taken, although Cannon should really have done a bit better. All in all, a very good night. 7

19. Bright Dike: His time away from the team with L.A. Blues seems to have galvanized him in terms of his desire to show that he can play at this level. The more playing time he’s had, the better he’s looked. He used his strength well and got himself into dangerous places. He missed scoring the opener by a matter of inches on a well taken header from Smith’s cross. Another step in the right direction. 6

7. Sal Zizzo: I really love this guy. He is like the Energizer Bunny: he just keeps going and going and going. Ran hard all night and really hassled people. He worked well with Songo’o, Nagbe, and Dike. His performances of late have contributed to the renovation of the team’s offense. 6

22. Rodney Wallace: Came on for Alexander and did a good job of keeping things solid in midfield. 5

30. Lovel Palmer: Inserted late for Nagbe and did what needed to be done. 5

10. Danny Mwanga: Just a brief cameo, but he did get forward effectively and put in a nice cross that Zizzo just missed flushing. 5

It was a good night in the Rose City, but of course, it was just one win. We’ve taken a step. Can we take the next one?

Magadh

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the streak is over, susan lucci!

Posted on August 26, 2012 | 4 Comments

it was a long and inglorious streak. one i would like to forget but most assuredly will tell remember when stories in the years to come. and when i do tell those stories, knowing they were preceded by an unbearable winless streak as the one the timbers faithful have suffered through i will start them with yesterday’s game.

having suffered through failure after failure in the last 8 games, i had little hope the timbers would walk off the pitch at 2130 with anything more than the applause from the supporters. however, 3 minutes into the first half that familiar feeling of dread i have come to hold as closely as a security blanket began to wear off. aside from the notable exclusion of the naughty diego chara, what has now become the favored starting eleven pushed the play in the whitecaps half through the industry sal zizzo on the right wing. it was that industry and the respect the whitecaps had for zizzo that opened space up for nagbe and alexander to move the ball around in the middle of the pitch. in the 4 minute, nagbe took advantage of the extra attention zizzo received from alain rochat to drive into vancouver’s 18 yard box only to lift his shot too high in an attempt to curl around the caps’s keeper, joe cannon. while nagbe would have been better served side-footing low and inside to the near post, because he had cannon leaning to cover the far post, nagbe’s movement to goal was very promising.

11 minutes later, nagbe connected with franck songoo, who had a rip at goal from 18 yards out on the left side. the effort was saved, but looked dangerous from the northend—a powerful and low, arching shot that required a good save from joe cannon.

the momentum was building. the timbers retained possession, won the midfield duals, and forced the whitecaps on their back foot. the two teams may have traded a few kicks in the center of the pitch, but for the majority of the first half the timbers escaped with the ball at their feet. it is rare that i give him praise these days, but captain forever was instrumental in shepherding the side forward—he stabilized the backfour, playing a disciplined lateral game rather than succumbing to his typical desire to push forward which leaves the back four exposed. it may have been due to chara’s absence, but i will give him the benefit of the doubt.

the first missed chance came off a steven smith cross into the caps six yard box. smith laced the ball in from the left side the bright dike, who beat jay demerit to the ball. unfortunately his header hit the post and careened back into play. aside from holding up the ball, dike’s only other contribution to the match was being a passenger.

finally, in the 41 minute, nagbe scored. what a goal and what a testament to the possession play of this side. alexander received a long, cross field pass from dike. he quickly turns to his left to find captain forever running into space. jack took alexnader’s pass in stride, looked to his left to see nagbe on the far side of dane richards. with a quick touch, jack threads a needle with nagbe as nagbe splits richards, y.p. lee (yes, you will always be tottenham scum, scum), and the underwhelming andy o’brien. nagbe dribbled with his left foot, switched to his right and then fired to the lower right hand corner of goal. joe cannon, you got beat. and, to be quite honest, anyone who wears plum like you wore plum should be made to look a right plum. 1-0.

this would not be a timbers game without at the very least one complete cockup of a goal. that came in the 46 minute of the first half. as offside as kenny miller’s goal appeared—it was not. that goal was gifted to him by, yup, you guessed right: the timbers back four. specifically, david horst. it goes without saying that at least once a game horst forgets his positioning and goes walk-about. following a wrongly awarded corner, the ball was cleared to the edge of the 18 yard box and fell to the feet of jay demerit. both teams shifted forward and as they did kenny miller remained glued 6 yards off the right corner of the 6 yard box. horst lazily walks forward, behind kimura, and, for some unknown and inexplicable reason, he begins to dart to the left side of the box and played miller on side. after having missed one shot, demerit found miller unmarked with yards of daylight. he crossed the ball and miller had little else to do but bury it for 1-1. absolutely shocking defense and not unexpected from horst.

all season the timbers have begun the second half sluggishly, detached from the game, and have quite often been punished for their inattentive play. the same response was expected last night, following the late goal. whether a sign of maturity or desperation, the timbers came out and played a second half worthy of the first 45 minutes of the first half. they came out and quickly put the caps on their heels. dike and zizzo connected for a couple shots, one forced a good save from cannon. but for all the offensive pressure the caps were placed under, it would be a set piece that made the difference.

in the 55 minute, dike was 10 yards outside of the whitecaps box and a free kick was awarded. one of the benefits of the recent emergence of franck songoo as an offensive option is the fact captain forever has been taken off the free kick duties. rather than the predictable and often ineffective, toe-poke, franck has injected a directness to the free-kick duties. needless to say, it was a welcomed appearance last night when he stepped to the ball and curled it around a leaping kenny miller to place it in the lower right corner. while joe cannon could have done better in his limited attempt to save franck’s effort,iI surely did not complain and i think 20000 others in the jw did not either. 2-1.

after that, the timbers did their best impersonation of  a side attempting to lock down a much needed win. there were further attempts on goal, but for the better part of the second half the timbers played pure possession tactics. and it worked. of course, there were moments when the caps threatened. scary moments, indeed. but the lads stood up to them.

much has been written and argued about the ricketts/perkins trade. some of which has maligned donovan before he was ever able to stand before the northend. last night he did more than stand, he made several blinding saves to keep the timbers within hope’s reach of a win. though it was not his save that salvaged the win, it was the save made by another overly maligned player.

in the 74 minute the caps had a decent amount of possession and they used it well. they put pressure on the timbers right side. dane richards again worked the ball past captain forever and then again past kimura. ricketts rather aggressively closes down the distance between richards and goal. he makes a fine save, but unfortunately the ball rebounds to camillo sanvezzo. at that point, ricketts was well of his line and well committed to the play. again, he charged after the ball. camillo smartly roles past the big man and looked to have curled home the ball that would add another game to the winless streak. however, steven smith played his position superbly. he pulled back and sat on the goal line, awaiting the oncoming shot. the forethought to get back there saved the timbers faithful further heartbreak. as camillo’s shot curled in, the ginger defender leapt about as high as a ginger defender can leap to reach the ball and clear it from the box. only an errant and ill-advised shot from jun davidson would allow the side to breath. excellent. absolutely excellent defending. while it does not make up for some of the gaffs we have seen this season, it sure helped us forget a few.

the last 15 minutes were nail-bitingly miserable, especially when darren mattocks came on for john thorrington. however, mattocks assuaged any fear of another late minute equalizer by putting the reducer on david horst. whether the mls has now become overly cautious or the ref actually wanted to get the call right, we had to wait a few seconds as the replay was there for everyone to see. red card and the walk of shame. down a man and with little offensive creativity to be found in the right foot of barry robson, the timbers hope of survival was improved.

there were many moments within the match that can be touched upon–the political movements, the protests, the two-sticks of despair–but the most important thing to discuss and remember about last night was the resolve of the side to break a very painful and ugly streak. well done, lads. well done.

 

enjoy this one.

sunshine

 

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The Pitfalls of Twitter

Posted on August 25, 2012 | 7 Comments

I must admit to being a little depressed after having read Shecky’s column yesterday. I stay off of Twitter generally. In the first place, I just don’t enjoy it, and in the second, I think it promotes a kind of pseudo-communication that is pernicious to human culture. Another reason that I avoid it, and I assume that this is actually one of the attractions for people that like it, is that it provides an opportunity for people to do extremely foolish things in public. And public is exactly what it is. Saying something stupid on Twitter is, in many ways, comparable to running up to people in the street and annoying them. One benefit, I suppose, is that the immediate prospect of being boxed on the ears is excluded by the fact that one is not in physical proximity to others. On the other hand, thanks to the internet there are a lot more people out their able to witness your foolishness.

During one nationally televised match this season, one of the commentators noted that Merritt Paulson had, at one point, imposed a Twitter ban on himself. I humbly suggest that it is now time to close that account for good. The spectacle of the team’s owner in a public dispute with supporters on the interweb is unseemly, to put it mildly. I’m still trying to wrap my head around what would prompt someone to do this. As an organization, the Timbers have media people whose sole purpose in their working life is to structure the ways that the team relates to the supporting public. The wisdom of organizing things in this way has been illustrated so many times in the history of public life that deviations from this approach simply beggar belief. It’s kind of like deciding to try heroin. You’ve heard the stories. You’ve seen episodes of Law and Order. Maybe you’ve even read a few rock biographies. Everyone knows it’s a bad idea; the examples that prove it are legion. Why would you think that your case would be any different?

The most aggravating thing about it is that, given what a poor season we are having, one would think that people associated with the team would be alive to the idea that things that make the situation worse should be avoided. The supporters have a right to offer criticism. That is just how it is. You might think that the criticism is unjustified. In that case, the proper solution is to ignore it. This is public relations theory 101. I understand that the people running the show must be frustrated. They have to understand that we are too. The relationship between a club and its supporters is, at least in certain respects, like a marriage. It’s something that we all (or at least very many) are passionate about. Those of you who are married will know that there will be arguments, especially in hard times. A certain amount of diplomacy within the household is crucial to keeping things together for the long haul.

Ok, end of screed. Except to say: please MP, stay off of Twitter.

On a less depressing note, tonight we have another chapter in the chase for the Cascadia Cup as the Whitecaps visit the friendly confines. Supporters will recall their visit in May: a 1-1 draw during which a familiar plot line played itself out. Kris Boyd put us in front midway through the second half, but we were unable to hold the lead, conceding a late goal to the pacey Darren Mattocks about 90 seconds after he came on the pitch. At the time, it was a tremendously frustrating result. The team seemed to be on the verge of turning a corner, having just beaten the Fire after two consecutive scoreless draws. In the wake of that match our inconsistent form continued: loss to the Gals, victory against the Sounders (of glorious memory), spanked by Colorado, victory against the Quakes. Then, of course, the bottom dropped out of the tub.

Vancouver has actually had a pretty solid season in their sophomore year in the MLS. They’ve done a better job of talent scouting than we have and they’ve won twice as many games so far. Perhaps the most impressive statistic about the Caps is that they have managed to keep 9 clean sheets so far this season. Although they haven’t scored a huge number of goals, they tends to be very solid at the back. They are a very solid mid-table team, with the very solid Jay Demerit in midfield and led in scoring the Mattocks. Their overall level of competitiveness is illustrated by the fact that they are only six points behind second place FSL.

The Timbers side that will take the field against them is quite different than that from earlier this season. A new keeper, two new fullbacks, and an attack that seems to shift in terms of personnel and approach from week to week. Having watched last week’s match a few times, I definitely think that there is some reason for optimism. Bright Dike seems to improve every time that he is run out. Perhaps more importantly, Darlinton Nagbe seems finally to be growing into the role of attacking central midfielder. One always knew that he had the tools, but it’s only recently that he’s really managed to employ them to best effect. I think that this has a lot to do with the higher back line and the partnership that this has allowed him to form with Chará. It’s important for a guy like Nagbe, who simply is not the most physically imposing fellow ever to play the game, to have an enforcer nearby to help him with winning ball and to give the team a tougher spine in the middle of the park. With a tighter formation, this seems to be a role that Chará is now able to play.

The question that I have is this: will we see Kris Boyd? It looked to me as if the Timbers offense was a lot more dynamic against New York. Partly this had to do with the fact that Zizzo and Dike move a lot better and are less dependent on getting the right kind of service. Moreover, the fact that Boyd is the franchise player means that there is a certain pressure when he is on the pitch to run the offense through him to the exclusion of other options. The recent personnel moves in the team suggest that changes are in the offing. Tonight’s lineup card might give us some clues about the directions that it will take.

The Caps are coming off two straight losses. We are currently tied with them for the lead in the Cascadia Cup. This is one of the few real goals that we can still pursue this season. Come on you greens!

Magadh

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The Shecky Green Column

Posted on August 24, 2012 | 5 Comments

As a new convert to the benefits of twitter, I have learned it is really easy to stick your foot in a pile of muck. Whether intentional or he is just oblivious to his twitter farts, Merritt has taken a few far too many. Recently he has offended a good number of the Timbers Army, calling them idiots and morons.

I have been reading his tweets over the last few months and I have one thing to say: Merritt Paulson needs to cancel his twitter account. He comes off as a petulant brat, a spoiled rich kid, and often a jerk nearly every time he takes the time to cram some holier than thou missive into 140 characters or less. His tweeting is condescending. Like he is insecure enough to think that all of our love and admiration will help him feel less insecure, and that tweeting will prove that he isn’t insecure. Perhaps it comes from being the son of a hippie who followed Bob Dylan around when she was younger, but his sense of entitlement has finally smacked me in the face.

I know people love the fact he is so accessible. I know they may even love it because he feels like a real, social media friend when he makes personal tweets. But I fail to see how a friend, even a real social media friend can get away with calling his friends morons and idiots. I love being called a moron, especially by Merritt. I get enough abuse from sunshine (and I am sure I will receive some for this post), that looking forward to being abused by a man I pay a rather good chunk of change to seems, well, either masochistic or just stupid.

I feel that my money gives me the right to complain about the management and the way things are going with this team. Yes, I am a noob and new to this love of the Timbers, but I am not such a noob to misunderstand the difference between good and bad. It must be a lonely place, defending Gavin while the majority of us in the Northend ask for his head on a stake, but that does not give him the right to call the people who make it possible for him to stay in business morons.

Perhaps the entitlement has warped his noggin so much that he believes because he made it possible for the Timbers to go into the MLS that we should actually thank him, not criticize him and his buddy Gavin. Whether he asks for it or not, I really think Merritt wants us fans to kiss his ass, not Gavin’s. But engaging in a war of words with his moronic fans and supporters he turns into a moron. It is embarrassing. I read the interactions and wonder what the rest of the MLS must think of us.

Even if Merritt is frustrated with the results, the results don’t change as a result of his idiotic tweets. Nobody is getting what they want—us a new GM and Merritt an end to the frustrations of an Army. Unfortunately, all Merritt is doing is stoking the fire and adding a target to his own back.

But the recent outburst at unhappy members of the Timbers Army was not the beginning. There was the well documented social media battle with Eric Wynalda. Ironically, Merritt called him a twitter train wreck, on twitter, like a twitter train wreck. I hope in the current train wreck does not end like that one. We all know what it felt like when Wynalda and Cal FC humiliated the Timbers, and Merritt. Again, as karma has it, when you act like a moron you look like a moron. But even the humiliation of that loss was not enough to keep him off Twitter and away from Wynalda.

Whatever made Merritt believe that it was ok to initiate the attack on Wynalda seemed to grab ahold of him again. We have all wondered who the next coach would be. But Merritt made certain to let us know who it would not be, treating him like a second class citizen in the process. Tweeting to Wynalda:

@Wynalda11 eric – how can “no” be an answer if you have never even had a conversation let alone an interview? I’m confused here.

That was the third tweet directed in a smarmy and unprofessional manner at a guy Merritt called a train wreck. Either Merritt is trying to start another public argument or he is an idiot and a moron, neither really favorable reviews. Just shut up and hire a good coach!

I don’t need reassuring, do I? I have to believe he is doing his job without him getting on the smartphone to remind me he is a moron. Just let this happen through the next article published by his bro, GCA.

So here’s hoping he meant what he tweeted when he wrote:

The days of me responding to supporters on twitter regularly may be over. too easy to take 140 characters out of context.

The Timbers have given the rest of the league plenty to laugh about this season without Merritt stuffing his silver foot in his mouth. As Mark Twain said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

RCTID,

Shecky

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Player Ratings vs. The Energy Drinks

Posted on August 23, 2012 | 1 Comment

Well, I’m back and I’ve survived a week of exile in a station buried a quarter mile underneath the polar ice cap. I guess I’ve learned my lesson about cavorting with members of organized crime. But when you’re offered a truckload of free cannolis. In any event, I’ve had a chance to watch that match again (and again). How depressing.

1. Donovan Ricketts: You couldn’t really blame him for the first two goals, and he made some pretty dynamite saves in the second half. I have to say that the third goal was a real botch. I didn’t really see him do anything that Troy Perkins could have done just as well. 4

12. David Horst: This match will probably not make many contributions to Horst’s highlight reel for the season. It seemed like Red Bull attackers were finding space to work in the Timbers box practically every time down the pitch. He and Mosquera really didn’t seem to be on the same page for much of the game. This was a match in which central defense was going to be crucial if we were to have any chance of getting a result. 3

33. Hanyer Mosquera: Played marginally better than Horst. His positioning was better than that of his partner, but that kind of dysfunction in central defense really takes two people to orchestrate. There were a number of times when, as mentioned above, he and Horst really didn’t seem to have a very good understanding of how they were supposed to provide mutual support. Against a team featuring Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill (not to mention the league’s leading goal scorer), that was a recipe for a poor result. 4

14. Steven Smith: Another Mr. Hyde match for Smith. He persistently gave too much space on the wing and cross after cross came in from the right side. He was really at sea on the third goal, which was really maddening, since it came at the kind of time of a match where you would think that players would put a premium on focus. Grim. 3

15. Kosuke Kimura: Far and away the star of the backline. He gave his usual energetic performance and didn’t get caught out of position as is his wont. He was having a pretty good game until he got nutted by Tim Cahill. As an aside, I have a lot of respect for Cahill as a player, but he has an irritating tendency to engage in cheap stuff like that. Since his actions were abetted by the entire officiating crew, he got no negative reinforcement for doing so. Anyway, Kimura did well until they stretchered him off. 6

13. Jack Jewsbury: There are times when Jewsbury works with Chará effectively as a kind of defensive spine that breaks up opposition attacks. Sunday night was not one of those times. Jewsbury was aimless and confused when he wasn’t simply invisible. Part of the problem in terms general defensive malaise afflicting the team. 4

21. Diego Chará: Played quite well I thought. He picked up a booking when Kenny Cooper made a play for this year’s Greg Louganis Award. Should have done better when he ended up one on one with the Gaudette, but then again that’s not really what we’re paying him for, and it’s not like we didn’t create enough chances for other people. 5

6. Darlinton Nagbe: I’ve been pretty critical of Nagbe over the course of the season. There were a lot of games where he didn’t really look the part. Lately he’s really started to get it together as an attacking central midfielder. For me, this problem was that, while he was very quick, he hadn’t really mastered the technical skills necessary to be effective at this level. Well, he’s really made progress. When he scored after 32 minutes (a really beautifully taken goal by the way), it seemed as if we were well on our way to a result. It was not to be, but Nagbe’s contribution to the positive showing that we made offensively was considerable. 7

8. Frank Songo’o: He continues to play well, running at defenders and generally adding to the overall level of attacking aggression. However, Songo’o has a bit of a dilemma. He’s clearly been urged by the coaching staff to get forward. He has not received similar stimulus to get back. Steven Smith has his problems in defense, but his situation would be helped if Songo’o would give him a bit of cover. This Songo’o seems singularly disinclined to do. If this team is going to improve, it’s going to be a matter of everyone giving maximum effort, and that means playing both ways. 5

7. Sal Zizzo: I love Sal Zizzo. He runs. He seems to have a positive attitude every minute he’s on the pitch. On Sunday, he was the straw that stirred the drink, setting up two goals and creating a lot of other chances as well. At times, Zizzo has struggled to find a role. Now he seems to have found one. 7.5

19. Bright Dike: Another strong showing from Dike. Opened the scoring quite nicely in the eighth minute and looked dangerous for the whole time he was out there. He seems to be getting time now on a sort of faut de meiux sort of basis and he’s making the most of it. 6

30 Lovel Palmer: Came on after Tim Cahill knocked Kimura out of the game with an elbow to the face. He didn’t really impress, and for many of the same reasons that cost him his place in the side in the first place. 4

22. Rodney Wallace: Came on for Songo’o and was kind of a letdown. It was not a coincidence that we stopped making chances late in the match. 3

2. Mike Fucito: By the time he came on the die had really been cast and it really seemed like our offense had stalled. Fucito worked hard, as his typically does, but didn’t create much of substance. 4

Well, that whole thing left a reallybad  taste in my mouth, and I’m sure it did in many of yours as well. I saw that quote at the end of sunshine post yesterday to the effect that Gavin Wilkinson was going nowhere. On the strength of that performance, neither are the Timbers.

Magadh

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our unlikeable man in 18th and morrison

Posted on August 22, 2012 | 6 Comments

well, it was wonderful to see that the low-finance world of german espionage was able to release magadh for a post match review. from what i understand ice station zebra has limited cellular reception during the northern lights and requires some skillful attention to the old pothead ingenuity. it amazes me that regardless of the ice shelf, the polar bears, and the long melt, he was able to save enough tinfoil, chocolate milk caps to twist together well enough to resemble a television antenna.

i am not certain, but i think angela merkl may have banished him for certain remarks he made in defense of the italian mob. a predilection for off the cuff statements is never a valued character trait in international politics.

which brings me to football. because there has been very little to tittle-tattle about since the utter defensive turd taken on sunday, we might as well discuss the continuing issues that plague this side. no, i am not referring to a complete inability of the central defense to care to defend properly, nor am i referring to the continued discipline issues of our best midfielder. what i am referring to is the fact the timbers are still without a head coach. i know it was likely too much to ask for the front office to actually have a cogent plan in place when they used the now classic “philosophical differences” to justify giving spencer the boot, but the use of the term ”philosophical differences” actually implied they had some idea where they were going. nearly two months and an eight game winless streak later there is no indication that a plan exists.

sure, there are whispers caleb porter is the prefered candidate of the front office for the head coach, but those are just whispers. if you do not already know it, i am one for a good rumor. typically when i hear or read a good one i like to stoke the fire and give you lot the ins and outs. but this is one rumor i am not going to entertain. frankly, the whisper that started the whispers was so vague anyone who wanted to believe any whisper about a potential head coach signing could find reason to believe that whisper. i am glad to know that the timbers front office and caleb porter like one another, but until the whisper becomes a page on the official site it remains a whisper. if more develops on this one, i will willingly tell you all about his failure to lead the usmnt u-23 to the 2012 olympics.

when it comes to hiring a new coach with the qualified philosophical and ideological genomes, the only indication the front office has a plan was given to us by merritt when he said he was shocked that the timbers head coach was such an attractive gig. even if there was a plan (i do not believe there was one), and even if caleb porter is the prefered candidate in the “i like you, you like me” mutual decision to combine forces and see where this thing takes us, it does not matter if things remain as they are in the timbers front office. even if jurgen klopp determined to leave borussia dortmund to bring the timbers back from the ashes of the 2012, sophomoric jinx, the fact gavin still remains in charge would doom one of the best managers in football to failure.

coaching football in the mls is not a job exclusive to only mls bread coaches. to suggest such a strange nepotism is necessary because the game is so different fails to acknowledge that football is football. the issue with the mls resides in the brain trust that brings players into the league, that can settle the accounts, that can adhere to the rigid cap restrictions, and that can identify quality players to fill the different and absurd roster designations. because the mls is the only league in professional football currently instituting a player and salary structure as it does, any mls side requires someone who has been trained in the ways of the mls. consequently, it is my opinion the only managerial position in an mls side that requires mls experience is the general manager slot. while he may have 1.5 years of on-the-job-training, gavin has really mucked up that process and has left the timbers in an unenviable last place.

now, i am not an adherent or supporter of the hashtag gwout movement, but i understand it. i simply believe there is better and more constructive way to engage in the debate against gavin’s employment than such a contentious and polemical use of social media. if the last 6 years, the last year and a half, even the last 8 games, has not persuaded the owner that gavin is not the man to transform this club into a respectable institution of football, the debate on social media certainly will not have an effect

in order to gain any informed opinion about gavin you need only look to his recent player development and acquisition skills. judging gavin should be as easy as returning to a question the exiled magadh asked yesterday: what is kris boyd’s role? to further that searching inventory, we could ask what is the current role of eric alexnader? or of the young danny mwanga? mike fucito? more importantly, what is the purpose of having these players in the squad when they are either not being used or being used properly? these are players gavin brought in, on purpose, yet they sit unused and without purpose, or used other than the purpose they were intended.

when it comes to a trade, gavin exercises less personal control than bob whitsitt. this is the reality of gavin. which indicates he has no philosophical direction other than believing change is the only constant. he may believe he is building an mls caliber side, but his constant changes only deplete the chemistry within the squad or fail to adequately address its needs. this is a conversation i often have with mine and magadh’s fishy friend from up north. regardless of his flounders affiliation, our friend knows football and he cannot believe what gavin has done to this club through player interaction. that says it all.

arguments in support of caleb porter being hired as the new timbers head coach often include the fact he knows american soccer and he is a good recruiter. if he is hired, do not think for one minute that caleb porter will be recruiting or bringing in american talent to the timbers. gavin controls the type of player that comes in and the regions they come from.

but these are acceptable little peccadilloes in the owners mind, unworthy of any concern. and, regardless of the open acknowledgement that the supporters made this club, the owner still calls the shots. with his recent social media tirade, i think it was made clear the polemical was not well received. this is disturbing given how the club’s situation has not improved since extinguishing the philosophical differences. i cannot take heart knowing that the front office is in pursuit of a coach whose ideals will resemble their/his own. if that is the case, i expect continued player turnover, a continued lack of direction, the continued inconsistent plan, and a continued inability to relate to the supporters. this is what you can look forward to, because, as the owner said, gavin is going nowhere.

that does not bode well for the future.

sunshine.

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