How do you think John Spencer is doing so far? [Poll]
by Geoff Gibson on May 31, 2011 11:45 AM PDT
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Yesterday there was quite the shake up in Vancouver and Chicago as both teams fired their respective head coaches. Looking through the various forums and discussions across the web in regards to said sackings, I noticed how the Whitecaps fans and Fire fans were nearly polar opposites on the day's events where one group was largely angry and the other jubilant, respectively.
Anyway, this got me to thinking about John Spencer and how he has done so far this season. I'll reserve my own judgement for the comments at a later date, but I'd be very interested in how you think he's fairing via the poll and, hopefully, through the comments.
Be as honest as you like. I'm not looking for everybody to agree, I'm just curious to see where a wide spectrum of fans currently sit. If you think he's done a particularly bad job, I'd be especially curious to see your thoughts in the comments.
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My problem is I don't have enough history following MLS to judge Spencer against the usual coaching standard in the league
He’s a decent coach, working with a limited squad, and he’s done reasonably well so far. I’m not sure how many of the flaws of his team are down to him – the “over-reliance” on set pieces is really more down to the quality of the players doing the shooting from open play, which hasn’t been that great. I’m not sure you can coach your way out of having a striker that isn’t a good shooter.
So I think at this point, I would grade Spencer “incomplete” – just as I would the rest of the team. Get back to me after the season and I’ll be more committed to providing a grade.
And he also hasn't had to deal with that many challenges so far
I will be very interested to see if there’s any fallout from the Cooper meltdown on Sunday – that and the shambolic defending against DC (I kinda rule out the first couple games as they were still finding their feet) will be the biggest challenge Spencer’s faced so far this season, I think.
There won't be...
any fallout with regards to Cooper.
I didn’t report on it directly, but in the post-game press conference Spencer said that Cooper apologized and that he (Spencer) isn’t a coach who holds grudges. He expects Cooper to be starting against Chivas although obviously he wouldn’t say for certain.
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by Geoff Gibson on May 31, 2011 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions
That's good to hear.
I was less worried about Spencer’s attitude than Cooper’s, and how that could be managed, but if Cooper apologized then it’s over and done with which is good.
When I listened to the post-game show
heading down to the PT U-23s game, both Captain Jack and KFC said it was done and over with.
by Jeremiah Mitchell Braeback on May 31, 2011 1:23 PM PDT reply actions
I think he's doing everything right.
The squad is what it is and he’s gotten them to perform pretty well. That Dike injury is really bummer because there are no other forwards to pressure Kenny or Jorge (I’m not hating on either, but I think drive is why Alhassan and Zizzo are starting on the wings). That he can’t seem to get the team to practice is problematic, but hopefully this week was a “see, I told you so” moment for the team.
Plus, he will always be legendary for what he said about the flounders. Priceless moment.
Passing out of the backline
For attitude, Spencer is perfect. I second how legendary his post-Flounders comments were. What kind of PacNW team complains about the weather? Even their commentators were complaining about the rain during the RSL match Saturday.
But my gripe is about the long ball clearances from the backline. It’s the same reason I get so frustrated with the USMNT. Our defenders seem to get flustered if they make three passes amongst themselves and then just launch a long ball to a sprinting Perl-ooper completely skipping the midfield completely. We have some very talented and creative midfielders – Alhassan could learn to pass a touch earlier – and the long passes from defense to the forwards cuts them out of the game.
I’m not sure how much this is personnel vs. coaching, but after watching the contrast between the passing of Ajax and our long balls I really longed for some more possession and control.
long ball is what you play
When you have a dearth of technical midfielders and a surfeit of big forwards. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing soccer in the world, but it’s ideal for an expansion team that can’t count on signing the best players in the world starting out and that plays in the rain. There’s a reason why lower budget teams in leagues like the EPL tend to play this kind of football. Add in the opportunity to sign as great a target forward as Cooper, and Portland really can’t justify trying to play any other way.
All due respect to the TA, but while fan support has obviously been important, I think just as important has been the way Spencer has tailored the team to meet its home environment perfectly. An expansion side with the opportunity to sign Cooper in the re-entry draft obviously orients itself towards dump-and-chase set piece play, and this kind of play also works very well with the frequently rainy weather and incredibly narrow pitch that Jeld-Wen offers. His willingness to adapt to local conditions is what’s made Spencer so successful, in my opinion.
So far, he's been good,
Great passion and no-nonsense attitude, but he needs to get the team to improve. They have been stuck with poor service to the Forwards, and the Defense that goes away for long streches.
Part of the problem is the youth of the team, and injuries. But as the season goes on, and these issues aren’t working themselves out, the Coaching staff will have to bear a bit of responsibility.
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