A call for Patience: The Timbers will get there

As of yesterday I believe the timbers are 5 points behind 9th and 10th place SKC and Chivas.

It’s like you’re asking people to keep a lid on obvious criicism, which goes against instinct… and makes blogs like this far less interesting (just sayin’).

Always patting the players on the back when they play poorly only enables them to continue with bad habits, which disables them imo (I write imo so you don’t accuse me of absolutes again). Sometimes they do need that pat on the back, sometimes they need a kick in the rear. It’s the manager’s job to do that though. The fans will always be up and down.

What we think, post, or tweet has no influence on how they play… or it should not anyway. Players probably shouldn’t be reading this stuff anyhow. Sing, chant, be generally supportive and optimistic for the next game… yes, of course. But we can’t magically make them play better just by putting on a happy face.

I’ll be at the next home game and excited like always.

They refuse to wait that last 15 minute to get their point(s).

In all seriousness, though, I think people are more likely to come around the forum to ask ‘What the hell?’ than to say ‘Hell yeah!’ The griping and impatience (of which I am certainly guilty) after a loss can be somewhat cathartic, and I don’t think it is necessarily a real accurate view of the complete outlook of a fan or fans.

of the current squad? Not “untouchable” per say, but people who are currently here, who you see as starters on a great team?

I’m thinking maybe Perkins, Brunner, Chara, Alhassan, Nagbe, and maybe Perlaza?

just wondering who others think we should build around?

get put together. Nagbe has shown that he has gotten away from his injury issues and seems to be coming into form. The new formation seems to have helped him step on the gas and really show why he was considered the best player in NCAA last year.

The second half of West Brom aside, I think that defense is beginning to come more into form. With the addition of Palmer and Chabala I hope that we can see a more fluid unit that works better together. I think that Palmer showed flashes of what we can expect in the future once he gets more comfortable with our system. The familiarity with Spencer should help our new players move into their roles quickly and the added depth they bring should establish some clarity as to what our defense is going to look like.

The main area that I see, other than our overall depth, is our forwards. In the 4-5-1 you really need to have a player who is comfortable and creative on their own, and I think that Perlaza is quite that player yet (nor is Cooper). While I like what I have seen from him, he just always seems hesitant when he is out there by himself, which does us no good when he is supposed to be the primary scoring option in the 4-5-1. While I like what I have seen from the formation overall and it has essentially allowed no goals the past 2 games (disregarding one of the stranger own goals I’ve seen in a while) it has made our already questionable offense essentially non-existent. Part of me hopes that Dike can get into game shape and become this player, but as we have already seen USL success does not already equal MLS success.

The final area of concern that I commented on last night is the fact that our players seemed to be gassed after the 70-75th minute. This speaks to an issue of conditioning, but I do not see how this could improve until the off-season when they players/coaches can focus solely on it, something that couldn’t happen since the team was still being put together.

Though I have put my thoughts/concerns out there, I am not freaking out/calling for Spencer’s head/wanting to implode the team. I think that we around the lower end of where we should be (I say this because of all the last minutes goals). The reality is that we have 15 games and 45 points still on the table. I know the past few months have been hard, but for most of those games we have been in it (with the exception of Chivas and FC Dallas) and we almost went the distance with one of the top teams in the Eastern table last night. There are very clear areas that need to be worked on, but I think we are starting to see flashes of what this team can truly become. Our record may not look great, but it could be worse (just visit any Whitecaps blogs).

Anyway, those are my thoughts for now.

RCTID

I wasn’t expecting the Timbers to do much this season. Expansion teams always take time to gel. I think a lot of people got misled, in a way, by the 5-0 home start, and were fooled into thinking the Timbers were a beter team than they actually are, which is why people seem to be so frustrated right now.

I’m in this for the long haul, and I’m certainly nowhere near ready to give up on the Timbers. I don’t really even care what happens the rest of this year, playoff-wise; part of me wants them to miss the playoffs entirely so the team and the fans can focus on next season. I wouldn’t turn down a playoff appearance, don’t get me wrong, but this season is going about as I would have expected it to go and if they fail to make the postseason it will in no way diminish how much fun this season has been for me.

I really hope that the Timbers take a ton of extra shooting practice in the next couple weeks – they’re starting to get better at getting the ball out of midfield (Saturday notwithstanding – that was horrifying), but once they get the ball in a dangerous position they never do anything dangerous with it.

Playoffs or no, this has been a great year to be a Timbers fan, and it’s only half over. Here’s to a better second half.

I’ve just written a piece for “The Vancouver Sun” about what the Whitecaps could learn from the Timbers.

Admittedly it’s mostly off the field stuff, but I guess the definition of a soccer fan is someone who is never happy!

I expected the Timbers to be ‘expansion bad’ but then they kept winning at home, which got everyones hopes up even more, we all got greedy. The NW does not have a traditional ‘powerhouse’ sports franchise, so any sucess a franchise can get is magnified here.

Look at the microscope that the Blazers are under, they are a ‘good’ franchise, but, because they are not ‘great’ everyone has an opinion on how to take the next step.

As for the complaining about players (Guilty!) We all want them to do well, it’s just the frustration of the losses piling up, and not seeing players not produce to the expected levels that they were brought in for.

 The young guys learning their roles in MLS, I’m cutting some slack on, I totally understand that they will be better players in the future for it.

I do think there is the groundwork for a great squad here in place, and for the next few seasons it will be working in new guys to fit the team, while hopefully retaining the ones we need. Since I have no idea how long our guys are signed for, I have no idea what the roster turnover will be like from one season to the next.

As much as I love the competition in MLS, I’d love to watch us demolish Crystal Palace Baltimore just one more time…

If we/you want something that is real, organic, authentic, built from the ground up, then let’s keep our chins up and continue our fanatical support (which is the envy of almost everyone) for our beloved Timbers. We’re still in the honeymoon period, so let’s enjoy the ride!

However, if you want something that is a little more fake, corporate, instant, etc., then perhaps there is another team in the region that would be a better fit for you.