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The Gavin Wilkinson problem

Here we are, two weeks after GW was named interim coach. And it can be argued that the Timbers have taken steps backwards in that time frame. I was willing to be patient for this season, and still am, but it's painfully obvious that something is deeply wrong with the Timbers right now.

The question now is "how long do we give Gavin", and after last night, I think the answer is "buh-bye". But then I stopped and thought about it more and I realized that we might be stuck with Gavin and his mess for the rest of the season.

The problem with getting rid of Gavin as coach right now is deeper than "who can fill in for the fill in" - that's easy enough to solve. The problem is one of external perception, particularly among potential coaching candidates. Letting go of the interim coach right now would make the Timbers look like an even bigger trainwreck than they are; would you as a coach looking for a job want to step in a situation that is that much of a mess? And if you did, would you not want the Timbers to pay you well over the odds to do so? There's almost no way the Timbers can go with Coach #3 this season if they want to be a serious destination for a good coach.

So, frustratingly, I think the Timbers might have to stick with GW for the rest of the season. Which then brings up the next question: If GW's acquisitions get pasted 5-0, is the problem with GW as a coach, or GW as a GM? That's a bigger, more fundamental question, and one that I think we're starting to see the answer to. I honestly can't see how, at the end of GW's coaching search, MP doesn't pull Gavin into his office and say "hey man - thanks for your service, thanks for helping out as coach after Spencer, here's a nice severance and a plaque, and there's the door".

I get that Gavin's been around. I get that he's a link to the USL days. But I also get that he's the Ryan Pore of MLS general managers - he's completely out of his depth at this level, and it shows more every single week. I think the rest of this season will be an exercise in "how much beer will it take me to get through this s**tshow" every weekend" (I would like to sincerely apologize to my liver on behalf of the Timbers), but I sincerely hope that this off-season sees the Timbers reboot everything. Let Gavin go, clear out several players, and start over, because what's going on now clearly isn't working.

He did what we all wanted last night - he shook up the roster quite a bit, and the results were worse than any of us could have expected, even given the Timbers' dire road form. At this point, what would you do? Would you let Gavin coach the rest of the season? Does Gavin return as GM next season?

This FanPost was written by a Stumptown Footy community member and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the site or its staff.

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