I am with you, I totally understand all the frustrations and disgust you are feeling about the 1 win in 10. Sometimes the play has been amazing and sometimes it has been down right horrid. I have felt the same feelings, the sense of bitter disappointment after the loss to Seattle. The frustration with the last road loss after being the better team for a lot of the first half. The joy of their first home and road win against the same opponent.
I know we as fans, or as the root word suggest fanatics, tend to be really into our teams. Especially here in Portland where the fans are amazing. Just look across town to the other professional organization and how rabid those fans are and you will see how Portland gets into their teams. The Portland Timbers Fan base is already as rabid if not more than any other fans in the league. All of this means that Timbers fans may be a little more prone to the influence of the ups and downs of the team.
So the word of the day is Patience. Below is the definition of the word:
1. the bearing of provocation,annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence:to work with patience.
As you can see there are many different ways patience applies to being the fan of the Timbers. For instance irritation at losses, or at players who are not playing up to the standard we, the fans, expect. Or the bearing of pain at the bitter loss of a rival. Even the suppressing of restlessness fits, as we are all restless for this funk the Timbers are in to be over but we still need to support the team.
Remember this season is long and a lot of the players have not been starting for a team for a whole MLS season. Even those who started almost every game at the USL level have not experienced the same rigors of an MLS season. The Portland Timbers are a decent team, not a good team, not a great team, only a decent team right now.
A decent team that has a shot at making the play-offs this year, but if they don't it is okay. The reason it is okay is because this team has potential. The potential to be good next year and the year after. They have building blocks in place to compete at home and on the road. The Timbers have the potential to be a great team at some point, with the right acquisitions and time.
These Timbers will get there, in fact the Timbers are not that far out of a play-off spot. They 2 points out of a 10th place in the league. Don't believe me take a look for yourself here.
The Timbers are going to take their lumps and they will lose games they should win or tie. They will also win games they should lose or tie. We as fans just need to be patient yet still hold the Timbers to a high standard. To do so we need to be patient and be positive not negative. Negative reinforcement never creates a habit it usually creates a fear. Positive reinforcement creates a habit and in a love (it is a teacher thing).
Everything works out in the end. Trust me.