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Props to you Jake for not following everyone else on the GB re-hiring. I'm probably even a little more down on Berhalter than you are, but at the end of the day I love my national team and I hope he does very well and improves as a coach tremendously.
Going into hysterics about Gregg being hired doesn't do anyone any good, there are plenty of legitimate and nuanced criticisms we can have with him and the federation, so we don't need to invent any.
Sorry for rambling, I just wanted to let you know that even when you get hate for this, that there are lots of people out there who share a similar viewpoint with you.
This comment encapsulates why I follow you and have abandoned 4 other channels. Thank you for your passion and rationality- the two are not actually mutually exclusive.
We all live in a world where we don't like certain aspects of it. Even if those aspects allow us to be a voice. I enjoy your level-headedness, but complaining about a platform that actually gave you your voice is a bit ironic.
I don't either hate or love or even like the 3G hire, but I am cautiously happy and optimistic. For me, it is all about listening to what is said, not what I want to hear. You're a CFP, that is #1 as a planner. Listen to what is said not what I want to hear. In the presser that the 4 or 5 or 50 of them did, Crocker kept saying one thing over and over again. I have yet to hear a single person mention it. Is it because they don't want to actually listen?
He kept mentioning LEGACY. Even when he mentioned about speaking with other candidates, he used that term LEGACY and how they either shied away or he shied away based on their conversations. This is a huge reason why I listen. My best analogy (it probably isn't that good) I can come up with is Crocker wants a men's CEO and the fans and pundits want a the men's project manager. Whilst I can somewhat agree with the detractors I get a bit giddy with this idea.
The reasons I get giddy is simple, "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it". Anyone who revisits soccer history will know that what the fan based and the pundits are screaming loudly for has already been tried, England 2010. At that time they had one of their best ever talented group and they went out and hired a top level manager only to find out that they failed. It was such a failure that it began a large holistic change to the FA. Part of that change was Matt Crocker. Now they have a manager that many would consider "terrible" manager, yet he has had them in the final 4 of a world cup and in the final of a euro cup. That gets me excited, because a person who was part of the change in England, is now helping us. In my 30ish years of American soccer, this is the second time I can see real positive change, the first being Earnie Stewart.
Finally I will say this, a "hit man" type manager with all the nuanced tactics and such. Or as the fans would say K.I.S.S. manager only need be there for a year. We will see after 2024 Copa whether we need that "hit man". Keep in mind, Scaloni had never coached a top level side nor won a domestic trophy before winning the WC. In the same vein Enrique and Flick didn't surpass 3G in the WC and both had better squads.
All I have to say is that I have seen way more "the fans are terrible" hot takes than irrational anti-Berhalter hot takes. It has become cheap and easy for people with platforms and microphones to try to shame and humiliate passionate fans for having opinions that disagree with the people in power at the soccer federation. Shame on all of you, too.
Props to you Jake for not following everyone else on the GB re-hiring. I'm probably even a little more down on Berhalter than you are, but at the end of the day I love my national team and I hope he does very well and improves as a coach tremendously.
Going into hysterics about Gregg being hired doesn't do anyone any good, there are plenty of legitimate and nuanced criticisms we can have with him and the federation, so we don't need to invent any.
Sorry for rambling, I just wanted to let you know that even when you get hate for this, that there are lots of people out there who share a similar viewpoint with you.
Thanks for this. USMNT twitter is becoming unbearable with the groupthink around this topic.
This comment encapsulates why I follow you and have abandoned 4 other channels. Thank you for your passion and rationality- the two are not actually mutually exclusive.
We all live in a world where we don't like certain aspects of it. Even if those aspects allow us to be a voice. I enjoy your level-headedness, but complaining about a platform that actually gave you your voice is a bit ironic.
I don't either hate or love or even like the 3G hire, but I am cautiously happy and optimistic. For me, it is all about listening to what is said, not what I want to hear. You're a CFP, that is #1 as a planner. Listen to what is said not what I want to hear. In the presser that the 4 or 5 or 50 of them did, Crocker kept saying one thing over and over again. I have yet to hear a single person mention it. Is it because they don't want to actually listen?
He kept mentioning LEGACY. Even when he mentioned about speaking with other candidates, he used that term LEGACY and how they either shied away or he shied away based on their conversations. This is a huge reason why I listen. My best analogy (it probably isn't that good) I can come up with is Crocker wants a men's CEO and the fans and pundits want a the men's project manager. Whilst I can somewhat agree with the detractors I get a bit giddy with this idea.
The reasons I get giddy is simple, "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it". Anyone who revisits soccer history will know that what the fan based and the pundits are screaming loudly for has already been tried, England 2010. At that time they had one of their best ever talented group and they went out and hired a top level manager only to find out that they failed. It was such a failure that it began a large holistic change to the FA. Part of that change was Matt Crocker. Now they have a manager that many would consider "terrible" manager, yet he has had them in the final 4 of a world cup and in the final of a euro cup. That gets me excited, because a person who was part of the change in England, is now helping us. In my 30ish years of American soccer, this is the second time I can see real positive change, the first being Earnie Stewart.
Finally I will say this, a "hit man" type manager with all the nuanced tactics and such. Or as the fans would say K.I.S.S. manager only need be there for a year. We will see after 2024 Copa whether we need that "hit man". Keep in mind, Scaloni had never coached a top level side nor won a domestic trophy before winning the WC. In the same vein Enrique and Flick didn't surpass 3G in the WC and both had better squads.
All I have to say is that I have seen way more "the fans are terrible" hot takes than irrational anti-Berhalter hot takes. It has become cheap and easy for people with platforms and microphones to try to shame and humiliate passionate fans for having opinions that disagree with the people in power at the soccer federation. Shame on all of you, too.