Comments on: What the heck just happened?

By: Diane

Diane — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:07:59 +0000

We need to remember that Totori and Oka are recent adds to the team. It’s going to take a little while for the team to gel and get used to eachother. I don’t think having people trickle in like this was necessarily a good plan but I think it’s going to pay off in the end.

By: timbergreg

timbergreg — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:53:58 +0000

I’m blaming Bob AND Dave here. I was in Bend for a concert Sat and at Bob’s wedding. I’ve watched both games and they’ve fallen into their lackluster style of play. It seems that all that fancy footwork and passing (oh, the passing!) from the first couple of home games. Let’s not panic yet. The one good change I did see was letting Suzuki take the free kicks. Gregor’s free kicks have looked like shite all season.

By: nick

nick — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:54:51 +0000

All I’m saying is the manager has to be accountable for the turgid stuff we’ve seen this season.

I don’t think he has a clue.

But that’s just my own opinion.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:11:20 +0000

I hadn’t previously considered the “Bob’s marriage is responsible for this” angle, but thanks for taking the bullet. Maybe you should consider an annulment just to be safe.

By: Lucas

Lucas — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:10:58 +0000

@nick – I agree, anyone who can only go 19 games unbeaten at home to start his professional coaching career should be fired immediately.

By: nick

nick — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:55:35 +0000

Nooooooooo clue on offense what-so-ever.

Get rid of Gavin asap.

They don’t seem like a group of players who know the tactical plan.

That has to be Gavin’s fault.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:36:34 +0000

I’d like to take some of the blame too Bob.

I went to Bend for the weekend, hence missing two home games in a row for the first time ever.

And y’all saw what happened

By: fred

fred — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:19:41 +0000

My takeaways from the rhinos game ’till now is this:

with Brown/Suzuki up top, all we tend to do is play lump and pray. I don’t know that I counted more than 3 consecutive passes by the Timbers on Saturday or the 1st half monday. The “Head flick-on to the opponent’s central defender” play has been proven ineffective at best, yet that is *what we do* 80%+ of the time that we have the two “big guys” up front.

As my “proof” of this, when Totori came in to start the 2d half Mon, the timbers suddenly played on the ground, put together runs, and generally looked like they knew how to play soccer. Guante, who was invisible in the 1st half Monday suddenly became a force. How much of that was “we’re 10 men and down and about to lose our jobs” and how much was just the difference in personnel, I can’t say. I do think that they played much better without Suzuki and Brown up front than they have with the two of them there at least over the last 5 games.

I don’t usually think that bad officiating can excuse a loss or poor play. But yesterday’s officiating went from obscene to “I AM IN CONTROL, dambit, and you will heed!” I mean, really. The penalty call was bad, but whatever–you don’t let the teams have a 20-minute council session to discuss it. Blow the whistle and get the game moving. (and how much of that PK call was directly related to that weird power struggle w/Gavin?)

That bit of fooling around at the PK *directly* led to the handbags at the kickoff. And Suzuki’s tackle afterward–yikes. It WAS an ugly tackle and likely deserved yellow, but when the ref loses the players, the players lose the ref.

Oh well. Congrats on the nuptials, and I’m sure the organization will grudgingly accept your apology for causing them such poor form.

By: Lucas

Lucas — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:40:24 +0000

The events at PGE Park this weekend were very sad-making.