Options, there are but a few

By: Bob Kellett | July 12th, 2008

Life has options. That’s the slogan of Self Enhancement, Inc., one of the many organizations in Portland doing extraordinary things for our city’s youth. I’ve been thinking about this phrase today in the aftermath of yet another disappointing performance by the Portland Timbers. Options. What are the options at this point? What are the options for a coach who has seen his team fail to score a goal in eight of 17 games? What are the options for a coach who has watched his team win two league games since April? What are the options for a manager whose team has conceded less than a goal a game and still has a losing record? What are the options if this season, which started with such promise, is going to be salvaged?

I don’t see too many good options at this point, but here are a few paths Gavin Wilkinson could go down.

1. Stay the course: The team is in a slump but has enough talent that it will eventually gel again. Stick to the standard 4-4-2 formation and to the players who have started the majority of the games. Hope that the goals will eventually come and that the defense will tighten up.

2. Make massive changes: Admit that the personnel that have been used up to this point haven’t been able to do the job. Bench players who have underperformed like Takayuki Suzuki and Leonard Griffin. Insert players who haven’t gotten minutes in real action and see what they can do. Switch the formation and/or the style of play.

3. Pick around the edges: Stick to the game plan but make subtle changes to the lineup until the right combination is found.

4. Play for 2009: Use the next 13 games like they are tryout for next season. Give some of the younger guys a look. Find out who is worth building around and who should be given a one-way bus ticket out of town. Mess around with the formation and strategy with next season in mind.

5. Bring in a new manager: The player talent is there, but the wrong guy is delivering the message. A new leader is needed both for this season and future seasons.

To one degree or another options 1-3 have already been tried this season. Too early for #4? I think so. The league is so bunched right now that even this dismal Timbers team is still very much in the thick of things. Since the same guy is both the general manager and the manager, I’m fairly certain #5 is not in the cards either.

I have to ask Part 1
Why would the Timbers carry four keepers even for one game? We all know that they could use some help at forward, but I’d like to see another defender brought in. The team has no depth in the backline. Tim Karalexis is a nice player to have around, but he is the only option. With the way Leonard Griffin has been playing I have to wonder if some competition for his spot would do him some good. Same thing applies to Justin Thompson. And I hate to think what would happen if Scot Thompson or Cameron Knowles get hurt.

I have to ask Part 2
A three-team trade requires a lot of variables and who knows what was going on behind the scenes, but wouldn’t it have been better to trade Gregor before the Morelia friendlies? That would have given Wilkinson a couple of games to mess around with his combinations at forward instead of having to experiment on the fly against Puerto Rico. Even if the trade wasn’t made before these friendlies, shouldn’t Wilkinson been using the friendlies to try new things instead of simply rolling out the same lineup he’s used all season?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
With the door hitting his backside and 8 minutes under his belt in Rochester, the former captain wonders why he wasn’t lauded more for his no goal, one assist 2008 season.

“I always had a really weird relationship in Portland with the fans,” said the four-time all-USL pick, who grew up eight miles from Portland.

“I don’t know why, but I felt like they never gave me any respect. I hope things will be different with the fans here.”

Gregor fails to mention that part of that “weird relationship” had to do with him acting like a complete jerk to said Portland fans when he played against the Timbers for many years.

Merritt Making the Rounds
Last week it was City Commissioner Nick Fish. This week it was Mayor-elect Sam Adams (PDF) who had the pleasure of hosting Merritt Paulson in his office. The Timbers owner is starting to know his way around City Hall. Those MLS expansion plans must be almost finalized, dontcha think?

We’re not the only team struggling
I’ve been waiting for weeks for the Seattle Sounders to move pass the Timbers in the table, but that hasn’t happened yet. The defending league champs, who have advanced to the semifinals of the US Open Cup, haven’t won a league game since June 7. Meanwhile, Montreal is in last place and Rochester, which started the season without a win in their first seven games, is back in the hunt. It has been a very strange season in this league.

Photo: Allison Andrews/Soccer City USA