I Wish That For Just One Time....
by Russell Berrisford on Jul 4, 2011 9:48 AM PDT
Email
PrintImagine that, for one day only, you could stand inside the shoes of Paul Barber, CEO of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
As you enter your ultra-modern glass windowed office you casually throw your Brent Black designed Panama hat to Krystal, your stunningly beautiful personal assistant, you place your feet rakishly on your vast custom made Parnian mahogany desk and take a well deserved moment to reflect on what a great first season this has been so far.
Under your stewardship the team is handily positioned in the Western Conference to make a concerted run at the play-offs and, the icing on the cake, they have just equalled their best ever performance in the Canadian Championship.
All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.
Yet as you scan the morning newspapers and blogs you can't help but notice that some supporters are still not happy with everything that you have achieved. Infuriated you throw your fine-nibbed "Patron of the Arts" limited edition Montblanc fountain pen against the window where it leaves a trail of blue ink sliding mockingly down the glass toward your Herringbone precision engineered hardwood floor.
"Get Lenarduzzi in here now!" you scream at Krystal, and she quickly scampers away with her whimsical Marc Jacobs limited edition summer dress flowing gently behind her.
As Bob Lenarduzzi enters the office you are still shaking your head in bewilderment at the ingratitude of some Whitecaps fans, but you didn't get where you are today by failing to respond to the whims and wishes of the prevailing trends so, as Bob Lenarduzzi carefully takes a seat in one of your Pininfarina office chairs (with patented "Dynamic Synchronized Tilting" system) you ask him the following question;
"What should be the highest priority for the Whitecaps in the next two weeks?"
Vote below to select the answer that you think Bob Lenarduzzi should give.
First though the results from the previous poll in which over 20% thought that bad language should be banned completely or limited to the designated supporters section and 42% thinking that it is acceptable everywhere except the family area. 28% simply voted "Fuck off."
Now vote below.
6 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
How’s that spy novel coming Russell? Sounds like it may have crept into your soccer writings…
I wish I could vote “Fire Soehn” or “Give TT his job back” but in the next two weeks, that’s not the priority. TT wouldn’t (shouldn’t) take the job back; how could anyone work under those conditions? I don’t think Soehn should be reassured. He should be panicked. He should see everything caving in around him, and he should feel the pressure to do something about it. Planning for the future is a positive, but an inaugural year is a poor time to go that route. You play to entertain (with good results a bonus), and planning too much for the future makes today worse. Make no mistake, most of the season tickets are not “secure” for next year, in that people who took a flyer on them this year will judge their value against the actual product next year. The team needs those numbers to hold strong.
The only thing left is the big signing. That might turn our team around. That might make Soehn look like a genius. That might make us better in the future. That needs to be the priority.
Besides, we can always fire Soehn after.
Not a spy novel-I’m just earning extra cash from product placement.
Actually you may well have convinced me about the big signing. I guess the club needs to concentrate on the “casual” fans as opposed to the ones who will be there anyway.
I hate the idea of just bringing in a “name” player for the sake of it, but I suppose I can see the logic.
by Russell Berrisford on Jul 5, 2011 11:39 AM PDT up reply actions
I’m sure not saying sign a “name” just to sign a “name.” The problem with that is that MLS doesn’t (for the most part, and in the case of the last-place Whitecaps, almost certainly) draw the names that casual soccer fans will recognize. We’re not going to draw the next Beckham or Henry. We might get another guy along the lines of Hassli: a good player at the MLS level, but not any kind of international superstar. That’s what we want in any case. Let us make the guy our hero, not have him walk in as the saviour (again, see Eric the Red).
Sign a player to help the team (I’d go midfield), that will help most of the other areas and reassure the casual fan.. But don’t get the guy just because of the name on his back.
Not a spy novel-I’m just earning extra cash from product placement.
That’s almost as sweet and juicy a plan as the McDonald’s McRib™, back for a limited time.
Manager at Vancouver Whitecaps and western Canadian soccer website Eighty Six Forever and infrequently-posting flunky at Edmonton Oilers blog The Copper & Blue.
by Benjamin Massey on Jul 5, 2011 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Missing an option
You are missing the option " Sign a DP to make us better". Option #2 doesn’t make any sense because Soehn is, for all intents and purposes, an interim manager seeing out the season. Option #4 doesn’t make any sense either because we are the second youngest team in MLS (Portland is the youngest) as it stands, next you will be asking us to hire embryos. Option #5 dear God not TT. I couldn’t take another year of “dump and run” soccer, one goal per game average, 20% possession ratings, one goal off of set pieces in 15 games, etc. Just say no to TT.
Well if you’re going to judge these polls on whether they make “sense” I’m afraid that is way too high a standard for my liking.
But to take a look at your points- I don’t think Soehn is definitely safe, but either way the club coming out and saying it publicly would pretty much end any speculation.
Nearly 20% have voted for TT to come back so some think it is a reasonable option.
Losing De Merit, Thorrington, Vagenas, Hassli, Cannon etc. would enable us to bring down both the age and cost of the squad (not saying I’d do it but it is an option).
I also suspect that “Sign a DP to make us better” would have probably got all the votes which kind of takes away the point of a poll.
I do like the idea of signing embryos though.
by Russell Berrisford on Jul 5, 2011 8:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
