Monday Morning Centre Back: Something Isn't Working
by Zach Woosley on Jun 6, 2011 10:01 AM CDT
in Monday Morning Centre Back
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It hasn't yet been a full two days since the Dynamo's 2-0 loss at San Jose but the time isn't mellowing my discontent and ill feelings. If Houston was truly a bad team, this season wouldn't be causing me near as much frustration, but there is talent on this roster and that makes the things we're seeing all the more difficult to accept.
I have no answers and have no ideas, which is why I'm a writer and not a coach, but I've seen enough sports in my life to realize that what is going down in Houston right now has all the signs of a disconnect at some level of the team. Whatever the problem, it's why there are rumblings from some about Dominic Kinnear's job from a few fans. Let's get something clear though, I'm not on board with that thinking and it will still be awhile before I am. That doesn't mean however that they might have a point.
There is something to be said for consistency at the head coach position and we've seen how well other MLS clubs have done making changes at the top over and over again...but that doesn't mean I'm not getting concerned.
Kinnear is a great coach and a successful one, but I've seen plenty of examples in professional sports where the best coach is unable to get their message through to a roster. It happens and while I have zero evidence or reason to believe that this is happening in Houston, I can understand the feeling that is growing amongst some fans that it could be beginning to happen here. Something isn't working and trying in vain to assign blame or attempting to understand the inner workings of the Dynamo is pointless...but something isn't working.
How do we know? Well you've been watching as closely as I have so I'm guessing most of you see the problems. Continued lack of concentration a key moments, vastly different levels of performance match to match and even half to half, a complete lack of consistent finishing on the attack. It's not a secret but it's not improving there's no reason to believe it will for the time being. Even if the Dynamo go out Saturday and thrash Chivas USA, it's not going to erase the overlying doubts about where this season is heading because we've seen bright performances amongst the larger number of dull ones.
Fortunately, Houston is in the Eastern Conference so despite the lack of a win since April, they are still in the playoff chase. That won't last forever though, because even in a conference as bad as the East, it's only a matter of time until the teams still behind Houston get some results and move past. Despite sitting in fourth place, Houston is closer to ninth place then they are to first.
A few wins would certainly improves everyone's spirits, but it's hard to see where they are going to come from. Guess we'll have to see what happens Saturday and go from there.
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What he said
My feelings exactly Zach. I am getting more than a little tired of all of this. The lack of consistency is very, very troubling.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
As a self and otherwise proclaimed “noted pessimist”- we have no established RM, AM. We seem to rotate players @ CB and DL (due to injury).
We play posession, then we play direct, and if we are trailing, more direct. We don’t have the cast yet to vary this. We are, at best, a .500 club. We may do better or worst on the field. Dom seems to be much more open to variation, more than I’ve ever seen.
As fans, I think we need to remember last season. In my eyes, we rebuilt a year too late. We can shuttle players in and out but it’s gonna take time. It’s a rebuilding year. Yes, we can be competitive. We were Saturday night. It didn’t work but the scoreline flattered SJ.
Despite the loss, I saw progress. My gripes have been lack of a coherent plan and a very good player miscast to the extent he hurt his team. I saw a plan @ SJ, we rolled the dice, and we lost. This will not always be the case; if we play like we did, the wins will come.
BTW- up top, we are playing with a rookie AND a player who just matched his CAREER high of 4 goals in a season.
It is indeed important to stay realistic. Just as it was wrongheaded to proclaim ourselves the next champion after the 4-1 win over DCU, it is wrong to head the other way right now. In a month from now, it will be time to assess the true ups and downs of the season’s first half, and right now there are some of both.
There is clearly progress over this time last year, but we’ll have to see just how much in the coming months. If we walk into Dynamo Park on an obvious upswing after taking the entire season into account, I’ll take that. Though as Canetti and Kinnear have said, there really is only one measure of true success, and that is silverware. In that sense, I kind of wish we were still in the USOC.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Firing Dom
is completely out of the question. All in all we really have to keep in perspective that this is truly a rebuilding year.
Bad Streak
I do not know if Kinnear is losing it but i feel he is too soft on the players. When was the last time we won in California? Yes this team needs a few more players but not to get a positive result in seven matches is bad This team is like the rockets no big name players and the no name guys need too step up.
Get real
Dom’s long tenure here gives the Dynamo an identity which they need. It would be silly to fire him and enter into the wasteland of having different coaches year after year. If you think it’s bad now, fire the coach and let there be coaching turnover year after year.
Exactly...
my beloved Chelsea is a great example of that. Roman keeps firing the coach every season and its simply because of the roster they have that they keep fielding competitive teams…but its having that identity that I feel keeps them from consistently winning. If we start doing that here, expect worse results because we don’t have a billionaire owner who can go out and buy an all-star team. We have reason to be concerned but there’s no need to do something rash and regrettable.
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