Any idea if any of the Bhathals is on-site now? I mean...players report tomorrow. Kinda be nice to meet-n-greet the new boss, eh?
Here's a wild and crazy idea - a press conference! Get yourself in front of the local journos, introduce yourself to the great unwashed...maybe drum up some interest, sell some tickets...PR! I hear more and more about it, might be something to consider..!
Claim on draft day was that she was going to come to Portland and do a presser in a week or two, so sometime around the beginning of camp sounds about right.
One compelling reason to say out of the billyunnaire club: which baubles to play with when a day has but 24 hours, and part of that day is already taken up shopping for the next bauble?
"U.S. Navy announces the successful not-sinking of a floating drydock, three fleet oilers, two harbor tugs, and a submarine chaser in surprise December 7th Pearl Harbor attack"
Sorry. The snark was irresistible.
Kling is a sparkplug in the locker room, so that's great. Got skinned a lot last season, tho, so her fight with the sports-reaper may be finally coming to an end. Provenzano? Enh. Hard to say more than she's a warm body at this point. Wish she was more, but nothing to show for it yet.
Still capable of leading the league in pregame huddle f-bombs...which is my way of saying Kling is locker room glue and I'm glad she's coming back. But as starting LB? Hoo boy...Father Time's going to be back with a vengeance, and only the continuing overall dilution of the league's quality (yeah, I went there) is going to offset that in any meaningful way.
I'm looking forward to the start of the season anyway, though. Beleza's great start has cratered as they've fallen into a familiar (to Thorns fans) pattern of dominating play but failing to convert their chances, then conceding late. No idea what's going on with Norddea Hokkaido as there's been no website update in a couple months. I know they got relegated to 4th div...but I have no details beyond that at this point. =( TBH, more of my women's sports fix right now has been motorsports silly season with high-schooler Juju Noda landing a seat in Super Formula at 17 years old (youngest ever, although she'll have turned 18 by the time she turns a wheel in anger in that just-below-F1 series).
I imagine that Kling's contract being for one year with no team option means that she is retiring after this season. If anybody thought that she was going to contribute in '25 (including Kling), it would have made sense to throw in an option. It would cost them nothing and would at least get you potential depth at LB for '25. The fact that they didn't tells me she definitely will not be back in '25 (which, of course, is fine... Build a tiny statue next to Sinclair's with built-in speakers broadcasting Kling huddle speeches).
I’m guessing Kling has maybe another season in her. I can’t see how she’s still here in ‘25, tho. And the loss of Kuikka worries me about her. She can’t be the only LB, and I’m fearful Norris will use Reyes as his starting RB and remove the cover Reyes gives Kling.
Curious if Kiki Pickett didn’t get an offer, but I am going to say that making Kuikka a UFA appears like incompetence to me. I’ve defended KK on this board from some statements, but I will admit that Kuikka was probably our 3rd most import important resigning walking into the year
Pickett seems like replacement-level at best, but at this point we don't HAVE a replacement. I mean, what I'd LIKE to see is this club reel in Laura Wienroither or Lynn Wilms or Eve Perisset, but if Pickett is the best we can get, get Pickett FFS.
And based on the scuttlebutt, there's no defending the Kuikka loss. Supposedly it was preventable and due to incompetence on LeBlanc's part.
Laura Wienroither's not back from an ACL injury and there is probably no world where someone leaves regular game time at Arsenal or Chelsea for *this* Portland team right now.
Wilms? Maybe. Wolfsburg is seeing a bit of an exodus right now.
I tend to think we are going to resign McGrady and let her battle it out with Kling and put Reyes at RB unless they have an international in their sites.
Carolina signing Rauch and St Georges makes me wonder if Pickett is available. She was overdrafted, but she was an interesting prospect out of Stanford
OT: Dr Nadim was generally expected to return to PSG, but she received an offer from AC Milan and is there to take a physical and sign the deal. So continues the incredible journey of the World's Most Interesting Woman.
For what it's worth, I just talked Melina into writing an article questioning why our offseason has been so dire. Thanks Melina, I hope KK is listening!
That's nice, but I don't think Melina is local (I think she's from South America?) and so she may not really have any access to the team...Ryan Clarke was it. And, now he's not. We have no one covering this shitshow unfortunately...
Lol no way I am getting into the middle of any drama. I had a panic attack just having my comments posted on reddit lmao. Maybe she knows one of the "actual" reporters on the east coast? The ones that only come around when there's bad Thorns news?
Someone needs to tell Bhathals that LeBlanc is actively hurting their investment with each passing day. Money is usually a strong motivator in these situations. How to convey this to them?
What’s their choice? They bought the franchise late in the process. If I were them, I’d hire Parsons as a ”consultant” to help evaluate soccer operations. He’s respected and has a relationship with the players.
This. There's probably a lot of other potential consultants out there who could right this ship in short order. But time is of the essence. In fact, being late in the process should mean that everything else gets sped up. This isn't a time for a slow, methodical approach to find "the one". You can always make changes later. I would like to think that they had started the process before the ink was dry on the sale contract.
Here I thought he'd be great because Behring sounded like Boeing. They were solidly mediocre, with real futility when coached by Flores.
But given that Behring settled several sexual harassment claims (not to mention his pastime of rich-guy hunting lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and (other) endangered species), I'd say your recall is on-brand!
Prince of a guy, truly a man of the people. Elephant hunting with helicopter wranglers? Great sporting fun, old chap!
All he ever wanted as owner was to move them to California and letting the team descend into mediocrity was his One Weird Trick. Luckily the league thought otherwise and forced the sale to Paul Allen (netting him $120 million as a parting gift).
I think we'll know when they start putting their FO together in the Spring, assuming they follow through with their stated plans. That will also be, for me, a good signal of how ambitious they are: Even if they don't understand the extent of KK's mistakes, one would think they'd want to bring someone in with more experience who they trust. If they just leave things as they are, I'll be massively disappointed.
How long does finding a GM take? Should be weeks, not months.
One of my teams in another sport had a bad GM who everyone knew was a bad GM and they let him stick around for 2.5 years, making big mistake after big mistake. In that time, he totally trashed the team and created a hole from which they were never able to dig out of. Then you start looking at how good your draft position will be. I know we're not there with the Thorns yet, but holy hell. Also need to keep in mind Sophia Smith and she is not going to want to stick around for a team that has been trashed.
At this point, our defense and goaltending, as it stands now, will put us in the bottom half of the table, I'm pretty confident in saying that. Getting good players is a race and not only are we sitting on the sidelines, we are letting them go, too!
This is simply not true. Any good hiring process for a qualified GM should absolutely NOT take just weeks. Rushing a GM hire just to push out the current one is bad practice.
I said this before the takeover when everyone was expecting the new owners to come in and make instant changes, sign big players in January, and fire KK and Norris. It *just doesn't happen like that.* They need to learn the org. They need to identify what they want to change. Then they need to act. If nothing has changed (or has plans to change) before the end of the year, I'll be very concerned, but the people expecting major change less than a month in need to change expectations.
The timing of the Smith contract ending is the only part of this that truly bothers me. I don't care if this is a transition year SO LONG as we begin to see signs of change: Facility planning, FO building etc. I still don't really think this team is going to be all that bad on the field if healthy, but even if it is, I'm much more interested in seeing what the Bhathals do off the field.
A lot will be driven by whom they hire to help with this transition. If you don’t know the landscape or what it should look like, bringing in someone who should is important. SD did that with Jill Ellis and it helped.
They need proven soccer people, and some that are local, ideally. Shannon Boxx, Tiffeny Milbrett, or any of the Pilots staff would be a damn good start...
I’m sure if Paulson ever buys a team, he will bring in Gavin Wilkinson :)
I don’t believe local ties are important. I would target either Kate Markgraf or Mark Parsons. Those are the two names i would feel comfortable with if they chose with a strong preference towards Parsons
As Trail33 said, bring in a highly respected consultant to right the ship until you can have a longer GM hiring process. You don't need an actual GM to make moves, just someone who knows what the f they are doing.
I think that's a fair request. But I don't know that they are aware of how bad KK is after three weeks on the job. I don't think many people anywhere are.
I don't think it takes much to look at her transactions and see how bad they've been. If they aren't familiar enough with WoSo, then hire a consultant to give them their opinion of LeBlanc's work. Presumably they have someone in-house who knows something about WoSo or have since hired that person. That conversation could take place over the course of a day. It's not rocket science to give an evaluation of a GM.
so can none of the Gmail coach investigation, contacting necessary parties and starting conversations happen outside of being within the club, ie during the purchase process instead of waiting until after the purchase?
It certainly could in theory, but there are a few reasons why it doesn't actually happen like that in practice, not just in this situation but in most instances:
1. The sale wasn't officially done until it was done.
2. The timing makes it really hard to bring in a new coach and GM in the middle of the offseason. That's just a fact. I think KK's increasing level of public ineptitude combined with the Smith contract is driving a lot of the impatience around getting new people in, but I typically like process over Kang-level splash.
3. Getting to know an organization before making wholesale changes is legitimately important!
4. Perhaps most importantly, they're not soccer people and don't have those connections yet. They need to learn the ins and outs of the org and the league. They can't neccesarily just reach out to random well-known soccer exec xyz and say "Hey, please take this job!"
Would I have preferred they-- especially given everything we're learning about KK's job performance-- cleaned her out immediately? Yeah. But I understand why they didn't. This season is going to be about what happens during and at the end of the season. I'm really looking for proof of concept on their stated goals: Are they hiring experienced people into the FO? Are they moving forward with facilities planning? Are the players saying good things? Are they engaging Soph in contract talks? Are they using the summer transfer window?
I know fans don't like being told to wait, and I certainly fall into that category as well. But this isn't a video game, and I'm going to wait to judge for a little more than three weeks.
I was thinking that, too. I know the sale was probably very complicated, but at some point you probably have a good sense if it is going to go through or not and working out the details takes time. That's when the process should have started, IMO.
I also think there is a relatively small group of "soccer people" who know enough to even be considered. I imagine that group of people is pretty well-known, so it's not like they are trying to re-invent the wheel. It's basically just networking and seeing who is available, then interviews.
Cousin Dionne was part of the Psychic Friends Network, so maybe she knows something? You know, besides the way to San Jose.... (doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo)
So here’s the thing (meant to reply this to your comment over at the other site…); this squad has good bones. Maybe not top two anymore, but individually? There’s quality enough.
But what I see is the real issue isn’t the body. It’s the brain. It’s the coaching.
If we have another season of pitch-it-to-Smith-and-hope, of panicking when pressed, of seeing fullbacks up and central defenders exposed…individual quality isn’t gonna be enough. We’ll have another win-one-lose-one nick three from Smith heroics then drop points to cans kind of season. If we don’t hit a big run of luck we’ll either finish below the red line or get knocked out by someone with an actual tactical plan.
So while I’m concerned about roster holes it’s part of a larger concern that Norris doesn’t have the sort of vision for this club to make the top step. And I don’t see KK having the skills to find him exceptional players that might drag him up there.
I hope I’m just Eeyore. I’d love them to prove me wrong.
Tactically, it’s also important that the coach can lean on assistants. My hope is improving that area will indirectly help Norris. If not, he’ll be gone.
This is the first offseason where I couldn’t defend her moves. The only one last year was really tied to the assistants they chose.
I do know that they hired a set of assistants that would probably be under qualified to coach in the Mountain West, so my hope is with the ability to delegate, he becomes better. If not, he won’t last long
In a sense...that's kind of the issue with the Lowdon hire; it LOOKS like a "he won't last long" sort of move. Bringing in the next "interim head coach". I wasn't joking when I said over on the Lowdon thread that if I was Norris I wouldn't sit with my back to her. Unless they have an amazingly good relationship/rapport this could be a hell of an uneasy March and April.
Could that be "good"? Sure, maybe. If it makes him think and ask for advice and take it when it's good.
But that sort of pressure can also make someone defensive and nervous - playing "not to lose" rather than making what might be deemed a risky decision now to pay off later...because with that person standing behind you, if it doesn't pay off now there won't BE a later for you.
I’m maybe giving Norris too much credit. If he’s an adult with a reasonable amount of self awareness, he knows his best path to being a head coach at this level is to win. If Lowdon ends up surpassing him, he’d still likely have a record that gets him considered highly by another team.
If he acts like a petulant child, that opportunity likely goes away for good both here and elsewhere.
I think you are rating Reyes too high. She had like 650 minutes last year, which looked good, but still leaves a lot of question marks as far as her being in the same bucket as a Rocky Rodriguez. Asman probably goes in the same bucket as Kozal (and maybe in the same bucket as D'Aquila, who probably shouldn't be in the same bucket as Obaze or Linnehan). She's a third rounder, but that's because she's a goalie so they don't go as fast, but as far as I can tell, she seams like she's a pretty good prospect.
I probably inflated Reyes for potential, because I actually think she could jump into a better category.
Also, I think fans are sleeping on D’Aquila like they did Ryan. She may take time, but she’s got a lot of the skill sets to supplement the existing stars on the front end
That’s literally almost every rookie not drafted especially after the top 6. They take time to develop.
You, at one time or another, have stated critical commentary about Smith, Weaver, Coffey, and Ryan in recent years using some limitation whether it be injury, finishing, or time on the pitch.
Not saying you were wrong, but there are times where limited sample size makes Statistical evaluation incomplete.
Having said that, I’d trade Izzy and a lot of allocation money to get Ryan back. Gotta wonder how she feels now. Portland traded her for a bigger opportunity and that’s now formally gone
Because at one point or another all but Coffey (who’s been solid throughout) showed issues that limited their contributions. Weaver’s first touch/finishing comes to mind.
That said, all were also clearly pro-level quality. The flaws kept them from stepping up, not from their base.
Unfortunately D’Aquila hasn’t shown replacement-level quality. I hope it’s just a combination of late-blooming and bad luck; go back and look at what I wrote about her in preseason last year - I was really impressed and hopeful! Sadly her minutes got rougher as the season wore on instead of smoother.
As depth I hope for the best from her. It’s just that it’s getting time to see that best! We’re going to need her when the internationals are in Paris. I hope she can rise to the occasion .
I seem to recall some questions about whether Ryan was pro level quality in year 1. Her distance passing was an issue, she grew. Hoping for the same with Izzy.
IIRC Phuoc has good things to say about Izzy based on watching her practice, which at least dovetails with her Santa Clara years. Remain hopeful about her but consistent minutes are needed.
Reyna Renee Reyes Stubblefield went from hot mess to very good across the arc of the 2023 season. I especially treasure how hard she fights for the ball--relentless woman! What her level was at year's end is hard to gauge, as unstable as the entire squad was, but further development seems assured in '24. Lord knows, it's needed on this squad.
(1) NWSL clubs can start training camp as soon as Monday. Do we know when the Thorns are starting theirs?
(2) Kinda getting jittery about the fact that Sauerbruun remains un-signed. On a scale of 0 (a cup of room-temp water) to 10 (six espresso shots), I'm about at about 4 right now ("I'm a Pepper").
(3) Kuikka's departure note, and the rumblings about the circumstances under which she departed, probably help illuminate Dunn's departure and her remarks that she did not feel "valued." Dunn probably had several suitors, and Karina probably made it clear -- either with a very low offer or none at all -- that Dunn would do better elsewhere.
I don’t disagree with any of this, but my personal feeling was that Dunn was kinda checked out all last season and I was surprised it took her as long as it did to leave. The writing was on the wall as soon as the Pierre thing happened
I don’t mean on the field. Just watching her interact with the other players on the bench and on social media. I could just tell her heart wasn’t quite in it. No rainbow sneakers! 🌈
Like showing up at the bakery at 11:30 looking for bargains, maybe KK is eyeing the field for discount maple bars (SWIDT?) and day-old buttermilks. Squeeze those loonies, KK!
Reminds me of the local bakery-restaurant chain that was having problems with its central kitchen this past Summer/Fall, to the extent that they were opening up every morning without bread.
I mean, like a few weeks in a row, I'd go in there first thing in the morning, be the first person in line, only to be told that they didn't have any bread that day.
Reminds me of a joke I once heard about a restaurant being out of soup. "How can you be out of soup? It's water and ingredients!"
Also sounds like a Yakov Smirnoff set-up... "In Soviet Russia... there is no bread... ever!"
that's exactly the problem- Charley wasn't particularly skilled with the ball- what set her apart was her speed and athleticism. If that advantage is gone, my guess is she'd be a step down from Vasconcelos, et al.
Yeah. Gavin has been the head of the Portland Thorns screen for a while now on ESPN. Gives me all sorts of happiness. Atleast annoincing Sinclair will get that off
If it weren't for Christmas, then New Years, then covid, then the multiple storms, then a birthday, maybe I'd have been able to think ahead enough to reschedule my PT appointment (at Prov Park Sports Care) for today/tomm....hmmmm maybe I can still get in for Friday....
I usually get a nice view of players practicing when I'm warming up on the treadmill! I'll just tell my physical therapist to pay no mind to my binoculars lol...
Good lord I do not have the energy for that kind of project lol. Start tagging Lisa on the socials, maybe she pick up the pieces lol...does she have an anonymous tip line?
Ok so I'll try to schedule for Friday lol. It's short-notice but maybe I'll have some luck hah
They probably delayed preseason because they couldn't get the signings/their announcements done in time lol. "Ok team so we have the Sinc announcement on Monday (but later Monday!) so we can't start preseason until she's announced in case someone pulls an Emily Fox at Arsenal because NO ONE EXPECTS IT!"
It's 11AM on 01.22.24, so it's time to ask "What's the deal with the goat/GOAT?"
Apparently, the goat/GOAT roll-out was a casualty of the recent ice storm.
It seems the goat/GOAT has been living without heat, electricity, and plumbing for several days -- well, its whole life really -- and is only just now eating its way through the thicket of fallen branches and such.
Should be reporting to camp later this week once it has cleared away more debris.
No confirmation of the rumor, however, that the goat/GOAT ate Karina's ability to do her damn job.
I really hope Lisa has a conversation with the players...and one without KK in the room. She'll potentially have some different opinions shared than if they let her be present...
For anyone on Fleming Watch: the previous Chelsea game she gave away tons of her match worn shirts to fans and today she wasn't in the squad (though she was with the team at the game).
the giving away match worn stuff isn't indicative of anything tbf, they're all doing a lot of that. The big thing to watch for is how much she plays this month: Chelsea have 4 games in the next two weeks.
From the Desk of Lisa Bhathal
TO DO LIST:
1) Fly up to Portland to see what the hell we bought, maybe meet a few of the unwashed fans for photo ops.
2) Get rid of the lady in the red coat and bubbly personality
3) Dismiss the tall dude Coach- name the Wednesday Addams girl head coach
4) Call the Mark Parsons fellow everyone talks about- thoughts on being a GM?
5) Find the one they call Sophia Smith and offer her more money than she can imagine
6) Having ensured the "football" product on the field remains up to par, go have fun with the real estate stuff.
Any idea if any of the Bhathals is on-site now? I mean...players report tomorrow. Kinda be nice to meet-n-greet the new boss, eh?
Here's a wild and crazy idea - a press conference! Get yourself in front of the local journos, introduce yourself to the great unwashed...maybe drum up some interest, sell some tickets...PR! I hear more and more about it, might be something to consider..!
Claim on draft day was that she was going to come to Portland and do a presser in a week or two, so sometime around the beginning of camp sounds about right.
One compelling reason to say out of the billyunnaire club: which baubles to play with when a day has but 24 hours, and part of that day is already taken up shopping for the next bauble?
"U.S. Navy announces the successful not-sinking of a floating drydock, three fleet oilers, two harbor tugs, and a submarine chaser in surprise December 7th Pearl Harbor attack"
Sorry. The snark was irresistible.
Kling is a sparkplug in the locker room, so that's great. Got skinned a lot last season, tho, so her fight with the sports-reaper may be finally coming to an end. Provenzano? Enh. Hard to say more than she's a warm body at this point. Wish she was more, but nothing to show for it yet.
Still capable of leading the league in pregame huddle f-bombs...which is my way of saying Kling is locker room glue and I'm glad she's coming back. But as starting LB? Hoo boy...Father Time's going to be back with a vengeance, and only the continuing overall dilution of the league's quality (yeah, I went there) is going to offset that in any meaningful way.
I'm looking forward to the start of the season anyway, though. Beleza's great start has cratered as they've fallen into a familiar (to Thorns fans) pattern of dominating play but failing to convert their chances, then conceding late. No idea what's going on with Norddea Hokkaido as there's been no website update in a couple months. I know they got relegated to 4th div...but I have no details beyond that at this point. =( TBH, more of my women's sports fix right now has been motorsports silly season with high-schooler Juju Noda landing a seat in Super Formula at 17 years old (youngest ever, although she'll have turned 18 by the time she turns a wheel in anger in that just-below-F1 series).
I imagine that Kling's contract being for one year with no team option means that she is retiring after this season. If anybody thought that she was going to contribute in '25 (including Kling), it would have made sense to throw in an option. It would cost them nothing and would at least get you potential depth at LB for '25. The fact that they didn't tells me she definitely will not be back in '25 (which, of course, is fine... Build a tiny statue next to Sinclair's with built-in speakers broadcasting Kling huddle speeches).
I’m guessing Kling has maybe another season in her. I can’t see how she’s still here in ‘25, tho. And the loss of Kuikka worries me about her. She can’t be the only LB, and I’m fearful Norris will use Reyes as his starting RB and remove the cover Reyes gives Kling.
Curious if Kiki Pickett didn’t get an offer, but I am going to say that making Kuikka a UFA appears like incompetence to me. I’ve defended KK on this board from some statements, but I will admit that Kuikka was probably our 3rd most import important resigning walking into the year
Pickett seems like replacement-level at best, but at this point we don't HAVE a replacement. I mean, what I'd LIKE to see is this club reel in Laura Wienroither or Lynn Wilms or Eve Perisset, but if Pickett is the best we can get, get Pickett FFS.
And based on the scuttlebutt, there's no defending the Kuikka loss. Supposedly it was preventable and due to incompetence on LeBlanc's part.
Do you honestly believe our FO reads the name "Lynn Wilms" as anything other than a misspelling of that Gotham forward?
Laura Wienroither's not back from an ACL injury and there is probably no world where someone leaves regular game time at Arsenal or Chelsea for *this* Portland team right now.
Wilms? Maybe. Wolfsburg is seeing a bit of an exodus right now.
I tend to think we are going to resign McGrady and let her battle it out with Kling and put Reyes at RB unless they have an international in their sites.
Carolina signing Rauch and St Georges makes me wonder if Pickett is available. She was overdrafted, but she was an interesting prospect out of Stanford
https://x.com/TheNCCourage/status/1748507892058128406?s=20
Well, she's certainly going somewhere!
OT: Dr Nadim was generally expected to return to PSG, but she received an offer from AC Milan and is there to take a physical and sign the deal. So continues the incredible journey of the World's Most Interesting Woman.
For what it's worth, I just talked Melina into writing an article questioning why our offseason has been so dire. Thanks Melina, I hope KK is listening!
That's nice, but I don't think Melina is local (I think she's from South America?) and so she may not really have any access to the team...Ryan Clarke was it. And, now he's not. We have no one covering this shitshow unfortunately...
That's where you come in :D
Lol no way I am getting into the middle of any drama. I had a panic attack just having my comments posted on reddit lmao. Maybe she knows one of the "actual" reporters on the east coast? The ones that only come around when there's bad Thorns news?
Someone needs to tell Bhathals that LeBlanc is actively hurting their investment with each passing day. Money is usually a strong motivator in these situations. How to convey this to them?
What’s their choice? They bought the franchise late in the process. If I were them, I’d hire Parsons as a ”consultant” to help evaluate soccer operations. He’s respected and has a relationship with the players.
"Mark, you can still yell at the refs, just from the owner's box."
Yes, but you can't press a clump of sod in their hands from there.
I’ll buy him a bullhorn if he’d come
This. There's probably a lot of other potential consultants out there who could right this ship in short order. But time is of the essence. In fact, being late in the process should mean that everything else gets sped up. This isn't a time for a slow, methodical approach to find "the one". You can always make changes later. I would like to think that they had started the process before the ink was dry on the sale contract.
Am recalling the Ken Behring era of the Seahawks. (Shudder)
Here I thought he'd be great because Behring sounded like Boeing. They were solidly mediocre, with real futility when coached by Flores.
But given that Behring settled several sexual harassment claims (not to mention his pastime of rich-guy hunting lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and (other) endangered species), I'd say your recall is on-brand!
Prince of a guy, truly a man of the people. Elephant hunting with helicopter wranglers? Great sporting fun, old chap!
All he ever wanted as owner was to move them to California and letting the team descend into mediocrity was his One Weird Trick. Luckily the league thought otherwise and forced the sale to Paul Allen (netting him $120 million as a parting gift).
I think we'll know when they start putting their FO together in the Spring, assuming they follow through with their stated plans. That will also be, for me, a good signal of how ambitious they are: Even if they don't understand the extent of KK's mistakes, one would think they'd want to bring someone in with more experience who they trust. If they just leave things as they are, I'll be massively disappointed.
How long does finding a GM take? Should be weeks, not months.
One of my teams in another sport had a bad GM who everyone knew was a bad GM and they let him stick around for 2.5 years, making big mistake after big mistake. In that time, he totally trashed the team and created a hole from which they were never able to dig out of. Then you start looking at how good your draft position will be. I know we're not there with the Thorns yet, but holy hell. Also need to keep in mind Sophia Smith and she is not going to want to stick around for a team that has been trashed.
At this point, our defense and goaltending, as it stands now, will put us in the bottom half of the table, I'm pretty confident in saying that. Getting good players is a race and not only are we sitting on the sidelines, we are letting them go, too!
This is simply not true. Any good hiring process for a qualified GM should absolutely NOT take just weeks. Rushing a GM hire just to push out the current one is bad practice.
I said this before the takeover when everyone was expecting the new owners to come in and make instant changes, sign big players in January, and fire KK and Norris. It *just doesn't happen like that.* They need to learn the org. They need to identify what they want to change. Then they need to act. If nothing has changed (or has plans to change) before the end of the year, I'll be very concerned, but the people expecting major change less than a month in need to change expectations.
The timing of the Smith contract ending is the only part of this that truly bothers me. I don't care if this is a transition year SO LONG as we begin to see signs of change: Facility planning, FO building etc. I still don't really think this team is going to be all that bad on the field if healthy, but even if it is, I'm much more interested in seeing what the Bhathals do off the field.
A lot will be driven by whom they hire to help with this transition. If you don’t know the landscape or what it should look like, bringing in someone who should is important. SD did that with Jill Ellis and it helped.
They need proven soccer people, and some that are local, ideally. Shannon Boxx, Tiffeny Milbrett, or any of the Pilots staff would be a damn good start...
I’m sure if Paulson ever buys a team, he will bring in Gavin Wilkinson :)
I don’t believe local ties are important. I would target either Kate Markgraf or Mark Parsons. Those are the two names i would feel comfortable with if they chose with a strong preference towards Parsons
Which is also why that Nike group would have probably gotten the plane off the ground a little more quickly.
Again, not making judgement on the Bhathals until I have evidence one way or the other, but this is their first time doing this.
As Trail33 said, bring in a highly respected consultant to right the ship until you can have a longer GM hiring process. You don't need an actual GM to make moves, just someone who knows what the f they are doing.
I think that's a fair request. But I don't know that they are aware of how bad KK is after three weeks on the job. I don't think many people anywhere are.
I don't think it takes much to look at her transactions and see how bad they've been. If they aren't familiar enough with WoSo, then hire a consultant to give them their opinion of LeBlanc's work. Presumably they have someone in-house who knows something about WoSo or have since hired that person. That conversation could take place over the course of a day. It's not rocket science to give an evaluation of a GM.
so can none of the Gmail coach investigation, contacting necessary parties and starting conversations happen outside of being within the club, ie during the purchase process instead of waiting until after the purchase?
It certainly could in theory, but there are a few reasons why it doesn't actually happen like that in practice, not just in this situation but in most instances:
1. The sale wasn't officially done until it was done.
2. The timing makes it really hard to bring in a new coach and GM in the middle of the offseason. That's just a fact. I think KK's increasing level of public ineptitude combined with the Smith contract is driving a lot of the impatience around getting new people in, but I typically like process over Kang-level splash.
3. Getting to know an organization before making wholesale changes is legitimately important!
4. Perhaps most importantly, they're not soccer people and don't have those connections yet. They need to learn the ins and outs of the org and the league. They can't neccesarily just reach out to random well-known soccer exec xyz and say "Hey, please take this job!"
Would I have preferred they-- especially given everything we're learning about KK's job performance-- cleaned her out immediately? Yeah. But I understand why they didn't. This season is going to be about what happens during and at the end of the season. I'm really looking for proof of concept on their stated goals: Are they hiring experienced people into the FO? Are they moving forward with facilities planning? Are the players saying good things? Are they engaging Soph in contract talks? Are they using the summer transfer window?
I know fans don't like being told to wait, and I certainly fall into that category as well. But this isn't a video game, and I'm going to wait to judge for a little more than three weeks.
thanks for your insight.
I was thinking that, too. I know the sale was probably very complicated, but at some point you probably have a good sense if it is going to go through or not and working out the details takes time. That's when the process should have started, IMO.
I also think there is a relatively small group of "soccer people" who know enough to even be considered. I imagine that group of people is pretty well-known, so it's not like they are trying to re-invent the wheel. It's basically just networking and seeing who is available, then interviews.
GOAT comments on Thorns offseason:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRxSRyrTANY
(just admit it -- you can't get enough of it!)
Thorns fans be living on a prayer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0CdXaOS5_o
I see that the late Whitney Houston has spoken up on the Thorns GOAT topic too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V031uXu6Uso
Cousin Dionne was part of the Psychic Friends Network, so maybe she knows something? You know, besides the way to San Jose.... (doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo)
Omg the whole world that exists here!! Sometimes the internet is there for good…
Early candidate for COTY (Comment of the Year)
Strong YouTuber game, R4R, strong game.
Will someone please buy an apartment with a view of the staff entrance to Providence park and set up a webcam?
Was trying to rate our roster to see where we stand in terms of player quality
Among the players that have played more than spot minutes into tiers who are signed (including Sinclair as signed)
1. Smith
——————
2. Coffey
3. Weaver
4. Sugita
——————
5. Moultrie
6. Reyes
7. Rocky
—————
8. Beckie
9. Hubly
10. Hogan
—————
11. Kling
12. Sinclair
13. Nally
Then looking at the new comers or young players with potential
1. Obaze
2. D’Aquila
3. Linnehan
———————
4. Wade Katoa
5. Kozal
6. Kaufusi
———————-
7. Asman
8. Provenzano
9. Duong
In reality, I see us needing to add
1. A starting FB
2. A starting CB
3. A backup FB
4. A backup MF
I’d argue a starting F would be nice, but I’m not expecting it.
The roster itself isn’t barren, but we really have some glaring holes. It doesn’t help that we’ve lost depth without amply replacing it.
So here’s the thing (meant to reply this to your comment over at the other site…); this squad has good bones. Maybe not top two anymore, but individually? There’s quality enough.
But what I see is the real issue isn’t the body. It’s the brain. It’s the coaching.
If we have another season of pitch-it-to-Smith-and-hope, of panicking when pressed, of seeing fullbacks up and central defenders exposed…individual quality isn’t gonna be enough. We’ll have another win-one-lose-one nick three from Smith heroics then drop points to cans kind of season. If we don’t hit a big run of luck we’ll either finish below the red line or get knocked out by someone with an actual tactical plan.
So while I’m concerned about roster holes it’s part of a larger concern that Norris doesn’t have the sort of vision for this club to make the top step. And I don’t see KK having the skills to find him exceptional players that might drag him up there.
I hope I’m just Eeyore. I’d love them to prove me wrong.
Tactically, it’s also important that the coach can lean on assistants. My hope is improving that area will indirectly help Norris. If not, he’ll be gone.
This is the first offseason where I couldn’t defend her moves. The only one last year was really tied to the assistants they chose.
I’m guessing you’re suggesting that Lowdon will up Norris’ game.
That’s…insanely risky. If he’s seen as a sock puppet for his assistant? His authority is dunzo.
I do know that they hired a set of assistants that would probably be under qualified to coach in the Mountain West, so my hope is with the ability to delegate, he becomes better. If not, he won’t last long
In a sense...that's kind of the issue with the Lowdon hire; it LOOKS like a "he won't last long" sort of move. Bringing in the next "interim head coach". I wasn't joking when I said over on the Lowdon thread that if I was Norris I wouldn't sit with my back to her. Unless they have an amazingly good relationship/rapport this could be a hell of an uneasy March and April.
Could that be "good"? Sure, maybe. If it makes him think and ask for advice and take it when it's good.
But that sort of pressure can also make someone defensive and nervous - playing "not to lose" rather than making what might be deemed a risky decision now to pay off later...because with that person standing behind you, if it doesn't pay off now there won't BE a later for you.
We'll just have to see,
I’m maybe giving Norris too much credit. If he’s an adult with a reasonable amount of self awareness, he knows his best path to being a head coach at this level is to win. If Lowdon ends up surpassing him, he’d still likely have a record that gets him considered highly by another team.
If he acts like a petulant child, that opportunity likely goes away for good both here and elsewhere.
Winning is his best formula
Kling is still comfortably better than Sinc or Nally so she's too low, Reyes probably a bit too high but not by much.
I think you are rating Reyes too high. She had like 650 minutes last year, which looked good, but still leaves a lot of question marks as far as her being in the same bucket as a Rocky Rodriguez. Asman probably goes in the same bucket as Kozal (and maybe in the same bucket as D'Aquila, who probably shouldn't be in the same bucket as Obaze or Linnehan). She's a third rounder, but that's because she's a goalie so they don't go as fast, but as far as I can tell, she seams like she's a pretty good prospect.
I probably inflated Reyes for potential, because I actually think she could jump into a better category.
Also, I think fans are sleeping on D’Aquila like they did Ryan. She may take time, but she’s got a lot of the skill sets to supplement the existing stars on the front end
Except D’Aquila’s actual minutes have been a welter of mistakes and ineffectiveness.
Shitfire, man! I WANT her to succeed, but at this point all we’ve got is hope. So far she’s shown no real chops at the pro level.
That’s literally almost every rookie not drafted especially after the top 6. They take time to develop.
You, at one time or another, have stated critical commentary about Smith, Weaver, Coffey, and Ryan in recent years using some limitation whether it be injury, finishing, or time on the pitch.
Not saying you were wrong, but there are times where limited sample size makes Statistical evaluation incomplete.
Having said that, I’d trade Izzy and a lot of allocation money to get Ryan back. Gotta wonder how she feels now. Portland traded her for a bigger opportunity and that’s now formally gone
Look back at the wrap up from 2022; I said at the time that keeping Beckie and dealing Ryan meant we got rid of the wrong winger…
Because at one point or another all but Coffey (who’s been solid throughout) showed issues that limited their contributions. Weaver’s first touch/finishing comes to mind.
That said, all were also clearly pro-level quality. The flaws kept them from stepping up, not from their base.
Unfortunately D’Aquila hasn’t shown replacement-level quality. I hope it’s just a combination of late-blooming and bad luck; go back and look at what I wrote about her in preseason last year - I was really impressed and hopeful! Sadly her minutes got rougher as the season wore on instead of smoother.
As depth I hope for the best from her. It’s just that it’s getting time to see that best! We’re going to need her when the internationals are in Paris. I hope she can rise to the occasion .
I seem to recall some questions about whether Ryan was pro level quality in year 1. Her distance passing was an issue, she grew. Hoping for the same with Izzy.
IIRC Phuoc has good things to say about Izzy based on watching her practice, which at least dovetails with her Santa Clara years. Remain hopeful about her but consistent minutes are needed.
Reyna Renee Reyes Stubblefield went from hot mess to very good across the arc of the 2023 season. I especially treasure how hard she fights for the ball--relentless woman! What her level was at year's end is hard to gauge, as unstable as the entire squad was, but further development seems assured in '24. Lord knows, it's needed on this squad.
A few thoughts...
(1) NWSL clubs can start training camp as soon as Monday. Do we know when the Thorns are starting theirs?
(2) Kinda getting jittery about the fact that Sauerbruun remains un-signed. On a scale of 0 (a cup of room-temp water) to 10 (six espresso shots), I'm about at about 4 right now ("I'm a Pepper").
(3) Kuikka's departure note, and the rumblings about the circumstances under which she departed, probably help illuminate Dunn's departure and her remarks that she did not feel "valued." Dunn probably had several suitors, and Karina probably made it clear -- either with a very low offer or none at all -- that Dunn would do better elsewhere.
I don’t disagree with any of this, but my personal feeling was that Dunn was kinda checked out all last season and I was surprised it took her as long as it did to leave. The writing was on the wall as soon as the Pierre thing happened
I agree that the writing was on the wall once Deux Deux Deuxbrier was sacked. I don't know if I entirely agree that she was kinda checked out.
I don’t mean on the field. Just watching her interact with the other players on the bench and on social media. I could just tell her heart wasn’t quite in it. No rainbow sneakers! 🌈
She played good two way ball for most of the year and that last game was a pretty impressive effort on her part.
I’m concerned about the perceived lack of urgency in getting things done and worried that it might be more than just a lack of urgency
Like showing up at the bakery at 11:30 looking for bargains, maybe KK is eyeing the field for discount maple bars (SWIDT?) and day-old buttermilks. Squeeze those loonies, KK!
Maybe we can make a whole team called the Portland Waiver Wires
Reminds me of the local bakery-restaurant chain that was having problems with its central kitchen this past Summer/Fall, to the extent that they were opening up every morning without bread.
I mean, like a few weeks in a row, I'd go in there first thing in the morning, be the first person in line, only to be told that they didn't have any bread that day.
Reminds me of a joke I once heard about a restaurant being out of soup. "How can you be out of soup? It's water and ingredients!"
Also sounds like a Yakov Smirnoff set-up... "In Soviet Russia... there is no bread... ever!"
Petunias is my place to go
Players report Monday.
do we have any international spots open? not much available us talent available to fill gaping hole(s)
I wouldn't be surprised if we wait until the summer window to fill the remaining three spots, if at all.
We have five total and are using two: Sugita and Obaze.
ACFC posts a thank you Simone Charley.
Maybe not our biggest need, but come on KK, let's get her back.
If she’s fit and replacement-level cheap? Why not? Decent depth at least.
I mean, back up wing is definitely on the list.
(Idk about a speed-reliant player coming off an achilles, but sure! why not!)
that's exactly the problem- Charley wasn't particularly skilled with the ball- what set her apart was her speed and athleticism. If that advantage is gone, my guess is she'd be a step down from Vasconcelos, et al.
Good point; her thing was blowing thru defenses. If she’s lost a step from injury, she’s lost her primary weapon.
Well, she won't be able to jump like before, but she should at least be serviceable.
We could use a proven backup and with Beckie coming off an ACL, an insurance policy. I wonder if she tries to get closer to home
You know how bad it's gotten?
Our top Google Xitter result is a video of a goat.
Our top *four* Google news stories are all about Gavin.
Yeah. Gavin has been the head of the Portland Thorns screen for a while now on ESPN. Gives me all sorts of happiness. Atleast annoincing Sinclair will get that off
If it weren't for Christmas, then New Years, then covid, then the multiple storms, then a birthday, maybe I'd have been able to think ahead enough to reschedule my PT appointment (at Prov Park Sports Care) for today/tomm....hmmmm maybe I can still get in for Friday....
I usually get a nice view of players practicing when I'm warming up on the treadmill! I'll just tell my physical therapist to pay no mind to my binoculars lol...
ABell, check your IG DMs!
I will on my lunch! I'm at work an I don't have IG on my computer, but I can still complain here now and again lol
Okay, but just so you know we are saving the Thorns.
Good lord I do not have the energy for that kind of project lol. Start tagging Lisa on the socials, maybe she pick up the pieces lol...does she have an anonymous tip line?
I feel like we'd usually get posts from training, so my guess is they don't actually start today
Is it possible preseason was delayed due to the storm in Portland? I assume flights were delayed or cancelled over the weekend.
Ok so I'll try to schedule for Friday lol. It's short-notice but maybe I'll have some luck hah
They probably delayed preseason because they couldn't get the signings/their announcements done in time lol. "Ok team so we have the Sinc announcement on Monday (but later Monday!) so we can't start preseason until she's announced in case someone pulls an Emily Fox at Arsenal because NO ONE EXPECTS IT!"
It's also a flexible window- Someone posted below but training camp can start any time between January 22nd and January 29th.
I know that's the logical explanation, I was just trying to make a funny lol
When Jessie Fleming shows up tomorrow that'll show all of us!
Krusty is coming...
Krusty is coming...
Krusty is coming...
Krusty is coming...
https://youtu.be/gqzA1VOiC-M?feature=shared
I will happily admit I was so wrong lol. In fact I'd prefer that! (But can she play RB?)
It's 11AM on 01.22.24, so it's time to ask "What's the deal with the goat/GOAT?"
Apparently, the goat/GOAT roll-out was a casualty of the recent ice storm.
It seems the goat/GOAT has been living without heat, electricity, and plumbing for several days -- well, its whole life really -- and is only just now eating its way through the thicket of fallen branches and such.
Should be reporting to camp later this week once it has cleared away more debris.
No confirmation of the rumor, however, that the goat/GOAT ate Karina's ability to do her damn job.
Bored (so bored) I looked up the cost to see Bay FC at PayPal Park--$25-75.
Wait, that's for parking. Season tics range from $266-$2660. No single game tics to be found yet.
Where the heck is PayPal Park? Shoved up against San Jose Mineta International Airport. Seats 18k.
"What?"
"I said, DO YOU WANT A BEER?"
"They're playing with fear? Never mind, I'm thirsty. Let's get a beer."
"End is near?"
Midweek games will be a...challenge.
"You shot who in the what now?"
No bad seats in that stadium and pretty good concessions.
So is it safe to assume that this will be Christine Sinclair appreciation day and we will have to wait until tomorrow for news?
If they sign Sophia Smith or Jessie Fleming, that would incredible news but not holding my breath. I don’t want to pass out
Almost certainly, yes. I imagine the first time we'll hear anything new is when Lisa Bhathal arrives....and who knows when that will be.
Today is Christine Sinclair appreciation day.
Tomorrow is Becky Sauerbrunn appreciation day
Wednesday is fill in the roster appreciation today
The rest of the year is showing Sophia Smith, Morgan Weaver, and Sam Coffey how much we love them :)
how friggin hard is to jump on a private plane when you are a cajillionaire?
Why do we think she's coming at all?
Because she said she was coming and scheduling a meet and greet on draft day.
Great, well that's something.
That will probably be like the thing they did last year -- Norris, KK, Beavers, and Davis -- for Q&A and hors d'oeuvres.
Quite possibly. We also have no context for how they like to do things, so could be anything.
I really hope Lisa has a conversation with the players...and one without KK in the room. She'll potentially have some different opinions shared than if they let her be present...
For anyone on Fleming Watch: the previous Chelsea game she gave away tons of her match worn shirts to fans and today she wasn't in the squad (though she was with the team at the game).
That is some great Fleming watching! Thank you for a glimmer of hope where before there was none.
I just assume she has an injury, but it would be nice to not see Gavin Wilkinson’s mug on my espn feed every time I pass the Thorns
the giving away match worn stuff isn't indicative of anything tbf, they're all doing a lot of that. The big thing to watch for is how much she plays this month: Chelsea have 4 games in the next two weeks.