Whenever the STF gang mentions how Rob Gale would make some kind or reorganization or change to the way the Thorns could play (more direct, more counter-attack, indirect yada yada) I cringe. It's not going to happen with Gale. Gale is not a trainer either.
Both coaches found a way to not leverage the strengths of the players on the team to the point where it was nearly an art form. I believe you could put dog treats or toys around random game strategies and 95% of dogs would outperform our last two coaches.
Yep. Assumes facts not in evidence. Ken never solved anything he encountered in 2024. Defensive issues, midfield organization, RW (and a LW while Weaver was out), player roles, keepers...he had no answer to pretty much every problem he was presented with. Why should that change in 2025?
Y'all are charging people to access some Thorns content, and for the privilege to comment on some of it.
Meanwhile, y'all are giving NWSL stuff away for free on SB Nation where NO ONE is commenting. Any time I visit it and look at something written there, I'm the only person reading it. NO ONE posts comments.
I understand the need to build credentials, but we're the backbone upon which you're building them.
FWIW (as someone who used to be inside the Vox Media system) the interest in fan engagement in the form of comments is...something less than zero. The secret sauce is clicks, because it's all about the monetization. So long as Vox can turn in high eyeball counts to their advertisers, well, comments? Who gives a shit.
I miss Sam Mewis...especially when watching a WNT match and I'm looking from someone stepping out of midfield with the canon strike that nearly puts a tear in the fabric of the net from 20 yards.
We would have not spent a second-to-last international slot on Daiane (for 2 yrs) if we were getting Jade Rose lol. Because she would cost us our last int’l slot.
If you *could* get Jade Rose then of course, you get her, but you will have to deal with your (again) poor roster management soon when you have multiple non-starting level players taking int’l spots that could be better spent elsewhere. We need an elite RW who can contribute NOW, like no question, and I don’t think we’re finding that domestically…
If Jade Rose was even a possibility, then we could’ve just tried to pick up Erceg or Maitane or something (though…do they req. int’l spots?) I feel like Erceg has been here forever. That would kinda defeat the purpose, but it would make sense to get another depth CB domestically than overseas (if we were getting Rose.)
Duke was a win away from the '24 Cup final and she was impressive every time I saw them this year.
And speaking of the Cup winners, Damon Nahas was UNC's interim HC after Anson Dorrance unexpectedly retired in August. Yes, same Nahases. Was interim but they made him permanent this month. (Duh guys, you think?)
Last December 25, Karina was in the Bahamas, screwing up things so badly that she lost the opportunity to re-sign Kuikka and nearly lost Obaze after the deal to land her had been in the works since at least mid-November. Those are facts. Yes, Karina was incompetent, but at least she was on the job while demonstrating incompetence.
This year, we don't know who is responsible for signing players or negotiating deals. Probably Mike Norris, Mike Smith, and Rob Gale, but we don't know. The season has been over for a full month, and the Thorns season has been over for 45 days.
RAJ announced on October 9 that Karina was transitioning out as GM and that the search for a new GM was starting immediately. Here on Christmas Day, we still have no announcement.
It has been speculated, as long ago as mid-October, that Park Marsons is the frontrunner for the job, but there's been no announcement.
To the thought experiment:
What if Park Marsons is a candidate for another job? A job that, for whatever reason(s), Park Marsons prefers?
If Park Marsons gets it, then we're onto the next candidate! Unless, that is, we don't really have another candidate! Then what? Folks, Ken is coming back next year not because he did a bang-up job, but because we don't have a GM and we don't have any other options.
On the other hand, however, if Park Marsons doesn't get the other job, we already know that Park Marsons would really prefer a different job over the Thorns GM gig. Maybe based on location, or the job itself, or the club, or the talent, or the league, or whatever. Maybe all of those things. But whatever the case happens to be, Park Marsons doesn't really want the Thorns GM job. If Park Marsons did want the Thorns job, it would be his by now.
So, I submit, Park Marsons is playing with house money right now. Park Marsons knows that the Thorns are waiting on Park Marsons to make a decision. Park Marsons knows that RAJ have no leverage.
I also submit that Park Marsons really wants a different job, and that if Park Marsons ends up taking the Thorns GM job it will be not the job Park Marsons really wants.
Maybe Park Marsons will take the GM job but will really want Ken's job? Or maybe Park Marsons will continue to look for a different job while Park Marsons is here, one that's got more of whatever the Thorns job is not?
Pardon me for feeling rather disgruntled, like I've discovered a large lump in the toe of my Nike Dri-Fit Knee-Highs. But on December 25, I'm not feeling great about all of this.
I think Parsons wants a head coaching gig. He’s said it. He feels he’s got more to do there (possibly to wash the taste of his last two jobs out of his mouth, or something…) and I’m guessing that if they are talking to him Parsons wants Ken’s job.
Putting the Bhathals in a bind - if they fire Ken they look stupid and they’re trying to hire Parsons as GM, not HC.
So - IF they’re talking - I think it comes down to whether Parsons thinks he’s got a shot at another coaching gig, either here or elsewhere.
I have never felt less able to scare up even a WAG-level prediction about the Thorns' GM/HC future. From the completely opaque ownership/FO to the relative lack of obvious available choices (Park Marsons aside...), I find this matter has fallen into the same category as most of the rest of my life ("I haven't a clue").
I'm giving myself a pass for not predicting the Nadeshiko hiring Nils Nielson (former Denmark WNT manager, most recently ManCity Women Director of Football) as manager. I didn't expect a foreigner, tbh. It's a great hire, though. Mind you, I thought easing Ikeda out was a mistake, but the perception that Japan has underachieved recently in relation to the quality of its roster isn't entirely unfair. I think they've been more unlucky than underperforming, but still...
I think coaches go through sell-by dates. It's a rare manager who has Sir Alex-grade longevity. Eventually the players tune you out unless you (Ferguson!) keep winning, so the recent slump probably looked like a good opportunity to reboot the senior Nadeshiko side. So, gomen nasai, Ikeda-san, but...
Agreed, and I think there's a sense of wanting to make sure the likely roster in 2027 is at its absolute best, as they'll be one of the favorites. Only a couple current mainstays will have aged out, and players like Fujino and the insanely-good-at-17 Miharu Shinjo will be entering their peak. They wanted to have someone on board now so as to have their system fully tweaked by then.
Not that there will be any sort of massive changes in systemic style. Japanese players play Japanese footy...it's a playstyle instilled early on and maintained throughout their youth system careers.
I've been kind of galaxy braining that Eryk Williamson is probably going to get picked in the expansion draft or get traded to the new San Diego MLS team to get him a fresh start and that Hubly as a free agent is going to sign with the Wave to have both of them make the move
Plenty of well-considered insights, thanks for the 2024 sendoff. '25 will be better, I'm almost sure!
Bonus listening: Sammy Mewie and Ally Sentnor geek out over both being Hanson, Mass gals. Honestly, Ally impresses the heck out of me--learn here that she left HS a year early to go to UNC, blew up her knee and missed her first year, left UNC early to go into the draft, nevertheless despite NWSL and U20 duties, then her Nats callup and first cap, just graduated. Sky's the limit.
Pretty amazing the Mewis sisters and Ally Sentnor all coming from a town with only 10,000 people. Maybe there is a coach for the the Thorns in that town. I have often thought that Penn State coach must be pretty good, but we don't see many college coaches move to the Pro's.
SWAG some NWSL coaching jerbs pay less, too. e.g., Has anybody tried to recruit Paul Ratcliffe away from Stanford? That probably takes Kang bucks.
ETA the Stanford endowment as of August '23 is estimated at $36.5 billion. Meanwhile, their '22 athletics budget shows $145 million in expenses. Given their historical success over time, guessing WoSo gets whatever they ask for.
not to.mention vast majority of college soccer fits in the run fast tackle hard tactical box. big step up to professional level were just letting your athletes out athlete less athletic teams isn't quite sure successful. e.g. see Ken ball
Stanford football maybe. Soccer? Maybe not. Universities with big football programs tend to think of them as the big dogs. Look at the poor athletes in the non-football programs at places like OU who have to fly cattle class to play in Ohio or Missouri. You think the U cares? They moved to the conference they wanted their football team in. Soccer, gymnastics, fencing? Suck it up…
Is the "culture bad"? Or was Gotham so brutally violating the league's "financial fair play" rules that they're dumping contracts like a drug runner frantically tossing drugs over the side hoping not to get run down while still holding? Porque nos los dos..?
Haha seems like it could be a mix of both. But they sure have dumped a lot of contracts. It's not the first time I've heard the "culture" issue in the last month or two, either. Dan Lauletta mentioned it on his podcast a month or so ago. Lynn also made a cryptic comment about the bts issues at Gotham on her last episode with "The Women's Game", when she was talking about her trade to Seattle.
Not pretending to know....my guess is it's not as bad as it's been blown up to be, but, there's *something* there.
Yeah, I picked up on something Williams said, too. My guess is there’s “something there” but that it may not be the kind of “something” (i.e. coaching toxicity) we usually think of. It may have been within the squad - think Thorns 2013; everybody kissed and made up after the championship, but there were a LOT of hints that not all was well within that squad. Cliques, individuals…the pressures of a title run can bring out some bad personality traits. And when it ends badly as Gotham’s did? That stuff festers…
If you had to choose between Norris and Gale as our head coach, whom would you choose? Trying to figure out which one is tweedledee and which one is tweedledum.
Obviously Wilson the volleyball over either, but if that wasn’t a choice?
Lemme clear up any confusion about whether the Bathals will mimic the Kings WRT management philosophy.
"The Kings made a somewhat stunning move Friday, firing coach Mike Brown moments after he met with the media at the team’s Golden 1 Center practice facility in Sacramento. A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings were parting ways with Brown amid the team’s five-game losing streak, confirming a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania."
"Sources said Doug Christie will take over as interim coach as the Kings prepare to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. The move came a day after the Kings blew a 19-point lead in a 114-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Pressure has been mounting for weeks in Sacramento as the Kings lost 12 of 17, including all five games on their recent homestand. Kings general manager Monte McNair issued a statement Friday night when the team officially announced Brown’s firing. “This was a difficult decision, and I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to the organization,” McNair said."
We will never be told if this was a GM or ownership decision but can infer from the great coaching carousel since Ranadive bought the squad, it's the second. He's hands-on to an excessive degree. In case you do not follow hoops, Brown led the squad to the playoffs for the first time under current ownership, a club holding the "record" for continuous seasons w/o a playoff appearance.
Sadly, the next phase of this death spiral will be franchise players demanding to be released.
For extra credit: is non-management better than mismanagement? Opinions differ.
Mike Malone, whom Ranadive fired, sez that Vivek did it.
Since Rick Adelman (last year in 2006), the Kings have gone through Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, Kenny Natt, Paul Westphal, Keith Smart, Mike Malone, Ty Corbin, George Karl, Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, Alvin Gentry, Mike Brown, and now Doug Christie.
That's 13 coaches in 19 seasons.
Over that time, only Joerger made it through 3 full seasons. Brown, at 195 games - not even 2.5 seasons - is the next longest tenured.
Brown is a 2x coach of the year and 4x champion as assistant coach.
Gentry is 1x champion as assistant coach.
Walton is 1x champion as assistant coach and probably should have won coach of the year for his stint as Warriors interim coach.
Joerger coached Memphis to the playoffs 3x in 3 years.
Karl is 1x coach of the year and in the BBHOF; he coached Seattle to the 7th best 5-year stretch in NBA history, averaging 60 wins a year.
Malone is 1x champion as head coach.
I'd say each of these guys can coach, with Luke being the weakest of the bunch.
The discord is suggesting that Mike Smith was promoted to assistant GM which would be odd without knowing whom the GM is and is running things while the GM has not been announced. Maybe the GM is employed still and trying to resolve issues OR trying to arrange family issues before relocating to Portland
From what has been rumored, Smith was responsible for a lot of the personnel recommendations this past year.
Klingenberg, if she returns, is the only Thorn who's been here since 2016. If she doesn't return, then I think Olivia Moultrie has been involved with the club the longest, as she started training with Thorns when she was 13.
Edit: Bella has been here since 2018, but didn't see her first action until 2020.
Saw today that Thorns have 3 positions available on teamwork: Assistant Coach, Communications Manager, and Director of High Performance.
Sounds like we’re losing Vytas, Sarah, or that rando Canadian dude who they hired like a month before the end of the season lol. Is it not more customary to have the HC bring in their AC’s? So, either Gale, or, whomever takes Gale’s spot?
Frankly if I was Lowdon I’d be looking for work elsewhere. Why endure another year working for Ken? Her c.v. was better than his when he got the job and he sure did himself no good last season. It’s like Julia Child working for Chef Boy-ar-dee.
this is bad news very bad news. why hire an asst coach if there is a looming regime change. this stinks of gale remaining. regretting season ticket choice, to pay the massive ticket price increase to be subjected to the absolute shite that is kenball
Getting hired as “Communications Director” for this outfit would be like getting the redevelopment manager job for Chernobyl City. Talk about starting from ground zero.
As I mentioned; if I was Lowdon I'd have my resume out there. Why spend another season sitting there watching KenBall fail? OTOH the defending was kinda crap, so, Vytas...? OTOOH, the keeper situation was like twelve monkeys fucking a football, so why not 86 the GK coach?
There's too many possibilities to really speculate.
Chelsea have 3, plus two goalkeeping coaches and an analyst.
Arsenal have 3 and an analyst, and are short one coach because a former assistant is the interim.
What ends up happening is you have one assistant, and then the other individuals are responsible for different phases. So at Arsenal, for example, Kelly Smith works with the attacking players, Aaron D'Antino is the assistant, and Chris Bradley is the set pieces coach. Slegers' role before was individual development and she was also in communication with the analysts.
Whenever the STF gang mentions how Rob Gale would make some kind or reorganization or change to the way the Thorns could play (more direct, more counter-attack, indirect yada yada) I cringe. It's not going to happen with Gale. Gale is not a trainer either.
My perspective on Gale (and Norris)
Both coaches found a way to not leverage the strengths of the players on the team to the point where it was nearly an art form. I believe you could put dog treats or toys around random game strategies and 95% of dogs would outperform our last two coaches.
ROFLMAO
Yep. Assumes facts not in evidence. Ken never solved anything he encountered in 2024. Defensive issues, midfield organization, RW (and a LW while Weaver was out), player roles, keepers...he had no answer to pretty much every problem he was presented with. Why should that change in 2025?
So, I'm gonna say the unpopular thing here.
Y'all are charging people to access some Thorns content, and for the privilege to comment on some of it.
Meanwhile, y'all are giving NWSL stuff away for free on SB Nation where NO ONE is commenting. Any time I visit it and look at something written there, I'm the only person reading it. NO ONE posts comments.
I understand the need to build credentials, but we're the backbone upon which you're building them.
Priorities, people.
FWIW (as someone who used to be inside the Vox Media system) the interest in fan engagement in the form of comments is...something less than zero. The secret sauce is clicks, because it's all about the monetization. So long as Vox can turn in high eyeball counts to their advertisers, well, comments? Who gives a shit.
And clicks are cumulative, so...
“The Women’s Game” with Sam Mewis 👍🏼
I miss Sam Mewis...especially when watching a WNT match and I'm looking from someone stepping out of midfield with the canon strike that nearly puts a tear in the fabric of the net from 20 yards.
"Nothing but bangers" yep, Sam had herself a leg. Keep reminding myself she was usually the tallest player on the pitch.
Hidden gem in this podcast:
Maybe post-retirement Christine Sinclair and was-supposedly-looking-to-leave Jessie Fleming can convince Jade Rose to come here.
Oh, that's rich.
We would have not spent a second-to-last international slot on Daiane (for 2 yrs) if we were getting Jade Rose lol. Because she would cost us our last int’l slot.
If you *could* get Jade Rose then of course, you get her, but you will have to deal with your (again) poor roster management soon when you have multiple non-starting level players taking int’l spots that could be better spent elsewhere. We need an elite RW who can contribute NOW, like no question, and I don’t think we’re finding that domestically…
If Jade Rose was even a possibility, then we could’ve just tried to pick up Erceg or Maitane or something (though…do they req. int’l spots?) I feel like Erceg has been here forever. That would kinda defeat the purpose, but it would make sense to get another depth CB domestically than overseas (if we were getting Rose.)
I thought you were onto something with Reale. She’d be a perfect fit
https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/10-college-prospects-to-watch-this-offseason
Duke was a win away from the '24 Cup final and she was impressive every time I saw them this year.
And speaking of the Cup winners, Damon Nahas was UNC's interim HC after Anson Dorrance unexpectedly retired in August. Yes, same Nahases. Was interim but they made him permanent this month. (Duh guys, you think?)
Anyhoo, another prospect gone fishin'.
Let's engage in a little thought experiment:
Last December 25, Karina was in the Bahamas, screwing up things so badly that she lost the opportunity to re-sign Kuikka and nearly lost Obaze after the deal to land her had been in the works since at least mid-November. Those are facts. Yes, Karina was incompetent, but at least she was on the job while demonstrating incompetence.
This year, we don't know who is responsible for signing players or negotiating deals. Probably Mike Norris, Mike Smith, and Rob Gale, but we don't know. The season has been over for a full month, and the Thorns season has been over for 45 days.
RAJ announced on October 9 that Karina was transitioning out as GM and that the search for a new GM was starting immediately. Here on Christmas Day, we still have no announcement.
It has been speculated, as long ago as mid-October, that Park Marsons is the frontrunner for the job, but there's been no announcement.
To the thought experiment:
What if Park Marsons is a candidate for another job? A job that, for whatever reason(s), Park Marsons prefers?
If Park Marsons gets it, then we're onto the next candidate! Unless, that is, we don't really have another candidate! Then what? Folks, Ken is coming back next year not because he did a bang-up job, but because we don't have a GM and we don't have any other options.
On the other hand, however, if Park Marsons doesn't get the other job, we already know that Park Marsons would really prefer a different job over the Thorns GM gig. Maybe based on location, or the job itself, or the club, or the talent, or the league, or whatever. Maybe all of those things. But whatever the case happens to be, Park Marsons doesn't really want the Thorns GM job. If Park Marsons did want the Thorns job, it would be his by now.
So, I submit, Park Marsons is playing with house money right now. Park Marsons knows that the Thorns are waiting on Park Marsons to make a decision. Park Marsons knows that RAJ have no leverage.
I also submit that Park Marsons really wants a different job, and that if Park Marsons ends up taking the Thorns GM job it will be not the job Park Marsons really wants.
Maybe Park Marsons will take the GM job but will really want Ken's job? Or maybe Park Marsons will continue to look for a different job while Park Marsons is here, one that's got more of whatever the Thorns job is not?
Pardon me for feeling rather disgruntled, like I've discovered a large lump in the toe of my Nike Dri-Fit Knee-Highs. But on December 25, I'm not feeling great about all of this.
I think it’s simpler than that.
I think Parsons wants a head coaching gig. He’s said it. He feels he’s got more to do there (possibly to wash the taste of his last two jobs out of his mouth, or something…) and I’m guessing that if they are talking to him Parsons wants Ken’s job.
Putting the Bhathals in a bind - if they fire Ken they look stupid and they’re trying to hire Parsons as GM, not HC.
So - IF they’re talking - I think it comes down to whether Parsons thinks he’s got a shot at another coaching gig, either here or elsewhere.
hard no to mapa as hc
I'd take him over Ken, but I'd take Air Bud over Ken, so that's a low bar.
I have never felt less able to scare up even a WAG-level prediction about the Thorns' GM/HC future. From the completely opaque ownership/FO to the relative lack of obvious available choices (Park Marsons aside...), I find this matter has fallen into the same category as most of the rest of my life ("I haven't a clue").
I'm giving myself a pass for not predicting the Nadeshiko hiring Nils Nielson (former Denmark WNT manager, most recently ManCity Women Director of Football) as manager. I didn't expect a foreigner, tbh. It's a great hire, though. Mind you, I thought easing Ikeda out was a mistake, but the perception that Japan has underachieved recently in relation to the quality of its roster isn't entirely unfair. I think they've been more unlucky than underperforming, but still...
So does Ikeda speak English?
Hina-san has an interpreter here already in place. Just sayin’…
I don't think so, but man, if he did...
I think coaches go through sell-by dates. It's a rare manager who has Sir Alex-grade longevity. Eventually the players tune you out unless you (Ferguson!) keep winning, so the recent slump probably looked like a good opportunity to reboot the senior Nadeshiko side. So, gomen nasai, Ikeda-san, but...
Agreed, and I think there's a sense of wanting to make sure the likely roster in 2027 is at its absolute best, as they'll be one of the favorites. Only a couple current mainstays will have aged out, and players like Fujino and the insanely-good-at-17 Miharu Shinjo will be entering their peak. They wanted to have someone on board now so as to have their system fully tweaked by then.
Not that there will be any sort of massive changes in systemic style. Japanese players play Japanese footy...it's a playstyle instilled early on and maintained throughout their youth system careers.
It looks like "Galey" is currently in Africa so at least I don’t think he’s involved lol.
I've been kind of galaxy braining that Eryk Williamson is probably going to get picked in the expansion draft or get traded to the new San Diego MLS team to get him a fresh start and that Hubly as a free agent is going to sign with the Wave to have both of them make the move
I'll join you in the stratosphere...I've been thinking this was a possibility for a bit now also.
Hubly really needs to live on the beach, I’m surprised she’s lasted this long in Portland weather.
But she’s from Chicago!
I’m sure the “Stars” would be happy to have her!
Lake Michigan is beachfront.
Plenty of well-considered insights, thanks for the 2024 sendoff. '25 will be better, I'm almost sure!
Bonus listening: Sammy Mewie and Ally Sentnor geek out over both being Hanson, Mass gals. Honestly, Ally impresses the heck out of me--learn here that she left HS a year early to go to UNC, blew up her knee and missed her first year, left UNC early to go into the draft, nevertheless despite NWSL and U20 duties, then her Nats callup and first cap, just graduated. Sky's the limit.
https://youtu.be/a0GzOgrU4ys?si=59qUyQnuvqiUyOw5
Pretty amazing the Mewis sisters and Ally Sentnor all coming from a town with only 10,000 people. Maybe there is a coach for the the Thorns in that town. I have often thought that Penn State coach must be pretty good, but we don't see many college coaches move to the Pro's.
The pros don't offer tenure.
SWAG some NWSL coaching jerbs pay less, too. e.g., Has anybody tried to recruit Paul Ratcliffe away from Stanford? That probably takes Kang bucks.
ETA the Stanford endowment as of August '23 is estimated at $36.5 billion. Meanwhile, their '22 athletics budget shows $145 million in expenses. Given their historical success over time, guessing WoSo gets whatever they ask for.
not to.mention vast majority of college soccer fits in the run fast tackle hard tactical box. big step up to professional level were just letting your athletes out athlete less athletic teams isn't quite sure successful. e.g. see Ken ball
Stanford football maybe. Soccer? Maybe not. Universities with big football programs tend to think of them as the big dogs. Look at the poor athletes in the non-football programs at places like OU who have to fly cattle class to play in Ohio or Missouri. You think the U cares? They moved to the conference they wanted their football team in. Soccer, gymnastics, fencing? Suck it up…
Also, re: the Gotham departures- (that comment is from Merritt Mathias)
https://x.com/ellastevensfc/status/1872315350353629681
Is the "culture bad"? Or was Gotham so brutally violating the league's "financial fair play" rules that they're dumping contracts like a drug runner frantically tossing drugs over the side hoping not to get run down while still holding? Porque nos los dos..?
Haha seems like it could be a mix of both. But they sure have dumped a lot of contracts. It's not the first time I've heard the "culture" issue in the last month or two, either. Dan Lauletta mentioned it on his podcast a month or so ago. Lynn also made a cryptic comment about the bts issues at Gotham on her last episode with "The Women's Game", when she was talking about her trade to Seattle.
Not pretending to know....my guess is it's not as bad as it's been blown up to be, but, there's *something* there.
Yeah, I picked up on something Williams said, too. My guess is there’s “something there” but that it may not be the kind of “something” (i.e. coaching toxicity) we usually think of. It may have been within the squad - think Thorns 2013; everybody kissed and made up after the championship, but there were a LOT of hints that not all was well within that squad. Cliques, individuals…the pressures of a title run can bring out some bad personality traits. And when it ends badly as Gotham’s did? That stuff festers…
I think it's the latter, but hard to say. It does kinda seem like that whole bs "self-discipline" move by NCAA football and basketball powerhouses.
Drifting through the Thorns doldrums: https://rivetingpdx.com/2024/12/26/now-what-4/
2025 Thorns Annual Member Gift
https://www.amazon.com/WILSON-Cast-Away-Volleyballs-Official/dp/B004J0XLVC
At least you could talk to the volleyball...
If you had to choose between Norris and Gale as our head coach, whom would you choose? Trying to figure out which one is tweedledee and which one is tweedledum.
Obviously Wilson the volleyball over either, but if that wasn’t a choice?
Time to appoint Wilson our new GM.
Yaz Ryan to Houston
https://x.com/jeffkassouf/status/1872271205342032209?s=46
SILENCE!!!
Canadians are hibernating.
Lemme clear up any confusion about whether the Bathals will mimic the Kings WRT management philosophy.
"The Kings made a somewhat stunning move Friday, firing coach Mike Brown moments after he met with the media at the team’s Golden 1 Center practice facility in Sacramento. A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings were parting ways with Brown amid the team’s five-game losing streak, confirming a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania."
"Sources said Doug Christie will take over as interim coach as the Kings prepare to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. The move came a day after the Kings blew a 19-point lead in a 114-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Pressure has been mounting for weeks in Sacramento as the Kings lost 12 of 17, including all five games on their recent homestand. Kings general manager Monte McNair issued a statement Friday night when the team officially announced Brown’s firing. “This was a difficult decision, and I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to the organization,” McNair said."
We will never be told if this was a GM or ownership decision but can infer from the great coaching carousel since Ranadive bought the squad, it's the second. He's hands-on to an excessive degree. In case you do not follow hoops, Brown led the squad to the playoffs for the first time under current ownership, a club holding the "record" for continuous seasons w/o a playoff appearance.
Sadly, the next phase of this death spiral will be franchise players demanding to be released.
For extra credit: is non-management better than mismanagement? Opinions differ.
Mike Malone, whom Ranadive fired, sez that Vivek did it.
Since Rick Adelman (last year in 2006), the Kings have gone through Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, Kenny Natt, Paul Westphal, Keith Smart, Mike Malone, Ty Corbin, George Karl, Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, Alvin Gentry, Mike Brown, and now Doug Christie.
That's 13 coaches in 19 seasons.
Over that time, only Joerger made it through 3 full seasons. Brown, at 195 games - not even 2.5 seasons - is the next longest tenured.
Brown is a 2x coach of the year and 4x champion as assistant coach.
Gentry is 1x champion as assistant coach.
Walton is 1x champion as assistant coach and probably should have won coach of the year for his stint as Warriors interim coach.
Joerger coached Memphis to the playoffs 3x in 3 years.
Karl is 1x coach of the year and in the BBHOF; he coached Seattle to the 7th best 5-year stretch in NBA history, averaging 60 wins a year.
Malone is 1x champion as head coach.
I'd say each of these guys can coach, with Luke being the weakest of the bunch.
The discord is suggesting that Mike Smith was promoted to assistant GM which would be odd without knowing whom the GM is and is running things while the GM has not been announced. Maybe the GM is employed still and trying to resolve issues OR trying to arrange family issues before relocating to Portland
From what has been rumored, Smith was responsible for a lot of the personnel recommendations this past year.
See the other thread. There's more to this, and more names, than that.
Reddit has the Hubs drama: https://www.reddit.com/r/NWSL/comments/1hnppwx/thorns_update_released_hubly/
So many different ways that it could be interpreted. Only Sophia will know what she meant and that’s all that matters.
Get good people running the org and coaching the team … and your chances of keeping the most valuable player in the league here goes up.
Do what you have been with the band of unqualified misfits and you won’t keep her
Well, everyone who wanted Hubly gone, you got your wish!
And it’s pissed Soph off, so that’s good!
Yeah, that's the biggest worry, I think. I mean, it's one less reason for Sophia to stay here after this year.
where to?
Hasn’t said. Rumor has been SD with her boyfriend being exposed for the expansion draft
https://x.com/thornsfc/status/1872757074389803176?s=46
Sophia responded with LMAO. Weaver seems unhappy with it as well.
Klingenberg, if she returns, is the only Thorn who's been here since 2016. If she doesn't return, then I think Olivia Moultrie has been involved with the club the longest, as she started training with Thorns when she was 13.
Edit: Bella has been here since 2018, but didn't see her first action until 2020.
Saw today that Thorns have 3 positions available on teamwork: Assistant Coach, Communications Manager, and Director of High Performance.
Sounds like we’re losing Vytas, Sarah, or that rando Canadian dude who they hired like a month before the end of the season lol. Is it not more customary to have the HC bring in their AC’s? So, either Gale, or, whomever takes Gale’s spot?
Frankly if I was Lowdon I’d be looking for work elsewhere. Why endure another year working for Ken? Her c.v. was better than his when he got the job and he sure did himself no good last season. It’s like Julia Child working for Chef Boy-ar-dee.
this is bad news very bad news. why hire an asst coach if there is a looming regime change. this stinks of gale remaining. regretting season ticket choice, to pay the massive ticket price increase to be subjected to the absolute shite that is kenball
Getting hired as “Communications Director” for this outfit would be like getting the redevelopment manager job for Chernobyl City. Talk about starting from ground zero.
As I mentioned; if I was Lowdon I'd have my resume out there. Why spend another season sitting there watching KenBall fail? OTOH the defending was kinda crap, so, Vytas...? OTOOH, the keeper situation was like twelve monkeys fucking a football, so why not 86 the GK coach?
There's too many possibilities to really speculate.
They could be hiring another assistant coach tbh
Does any team have 4? Seems like a lot, but I guess if your HC is incompetent you improvise lol.
3-4 is the norm yeah.
For example:
Chelsea have 3, plus two goalkeeping coaches and an analyst.
Arsenal have 3 and an analyst, and are short one coach because a former assistant is the interim.
What ends up happening is you have one assistant, and then the other individuals are responsible for different phases. So at Arsenal, for example, Kelly Smith works with the attacking players, Aaron D'Antino is the assistant, and Chris Bradley is the set pieces coach. Slegers' role before was individual development and she was also in communication with the analysts.
In this instance, it looks like the guy they hired late in the year is gone:
https://web.archive.org/web/20241126223052/https://www.thorns.com/thorns-technical-staff
https://www.thorns.com/thorns-technical-staff
Stephen Hart, we barely knew you.
Seriously, my level of confidence on the group running the Thorns at this moment couldn’t be any lower.
They hiring a coach with feedback from their new boss? what competent GM would keep Ken on?