I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but after we scored our second goal, MJ said something to ridgewell and he instantly got up and started yelling at the defense. Based on our last two games and giving up goals right after scoring, I can't help but think MJ said "make sure they stay focused now"
Now obviously Paredes went down and our rhythm went out the window, but I liked to see that from MJ. He obviously recognized the pattern of losing focus and made sure he put ridgy on the task. It is something so simple, but appreciated.
The biggest change I've seen since the coaching change is the team controls a game more often now which allows them to attack more freely. Under Gio the last couple seasons, the team didn't control much of the games so it was difficult to win. Now it often feels more like the Timbers have a good chance of winning. Just controlling enough of the game like they did for most of the second half at L.A. gets them a good chance of winning, which they almost got the fourth goal. Many of the players look much more sure of themselves and more dangerous now. They are putting together some good combinations of passing to get good shots where before that was so rare. They still need more practice on set piece defending.
This game was interesting, as it showed both the improvements by the team under Joseph and the defensive problems the team has had all year long. It is far too much to expect the team to be completely changed under Joseph, but the speed at which teams are punishing the Timbers is a concern. But again, playing without Evander and (effectively) Paredes shows that the team remains dangerous going forward. What will be interesting is how the team will look when Chara, Evander, Paredes and Moreno are available. I feel like they all need to be on the field, but how will that work? Does Moreno go back to the wing? Right now its a good problem to have as the midfield depth has suffered so much from injuries. I'm actually not that concerned going forward as having 4 players for 3 positions is a good problem to have, especially with Moreno having positional flexibility. Going forward will require some decisions, with Acosta playing well and Williamson/Ayala coming back from injury.
All in all I'm okay with a point on the road, even if I think they should have gotten all 3.
I personally would love to see a diamond 4-4-2. Same as Philly. We have exceptional midfielders. I would say they are better in the midfield then they are or what we have on the wings.
Of all teams, I really dislike Philly. They seem like a foul fest to me. I can see the merits of a diamond with all of our midfielders, but I'm not a fan of the formation.
A month or two ago I'd consider this, but the way Asprilla is playing, my goodness. He is on fire, so you can't take him off. With a 100 percent DC, it comes down to him or Paredes running the six, and I would have to go with DC. I'd keep Antony and Asprilla running the wings. The offense is coming from better wing play and better midfield play (thank you Santi) and in form Mora. Also, I'd be tempted to start Miller over Mosquera unless we're playing a speedy winger type.
If I had to go with the diamond, I'd start Antony over Boli and watch him slash. I like Boli as a sub.
As Benno says, we have plenty of offense, and I like Evander as the late arriver and dictator of tempo in the 4-3-3 rather than roaming 10 in the diamond. Moreno and Paredes would definitely thrive, though.
Nobody scores on us when Chara is six'en, so I think I'd keep it the same, all things considered with Evander and Moreno running in the middle. It's tough to take out Paredes, but I'd sacrifice him for more offense. If Chara is out, then I'd run Paredes at the six. Acosta is playing good, but I'm not feeling his final third defense and he is third on my depth chart.
I do not want to see Moreno go back to the wing. You can see how he is thriving and is happy where he is at now. We do not want unhappy Moreno anymore.
I suspect the team will stick with a 4-3-3 for the rest of the year, and we will likely see Moreno at the wing on occasion. That being said, I see him and Paredes swapping back and forth from Mid to Wing if we play all four of Chara, Evander, Moreno and Paredes. There isn't much soccer left, so Chara probably comes off the bench once he is cleared to play. Next year is where things get interesting. There has to be some roster moves, with the players coming back from injury. We will have Chara, Evander, Moreno, Paredes, Acosta, Williamson & Ayala to fill 3-4 positions.
The 4-4-2 diamond is an interesting idea, and it makes sense with the players we have. Not sure how Antony fits, but I would hope a coach would figure that one out.
This was definitely the biggest challenge for Miles Joseph so far, besides the Vancouver game. The first half we were kinda getting torn apart, they kept finding space between our midfield and defense, and doing a great job making runs and dragging our players out of position. Luckily, the Galaxy don’t have the quality of players to punish us for it, but against a better team I would expect us to give away a lot of high quality chances. Defense needs some work, that’s not what is frustrating. The frustrating part is that that’s not where we conceded, but instead it was dumb set piece mistakes. Mosquera yet again cost us a goal by losing his man way to easily on a corner, which has gotta be the third or fourth time this year. I’m high on Mosquera but he’s been super disappointing for a few months now.
We saw some regression from several players in that first half who have been in form (or at least better), most notably Bingham, Bravo, Mosquera, Antony was pretty nonexistent, and even Acosta was a bit spotty in the first half. His stupid foul is what led to their third goal. I thought as a whole, Joseph was pretty thoroughly out-coached in that first half, which should not be taken as a knock against him with how long he’s been in the job compared to someone like Greg Vanney. It’s just my observation.
However the second half was a different story, and this is a clear pattern that I’m enjoying seeing. Miles has been able to identify ways to improve the team tactically for the second half. I’m not gonna pretend what I know exactly what he did, but the performance was better for the most part. The possession difference was staggering, I think we had something like 33% possession in the first half, and by the second we were up to 48%. That’s awesome for an away fixture considering where we used to be at.
Other things I enjoyed seeing include our counter-pressing, which has been borderline elite the past month. We’ve created numerous chances from that alone, and this game was no different. Our regular pressing could use some work as the Galaxy were able to break that fairly easily if the team wasn’t fully committed. But when we played with energy with and without the ball, we dominated. If we don’t then we settle for long balls to no one and our press is easily broken. No matter the tactics, we gotta play with energy, heart, and desire. We did after our goal when the momentum shifted our way, and we created tons of chances near the end and we frankly should’ve scored.
I said this in the match thread but I believe it’s worth mentioning again. I LOVE that we can expect more from this team. If I’m reading google correctly, the last time we beat Galaxy away is 2020, but if you don’t wanna count that because of COVID then you have to go back to 2017. We just went there without three of our most important players in Diego Chara, Evander, and Paredes (basically), as well as a starting caliber goalkeeper, and we expect to win. And frankly, we easily should’ve and could’ve had we not given up some dumb set piece goals. I’ve been so pleased with this turnaround. Montreal will be a big test next week, and I’m not saying I think we’ll get a good result, but I have so much more hope and confidence that they can
It's hard to be critical after this massive turnaround to the season. Everyone has contributed in some form or fashion, and a lot of energy has been devoted to get back in the race. I hope the momentum is still on the upward trajectory, and if not, MJ can keep it going. I've got faith in him.
That said ...
Bravo has been really good since the coaching switch, but this last game was not one of his better ones. His passing was off, and worse, he looked for the hero ball and didn't just play simple. I was begging him to just play simple passes to Anthony and watch him cook, but he never really did. The result was that Anthony didn't see much of the ball, and I think he could have really helped control things more.
Aside from the backline defensive mishaps, they really need to start playing it out of the back better. Too many long balls that end up in the other team's possession, and that includes Bingham. More patience is needed. It's like they try to possess, but then lose the discipline to keep switching it back and forth. That really played into the first half possession battle where LA more or less dominated that aspect, and probably was a factor in the first half scoreline.
Calling Evander?! We need him back. He's the guy who is going to do what it takes - score a goal, draw a foul, free kick goal, control the tempo. We're missing him. I hope he is on the mend.
We definitely missed Paredes after he went out. The guy had won about 8 balls in the first half alone. Caliskan doesn't have the bite Paredes does, and it may have been a tough ask to come in when he did. He is somewhat to blame for the second goal (bad clearance that fell right to Costa).
Biggest gripe is soft goals. We seem to give up some easy ones.
The good stuff -
Moreno was amazing (as usual) and Asprilla was dynamite and I disagreed on that one where he got called for a foul as he got around the left back. Mora is a fox in the box (that slide shot was amazing) and he saves us countless times. Blanco was effective and creates a lot. Good game from him.
Don't forget Acosta. In the second half in particular, he was a big part of making it hard for L.A. to keep possession with him roaring in to take the ball away and put L.A. on the defensive right away.
It's like the Timbers are remembering who they were defensively in May, and trying really hard for some reason to get back there (and that is not a good thing!). The offense is clicking pretty well right now, but the defense...oooooof. Still, this is the kind of game I thought the Timbers would be playing all year - a defense-light but entertaining, not-necessarily-win type game - and I'm glad they're finally playing the way they're capable of.
To be honest I think the problem defensively come mostly from our outside backs. Or should I say wingbacks. They are constantly out of position and leave us exposed on counters. Galaxy were attacking the channels every time they got the ball. Between that and our set piece defending, woof. We need to tell masquera and bravo to sit back more and go defense first.
I agree with that - we seem to have enough offense with Moreno and the other attacking mid and forward line. It's nice to have Miller waiting in the wings.
He's playing hard ball with his agent. Claims he won't suit up if he's not starting, and has filed a grievance with the league. It's too bad, as I was hoping his beef was with Gio, but I guess MJ has put all his money on Bingham. I don't see any way we see Ivacic next season. I really thought he had a good future here. Iit's all a bummer especially the fact that it echoes Mareno's tantrum (I think it might even be the same agent? Thought I read that somewhere). Any way, terrible look for the club to tolerate any of that.
Ivacic has to be gone next year. If what was reported is close to being true, there is no way the team can suit him up anymore. I like Ivacic as a goalie, but I would get rid of him as soon as possible. That nonsense doesn't play, and you can't let him drag any other players there either. It isn't like he is next level good either, so this prima donna bs should be the end of the road (at least with the Timbers). And we are in a world of trouble if Bingham gets injured, as I have no faith in Sulte right now. I hope he is getting better, but he simply didn't show when he had the opportunity a few years ago, and the numbers at T2 didn't look good.
I didn't know that he was suspended til today, but I have seen him as not an effective part of the squad for a while... it is all on Bingham now, really, and if he gets injured, as mentioned, Sulte.
I think Ivacic is still part of the organization, assuming he will be let go this winter and we will be speculating about his replacement.
Whether you like him or not, Gio was a huge part of the Timbers organization that everyone loved. No matter how the team was doing on the field, he was absolutely beloved and you could tell from the press conferences from Ned, Seba, and Chara that getting rid of him was a really hard decision that certainly negatively effected most* of the team on an emotional level
*sure maybe there were some individual players like Santi who might’ve been a little happy to get a new coach in, but losing a coach is never easy for a locker room environment as a whole no matter what
I never had a problem with him as a person, but those statements did seem ironic: he lost the locker room, morale + performance plummeted, people everywhere were calling for his ouster.
Then after he left morale has been way higher plus on the field performance has improved significantly.
BUT it doesn't mean he wasn't a good guy who people liked and will miss.
Well sure, *now* morale is high and things are good. But for that first week and especially the first few days the morale and vibes would for sure have been pretty crappy. That first week was probably pretty hard for everyone in and around the team, and the commentator was right to point out that the first game that Miles Joseph coached came during that period, making it extra difficult. That remains our only loss under Joseph, and that point is basically just an asterisk saying that it isn’t really his fault
They also made mention of the "emotional" decision to get rid of him, and as my wife put it, "they're not wrong - joy and happiness are both emotions!"
I wouldn’t doubt those sentiments were revealed in their interviews with players (though players could also just not want to be kicking him while he’s down).
It’s clear Gio lost the locker room, but that doesn’t mean it was Lord of the Flies in there, or that the players didn’t like him anymore. Was it Ross Smith that was talking about this? Anyway, I think Gio losing the locker room and being ‘beloved’ by the players aren’t incompatible.
He is widely beloved by everyone outside of ARs it seems. It was time for a split but I don’t think players were slamming the door on his ass. Well, maybe Ivacic was.
I am given to understand that players are required to sign confidentiality agreements and are also subject to certain guidelines when talking to the media. They could face sanctions for saying anything negative about a member of the coaching staff, the team, or MLS.
So, who knows what's going on in their heads?
Maybe they love Gio and grew to have a hard and complicated time with him, found it difficult to see him leave but then after a period of reflection got back on the saddle.
Or maybe they couldn't stand working for him and are now excited and energized, and hence the better morale and performance.
I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but after we scored our second goal, MJ said something to ridgewell and he instantly got up and started yelling at the defense. Based on our last two games and giving up goals right after scoring, I can't help but think MJ said "make sure they stay focused now"
Now obviously Paredes went down and our rhythm went out the window, but I liked to see that from MJ. He obviously recognized the pattern of losing focus and made sure he put ridgy on the task. It is something so simple, but appreciated.
The biggest change I've seen since the coaching change is the team controls a game more often now which allows them to attack more freely. Under Gio the last couple seasons, the team didn't control much of the games so it was difficult to win. Now it often feels more like the Timbers have a good chance of winning. Just controlling enough of the game like they did for most of the second half at L.A. gets them a good chance of winning, which they almost got the fourth goal. Many of the players look much more sure of themselves and more dangerous now. They are putting together some good combinations of passing to get good shots where before that was so rare. They still need more practice on set piece defending.
Set pieces are terrifying
This game was interesting, as it showed both the improvements by the team under Joseph and the defensive problems the team has had all year long. It is far too much to expect the team to be completely changed under Joseph, but the speed at which teams are punishing the Timbers is a concern. But again, playing without Evander and (effectively) Paredes shows that the team remains dangerous going forward. What will be interesting is how the team will look when Chara, Evander, Paredes and Moreno are available. I feel like they all need to be on the field, but how will that work? Does Moreno go back to the wing? Right now its a good problem to have as the midfield depth has suffered so much from injuries. I'm actually not that concerned going forward as having 4 players for 3 positions is a good problem to have, especially with Moreno having positional flexibility. Going forward will require some decisions, with Acosta playing well and Williamson/Ayala coming back from injury.
All in all I'm okay with a point on the road, even if I think they should have gotten all 3.
I personally would love to see a diamond 4-4-2. Same as Philly. We have exceptional midfielders. I would say they are better in the midfield then they are or what we have on the wings.
Boli mora
Evander
Moreno Paredes
Chara
Bravo zuparic Mcgraw masquera
Of all teams, I really dislike Philly. They seem like a foul fest to me. I can see the merits of a diamond with all of our midfielders, but I'm not a fan of the formation.
A month or two ago I'd consider this, but the way Asprilla is playing, my goodness. He is on fire, so you can't take him off. With a 100 percent DC, it comes down to him or Paredes running the six, and I would have to go with DC. I'd keep Antony and Asprilla running the wings. The offense is coming from better wing play and better midfield play (thank you Santi) and in form Mora. Also, I'd be tempted to start Miller over Mosquera unless we're playing a speedy winger type.
If I had to go with the diamond, I'd start Antony over Boli and watch him slash. I like Boli as a sub.
As Benno says, we have plenty of offense, and I like Evander as the late arriver and dictator of tempo in the 4-3-3 rather than roaming 10 in the diamond. Moreno and Paredes would definitely thrive, though.
Nobody scores on us when Chara is six'en, so I think I'd keep it the same, all things considered with Evander and Moreno running in the middle. It's tough to take out Paredes, but I'd sacrifice him for more offense. If Chara is out, then I'd run Paredes at the six. Acosta is playing good, but I'm not feeling his final third defense and he is third on my depth chart.
I do not want to see Moreno go back to the wing. You can see how he is thriving and is happy where he is at now. We do not want unhappy Moreno anymore.
I suspect the team will stick with a 4-3-3 for the rest of the year, and we will likely see Moreno at the wing on occasion. That being said, I see him and Paredes swapping back and forth from Mid to Wing if we play all four of Chara, Evander, Moreno and Paredes. There isn't much soccer left, so Chara probably comes off the bench once he is cleared to play. Next year is where things get interesting. There has to be some roster moves, with the players coming back from injury. We will have Chara, Evander, Moreno, Paredes, Acosta, Williamson & Ayala to fill 3-4 positions.
The 4-4-2 diamond is an interesting idea, and it makes sense with the players we have. Not sure how Antony fits, but I would hope a coach would figure that one out.
This was definitely the biggest challenge for Miles Joseph so far, besides the Vancouver game. The first half we were kinda getting torn apart, they kept finding space between our midfield and defense, and doing a great job making runs and dragging our players out of position. Luckily, the Galaxy don’t have the quality of players to punish us for it, but against a better team I would expect us to give away a lot of high quality chances. Defense needs some work, that’s not what is frustrating. The frustrating part is that that’s not where we conceded, but instead it was dumb set piece mistakes. Mosquera yet again cost us a goal by losing his man way to easily on a corner, which has gotta be the third or fourth time this year. I’m high on Mosquera but he’s been super disappointing for a few months now.
We saw some regression from several players in that first half who have been in form (or at least better), most notably Bingham, Bravo, Mosquera, Antony was pretty nonexistent, and even Acosta was a bit spotty in the first half. His stupid foul is what led to their third goal. I thought as a whole, Joseph was pretty thoroughly out-coached in that first half, which should not be taken as a knock against him with how long he’s been in the job compared to someone like Greg Vanney. It’s just my observation.
However the second half was a different story, and this is a clear pattern that I’m enjoying seeing. Miles has been able to identify ways to improve the team tactically for the second half. I’m not gonna pretend what I know exactly what he did, but the performance was better for the most part. The possession difference was staggering, I think we had something like 33% possession in the first half, and by the second we were up to 48%. That’s awesome for an away fixture considering where we used to be at.
Other things I enjoyed seeing include our counter-pressing, which has been borderline elite the past month. We’ve created numerous chances from that alone, and this game was no different. Our regular pressing could use some work as the Galaxy were able to break that fairly easily if the team wasn’t fully committed. But when we played with energy with and without the ball, we dominated. If we don’t then we settle for long balls to no one and our press is easily broken. No matter the tactics, we gotta play with energy, heart, and desire. We did after our goal when the momentum shifted our way, and we created tons of chances near the end and we frankly should’ve scored.
I said this in the match thread but I believe it’s worth mentioning again. I LOVE that we can expect more from this team. If I’m reading google correctly, the last time we beat Galaxy away is 2020, but if you don’t wanna count that because of COVID then you have to go back to 2017. We just went there without three of our most important players in Diego Chara, Evander, and Paredes (basically), as well as a starting caliber goalkeeper, and we expect to win. And frankly, we easily should’ve and could’ve had we not given up some dumb set piece goals. I’ve been so pleased with this turnaround. Montreal will be a big test next week, and I’m not saying I think we’ll get a good result, but I have so much more hope and confidence that they can
It's hard to be critical after this massive turnaround to the season. Everyone has contributed in some form or fashion, and a lot of energy has been devoted to get back in the race. I hope the momentum is still on the upward trajectory, and if not, MJ can keep it going. I've got faith in him.
That said ...
Bravo has been really good since the coaching switch, but this last game was not one of his better ones. His passing was off, and worse, he looked for the hero ball and didn't just play simple. I was begging him to just play simple passes to Anthony and watch him cook, but he never really did. The result was that Anthony didn't see much of the ball, and I think he could have really helped control things more.
Aside from the backline defensive mishaps, they really need to start playing it out of the back better. Too many long balls that end up in the other team's possession, and that includes Bingham. More patience is needed. It's like they try to possess, but then lose the discipline to keep switching it back and forth. That really played into the first half possession battle where LA more or less dominated that aspect, and probably was a factor in the first half scoreline.
Calling Evander?! We need him back. He's the guy who is going to do what it takes - score a goal, draw a foul, free kick goal, control the tempo. We're missing him. I hope he is on the mend.
We definitely missed Paredes after he went out. The guy had won about 8 balls in the first half alone. Caliskan doesn't have the bite Paredes does, and it may have been a tough ask to come in when he did. He is somewhat to blame for the second goal (bad clearance that fell right to Costa).
Biggest gripe is soft goals. We seem to give up some easy ones.
The good stuff -
Moreno was amazing (as usual) and Asprilla was dynamite and I disagreed on that one where he got called for a foul as he got around the left back. Mora is a fox in the box (that slide shot was amazing) and he saves us countless times. Blanco was effective and creates a lot. Good game from him.
Don't forget Acosta. In the second half in particular, he was a big part of making it hard for L.A. to keep possession with him roaring in to take the ball away and put L.A. on the defensive right away.
It's like the Timbers are remembering who they were defensively in May, and trying really hard for some reason to get back there (and that is not a good thing!). The offense is clicking pretty well right now, but the defense...oooooof. Still, this is the kind of game I thought the Timbers would be playing all year - a defense-light but entertaining, not-necessarily-win type game - and I'm glad they're finally playing the way they're capable of.
To be honest I think the problem defensively come mostly from our outside backs. Or should I say wingbacks. They are constantly out of position and leave us exposed on counters. Galaxy were attacking the channels every time they got the ball. Between that and our set piece defending, woof. We need to tell masquera and bravo to sit back more and go defense first.
I agree with that - we seem to have enough offense with Moreno and the other attacking mid and forward line. It's nice to have Miller waiting in the wings.
Important games tonight.
Sorry to ThreadJack, but I'm a little concerned about our goalie situation if Bingham gets injured.
From what I've seen, Sulte isn't quite Ivacic...
So where's Ivacic?
He's playing hard ball with his agent. Claims he won't suit up if he's not starting, and has filed a grievance with the league. It's too bad, as I was hoping his beef was with Gio, but I guess MJ has put all his money on Bingham. I don't see any way we see Ivacic next season. I really thought he had a good future here. Iit's all a bummer especially the fact that it echoes Mareno's tantrum (I think it might even be the same agent? Thought I read that somewhere). Any way, terrible look for the club to tolerate any of that.
Ivacic has to be gone next year. If what was reported is close to being true, there is no way the team can suit him up anymore. I like Ivacic as a goalie, but I would get rid of him as soon as possible. That nonsense doesn't play, and you can't let him drag any other players there either. It isn't like he is next level good either, so this prima donna bs should be the end of the road (at least with the Timbers). And we are in a world of trouble if Bingham gets injured, as I have no faith in Sulte right now. I hope he is getting better, but he simply didn't show when he had the opportunity a few years ago, and the numbers at T2 didn't look good.
Well, the latest news is, he got suspended from MLS for abusive behavior.
https://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/2023/09/mls-suspends-aljaz-ivacic-for-threatening-language-towards-portland-timbers-staff.html
Prior to this, he openly feuded with Gio and then filed a complaint with MLS over some transfer drama.
We have probably seen the last of him IMHO
whoa, just read your link and it's worse than I thought.
Also, it was the same agent for Moreno. He must be a treat for the staff to see lurking around the locker room. Jeesh, what a creep.
I didn't know that he was suspended til today, but I have seen him as not an effective part of the squad for a while... it is all on Bingham now, really, and if he gets injured, as mentioned, Sulte.
I think Ivacic is still part of the organization, assuming he will be let go this winter and we will be speculating about his replacement.
I had to giggle a little when the Apple announcers were talking about how sad the team was to lose their "beloved" coach....
Whether you like him or not, Gio was a huge part of the Timbers organization that everyone loved. No matter how the team was doing on the field, he was absolutely beloved and you could tell from the press conferences from Ned, Seba, and Chara that getting rid of him was a really hard decision that certainly negatively effected most* of the team on an emotional level
*sure maybe there were some individual players like Santi who might’ve been a little happy to get a new coach in, but losing a coach is never easy for a locker room environment as a whole no matter what
I never had a problem with him as a person, but those statements did seem ironic: he lost the locker room, morale + performance plummeted, people everywhere were calling for his ouster.
Then after he left morale has been way higher plus on the field performance has improved significantly.
BUT it doesn't mean he wasn't a good guy who people liked and will miss.
Point well taken.
Well sure, *now* morale is high and things are good. But for that first week and especially the first few days the morale and vibes would for sure have been pretty crappy. That first week was probably pretty hard for everyone in and around the team, and the commentator was right to point out that the first game that Miles Joseph coached came during that period, making it extra difficult. That remains our only loss under Joseph, and that point is basically just an asterisk saying that it isn’t really his fault
They also made mention of the "emotional" decision to get rid of him, and as my wife put it, "they're not wrong - joy and happiness are both emotions!"
I wouldn’t doubt those sentiments were revealed in their interviews with players (though players could also just not want to be kicking him while he’s down).
It’s clear Gio lost the locker room, but that doesn’t mean it was Lord of the Flies in there, or that the players didn’t like him anymore. Was it Ross Smith that was talking about this? Anyway, I think Gio losing the locker room and being ‘beloved’ by the players aren’t incompatible.
He is widely beloved by everyone outside of ARs it seems. It was time for a split but I don’t think players were slamming the door on his ass. Well, maybe Ivacic was.
I am given to understand that players are required to sign confidentiality agreements and are also subject to certain guidelines when talking to the media. They could face sanctions for saying anything negative about a member of the coaching staff, the team, or MLS.
So, who knows what's going on in their heads?
Maybe they love Gio and grew to have a hard and complicated time with him, found it difficult to see him leave but then after a period of reflection got back on the saddle.
Or maybe they couldn't stand working for him and are now excited and energized, and hence the better morale and performance.