Monday, October 8, 2007

Job status

About one month ago, seemingly everybody was screaming for blood. Frank Yallop was under immense fire as rumors swirled about Jurgen Klinsmann stepping in as Galaxy manager.

Now, the Galaxy is still alive in the race for the playoffs, however slim their chances may be.

I wanted to find out from Galaxy fans what you think should happen with Yallop. Should Yallop keep his job?

On the plus side, the club has played well down the stretch, far better than it had for most of the season. The Galaxy reached the SuperLiga final and is now close to a playoff spot. Yallop kept the Galaxy from completely falling apart at the seams and managed a team that had almost everything go against them, from injuries, the grueling schedule and David Beckham's arrival, and the club has responded with a late push for the playoffs. With a healthy Beckham, Albright, Jazic, Gray and the rest of the walking wounded next season, Yallop will have the opportunity to show why he took San Jose to a pair of MLS Cup titles.

On the minus side, the Galaxy missed the playoffs for the first time last year with Frank Yallop at the helm for about half the season. Many placed the blame for 2006 on Steve Sampson, but this year it's been all Frank. For the Galaxy to miss the playoffs two consecutive seasons should surely be unacceptable for the self-proclaimed "Jewel of MLS," no? I mean, this is after all a club that sacked a coach in August 2004 as the Galaxy had the most points and the most goals scored in the league. Furthermore, Yallop admitted that they didn't handle Beckham's arrival well. Yallop pulled the trigger on some questionable moves (Marshall-for-Buddle, Thomas-for-nothing) that gutted the club's depth and before the start of the season tore apart the depth to fill a hole that didn't need filling (Ihemelu-and-Gomez-for-Cannon). Only three wins to close out the season should keep Yallop's job, right?

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

In simplest terms...

Worst Case Scenario: We miss the playoffs.
Outcome: Frank Yallop is fired.

Best Case Scenario: We win the Cup
Outcome: Frank Yallop is fired.

I'll take a cup if we can get one, but the product we've seen on the field, including these 4 blue-collar wins, has not been what we've expected.

CACuzcatlan said...

I don't think he's a bad coach. But I had serious concerns that LA was not the right place for him. I'm not sure if its because of the lack of spotlight, or maybe he has just adjusted, but he seems to be doing well now. If Lalas can keep his head out of team affairs, perhaps Yallop can work his magic. I'm willing to keep him around, unless we can get Klinnsman

Anonymous said...

Yallop is a fine coach. + his press conferences are class.
he has all the support of the players too.

Frank and most of the players deserve a real chance with balanced fixtures & fit players.

Regardless of how they finish the season.

Ben

Anonymous said...

If Yallop is so fine how do you explain the record for the first 23 games of the season have players being injured and the schedule been at fault all year or perhaps like Frank you want to blame everything on Beckham arriving this season?

Anonymous said...

PS I'd also like to know how Ben knows with such certainty that Yallop has all of the players support?

Anonymous said...

Setting last year's half season aside. This year, if a losing team means a coach should be fired, it should be based on the first few months of the season when the team was losing without all of the additional pressures blamed for their subsequent poor form. Since June I don't think the guy has had the same personnel to practice or field for two consecutive weeks -- until the beginning of September, just before they started winning again.

Re: handling of Beckham, I think Yallop was allowed to do even less of that than he is willing to complain about -- too many corporate entities that stood to make or lose too much money weilded too much power.

Whether or not the Galaxy make the play-offs this year, I'd be cautious about the disruption caused by changing coaches -- especially one that has just been schooled in the unique environment for which the team will have to be built to succeed. I would keep Yallop if things go well for the rest of the season, if he handles integrating Beckham into the squad successfully when he returns, and if he is then permitted the power of the coach while Beckham is one of his players; by the club's owners, investors, sponsors, and GM, more than by Beckham...who probably understands better than many of his American counterparts that the coach's word is final, whether he likes it or not.

People say they're not sure Yallop can handle the big personalities -- so far those seem to be more on the business end than on the pitch. Who could be brought in that could handle them? Even Jose Moreno wasn't able to in the end.

Anonymous said...

I'm a DC fan, but I have to say, I like Frank. To put this all on his shoulders would be ridiculous, considering the hatchet job done by Alexi "How Many Ways Can I F*$k This Up" Lalas. I think Frank has done a commendable job of keeping your ship afloat. But with a real GM, you guys might actually stand a chance.

As for the "Jewel of MLS" thing? Um, no.

Anonymous said...

I think there are some aspects os handling Beckham that no one but Yallop can have been responsible for. I don't think AEG or Adidas make the subs. I also think he has to be responsible for his own words and he has a mentality of making excuses and complaining he doesn't have a winning mentality.

Anonymous said...

On Yallop:

plenty of players have spoken in the past weeks of their support and thoughts on Yallop being their coach that's why. check the interviews after the games, the trainings, press conferences, blogs and so on.

the "Becks-handling" was outside of Yallops hands.(too) many outside "interests from the MLS, Adidas, the Galaxy, ESPN, the FA and the other MLS teams (hence the "dancing bear roadshow fixture list".

Becks goes along fine with Yallop too.

Of corse Yallop did some mistakes, but heck so do all managers even the best ones!

It's funny how some players and specially the GM "Super Club"Lalas get off the hook so easily.

What do you think is behind the "revival of the G's" -
is it only luck, or maybe just maybe it's just a bit of Yallops coaching too?

Ben

Anonymous said...

How do you know Becks goes along fine with Yallop - I mean anyone can write any claim. Truth is we really don't know. Also if the revival is a bit of Yallops coaching then isn't the 4 from 23 also a bit of Yallops coaching just maybe... or are we expected to be so one-eyed he gets credit for anything good and is magically absolved of everything else. C'mon you can't have it both ways.

Also there were aspects to handling Beckham that weren't down to big money it is simply ignoring the facts to put everything at their door.

Unknown said...

during this 4 game winning streak, how many red cards have the galaxy benefitted from?

Chris Gbandi
Jimmy Conrad
Davy Arnaud

ricardo clark was suspended from the LA game. a game in which joe cannon didn't make one save. even though the la defense still sucks. ngwenya's cross should have been cleared twice, before it got to an unmarked jaqua.

la was given a penalty against dallas. according to some, there have been a couple of uncalled penalties during this streak that benefited la.

of the 4 teams we beat, one is an aeg team. one is coached by a former LA coach.

3 of those 4 teams already have at least one foot in the playoffs.

mls is single entity yet none dare call it conspiracy.

Calexico said...

(NOT THE OTHER NUTJOB-CONSPIRACY ADAM)

I do think Yallop is a good coach. But those trades are indefensible. If you think about what we've given up versus what we've gotten back:

OUT-
Shavar Thomas
Santino Quaranta
Ugo Ihemelu
Herc Gomez
Kevin Hartman
Nathan Sturgis
Robbie Findley

For all of these players, we got:

Joe Cannon
Chris Klein.

I've never heard for certain whether these were Lalas trades or Yallop trades. Somebody has to pay for that.

Anonymous said...

@anoymous:

as for Becks & Yallop:
Just have a look at oone of the recent DB Soccer USA shows - Becks is talking about it in a interview - how much more "official" do you want it to believe it ?!

Read my whole post!
I qoute: "Of corse Yallop did some mistakes" but in the end it's ALWAYS up the players to deliver on the pitch and most of them haven't. The fixture list didn't help nor the crapload of injuries and reshuffeling of the lines to be fair.

I would like to know in what you think Yallop failed ?

Frank knows the team, he
knows the players and has assembled some of "his" players. All of it would be "wasted" if he got the sack. Yallop has proven to be a good coach - you don't win trophies if your not.

A new coach comes in with his new ideas, new player targets, maybe even new way of play/formation whatever. so basically you start off where you were before Yallop came around + not forgetting to add the "forming the team" phase and so on.

Don't forget the super GM would still be around - with his superb track record....

Ben

Anonymous said...

he should absolutely stay. this year was a freak show of a perfect storm. crap schedule, ridiculous number of injuries, too many superfluous games; missing a key midfield play maker for all but 4 games so far; missing the most senior member of an almost entirely rookie back line and let's face it, but for these last 4 games not much in the way of luck.

there's not too many coaches out there that could have done better than frank with the hand he was dealt.

the team is finally starting to play together and well, and at times this season have played better than any galaxy team ever. they need to upgrade a few key spots, most notably up top, but this team is going to be very, very good.

Nathan Henderson-James said...

Conspiracy Theory: Oh, please. I don't know how you are going to organize that with NO ONE leaking anything about it. But, Adam, keep it up, you sure are entertaining. Especially that one about Houston throwing the game and Rico Clark intentionally getting suspended for 9 games so the Gals can win. Bravo!

Yallop as coach. I'm game for another season of Frank. I personally think most of the problem is Lalas. The Lalas Destruction Factor I call it.

I don't know how personnel decisions are made with the Gals. If Yallop pulled the trigger on the trades described in the posting, then, well, maybe I'll reconsider my position. They stunk. But pluses for ditching Quaranta and Jaqua.

The team was never healthy, even at teh beginning of the season and it just got worse. Injuries coupled with the schedule coupled with the unsettledness with all the trades and then the Beckham spotlight... that's beyond most coaches to deal with.

But I think a 2008 that starts like 2007 - horrible play, few wins, and spectators with bleeding eyes - and Yallop is finished. I'd give him 4 games to prove himself in 08.

Anonymous said...

You want a conspiracy theory? Here's one for you......

It doesn't matter what any of us think. Whoever David Beckham wants as the coach will be the coach next year (within reason, of course).

Anonymous said...

The second anon comment after mine brought up a couple of things, regarding Yallop's hand in Beck's treatment by the club, that I had set to the back of my mind in attempting to be fair: "...no one but Yallop can have been responsible for...subs" and "...he has to be responsible for his own words..."

Yallop allowed an injured member of his squad to dress, to be on the bench, to play, and then left him in a game long after it had become uncomfortable to watch even from the distance of TV while he still had a sub in hand. Yes, he apologized for the last one, but he also spoke inappropriately about Beckham making all of those decisions himself. (Something that might have gotten lost in Lalas' insufferable, and apparently endless, bullsh*tting to that effect).

artnsue said...

I would like to see Yallop stay, but the earlier rumors and the addition of a new San Jose team sounds like a good possibility that we may have a new coach no matter what the outcome of this season. Whatever happens next year, please keep Lalas out of recruitment and team composition and decisions, hopefully that was why Paul Bravo was promoted.
AC and LB, any hints on the Team Rule that kept Randolph out of the starting lineup last Sunday? Could say something about Yallop as a manager of players and a side we usually don't hear or see.

Anonymous said...

If Yallop is responsible for the trades you mention and no one has provided any proof that he isn't then I hope he goes.

I realize everyone prefers to blame Lalas for all the bad personnel decisions but no one actually provides any evidence to back it up.

I'd really like to know L.B if you don't mind what you are basing what you said on because most people are simply operating on an assumption that Lalas is to blame because they prefer to do so... but if Yallop has spent months complaining about injuries and was in fact instrumental in the lack of depth... well sayonara man.

L.B. said...

This is what Alexi Lalas said about trades.

"I don’t want to do anything that would ever saddle a coach with a player. Ultimately 99.9 percent of the decisions that are made regarding the team are done by the coach because ultimately he’s the one who has to coach and get that team to be successful on the field. I can count on one hand the times I’ve actually gone in and said ‘I don’t think this is an appropriate decision’ and not allowed the coach to make the decision, but it’s very, very few."

Unknown said...

gosh, another pk and red card favoring the galaxy. didn't see that coming.

but you guys are right. how could the single entity, shared ownership, shared profits, mls possibly get away with rigging games?

and wheres the motivation?

the Galaxy clearly deserve to be in the playoffs and I will cheer them all the way to their third cup title!

jajajajajjaja!

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