Five Questions: Steve Morrow
May 22nd, 2008 . 11:14 pm . By: Buzz CarrickI got a chance Thursday, along with Tobias Lopez, to sit down one last time and talk with Steve Morrow. Having been removed from coaching duties yesterday (which by the way means he’s still getting paid by the team, just not coaching it), I wanted to sit and talk with Morrow about a few things. Steve was good enough to sit and talk on the record about some of what went down. You can tell he still has to be a bit careful about what he says given that he is still under contract. Over the last year I’ve quoted him numerous times and done my little coach speak translations for a bit of humor, but today I’m not going to do that. Instead I thought I would look at some of his points and comment on them. “Steve, thanks for sitting down with us. Can you give us your initial reaction to yesterday’s news?”
I wrote the other day how surprised I was by this move, about how it seemed contrary to typical Hunt SOP, clearly Morrow was as shocked and surprised as I was. I checked with some people and am told that long-term-thinking Clark Hunt was at the NFL meetings this week. Dan Hunt was at the FCD game and from my sources I know he met with Hitch and Morrow afterward to talk about the game. Several players have told me, and Morrow mentions it below, that he met with the players on Monday for a team meeting to get on the same page and move forward. Each player I talked to spoke positively of that meeting. On Tuesday Hitch informed Morrow he would be making a change. So some time between the end of the LA game and Tuesday morning Hitch decided to change coaches. The timing of this move with three games in eight days coming up and almost zero shot of getting a new coach in place in time for those three games remains quite curious to me. “Do you have any thoughts on Hitch’s comment the team was heading in the wrong direction?”
As Morrow mentions, despite the stated desire when removing Colin Clarke to win in the playoffs, Hitch backed Morrow in his youth movement. One can’t help but question the claimed win now mentality that led to Morrow’s firing when the GM backed the coach to go young and build with a apparent long term plan. Why the draft of young exciting players for the future if the team was supposed to be firing on all cylinders day one? Why was there not a greater push by Hitchcock for Morrow to sign a high caliber striker and in general make a push for more veteran players? Morrow seems even a bit angry about the idea the direction wasn’t a good one. It’s a theme that comes up later in his answers. Like Morrow seems to say here, I expected a streaky start to build later in the year with an addition or two along with some emerging youth. Hitch should have expected it too. From where I sit the team was younger, more talented, had a better cap situation, and had assets to make some nice additions. “Do you think the recent poor streak was the biggest factor then?”
While there was a downturn in form of late, I think Morrow has a fair point about not seeing anything really horrible until the LA game. Believe me that was a horrific performance, but there have been horrible single games before and I still think it’s a bad idea to make such a big call on such a single event. Anyone recall the 8-1 LA loss in the Dir era? I think Morrow makes another fair point about being told things were not going as the GM wanted. Would things have been different? Who knows, but wouldn’t you like to hear form your boss if you were on a bad track? “So what can you take away from this experience?”
It is perhaps ironic that with the way this thing ended Morrow might actually be better off than if he had finished the year. As a hypothetical what if Morrow had been unable to convince the Hunts to splash the cash on a striker? What if the team had indeed lost some more games and Morrow had resigned as he said above? What if there had been another playoff flame out? In those cases the stench of failure would have stuck to Morrow much more strongly. As it is all everyone around the league says to me is “What the hell?” This way Morrow walks with the chip that he didn’t get to finish his plan, that he got the short end of the stick. Heck in a few years Morrow may be quite thankful it ended when it did. “And the team, what do you think will happen there?”
It’s in the nature of coaches to change in a pro environment, although this one was quicker than most. Morrow was certainly courteous and congenial to me in all my dealings with him. I’ve gotten along with some coaches better, and some worse. Morrow and I had a more similar taste in players than almost any coach in FCD history, but we disagreed on some tactics and how to manage a MLS roster in some key ways. That doesn’t change the fact I respect the man and his ability to coach just as I did the coach before him. Here above for example he praises his team and players on the way out the door. Morrow made some mistakes in his time and most of them I put down to inexperience last year as a rookie coach, but the good things he did for this team certainly outweigh the bad. He will learn from this going forward. The life of a soccer club goes on, and now we begin to look toward the next stage. I’m left with the sense Morrow felt his team had most of the pieces in place to be quite good and with one or two additions could compete for a MLS Cup. I guess we’ll find out if that’s true, just under someone else’s lead. C’est la vie. 25 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
Wow, thank you SO MUCH for this article. As a fan, I am still in shock over this — and angrier than ever at Hitchcock. In the end, though, I think there might be some good things. For one, like you said, it might even help Coach Morrow in the long run as he searches for a new position. And two, with articles like the one Steve Davis wrote out there, it is obvious to everyone that this was a rash and unfair decision — which reflects totally back on Hitchcock.
Thanks for doing this. He seems genuinely surprised, but definitely took the high road - a class move.
If we are successful in 3-4 years down the road, I’d guess we look back at the work of Morrow in identifying and bringing in quality young talent.
Morrow is a classy guy. I hope he finds a good head coaching job and takes his new team to the top.
I think before the coaching search goes to far, HSG should cut Hitch loose so they don’t have to do it at the end of the season.
Hitch is the one who should have received the walking papers, not Morrow. Steve is a class guy, with great credentials and experience. Hitch is a slick salesman, and not a very good one at that.
The problems are at the top aren’t they? That’s what everyone in and around MLS has always said. The contract crap has been swirling for years. The FCD players are great guys, just want to see them have some success. As for Morrow - best of luck down the road.
Good to see Steve go with grace, of course he’s still getting paid so he can’t say too much. He had done a poor job over 18 months and not just the last 2-3 weeks so it was good to see him go. Hitch has to take responsibilty for a very poor hire in December ‘06…we needed a complete change then but he hired CC jr. instead.
What we need now is proven talent and not put young guys out they can’t play yet at this level. I look at the guys Steve let get away like Goodson, Mulrooney, ROB, Ruiz, Gbandi and Big Bob and you can’t tell me we haven’t had a huge talent drain. I only see Toja & Richetti as guys coming in who have contributed.
YES it was time for Steve to go and in fact it was overdue!
Glad to know Morrow’s conscious is clear even though he flat out lied to several key players about their contracts. He really deceived these poor guys and ultimately did what Hitchcock ended up doing to him.
Steve absolutely should have had the rest of this season and probably next to prove himself. He made big changes from Clarke’s team, both in terms of personnel and tactics (Morrow is NOT CC Jr.) I for one believe that the players that left were either on their way out anyway (Goodson, ROB) or should have been (Gbad Gbandi, Ruiz). And I really appreciated Steve’s attempt to make the team more agressive offensively (especially with his sustitutions). As many have pointed out, these kind of changes produce inconsistency at first, especially for a new manager. This reactionary firing will not help the team be more consistent. Before the Denilson debacle and Toja’s injury, last year’s team was playing well and consistently getting results. So it isn’t as though Steve cannot get results from a team.
I hope I am wrong, but I don’t expect much from the rest of the season. Although Marco is probably a great guy and good coach, he hasn’t managed anything like this. I’d like to see an experienced hand at the helm. But what competent experienced manager would take a post with low pay and with a lame-duck GM that has an itchy (one bad sellout game and you’re gone) trigger finger? Not to mention that the identity of the technical director is a wildcard.
As I’ve reflected over the last few days, it occurred to me that I cannot think of what Hitch has done to benefit the team on the field or the experience in the stands. I know his job description is broader, but with Hitch’s poor performance in those areas, I cannot help but think that the Hunt’s let the wrong guy go.
“…Steve let get away like Goodson, Mulrooney, ROB, Ruiz, Gbandi and Big Bob …..”
The ONLY one that really “got away” would be Mulrooney as he was the only tha was a team player and actually wanted to play here.
And I want hard evidence that it was Morrow who lied to players about contracts?
I am a firm believer that this is all on Hitch. He is a used car salesman at best and he is trying to dabble in the way the team is run. Stay out of the hen house sir and let the playing staff handle those things.
Dave, I always fine it interesting when someone says that as up until this spring it was Hitch that did contracts, not Morrow.
A poor job the last 18 months? Last season FCD finished with the 5th highest point total and had a winning record. If not for facing eventual-champ Houston in the first round they likely would have made it past the first round. Leading on aggregate 2-0 at the half of the 2nd game, Alvarez decides to let his team play with 10 men the rest of the way…..hardly Morrow’s fault and I’d hardly call 2007 a poor peformance or a poor job by a gaffer in his FIRST season.
No denying the recent poor form as of late but any team can go through that and only the LA loss was abnormal/bad. I would have given him these next two games (in only 5 days time) to win both of them or be out.
Good article and good points.
Buzz - In your opinion, do you think that Morrow was able to instill enough team discipline? When I look at the team today I see certain players looking lacklustre (e.g Toja). A result on Sunday which reflected a lack of fight..Then you had Ruiz last year who repeatedly screwed around..
Now I know that Morrow did reprimand him. But the fact that Ruiz persisted suggests that Morrow didn’t really hit home with him. When he was finally traded, Ruiz reacted like he was pleased.
I wonder if this was more of a difficulty for Morrow in terms of transitioning from player to assistant coach to head coach. I think that’s a hard transition. .
I would just like to reemphasize that for the past few seasons FCD has started very strong, only to fade as the season worn on, to eventually limp into playoffs for an early exit. I can’t speak to Morrow’s wheelings and dealings with the players but at least he was trying to put the team into a position to peak when it really counts, down the final stretch of the season.
Buzz, thanks for interviewing Morrow and sharing with us his thoughts. I think you may be right that it’s better for him now than later (if it didn’t work out). I hope he has a chance somewhere to prove himself though. It’s too bad Hitch is a silly idiot who made Steve pay for his hissy fit, especially if it’s true they were previously fine with the direction things were going. No one will want to work for him if he’s that fickle and/or is always going to try to save his own @$$. I wish Steve lots of luck. “Go get ‘em Steve!”
Nathan– Ruiz is an idiot-baby who’ll never change. Good riddance!
Next coach will ask for three years guranteed or something similar. The if they get “Hitched” they can walk away with cash.
Nathan, that was one of my criticisms of Morrow last year was letting guys get away with a little to much. I thought he had improved on that this year.
Trying to get Toja out of his funk is an important question. I know Morrow was concerned about it.
Who do we need to get on the phone to call for Hitch’s pink slip? I would hate to throw more gasoline on an already out of control fire, but if we’re going to go tossing out people for poor performances, Hitch has had far more time to right his end of the ship than he gave morrow, and he’s done a much poorer job of it.
I have become less and less comfortable with this move as time has gone on and I have come to conclusion that it was a horrible and unfair decision. However, I still do not think it was just a reaction to the LA game. I have been and continue to be more aggravated by the 3 results going into LA then the debacle itself. If Hitch felt the same way and then Morrow gave him the same response that he gave Buzz, then I can see how the decision was made. Those 3 results, given the circumstances are unacceptable and I don’t want to hear about dominating a 1-nil loss at home and a hard fought point against an expansion team, and I bet that is not what Hitch wanted to hear either.
Very good Buzz, thank you, and interesting comments from all.
Morrow is still under contract, and clearly cannot speak freely. But he’s a class guy without a doubt, and I wish him the best going forward. Personally I wish he had time to win here…I do believe he would have.
Looks like I’ll be the only one here to defend Hitch. Not necessarily for this move, which I’ve posted elsewhere stunned me as much as Buzz (though trust me, it was hardly made in a vacuum), but overall. And for those who think he can’t sell??…check out his history of sales records for various teams in MLS.
HSG runs this whole thing. It’s a business to them. Would they prefer to win? Sure. Would they take losing at a profit? Absolutely.
Do I like that? Hell no. But I don’t like a lot of things that are true nonetheless.
Hitch was brought in for financial reasons…to turn a profit…which he did. He has three jobs…which is ridiculous imho, but that’s the situation:
-He’s the team GM (last year he was also President, but believe John Wagner-HSG is now…for those wondering who to talk to above Hitch, there’s your man. Unless you can get to the Hunt boys…knock yourselves out.) He’s responsible for selling out the Oven…and knows he cannot in Dallas without a winning team.
-He’s manages the Oven and complex…they finally hired a guy to do those myriad details, but he reports to Hitch.
-He’s a concert promoter. Which is where the real money is, btw. And they love him for that…that’s how the whole business made money last season, and is well on its way this year.
Hitch is also very competitve…you have to be to win sales contests. He’s not a soccer idiot as some portray…he was captain of his VCU college team. He wants very badly to win trophies for us fans. Of course he knows that will make it possible to someday sell out games.
Would I have fired the Coach that sudden? No. But I do back Hitch.
We have the youngest team in MLS, salary cap money, great international partnerships which are already producing players for us, a great future, and now need Hitch to convince HSG to spend some money (which they REALLY don’t like to do), and hire a great proven coach. And yes, guarantee him time to do the job. Which, as Buzz has stated before, is highly unlikely with HSG.
And that’s why I have hopes that Oscar will be our man. He’s family, knows the team/front office/ownership, is affordable, albeit not necessarily available, but’s let’s try. Which is what I’m urging Hitch and HSG to do.
Btw, I’m not related to Hitch, nor employed by HSG, as many of you know. I’m very independant, and speak for myself. Certainly I’ve bashed HSG/Wagner many times in the past, specifically for the Southlake Debacle. But I also remember further back than that.
I’m a year one season ticket holder like some of you, and have seen many improvements over the years. Our stadium is great, and has improved a lot since opening. To name one big fan improvement: Free parking was Hitch’s idea (well, it was many of our own ideas, but you know what I mean!)…he got it done.
Tickets sales are better, but not good enough. For those who really care, go to every game (if you’re able…if not, watch on tv), take friends, buy from a vastly better Pro Shop, etc. And if you want to really get into it, come early and join one of the many tailgates!
And while Im on a roll, remember to send Buzz a fews bucks every so often for this great free site, which he runs at his loss. There’s a PayPal link, and for those of us low tech, he will happily provide a mailing address. And no, I’m not related to him either!
Toja will get better when Oscar returns..
Yes, I’ve heard. Oscar Paraja Kills men by the hundreds. And if HE were here, he’d consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse.
Thanks Buzz.
Good Luck Steve.
I think I am now resigned to the fact that silverware will be few and far between for FCD as long as they are owned by HSG.
Buzz writes;
“Morrow and I had a more similar taste in players than almost any coach in FCD history, but we disagreed on some tactics and how to manage a MLS roster in some key ways.”
—————-
He disagrees with YOU about how to manage an MLS team ?
Are/were you the coach ?
Or just the know-it-all sitting behind a keyboard whose decisions about “tactics” and “managing an MLS team” have no consequences, other than as an abstract exercise in your head ?
Dude, I’m not a know-it-all who sits behind a keyboard, I’m a know-it-all who goes to training frequently and has covered the team for ten years. I and everyone else am allowed to disagree with anyone we wish. The funny thing about the internet is anyone can say anything they like.
I SHOULD have no impact, but you might be surprised how much impact the internet has on this club.
soccer dung - the great thing about hearing other’s opinions & ‘take’ on things (like buzz’s & cai’s) is that you might actually learn something…if you shut your mouth & open your mind.