September 25th, 2009 . 12:06 pm .
By: Buzz Carrick
After Pablo Ricchetti’s pronouncement yesterday that he wanted to leave FC Dallas, coach Schellas Hyndman was asked about the situation. We try and walk the middle here at 3rd Degree, so here’s the coach’s response in full.
Do you think Ricchetti’s form has dropped of late?
“I think first of all, he’s done an unbelievable job stepping up and playing a position that’s not really his natural position. Like all players, you want more and more from your team and from your experiences. I would say the first half of the season, I thought he was very good.
Then, there’s been a dip. It’s been more than a month but there has been a dip. I think in the most recent month, the level of play is sub par for him. When that level of play is subpar for him, it’s not because of technical ability. It’s more because of mental or emotional. All in all, he’s just not very happy right now. I guess that equates to sub par performances.”
When did you first notice a change in Ricchetti’s play?
“We rate the players after every game and he was one of the highest-rated players up until the MLS All-Star Game, which is just a little bit more than half the season. It just seemed to have dipped after that. I think a lot of it is emotions and mental.”
Can you talk about Ricchetti wanting to leave?
“I think it’s really abnormal because you want a normal situation where everybody is working hard for a goal. Now that the playoffs are so far out of reach, it’s time for people to step up and say I’m just not happy. I don’t want to be here. That was our conversation today. He said he wasn’t happy and didn’t think this was the place for him. My feeling has always been if you’re not happy, let’s see if I can help you be happy.”
As a coach, could you have done something differently to prevent this situation?
“Of course, when you have children you understand that sometimes you say things to children that you wish you didn’t say to children. The disappointing thing for me is this kind of snuck up on me. He’s the captain of the team, so he’s the one player who had the open door to come and say anything. We are where we are today because of that. I don’t mean him. We are where we are because if players aren’t happy, we’re not going to get their best performance.”
Do you think Ricchetti’s discontent has affected the rest of the team?
“It definitely has because he’s not a player who will keep his emotions to himself. Moving off that negativity, there are a lot of really good guys in there. We’ve brought in a lot of good people with a lot of character and supporters that want to be here.”
Hyndman seems a bit caught off guard by the development but seems willing to try and find a way for Ricchetti to leave. Again I think this cements Ricchetti not being here in 2010. Players come and go, even Richhetti mentioned that, and I don’t think it’s to much to ask for a coach to be allowed to get players who want to play for him.
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hate to see richetti go if it comes down to it, hopefully the spot will belong to dax and not guarda, unless bruno has had a massive improvement.
“Of course, when you have children you understand that sometimes you say things to children that you wish you didn’t say to children.” – SH
Uh-huh. Ya see, to me that statement has a lot of background built into it. First, SH sees his players as his children instead of professionals.
Second, is he implying that he (SH) may have said some things to Pablo that he (SH) regrets? And that those comments are part of what lead to Pablo’s unhappiness?
1. “My feeling has always been if you’re not happy, let’s see if I can help you be happy.”
Nice sarcastic response, jackass. Taking the high road, as usual.
2. “We are where we are today because of that. I don’t mean him. We are where we are because if players aren’t happy, we’re not going to get their best performance.”
Way to be a stand-up guy, coach. Taking responsibility for the team, as usual. Once again, nothing that goes wrong is ever your fault.
Looking forward to the 2011 season.
Rich, exactly. When I saw that statement about speaking to “children,” it said it all — these are professionals, not college kids (or children). Pablo could have tried to talk to SH until he was blue in the face, but the problem is too deep. I doubt SH is capable of realizing that there is a huge COACHING issue that is preventing the team from “developing that winning mentality.”
Rich nails it….and Hyndman shows everything that’s wrong with the way he runs the team in one sentence.
How many key guys leaving is it going to take before Hyndman walks?
I can’t remember who said it first, but on this site someone put it exactly right: SH will decide to leave (give up) before HSG lets him go. So, barring a sale of the team, SH will be here a while. My prediction is, he won’t get all of ‘his’ players on the team until about the middle of next year. So, next year won’t count. Then he’ll have to fail the year after (i.e. 2011). Then he ‘might’, having run out of internal excuses decide to go. But that’s the earliest, and it assumes little or no progress in the teams results. With moderate improvements (and how much worse can we get), SH could be here at least ~5 more years. How long was he at SMU? (rhetorical question). It’s hard for people with large Egos to recognize their own faults, that’s why it takes GMs to fire coachs, otherwise they’ll stay forever. No GM will be able to make that decision under HSG. So we have SH until he wants to go.
I think it says a lot about the mentality of Clark. He responds to a guy that treats adults like children.
This might not be the right place, but I’ve been meaning to ask: In SH’s favored 4-4-2 with diamond midfield could Jair be the Defensive mid? He has the range, do you think he could convert and be effective there? That would make sense because then Pearce could be LB.
Buzz,
at this point, do you think they could’ve hired a worse coach?
Chase: Sure they could have kept Morrow or re-hired Jeffries. They could also have hired Osorio or Steve Sampson.
I for one am willing to give SH more time. I like the moves he’s made so far. I’m shedding no tears over Moor or Cooper or Richetti. I like all these guys and think they are good players. But they are pros. Pros get traded. As long as the final product is improving I’m cool with it.
And I absolutely believe this current squad is better than last years, and better than what they started this year with. I want a championship in Dallas – and I don’t care who is on my team as long as we get it done.
Okay that’s not entirely true. I would not support a team that had Kovalenko even if it meant winning the UEFA Champions league.
i hate sh he is the worse coach ever. we should have never fired collien or steve. they only gave them 2 or 3 years 2 win a championship and that didnt happen, sh hasnt even got close 2 winning anything. steve took us 2 the U.S. open cup his first year. i say fire his ass and get a new coach. that doesnt bring in his former college players
“As long as the final product is improving I’m cool with it.”
Barefoot, one free little piece of advice for you. “The ends do not justify the means.”
Actually, there is one other coach that brought many of his former college players to his MLS team…Arena brought in several of his former UVA players to DCU in the 2nd and 3rd season of MLS. Huge differences between that scenario and what’s going on here: 1). MLS was in its infancy, and having a team where a core set of players had played ‘under the same system’ before was an advantage. 2) MLS is a far more professional league in ‘09 than it was in ‘96 – ‘99 3) UVA was a constant NCAA contender and had won several times. 3) Arena understood the importance of a playmaker like Etcheverry (and other experienced pros) in his mix. 4) Arena would have NEVER disrespected his players by drawing parallels to children.
C’mon rich, you make it sound like Hyndman is evil or something. He’s making roster moves on a pro soccer team. He’s not torturing prisoners or selling mortgages to people he knows can’t afford them.
Benching players, asking them to change positions, or trading them is all normal ethical behavior by a gaffer. And I stand by my statement that this current squad is better than what we started the year with.
So yeah, I’ve seen enough from SH to make me say give him more rope. I’ll even say I see more potential in this team than the one Collin had if for no other reason than Ronnie O’Brien isn’t on it. (And I agree entirely that firing Collin was a big mistake)
OMG Barefoot.. Where have you been this summer? Sure ain’t been around here bro. Pay attention. Bet you also think Obama is doing a great job as well….
Chase, yes sure. I can think of worse.
Saban, Jair has the range for that d-mid spot, but I don’t think he has the passing touch needed.
Actually passing is a problem with the entire back line right now.
Hey, i think we add a couple of seniors and we could still make a run at the NCAA tournament.
Ricchetti is a bright guy who knows it is time to get out.
Let’s not bring politics onto this site. There are too many diverging views about politics. If you want to make remarks about the President of the USA, then do it in another forum, but not here.
Now railing on SH, that’s another matter entirely. I have posted this before, and I’ll say it again: SH is a college coach. He will NEVER understand what it is to coach pro players, because he has the college mentality. And he is too old to change. Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmidt started coaching in MLS in a different era, when most of the players were only 0-3 years out of college. Today is a different era, and SH cannot adapt.