October 21st, 2009 . 11:01 pm . By: Dave Dir

I feel it is important that I discuss this subject now, because winning or losing the last game, possibly making the playoffs, and this current win streak, are not going to change my opinion.  Everyone thinks they look at things objectively, but that is very hard to do and few understand what that means, in my experience. I am always striving to be one of those that do so, although I am sure I don’t always achieve that goal.

People are always asking me what I think of the team or the staff, maybe because they see me on TV or maybe because I am the old coach. When the team is losing, I usually get an explanation of how great they thought I was, and while I am appreciative, people’s opinions grow with the current state of the team.  Most coaches I talk too joke about how you get better every year you’re out of coaching. While there is some truth to the idea that being able to look from a different perspective, and seeing the game in a different light, helps you improve, that is not what they mean.  It is the fans perspective they are referring too.  It usually heads the negative direction when your old team is more successful.

Most people who know me, know that this team is in my heart.  As the original coach I will always be rooting for this team to be successful and for the current staff to be the answer to getting the ultimate prize.

That brings us to the discussion of where this team is, and if this team doesn’t make the playoffs, should this staff be changed.  I have heard many opinions about the current staff at FC Dallas through the season.  Win or Lose, when I write or announce, I have tried extremely hard tried to look what this team’s directions was, while honestly addressing what I felt were the strengths, as well as weaknesses, that have led to results.  Just as I have with all the previous staffs.  As a coach I try to look at other coaches objectively, and not personally.  Maybe secretly I try to be objective because I have had the shoe on the other foot and didn’t like people talking or making observations about something without really trying to find out that facts.

When I look at this season as a whole, I truly think this team deserves credit for persevering and heading in a positive direction, although that is not solely what I base my opinion of the future on.  This doesn’t mean I agree with every move the current staff has made.  What it does mean is I feel they have addressed weaknesses and improved the balance of the team overall.

Hyndman and company have spent the better part of two years getting things the way they believed they should be. Changing every two years and going in a brand new way is not the way to go. Teams that change directions every two years never head in a consistent direction.  A change in staff and philosophy take time.  Two years would be on the short side. The biggest mistake this franchise has made over the years is the same one made by many, and it’s the biggest reason they don’t have any hardware since 97, in my opinion.  And that is that they have not had a single direction in years.

This technical staff, right or wrong, has stayed the course they believe in.  Nobody is right all the time.  I am not saying this because of an end of the season win streak and I don’t think all is fixed and ready to go.  I don’t.  You just have to look at how many teams are still in the playoff hunt, strength of schedule, and home games results, to know it is not the end of the season wins or losses that I am impressed with.  It is rather the way they have competed at the end of the season, playing some very good soccer.  It is still my opinion that next season they will have a very senior defensive midfielder and an aging left midfielder and not a lot of depth at center forward.

Saying that, at the beginning of this year this team was lacking so much more, and the back line was so suspect, it would have been hard to build from. That is a positive direction and a direction you can see they have been trying to go, even when they made mistakes.

When I coach a team I always tell players, “right or wrong we will have one direction.”  The top teams you see out there in every sport have players who are on the same page.  It always seems whoever they put in plays the same way as the guy he replaced.  There are a lot of ways to reach goals in this game and not all of them are the same. The biggest obstacle is when people in the same team take different ways The biggest mistake many of the management of teams make is allowing different directions to infiltrate within an organization.  Often people are reactionary to a single game, or a few games, and I think Dallas has been guilty of that in almost every coaching change.

On many teams in MLS you can see young management worried more about their image than the team’s direction, or listening to people who have other agendas. They cant be second guessing their technical staffs publicly, or privately it carries over.  In my opinion they would be smart if they took that attitude through the whole organization.  It carries over to the public perception in my opinion.

One direction. They shouldn’t be more worried about what is written or said, than in believing what they have set as the direction. That is the difference between being a professional and someone watching enough games to think they are professional. That is the difference between the most successful franchises and the one’s who are always just talking about championships.

We see examples in many sports of management with enough money to make the decisions and the arrogance to think that they have attended enough games to make quality decisions.  Their money buys them the right to do so, but I don’t have to agree with it.  Yes, often individuals do a lot of good things for their game, but while they remind you it’s not rocket science, they often disrespect the game and what it takes to gain experience in a profession.  Similar to the theory that watching a surgeon for 1000 eye operations means you might get some of the process and be able to talk the talk, but you are not a surgeon and when things go wrong you will surely panic as you won’t have proper preparation or expertise.

Those are the kinds of decisions people in the profession study years to consistently make correct.  That experience often allows you to learn to make better decisions under pressure in that environment without over reacting.  The most successful franchises have relied on people who put in the years to gain that experience for advise, people at the top of their profession.

This team, win or lose, is heading in a direction that needs to be followed through on. I believe Coach Hyndman has a direction and I think FCD needs to see it play out.

Of course, that’s just my opinion.

Categories: Commentary.

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