is it time for red and black scarves in protest of the ownership?

FCD is run by an ownership group that should be forced to sell for the good of the league.

HSG is a mess and it is a true shame. The sport can and eventually should succeed here but it may be in spite of short-sited individuals like John Wagner (who I believe to be an alright person). Lamar had vision and surrounded himself with those who complemented him. His sons have no vision and surround themselves with the same people…not a good combination.

Tip for FCD: if you are going to try to go after true soccer fans you need to be a true soccer fan yourself. Right now the majority of leadership don’t really love the game.

How many “former GMs” does Dallas have, I wonder?

Swift, Elliott, or Hitchcock, right?

Pre-HSG: B. Hicks and A. Swift
Post-HSG: G. Elliott, J. Alper (interim), M. Hitchcock

Currently: I assume J “the accountant” Wagner

By “post-HSG”, I meant post-buying of the team

“By “post-HSG”, I meant post-buying of the team”

Sigh — If only you didn’t…

I would buy the team, if i only had enough money….

Interesting story. I don’t think being a bad businessman is grounds for MLS mandating an ownership change (esp the Hunt family), but maybe I’m wrong.

So the only way to bring about a change in ownership is to impact revenue?

That begs the question on whether attendance levels like Saturday are enough to send the message. Most of the people I saw there were true fans and I would expect to continue to attend regardless (although prob less as STH).

If HSG is making enough from other ventures (concerts, etc.), then I think we may be stuck with a FO that doesn’t value the customer and continue to endure some hardships.

Ahh well…as long as the team continues to improve and I can get in for a reasonable price to watch them, I will continue to attend.

This basically confirms everything people hav said. HSG is content to be the Raiders of the MSL……

Reading all the reactions to HSG mismanagement has helped me brainstorm an idea. What if bloggers flood Garber with emails asking the league to intervene and straighten out HSG. Time to tell em’ how the cow eats the cabbage! Has this ever been done before? Maybe it would work.

With the attendance in the home opener and the current unemployment rate where it is, if I were most people in the FO I would feel ashamed when picking up my paycheck.

HSG should sell the team and built their own concert ampitheatre.

Let me preface this with – I’m NOT defending HSG!

But, people in their position simply don’t read 200 page business plans. If it were me I’d flip to the end also. Guys in their position want the bottom line, if they’re cheap, as is the case, they need a REASON to spend more than they’d like. If the GM believed in the plan (and it would make money at different benchmarks in time) he needed to do a better job selling it.

To sum up, we know HSG is bad for FCD; the GMs cry is lame; but HSG is still to blame because they hired him. And evidently they didn’t believe in him.

Fair point. All that time spent preparing a 200 page business plan that had very little chance of being read could have been used to actually promote the team and sell some tickets.

HSG is still incompetent, though.

Let me preface this with – I’m NOT defending HSG!

But, people in their position simply don’t read 200 page business plans. If it were me I’d flip to the end also. Guys in their position want the bottom line, if they’re cheap, as is the case, they need a REASON to spend more than they’d like.

I disagree, i bet thye were TOLD to prepare a business plan and present it. I have worked for these types before. I need it tomorrow! Then when you show up with it the next day, they are on a scheduled vacation for two weeks. Poor managers are just that, poor. Mediocre, suspicious, timid and lack vision. They will never change.HSG needs to sell this team to someone who wnats a winner, has passion and is willing to pay for what that takes.

James,

I’m quibbling, but you state you disagree, however, I have no idea what you’re disagreeing with!

I didn’t state whether they were told to create the plan or not. As you say bad managers are bad. I did say HSG is bad for FCD.

I would like to know what was in the business plan. What are some of the ideas that were proposed? Maybe if they were published on this site, and if they got good feedback from us, someone in HSG would actually read them.

i keep thinking, if those business plans were worth anything, they should have tried to review and revise, then resubmit them. you don’t just give up on ideas if they don’t pass the first review.

i would love to see some kind of public commentary from FCD/HSG about their overall Goals for the franchise. similar to the one MLS presented last year about “Game First”. Big ideas, small ideas, and how they plan to get there. they should present them to the fanbase, ask for comments, and make it our Guide! I’d read it, i don’t care if it’s 200 pages!

A measuring stick that we can judge ALL performance for the next 10 years.

i know they did something like this when SH came in, but if i remember it was kind of Fluffy.

“i would love to see some kind of public commentary from FCD/HSG about their overall Goals for the franchise. similar to the one MLS presented last year about “Game First”. Big ideas, small ideas, and how they plan to get there”

Sounds like a job for Buzz and the third degree!!

dustins is correct; you don’t give up on a good plan. If it was good a few years ago, it’s probably still good. It’s also, probably still on a disk or in a drawer somewhere. The new GM et al. could look into it (and hopefully not have an NIH attitude). As dustins says, they could run stuff by the fans as well.

one last comment and i’ll stop. if they need help starting a Future of FCD Plan, i’m sure we could all pull togehter a quick top 50 list for them.

I still think the 3rd drgree should find clark hunt and ask him,” the die hard fans are very concerned about the poor attendance, what specifically is the the plan to address this?” Time to muckrake…

Uh-oh!

Leigh-Ann is going to pull your credential again

Would addressing these issues to the MLS executives make any difference? Maybe flooding their email boxes would get their attention. How about attaching all these threads to voice our concerns. Anyone got Don Garber’s email address?

I was told by Kris Kat that there was a group of season ticket holders that was called into meetings with FO to discuss issues with the club. Anyone heard of this group? Anyone in it? I know they don’t want me there…

Ragnar B said:
“The new GM et al. could look into it (and hopefully not have an NIH attitude).”

Good thought. Except the new GM is one of the same people that wanted no part of this famous business plan. Since the GMs HSG hired didn’t “work out” they appointed their own dude – Wagner – to be the team’s GM. I know, pretty ridiculous.

I was involved at one point, but out of respect to the group’s wishes that’s all I’ll say.

That really sounded bad..allow me to re-word. They’d just rather keep their discussions private, that’s all.

Would MLS move a team with a SSS?

That is depressing news. I was holding out hope that this wasn’t intentional.

One thing to remember is that the Hunts don’t own this 100% Exactly how much the rest of the league owns is a mystery but the minority owners can’t be pleased.

Maybe it is time for some creative banners in the stadium to draw some attention to the issue and put a little pressure on HSG? Any ideas? Right now I feel like “HSG Sucker” with an arrow pointing at me for buying season tickets the last few years while they intentionally tossed this meat to the dogs. Argh.

Markus… what an epic FAIL idea. All that will do is disgust a squad of players and make it look like the few fans at PHP are nothing but moaning cry babies. This team is going to perform admirably on the field this year and I for one will be supporting them every step.

I just love how all the so called fan “experts” are calling out HSG. You are supporters aren’t you? Then support! I have watched games in total crapholes back in Europe and have never met a bunch of whiners like this. The past is the past… get over it and look to a bright future! Cue the anti support brigade… now! Like I care what you think!

hammerhead is applying for a job with HSG apparently……..

Hammerhead: The showing the last three years in the stands has been horoundous. This is due to the backoffice/management and the product on the field.

I bleieve they fixed one side and it is getting better, but the other side is still bad.

A true fan supports the team no matter what,but doesn’t mean we can’t complain/make suggustions in hope of improving the team.

THis isn’t a case where people know soccer better than me and can make those decisions, this is a business case and we have a ton of highly smart business people out there.

HammerHead – you are probably right that it is not a great idea about the banners. I guess some of this is just frustrating because we all know the potential that exists, and it feels like the fans have very little voice in trying to bring it to fruition (except here, thanks Buzz).

At least HSG is willing to invest in soccer (thanks to Lamar Hunt’s legacy) when it must be a tough business model to defend at times. Still I would like to see a much more visible marketing effort (and some wins!) this season to get the fan base to return. The attendance numbers seem to require an added effort.

I will keep coming and cheering like always. Thanks for pushing me back in the right direction.

HammerHead: The fans have already voiced their displeasure of HSG. They have done it through their wallets. And it is painfully clear.

Also HammerHead: The few fans that still go to the games, they are not happy with HSG, but they still go. They are passionate, they post on here, they are true fans. The ones that have stopped going. They are the ones that don’t really know why, or even who HSG is. They just know their experience at PHP was not good.

As for European fans, how are Liverpool fans reacting to the other HSG (Hick Sports Group) that owns their team? Are they pretty laid back and quiet?

Good lord hammer head, you don’t have to follow the leaders of your sports club blindly when they are obviously not doing what is needed for the club. I’ll bet the fans of Excelsior Mouscron in Belgium and Chester City in England did the same. You know what happened to those clubs? They don’t exist anymore after their leaders led them to oblivion. Out of business. Kaput. Is that what you want us to do?