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Football politics alive and well in Vancouver
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By Paul James
Monday's announcement by the Vancouver Whitecaps on the firing of Teitur Thordarson and the subsequent hiring of Tommy Sohen reflects poorly on the Vancouver franchise as it exposes their values, in this instance, as not being consistent with that of a great franchise which, is a part of their overall vision.
The decision to have given Thordarson a fair chance in the MLS should have been made in 2010. The offer of a one year contract was full of mischief as it showed their lack of faith in him but conveniently set-up the new incoming coach. The power game of professional football and coaching is apparently healthy and well in the Vancouver offices. In spite of impressive play, a good overall team and having only lost 5 games out of 12 MLS contests, Teitur was a sitting duck when you consider his one year contract status, with only one win to his name, and a ready made replacement waiting in the wings.
It is a now a good situation for Tommy Sohen to take over. He really cannot lose and will be given a fair chance by the Vancouver management team. Tommy had a great character as a player and has proven to be a good coach with plenty of important MLS experience. Tommy's hiring is not the issue. There is no doubt he will be competitive as a coach.
It is the handling of Teitur Thordarson which leaves little to be desired.
Paul James on Soccer Podcast Series: Episode 10
In this episode of the Paul James on Soccer podcast, Paul offers his thoughts on the aborted second leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship between Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps, TFC's disastrous defeat at home to the Philadelphia Union, Vancouver's weekend draw against the New York Red Bulls, Whitecaps strikers Camilo and Eric Hassli, Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter and the midfield options that Canadian Men's National Team Head Coach Stephen Hart has at his disposal for the Gold Cup.
Audio Interview:
Paul James, who is a member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame, has been involved in Canadian soccer as a player, television analyst, writer and coach. He has an MBA in Football Industries from the University of Liverpool in England and has been a featured soccer analyst for the Globe and Mail, The Score Television Network, CBC, Sportsnet and GolTV. As a player, James represented Canada 47 times at the senior level, competing in all of Canada's games at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and 1986 FIFA World Cup Finals in Mexico. He coached the Canadian U20 men's team to CONCACAF Group title win in 2001, spent six seasons as the head coach of the York University women's team and was an assistant coach for the National U20 women's team which won the 2008 CONCACAF championship.
To send your questions to Paul, send an email to pauljames@rednationonline.ca.
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