Slide Rule Pass - Latest Comments

Re: Portland Timbers kick off the MLS offseason with a flurry of activity

FDChief218 — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 21:15:15 -0000

Nice summary of a busy Cyber Monday at TimbersPlayersOutlet.com. Couple of thoughts somewhat at random;

I think the Brunner move is, more than anything, a bet by the Timbers FO that his concussion issues will be serious enough to cut his career short as in "retired before May 2013" short. Obviously Houston feels differently, and given their recent form I don't know if I'd bet against them. And, like you, I really liked Eric's play here in Portland. I think he also suffered from the emergence of Horst-Mosquera-AJB as the centerbacks of choice with the FO and, presumably, Porter.

It will be interesting to see what this portends for Futty Danso...

I like both the Harrington and Johnson acquisitions, although the loss of Steven Smith (assuming that it IS a certainty...) reopens the Fullback Question I had hoped that the departure of Kimura and the arrival of Harrington had gone aways to solve.

(N.B. - I understand that Johnson has multiple citizenships including the U.S., so despite his play for the CMNT he is not technically an international player)

And the team placed Rodney Wallace on the Re-entry Draft list along with Purdy and Palmer. It will be interesting to see what happens Friday. I'm not sure I wouldn't be OK with RodWall keeping a space on the bench so long as it was a half of what he's making now...

Re: Six Defining Moments of 2012

Kevin Alexander — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:07:55 -0000

Great shout. I thought about including it, but it could've become another Kris Boyd article!

Re: Six Defining Moments of 2012

Hero — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:17:28 -0000

One of the six would have to be the CalFC match. Spencer didn't mess around and put the entire first team out there for that match, and to get beat like that took the team half a season to regain their swagger. The Jelly was only half full for that match, and I remember thinking to myself that I was glad I was there because it was such a big moment in the team's history despite it being a travesty. It still makes me sad to think about that match.

Re: Six Defining Moments of 2012

Richard Hamje — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:17:20 -0000

I would add one more: Boyd's wrongly disallowed second goal against LA Galaxy on April 14. Changed a 2-0 lead into an eventual 3-1 loss. Huge loss of momentum for our season We were looking like a possible contender at that point.

Re: Six Defining Moments of 2012

FDChief218 — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 11:59:41 -0000

Here's a couple more I can think of;

1. CalFC

For all that you've mentioned this, I think that it's worth hitting on again; this match might have been THE defining moment of the season, the point where the grumbling and grousing that had been licking through the North End like a grassfire candled into the treetops, the point where GWOUT began to emerge as one of the central tropes of the season, the point where things went from "troubling" to "disastrous".

I was sitting at the other end with some friends who were occasional fans listening to the Army chanting "This is bullshit!" and "Care like we do!" and telling them "Remember this - this is Timbers history being made." I think the moment that Pong ripped into the team and Jack Jewsbury, his face bloody from being nutted, had to be restrained from climbing the capo stand changed something in the relationship between the Army and the club in ways that are still not really settled.

For me, anyway, this match was perhaps the single MOST defining moment.

2. The RSL away match on 7/7/12.

Up to that point the complaint against Spencer was that he seemed to have no real idea of how to adjust to our opponents. His starting XI seemed to be the players he "liked" as opposed to who was the more favorable matchup against whoever we were playing against, or whoever played well the last time out, or some incomprehensible logic nobody else understood.

But he suddenly swapped players out wholesale for the RSL game. At the time I remember thinking that it portended a "new" Spencer; in hindsight I suspect it was the desperation of a man hearing the whisper of the axe. But the awful result (I think) and the terrible play of the team he fielded just cemented Merritt's decision to sack him.

3. San Jose away, 9/19/2012

For a couple of reasons:

a. Boyd's injury in the opening minutes of the first half marked the "official" end of his hopes for making a success of 2012. Here he was finally back in the starting XI and the match barely begins when he has to come off for Dike; I'd bookend this with the NYRB match a month earlier. That match saw Dike emerge as a starting option - this one confirmed that Dike was the "anti-Boyd", if you will, the preferred option if Boyd wasn't playing.

b. Dike's last-moment miss of a very makeable opportunity that could have iced the match. Remember that one? Timbers running at goal, someone (Kalif?) slots a pass into Dike - who actually sort-of controls it, as opposed to just booting it as he had for much of the match - who then hammers it wide right with only the keeper to beat. Much as his entrance in the first half seemed to anoint him as "this month's striker" this miss pointed out the weaknesses that seem to define him as nothing MORE than "this month's striker; awful touch and wasteful finishing. That match as much or more than any of the others he played this year helped settle his place in the roster for me; serviceable but not irreplaceable. Not the final answer we need up front.

Re: Interregnum

Tyler — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:08:39 -0000

Awesome, keep up the great work!

Re: Interregnum

Travis Diskin — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:31:28 -0000

I love everything you've done with the site! I am looking forward to what 2013 will bring.

Re: The Strange Case of Ian Hogg

Kevin Alexander — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:05:25 -0000

I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty sure that as part of the Fucito deal, Montreal just got an International Slot from us (instead of a second round draft pick) so it may be that, with one less slot, someone had to go. I'm not sure the situation with regard to how many slots we hold vs no. of foreigners.

Re: The Strange Case of Ian Hogg

FDChief218 — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:00:11 -0000

Hmmm. That seems to be a reasonable-if-you're-Gavin sort of explanation. But, again, I keep coming back to the "why the hell sign him in the first place rather than bring him in on trial?" question. That way you can not-play him and toss him after three months and not have to jump through all the administrative and immigration hoops.

It's not just Hogg, tho his little saga was a sort of standout-oddity enough to make me think. It's the whole way that Paulkinson do business; this combination of gormless "what was that about..?" one-off peculiarity combined with the "Behold, my cunning plan!" Baldrick-level enthusiasm. If the Timbers Front Office was just obviously lost it'd be easier to just throw my hands in the air. As it is I'm baffled; are they clueless or just more cunning than I can suss out?

Re: The Strange Case of Ian Hogg

FDChief218 — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:55:22 -0000

Agreed, but, again, why waste the spot on him in the first place? Why not just trial him so he doesn't suck up a roster spot?

Re: The Strange Case of Ian Hogg

FDChief218 — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:54:35 -0000

I have my suspicions about #2. But if Hogg was looking for some Oregon sun and surf, why not just bring him in as a trialist?

Re: The Strange Case of Ian Hogg

Sideshow Scott — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:03:28 -0000

Maybe The Hogg was looking to summer in Portland and GW wanted to help him out. Or GW is just a shit evaluator of talent. One of the two.

Re: The Strange Case of Ian Hogg

Paul Muzi — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:32:15 -0000

He was occupying one of our international spots, wasn't he? My guess is that they released him to free up that spot for an incoming player, or to use in a trade.

Re: The Strange Case of Ian Hogg

David Martin — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:04:03 -0000

It's clear that Gavin still thinks Rodney Wallace is an acceptable backup for Steven Smith at left back. In this he is fairly mistaken, but Ian Hogg was clearly not strong enough to supplant him. As a third string left back Chris Taylor seems an at least equal option to Hogg, despite missing this past season due to hip surgery. He makes the lowest guaranteed compensation, so the team isn't any worse off with regards to the salary cap. This decision is a side effect of the Wallace Problem.

Re: The Man, The Myth

TimberGreen — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:01:08 -0000

OK, back for a rather late reply . . .

All I will say is that I feel like we learned more about players in .5 years with GW than over 1.5 years under Spencer. Was it enough? Should greener talents like Kawoluk and Rincon have gotten runs? Should AJB and Richards have been given more time? What is it about EA that made both Spencer AND GW hesitant to use him consistently?

I'm not going to claim to know the answers. But when GW took over, we took steps in the right direction, whether he went far enough or not. We dropped the desparate, game-by-game, win-now or go home philosophy that had stunted our progress. We developed a more consistent approach with an attacking style that emphasized possession and more creativity.

So it's not just the run that certain players got (Horst, Zizzo, Dike, Kimura) but also the more consistent approach (usually a more creative, attacking style) and the freedom these players had to create. Things were a lot more rigid under Spencer---it seemed like he had the whole team in a straightjacket most of the time. When you're trying to develop a young team, that may help you grind out some wins, but the players and team don't grow at the rate they should.

Just my opinions.

Re: Kits

jocked07 — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 05:47:38 -0000

i love the concept of the city of portland kit...without the hoops. make the design a bit brighter and large enough to envelope the whole jersey and i'd buy one in a heart beat!

oh, and the white rose city on the next page is my absolute favorite of all time! it is stunningly beautiful! watching that rose crest come at you would make any opposing player take notice...

clearly you're a man of many, many talents!

Re: More Kits

GlasgowSpider — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:52:07 -0000

I actually like these better than the first set (they were great too).
Not crazy about the patten on the camo or the sponsor 'box' on the more tartan.
Shadow could bring Home to the Road (something obviously needed).
Mellow Yellow (yes)
Flying V (yep)
Bring Ghost stripes from the first page too!

Re: Kits

GlasgowSpider — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:42:17 -0000

"I really would love a black kit too!"
Not all roses are red!

Re: More Kits

Shoot the Moon — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 01:33:06 -0000

That white rose is soooo good looking. Definitely my favorite of all of them.

Re: Kits

AMA — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:13:32 -0000

Please let me throw money at you, Doug Kit.

Re: Kits

Aaron Comfort — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 09:42:44 -0000

"I think the green plus blue on the white kits is not going to fly because they are Seattle colors" - I knew there was a reason I instinctively shied away from those Viva Cascadia ones... Overall, great designs Kevin!.

Re: More Kits

docdisc — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 09:09:52 -0000

Have agree, starburst, white rose and even camo would look excellent on the pitch...nice work...and yes, its a very long off season..

Re: More Kits

rhamje — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:46:27 -0000

What Danny said, plus the tartan and golfer from the first set. Starburst is #1 - I would buy it in a second and wear it with pride.

Re: More Kits

Prettypenguin — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:04:24 -0000

Love the rose kit,the grey with the Jelly on it, and the retro from this set. I like the ghost hoops,Cascadia green, and the tartan one from the other set. I would love it if they did a true retro set with short shorts and net shirts- our boys would look smokin' hot!

Re: More Kits

Danny — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:36:21 -0000

White Rose and Starburst are far and away my favorite from this bunch! Good stuff!