Next CanMNT manager (Herdman to TFC)

[RojitoTO]

I can't see Gallardo, but Gareca and Alfaro I can.  Alfaro had Ecuador playing so well in Qatar. You can get higher quality at lower cost by recruiting in Argentina. I think of Santiago Solari who can speak English well. Ricardo La Volpe has CONCACAF experience. Jose Pekerman seems to be exclusively a national team coach. I think Esteban Cambiasso is seeking a job and I'm pretty sure he can speak some English. Diego Cocca wasn't given much of a chance in Mexico.

[gigi riva]

Gareca and Alfaro I may be happy with .  

[trc2014]

Not sure he will even be close to getting the job but is anyone else concerned that Bobby Smyrniotis is being overrated for his results in the CPL and limited CONCACAF experience?  Maybe I dont watch enough CPL but hasn’t he essentially been coaching the all-star team? 

[narduch]

Just now, trc2014 said:

Not sure he will even be close to getting the job but is anyone else concerned that Bobby Smyrniotis is being overrated for his results in the CPL and limited CONCACAF experience?  Maybe I dont watch enough CPL but hasn’t he essentially been coaching the all-star team? 

Speaking of Bobby. Apparently he interviewed for the job.

 

[Vasi]

5 minutes ago, narduch said:

Speaking of Bobby. Apparently he interviewed for the job.

 

Not thrilled with this. Wish him the best. But as we have a home WC I feel we need someone with more experience.  

[blueseeka]

Here is the reality of the CSA. Leak a bunch of posts saying money won't be an issue when choosing a coach. And then settle on the cheapest decent coach.

 

Again, i like Bobby Smyrniotis alot but let's stop dropping medium to big name coaches. Ain't gonna happen

[narduch]

I might be willing to give him a shot.

Can always fire him by 2025 if it doesn't work out.

[Shway]

6 minutes ago, blueseeka said:

Again, i like Bobby Smyrniotis alot but let's stop dropping medium to big name coaches. Ain't gonna happen

This. Full stop. We're not getting a name brand manager anytime soon. 

I like Bobby aswell, and the patriot in me  wants to see a Canadian lead Canada at the WC on home soil. It will be the first time we have a homegrown coach, with actually experience coaching in Concacaf (minimal, but it can't be said about Mitchell or Findlay.)

So since we'll be taking a punt on a random manager who will again have the best Canadians all time at his disposal...why not let it be a homegrown?!

[Aird25]

32 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

Not sure he will even be close to getting the job but is anyone else concerned that Bobby Smyrniotis is being overrated for his results in the CPL and limited CONCACAF experience?  Maybe I dont watch enough CPL but hasn’t he essentially been coaching the all-star team? 

Not really. They’ve been beaten pretty much every regular season. Bobby’s proven very effective in knockout situations though. That bodes well for a National Team position 

[nolando]

54 minutes ago, Shway said:

This. Full stop. We're not getting a name brand manager anytime soon. 

I like Bobby aswell, and the patriot in me  wants to see a Canadian lead Canada at the WC on home soil. It will be the first time we have a homegrown coach, with actually experience coaching in Concacaf (minimal, but it can't be said about Mitchell or Findlay.)

So since we'll be taking a punt on a random manager who will again have the best Canadians all time at his disposal...why not let it be a homegrown?!

I seem to recall another Bobby without an extensive professional coaching CV getting thrust into the MNT limelight.

[blueseeka]

Bobby Bearpark

[BearcatSA]

3 hours ago, narduch said:

I might be willing to give him a shot.

Can always fire him by 2025 if it doesn't work out.

And then watch Herdman make a triumphant return in December of that year as the pioneer of the program after he figures that two years at TFC was enough and bails Nick Saban-style.  With that, Kristian Jack will endorse this second act by saying on the One Soccer panel show:  "It was time."

[One American]

Arena for a discount?

[toontownman]

I certainly don't hate Bobby potentially become head coach. I'd still like to see him as assistant to an experienced international manager with Bobby taking the reigns after 2026. 

Bobby knows the Canadian game inside and out, has worked with many of the players and has succeeded in his positions, exceeded really. The international game would be a huge jump but it's a different type of jump from CPL to a top league. He has lots to like in his tool box that makes him a solid candidate.

I expect he is just one of a few people interviewed or more likely sounded out at this point..IF this is true. Seems very soon for the CSA considering the talk of getting their shit in order position wise before looking at hiring a coach.

[Obinna]

29 minutes ago, One American said:

Arena for a discount?

Wouldn't be a bad option all things considered. I like the idea of a younger Canadian upstart in Bobby though. Have been getting swayed by @Shway on the Forge FC manager. The top Canadian manager in CPL leading the NT in a home world cup is a much cooler narrative than some random nondescript Latin American coach who coached at the WC 3 cycles ago. 

[Aird25]

I’m genuinely curious, what do we gain by hiring someone with international experience, but no knowledge of Canadian soccer?

[toontownman]

9 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

I’m genuinely curious, what do we gain by hiring someone with international experience, but no knowledge of Canadian soccer?

Depends on the level of experience, success and then the staff hired around them imo. I think there is great potential benefit over straight hiring Bobby. They need someone that knows the Canadian system in the set up though.

I think the big asks of a new coach are:

- Someone tactically astute to move us forward and find some solutions for our back line, especially against better oppositon.

- Someone that can manage the big personalities/players we increasingly have now.

- Someone that can bring through younger players. 

Someone experience managing against the top teams and in international tournaments and managing top players at there peak is going to be a big plus over someone that hasn't. 

There is likely a learning curve for a coach either way they hire.

I'm going to continue keeping fingers crossed for a mythical successful and experienced international coach with Bobby as assistant and in charge of the u23/u20 team. Then all being well Bobby takes over after 2026.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

10 hours ago, trc2014 said:

Not sure he will even be close to getting the job but is anyone else concerned that Bobby Smyrniotis is being overrated for his results in the CPL and limited CONCACAF experience?  Maybe I dont watch enough CPL but hasn’t he essentially been coaching the all-star team? 

That's definitely a criticism that has some substance to it. It was more the contacts he has through running the top private pay-to-play youth academy in the GTA over the last 15 years or so that gave the Forge the inside track in the early years of CanPL with a stacked roster. Now that some of the other clubs have caught up in terms of roster depth and the Sigma talent pipeline seems to be drying up a bit, he doesn't look quite so dominant in his coaching abilities in a CanPL context as he did back in 2019. Having him or Marc Dos Santos as the Canadian assistant to a more experienced hire who has been to major tournaments would be the better way to go IMO.

[CanadaFan123]

14 hours ago, blueseeka said:

Here is the reality of the CSA. Leak a bunch of posts saying money won't be an issue when choosing a coach. And then settle on the cheapest decent coach.

 

Again, i like Bobby Smyrniotis alot but let's stop dropping medium to big name coaches. Ain't gonna happen

Big? Okay but medium? Certainly we will get a medium name as we have before and this nation is at its historical peak footballing wise. 
 

I challenge anyone to tell me 10 available jobs in football that are more attractive than leading a team with a core like ours in a World Cup in one of the most attractive countries on the planet. You can’t. 
 

Stop believing the doom and gloom of social media. Take a common sense approach and realize this can and will get done. If CSB truly holds the cards as alleged then they’ll make sure the $ are available. 

[Wasp]

9 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Big? Okay but medium? Certainly we will get a medium name as we have before and this nation is at its historical peak footballing wise. 
 

I challenge anyone to tell me 10 available jobs in football that are more attractive than leading a team with a core like ours in a World Cup in one of the most attractive countries on the planet. You can’t. 
 

Stop believing the doom and gloom of social media. Take a common sense approach and realize this can and will get done. If CSB truly holds the cards as alleged then they’ll make sure the $ are available. 

Totally agree. Despite the CSA and funding issues, on a pure football level this is an extremely attractive position. It's also exactly the kind of position that a "medium" name would look at as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Hell, our last coach flamed out in the WC, lost a trophy final and then blamed it on the CSA, then had a disappointing GC performance and immediately landed a gig at one of the biggest (by budget at least) MLS clubs. Imagine what kind of jump you could make as a coach if you actually make the knockout stage of the WC?

Also, you get to coach some absolutely world-class Tier 1 players in Davies and David, some Tier 2 guys some of whom are knocking on the door of Tier 1 (Buchanan / Staq / Larin), and then the rest of the roster is filled with solid players top to bottom who are all MLS-starter level talents. That's a pretty damn good situation to walk into from a talent perspective. This is exactly the kind of position that a coach who is successful in their region but not really on the world stage, should be looking at to increase their profile.

[costarg]

15 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Big? Okay but medium? Certainly we will get a medium name as we have before and this nation is at its historical peak footballing wise. 
 

I challenge anyone to tell me 10 available jobs in football that are more attractive than leading a team with a core like ours in a World Cup in one of the most attractive countries on the planet. You can’t. 
 

Stop believing the doom and gloom of social media. Take a common sense approach and realize this can and will get done. If CSB truly holds the cards as alleged then they’ll make sure the $ are available. 

Great point.  This thread keeps going back to all this negative "we can't afford anyone good" without keeping in mind the tonne of potential we have for a coach trying to make his mark.  Pro soccer coaches aren't in it for the quick money or the job stability.  This is a great opportunity for someone trying to break through or make a comeback that believes in himself, and that might encourage someone to do it for less cash.  Just hope the CSA knows this.

Obviously the biggest challenge is doing all this on a shoe string budget, however, I have no doubt suiters will show up.

[InglewoodJack]

8 hours ago, Aird25 said:

I’m genuinely curious, what do we gain by hiring someone with international experience, but no knowledge of Canadian soccer?

Maybe someone with an unbiased view on our pool could give us a better roster construction. Someone who is close to Canadian soccer might prioritize Fraser over Choiniere, stick with Borjan instead of bringing in Sirois, so on. Speculative, but someone who has zero ties to the country and can evaluate our talent pool like a cutthroat management consultant might help optimize our roster. 
 

That said, unless there’s a high profile candidate we haven’t heard about, I think I’m pretty sold on Smyrniotis. He comes to the program with more experience and better relations with our players than Herdman did, and Herdman took us pretty far. He’s excelled at every level and while I’d like his candidacy more if he had a few years of MLS experience under his belt at this point, I’m not opposed to Canada choosing arguably the most successful coach in Canada as our manager. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

12 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

...Speculative, but someone who has zero ties to the country and can evaluate our talent pool like a cutthroat management consultant might help optimize our roster...

The perception of impartiality is especially useful when there is a lot of drama going on behind the scenes.

[Obinna]

40 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Maybe someone with an unbiased view on our pool could give us a better roster construction. Someone who is close to Canadian soccer might prioritize Fraser over Choiniere, stick with Borjan instead of bringing in Sirois, so on. Speculative, but someone who has zero ties to the country and can evaluate our talent pool like a cutthroat management consultant might help optimize our roster. 
 

That said, unless there’s a high profile candidate we haven’t heard about, I think I’m pretty sold on Smyrniotis. He comes to the program with more experience and better relations with our players than Herdman did, and Herdman took us pretty far. He’s excelled at every level and while I’d like his candidacy more if he had a few years of MLS experience under his belt at this point, I’m not opposed to Canada choosing arguably the most successful coach in Canada as our manager. 

This is a good point - but we may not even require an international manager to get an unbiased view of our pool.

Bobby for example has never been part of the CSA, as far as I know. Someone like Biello however would possibly have a biased view after working under Herdman. 

The other thing is - sometimes bias is good. For example, Bobby has worked with Cyle Larin (afaik) and knows what he's capable of, so if he goes cold let's say, well maybe Bobby knows to get the best out of him, rather than giving him a short leesh like an outsider may do. That's bias working to our benefit. 

To your point though, I think it is not so much an unbiased set of eyes we need, but simply a fresh set of eyes. And again, Bobby would qualify here. He's close enough that he's watched the players very closely and knows many of them personally, but far enough that he wasn't part of the last staff and has never worked for the CSA. I would agree that Herdman seemed to strangely prioritize some players, such as Fraser, Brym, and Henry.

[phil03]

9 hours ago, Aird25 said:

I’m genuinely curious, what do we gain by hiring someone with international experience, but no knowledge of Canadian soccer?

Someone with a skills set that is easier to supplement. Competent people who know Canadian Soccer very well are definitely not in short supply. A coach more versed on international Soccer could hire one or two as assistants, or even keep those around under Herdman. Finding assistants who can compensate for Smyrniotis' lack of experience in both international Soccer as well as in a level sufficient to be considered for the CMNT would be considerably harder.

Moreover, a coach with international experience would be more attractive for dual nationals.

Like, I don't want to be misunderstood here: I have a lot of respect for Smyrniotis and definitely think he has the potential to do the job at some point. When he was rumored as a candidate for my favourite club (Impact) my take, as recorded in the relevant thread', was ''if he speak French he should be genuinely considered'' and I'd be down with him as an assistant that would be set to take the job post-2026 but not now, not with his current level of experience and in the current labor situation. 

All the feel-good narratives in the world about the homegrown coach aren't going to be worth didly squat if we don't do well in 2026 and any coach will have a solid feel good narrative if we do well in 2026. That's the only metric that ought to matter here IMO.