"A Championship Mentality"

The big news this week in MLS is the sacking of the Crew's Greg Andrulis.

Long overdue, and made infinitely harder by the Crew's 18 game unbeaten streak of last season, the fans had never let up on him. even hooting derisively when he was 'appointed' MLS Coach of 2004 .

I, for one, never took that tack, though the Crew has, almost it seems forever, played dull unimaginative footy, the 'fire in the belly seemed to be there, and before the disaster of 2003 where we missed the playoffs for the first time... even seeing our Crew down by two with 15 minutes left caused no one to leave the stands.

Because, though our trophy cupboard was bare until winning the "Open Cup" in 2002 (distinctly asterisk material for most teams) we, the Crew Fans and in turn the team, had a "Championship Mentality".. surely if we just tweaked a little here or there, all the chips would fall and we would end up the big enchilada.

We knew our players.. we knew what they did on other teams and we saw what our castoffs did on other teams. So, every year, "THIS year", we had the perfect lineup to go all the way.

And EVERY once in a while, we could hope for the perfect click like the first Fire-Crew game in 04, when all the passes found their marks and we actually LOOKED like medal winners.

After all, isnt Columbus the home of the 2002 National College Football Champs... arent we the most beloved child of Lamar Hunt.. didnt we have the FIRST Soccer Stadium in the League..wasnt it OUR CLub that was covered by National Media for hosting middle of the night World Cup viewing parties, with 3000 fans in a stadium at 2:00 AM watching together on the big screen?
Who gave a crap that we were the 'smallest market' in MLS...we drew fans and we drew them with our ATTITUDE.. aint NO ONE drove from Florida to New York to watch the Cup on tv! Nope, it was Columbus they drove to.

Yep we had an attitude that belied our never having REALLY won anything. What WE had to recall was coming back in 96 to beat DC United AFTER we two players sent off. Or the amazing turn-arounds after the firings of our two previous coaches. It was ALWAYS "That Close!" and "wait till NEXT year!"
Not next year we'll be near or at the top, NEXT YEAR we win it ALL!

A Championship ATTITUDE if not exactly EXPECTING to do it all that easily.

Which all ended last year when we were knocked out of the playoffs by late bloomer NE, in a game in which Ross Paule missed his first PK in 7 attempts... then Tony Sanneh shouldered aside Jeff Cunningham, when Jeff drew a foul in the box, to take the kick... and missed it! And the Crew.. not having lost since early June was out.

What we lost last October was more than just our best chance at the cup ever... it was our spirit.

And this year, the Crew revamped -AGAIN- adding a few experienced old timers, a few new exciting youngsters and some expected us to start back down the track as always. But it wasnt the same.
Some of you know of the Razov Debacle... we traded Sanneh's ego and incorrigability for the outright insubordination of Razov.

And we had already sent Cunningham to Colorado because he just never seemed to find his best gait in our lineup.

But a third of the way through the season, we KNEW we had lost something much more important. Cunningham had almost as many points in scoring while coming off the bench as all of the Crew in the early season. And the Crew KEPT ON MISSING PK's.

The long frustrating angst I had witnessed from afar, watching Fulham slump in the spring, was telescoped up close and personal, while watching the Crew.

Fans who had supported Greg Andrulis turned on him on the Crew Forums... not just for playing the wrong formation for his talent, or for recruiting, or playing peopleout of position, as in Cookie's case.. but for being a LOSER.
Some pretending they ALWAYS knew he was a loser.. some, like me, just realizing there was no hope of recovery this time.

By the 5th game of the season, the chorus was deafening. Dissenters stayed quiet, the most rabid screamed epithets, the more creative cut up pink school paper to shower on Greg at the tunnel.

And the Crew's Director of Public Relations began to post on the board..almost daily and under his own name.

And Greg Andrulis life became a living hell. The strain showing on him as game after game, despite mostly reasonable adjustments, slipped away..was remarkable.

The situation could not stand. So the front office pulled the plug. Scant weeks before Greg was to assist coaching the AllStars in his own turf, and be recognized as 2004 COY and winner of the Supporters Shield as the Crew was at the top of the 2004 table.. instead The crew was at the bottom only points ahead of the two expansion teams and Greg was out.

Even THIS LONG AWAITED EVENT did not alleviate the strain and bad karma on the fan board... the few who still supported Greg came out of hiding... the fans began to eat at each other, bickering snapping and snarling for the littlest differences of opinion in what might have been and what now may be.

Many, unreasonably, (at second thought).. were of the opinion that the entire coaching staff should be fired. Others went further and called for the head of the GM as well. And some expressed optimism that the Assistant elevated to Interim would turn the Crew around.. no, not really WIN anything this year but be competitive.

But most of us are a little wary that this will end up as deja vu.. the assitant, Robert Warzycha, does a good job at first, gets the permanent slot, then the Crew slides slowly downhill. Just as has happened twice before.

The first question will be answered Saturday Night in Chicago.

If the Crew plays as expected, the Fire will have to go all out to win that game at home... and before a huge crowd that is watching as a pre-lim to Real Madrid/ Guadelajara

If the Crew comes out high but is crushed by the first Fire goal, and sinks back into their funk ( watch Kyle Martino, he is the Canary) then we have gone nowhere.

But, to the Front offices credit, this time (unlike the two previous in which they said they would give the incumbent the rest of the season to prove himself) there is indeed an active search for a new coach.

Among which candidates mentioned is John Harkes now at DC United as director of Youth coaching.

While I'll try to be patient with him, I have little hope that Warzycha can bring back the Championship Mentality of the old Crew and their fans... but I can GUARANTEE that John Harkes would settle for nothing less.
As he did in his one season with the Crew.

But I have hope again. Next season, after watching Fulham rebound to the solid 6 or 7 position in the Prem, which will make me very happy!... and with a whole new coaching staff for my home team CREW, we are going to take it all!

It's just REASONABLE, after all!