My Sandbox

I’ll get to my opinion on Ruud Gullit, but it ain’t like there’s a big hurry or anything. (One sentence preview: I’m if anything more excited about the Cobester as his assistant, although I know for a FACT that Cobi hasn’t been scouting college players this year.) But it’s the Galaxy’s offseason, I got time.

Did want to put this to rest, though – I choose to believe that this paragraph was included, if not in direct response to my query, then to speculation that has run rampant about Alexi and Frank’s relationship. From the press release:

Paul Bravo, currently serving as the Galaxy’s Director of Soccer, will continue in this role overseeing all issues related to the Galaxy’s roster including scouting and evaluating players (collegiate and professional), overseeing the club’s development system and including prospective new signings and other team administrative functions.

“Continue” and “all” are the words that jump out.

Bravo took the position in August or something. God, do I really have to go all the way to Google and check? Jeez. Blogging is SO HARD.

Bravo took the position in August, so this doesn’t answer questions about who was in charge of personnel before then. And it doesn’t contradict Landon Donovan saying that Yallop wasn’t allowed to do what he wanted. The Galaxy’s big and small personnel moves were all made before Bravo was promoted. So the interpretation that “Ha, Alexi screwed up and he’s being relieved of his functions one by one” is as valid as “Ha, Frank tried to blame Alexi and Alexi said no no no”.

I lean towards the second, because (1) I’m a kneejerk biased Galaxy honk, and Yallop is now coaching a different team, (2) Lalas is still a pretty public figure in the Galaxy organization for a guy who’s being disgraced little by little, and (3) if Lalas was costing AEG as much money and goodwill in three different franchises coast to coast as is generally assumed, then you’d THINK Uncle Phil would have noticed by now, no?

Making the dangerous assumption that Bravo’s duties were all from Yallop’s bailiwick and none from Lalas, and making an equally dangerous assumption that there isn’t someone equivalent to Bravo handling the Galaxy’s various off-field marketing and publicity exercises…*pause for breath*…then it’s seriously time to entertain the possibility that Lalas is doing his job, and doing it well. Maybe anyone could have sold out the HDC with David Beckham, but if there weren’t more to selling soccer than just waving a famous brand name around, Shawn Hunter would still be in Denver.

The prologue is past. The other thing the Bravo paragraph raises is what happens when Ruud Gullit says “I want such and such player” or “I want so and so run out of town.” In theory, the areas of expertise are perfectly delineated. Gullit draws up the strategy, Bravo gets the personnel, Jones whips the players into shape. But then again, in theory, because silver bells are made of silver, foghorns should be made of fog.*

*Old Lonnie Donegan joke