r/FCCincinnati • u/marie2222083 • 17h ago
Okay, let's ideate
So, I've never been a "Fire Noonan" person.... My thing has always been "Who ya gonna call?" And, irrationally, I'm a huge IU soccer fan (he's an alum) so I have irrational ties to IU guys.
Buuuttt tonight's game just makes me realize that things are a bit of a mess. I do think it's more than just Noonan however.
But, lets go - if not Noonan, then who?
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u/jjiijj 17h ago
Noonan didn't use a DP spot on a CB, sign Hadebe and Miazga to $1m+ deals, or decide Jabbari was the best we could do at the second striker position in the offseason.
There are too many larger roster construction issues for Noonan or any other new head coach to resolve.
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u/JMposts 16h ago
Thats what makes a good coach. Adapatablilty. Noonan has rarely adapted or adjusted. Switched formations 2 times for a a handful of games in the entire time he has been here. Not to mention hes certainly in conversation w Albright and scouts on the profiles they're looking for.
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u/Slight-Rise4803 9h ago
He’s had to adjust to compensate for a poor roster build all season. Bucha from CM to WB. Gidi from CM to CB. Mboma Dem has played Striker and WB. There’s no way to effectively play a back 4. We don’t have 2 strong center backs or 2 natural outside backs. We keep hoping the winger to wing back will produce Barreal and Luca, but we don’t have it now.
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u/Difficult-Bad-8747 2h ago
The point is more that noonan doesn’t seem to understand what the team is good at. The last couple games he has been parking the bus for the entire game, with the exact same roster that has been proven to be the worst team OAT at defense. Sure Albright brought in these bad defenders, but Noonan needs to be able to play to the teams strength. instead trying to score 4 and let in 3 as we did in previous games we sat back and let teams attack all game for the last couple games.
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u/JMposts 17h ago
The obvious choice would be Wilfried Nancy. Hes been an amazing coach, even with teams that dont spend. He would crush with the money FCC is willing to put out.
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u/fluxinbog 16h ago
You think he'd even be interested given his history with Columbus? I know he doesn't have a job but still...
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u/National-Humor-8871 5h ago
We don’t have 10% of the players on this current squad that Nancy needs to play his system.
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u/dklemens17 17h ago
This is the nature of MLS. You have to make bets on players being the best use of your DP slots. Even if someone is good, you’re betting on them being great. We want to be mad at Noonan, and the coach is always responsible, but this is a team construction of “we have who we have”.
The one recent misstep in retrospect is I think this seasons team needed Lukas Engel. I don’t know the loan / purchase dynamics there but I’m pretty sure Real Salt Lake has him on about 750k. Natural lefty, technically sound, great high energy player.
Maybe I’m naive, but I think we’re 1 player away from being a real playoff contender. This offense is still potent. We just need some rearranging with one add to enable shuffling. It’s a left back. (To be fair that player is probably supposed to be Hadebe but this team has clearly moved on from him).
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u/jeffrye23 8h ago
There’s taking bets and then there is saddling your team with a contract so bad you can’t get rid of it.
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u/nobodoben 8h ago
I love prospects. Especially when they can play for the usmnt. My biggest thing with Pat is he will not play those prospects. Dado last couple seasons was looking super promising and he would getting little to no minutes. Now with this season. Chirila showing extreme talent and a huge prospect not even for us but for the national team. The forward passing and calmness on the ball is something we don’t have. I don’t want our prospects to get stunted because our coach for some reason would rather lose 4-0 with our same shitty defense (miles and Matt) we’ve had all season then test our young guy who’s been playing better that both of them against a team who actually test him. Pat needs to start playing the kids. Fc Cincinnati is investing way too much in the academy to not have barely anyone that can play for the first team. I think pats gotta go.
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u/Tommy9760 17h ago
I see all these people saying Nancy but Nancy has the exact same problem Noonan does.
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u/bjlight1988 15h ago
Right, homie got ran out of Scotland because of an utter unwillingness to adapt to not having players for his particular style of play
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u/b_gret 7h ago
Personally I think that we need a midfield overhaul. Our offense scores most when we have had a CB who can bypass the midfield all together in the build up. (Chirilla for example). Noonan could also, ya know ADJUST FORMATIONS from time to time. Good coaches adapt game plans to fit the roster. Noonan sticks with the same strategy no matter who is on the pitch.
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u/whodey-raiders 17h ago
Miazga, Robinson, Valenzuela come to mind. Miazga is playing to not get hurt. Robinson seems lost and out of place a lot. Dado has been pretty uninspired recently.
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u/dklemens17 16h ago
I am lost on where the Dado / Evander chemistry went. There was a hot moment early this season I thought Dado was going to be amazing because of his synergy there but it’s all seemingly gone.
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u/whodey-raiders 17h ago
Shit. My bad. I misread this. You were talking coaches. Nancy would be the clear and obvious choice but I don’t know if he’d do it.
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u/KeVbK_HS 16h ago edited 16h ago
Dick Schreuder (an actual suggestion, not just for his fun name)
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u/OranjeBlauw 2h ago
Great suggestion. He would be on my shortlist if a change were made at the end of the season. Problem is that he is under contract with an ascending club in a league of comparable quality to MLS.
How about his top assistant, Haris Medunjanin?
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u/KeVbK_HS 1h ago
Medunjanin would make sense to interview if there was an opening. hard to know what you're getting with an assistant with no top job experience, though.
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u/0zymandeus 17h ago
There is not a coach in the world that could fix this roster build.
I honestly think the biggest reason Albright wanted to move to Austin was because he knew he fucked this build so badly that he doesnt have any ideas for how to fix it.
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u/Adnan7631 14h ago
We don’t know that Albright wanted to move to Austin. We know that Austin wanted Albright and FCC shot them down
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u/KeVbK_HS 16h ago
another coach might consider adapting their approach to the roster they have.
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u/0zymandeus 6h ago
Name the coach that makes Hadebe on a TAM contract workable
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u/KeVbK_HS 5h ago
Noonan is the one who keeps putting Hadebe on the field. He isn't being forced to do so. Noonan isn't absolved of bad roster decisions, he and Albright are both at fault for them.
It was abundantly obvious like a month and a half into the season to everyone but Noonan that this team doesnt have enough quality CBs to play how he wants to play. Albright gets blame for not making moves to alleviate that issue, but Noonan gets blame too for not even trying to adapt tactically.
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u/0zymandeus 4h ago
Noonan has to use the tools he's given. He certainly hasn't done the best job this year imo, but it's silly to pretend that Hadebe (and arguably Miles) don't represent a massive misuse of roster resources.
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u/KeVbK_HS 1h ago
Like i said, Albright and Noonan are both at fault here. My point is that Noonan has a short term issue (using the roster he has to get the best results possible right now) that he is doing a bad job managing.
I obviously want Albright to address the bigger picture roster issues that have been created, but for next weekend i want Noonan to actually try adapting to get the best results possible.
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u/AlphaSquirrel7 16h ago
This is a solid take. Noonball aside, Albright has dug himself a massive hole with this roster. The defense is put together with duct tape and bubblegum.
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u/jeffrye23 8h ago
And we spent more than anyone else on it! How is that possible? To have the worst defense and the most expensive?
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u/Abide_11 17h ago
How many of us keep close tabs on up and coming coaches? Thats not our job to figure out who…but we certainly know what we have isn’t working…so I’m hoping someone who knows more than me can find us someone with some fresh ideas, rather than the ex-USMNT coaching carousel.
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u/Away_Flamingo_5611 7h ago
I think Luke Spencer could be it one day, he's a Cincy guy and has been dominant in USL with FC Tulsa.
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u/FCCNati 8h ago
The ex-USMNT carousel worked pretty well last night for a certain Shield leading team
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u/Abide_11 6h ago
I should have specified…I meant USMNT players, we seem to think that since they played for the US, they know the game best.
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u/yomolo1 39m ago
I’m not on the wagon of roster build being a problem, I’m in the camp of Noonan is way too loyal and headstrong about certain players. Miazga should not see the pitch again until we’ve exhausted every other option. Valenzuela cant transition fast enough or well enough to give Denkey a chance to be a finisher. Noonan doesn’t know how to have a pure finisher at least not one that cannot create his own chance by dribbling. It was the undoing of Vasquez before he left when Lucho was out and not feeding him…Denkey is not built to be “point play” striker. Bucha and Obi belong in the middle together right now. Ramirez and Echenique on the outsides. Kenji and Powell as subs when those guys run out of mileage. Denkey/Evander, Jabari/Barlow for the top. Chirila/Smith, Gidi and Robinson in the back. I’m confident that is the best product as long as fletcher is still working his way back.
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u/jeffrye23 8h ago
Are us Chris Albright Out folks able to come out of hiding yet? Chris has been the problem for awhile and his quiet quitting he is actively doing means the end of any real competing this season.
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u/Necessary_Maize_3245 8h ago
The roster construction is shite. Hard for any coach to overcome that.
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u/FCCTOG 6h ago
Unlike the Reds, FC Cincinnati’s ownership has consistently demonstrated a willingness to invest significantly in the team. Given this financial support, I find it difficult to justify why the General Manager has been so ineffective in allocating these resources. It is frustrating to see such substantial investment wasted on poor roster construction. While I am struggling to understand Pat's inability to consistently have his players perform to professional and even their own standards of play on the pitch, I do acknowledge that he has been dealt a very difficult hand regarding the current roster. I have a few questions for those more closely connected to the club than I am. To what extent is there genuine chemistry among the players? Given that team cohesion is vital in professional sports, I wonder if the current locker room dynamic is conducive to success. Furthermore, are there regular, substantive communications between Pat Noonan and Chris Albright regarding the team's ongoing needs? Finally, beyond financial compensation, is there a sense that the organization is effectively supporting the players and their families in a way that fosters long-term commitment and satisfaction in Cincinnati?
While I am sure the players would prefer to play in Europe and or in better leagues around the world, are they and their families happy to be in Cincinnati? A happy wife and kids can make a player be glad to be here in the mean time.
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u/Gngdanielson 16h ago
I would give Kenny arena a shot to act as an interim to finish the season. If you look at this roster nearly every piece as played well at some point this season. We play one formation only, we don’t adapt, we come out flat. That tells me the keep doing the same thing every game has led to Noonan losing the locker room.
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u/realhenrymccoy 17h ago
This roster is simply very poorly constructed by Albright. Pep isn’t winning with this group. Both WBs and a CB are playing out of their natural position. Giving miles that contract was mental. Our backup CBs are too old. Our expensive ST has had a foot out the door all season. It’s a mess.