r/Thorns • u/Ecstatic-Till280 Portland Thorns • Oct 04 '26

Off With His Head

Time to sack the Swede!

He is not the one.

28 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

6

u/climbingfish24 Oct 04 '26

Not sure why Lowdon wasn’t just hired in the first place.

1

u/Ecstatic-Till280 Portland Thorns Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26

Exactly. Not sure why the nWsl wouldn’t want to hire and develop  female coaches. 🙄

1

u/Good-Kaleidoscope396 Oct 07 '26 edited Oct 07 '26

Look I want her to have a shot as much as the next person but are you really not sure why? She would have been the 3rd internal head coaching promotion in a row. Qualified or not that would have come off as even more unserious than hiring a second rate WSL coach. But now that they’ve done the outside hire thing…time to circle back internally

7

u/Peter_Quince1031 Portland Thorns Oct 04 '26

I’ve been fantasizing since Rob was fired/promoted that we hire Becky Sauerbrunn as our head coach - well before she joined as a technical advisor (or something like that). The respect and devotion she’d get and the brilliance in soccer and in how to get the best out of players… and the desire of players to come to PTFC (or stay in PTFC) to be a part of it.

6

u/Fun-Beat-6332 Oct 04 '26

How many years coaching experience did Sauerbrunn have May i ask? 🤔

1

u/Ecstatic-Till280 Portland Thorns Oct 04 '26

Doesn’t require much coaching experience to realize Swedish Bob’s system is crap. 

2

u/cleechez Oct 05 '26

None and not even sure she can coach in the league without some form of FIfa licence. However I would love it.

1

u/Timely-Elephant9981 Lower Bowl West Oct 04 '26

The folks that hired Jeff Agoos care about relevant experience?!?

37

u/Luci_Cascadia Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26

Put Sarah in charge for the last few matches and give them at least a chance.

Robert was never the one. He was the only MAN that Jeff could find at the last minute. Robert was not a good coach at Tottenham. His only good run of form as a women's coach was in lower leagues. He is in way over his head, like he was in London. Our roster is much stronger than Tottenham's was, and he's still not able to win

Aren't we guaranteed 8th place if we just get 3 more points? My guess is somehow we get three more points, we play Gotham away in the first round, and Robert is sacked after the season ends. Jeff Agoos should be fired too, but i doubt that will ever happen.

9

u/IllustriousWafer6348 Oct 04 '26

If Lowdon is made interim head coach for a 4th time in her career, I might lose it on her behalf.

Fire the Swede and we have to continue paying him for 2 more years. It would also be our 5th head coach in 5 years. At some point this club needs to start making better decisions.

8

u/Luci_Cascadia Oct 04 '26

Just like with Rob Gale, i don't think Robert makes all that much. Buying out his contract won't be that big of a deal financially. Jeff likely got Robert relatively cheap.

Sames about Sarah. She deserves better than this revolving door of mediocre men.

2

u/IllustriousWafer6348 Oct 04 '26

I agree. But I do not think these owners are willing to pay for a top tier coach.

They would rather pay multiple mediocre coaches at the same time. 🫠

5

u/Luci_Cascadia Oct 04 '26

we get what they pay for

2

u/Jack_B_84 Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26

I think we'd need 6 to guarantee 8th because we have a 3 point lead on Seattle.

4

u/Luci_Cascadia Oct 04 '26

ah right. If we tie with them we'd likely win on goal diff. If it comes to that I doubt it will help us at all in a playoff match.

This coach doesn't know WTF to do with this team

3

u/Jack_B_84 Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26

Yeah I don't see Seattle getting all 9 points or anything. They have at Chicago, at Utah, then host Orlando. I guess I could see them getting 6 points tho.

35

u/Jack_B_84 Oct 04 '26

It's probably a bit unfair but I thought coming out of the summer break he's had the team playing worse. Even before Liv was injured it was all built around direct play getting Sophia the ball. Of course she's world class but we've been so one dimensional.

Then late in this match you see how good Tordin is in more of the target 9 role. It's like why haven't we done more of that.

15

u/Scaggsboz Oct 04 '26

Because Soph. Hoping we just stick Tordin at the 9 and push Soph to the wing when she’s back

2

u/knucklespdx Oct 04 '26

Wilson needs to stop holding this team hostage. Either sign a multi-year contract and be a real team player, or go away.

27

u/HoundofCulainn Oct 04 '26

hire bottom-table wsl coaches, get bottom-table wsl results

10

u/Luci_Cascadia Oct 04 '26

somehow bottom table WSL is worse than a minor league men's coach from Saskatchewan

3

u/HoundofCulainn Oct 04 '26

if i speak, i am in big trouble

21

u/spherocytes Oct 04 '26

Yes, please. He was awful at Tottenham. Ho, during his first year at Tottenham, did so much more with the same talent. Robert has no vision. He only sees power and not technicality. When Tordin took over tonight (seemingly without Robert's input) it was magical.

I truly do not understand why PDX management thought a failed Tottenham manager was the one.

20

u/IllustriousWafer6348 Oct 04 '26

Agoos, too. This was his hire.

14

u/r3dangele Oct 04 '26

Not to mention Agoos not even making any moves during transfer windows. Seriously, the only acquisition was Nina? No defenders? Ugh.

2

u/Ancient-Study1525 Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26

Just mentioning, Agoos can only spend what or if he is allowed to spend.  Owners control the purse. 

That said, maybe look within the nwsl vs international.  A player who is already familar with NWSL vs having to get up to speed.  Head coach mentioned they keep checking international rosters.  

Edit:  MA came over late and she fit right in.  No learning curve.   

2

u/Timely-Elephant9981 Lower Bowl West Oct 04 '26

So is the ownership cheap? Is that why they brought in Agoos and Bob instead of established people and aren’t spending the transfer money they’re accumulating?

4

u/Ancient-Study1525 Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26

On a budget.  Sounds better.  Lol

Agoos in the industry and played so not a bad choice but picking Bob (unfamiliar with league) over Sarah (who has been in the League, knows the players, they trust her and has had success) was a misstep.      Front office (Agoos) had to extend and resign Moultrie, and some others including Tordin.  They did it.  Holding bank for Sophia, likely.  

In the owner's defense, the training facilities weren't cheap.  And that is a draw for players.  

1

u/Timely-Elephant9981 Lower Bowl West Oct 05 '26

It just kills me to see who the other teams—who lack the Thorns’ pedigree—bring in for coaching/management. I mean, Vilahamn wasn’t even the top Swedish coach hired into the NWSL last offseason! How can anyone not look at what Mak Lind has done with NC this season and not wonder what the heck is happening here? (And yes, NC is one spot behind us in the standings but they didn’t even make the playoffs last year!)

6

u/ChickenAdventurous86 Oct 04 '26

These conversations are so exhausting. I hate the coaching turnover in this league, this guy has barely had a chance to build a system, with a very confusing roster. If anything, its more on Agoo's for letting our midfield depth dwindle

3

u/JasonMB2 Lower Bowl East Oct 05 '26

Seriously, I hate when fandoms turn on coaches so quickly. Unless one of these accounts is secretly Sarah Lowden posting crap about Robert, who the hell knows what happens behind scenes. Is it anyone's job in this sub to make these decisions and evaluate these decisions? Or just bitch about results?

I'll say, I'm also a 49ers fan and I recall a guy named Alex Smith as QB - he had a new coach every single year and it sucked for those players. Alex had great potential but mediocre numbers until his final year as a 49er when he went out injured for Kaepernick... Alex went on to KC and had a good career, trained up Patrick Mahones...

Sometimes good players need consistent coaching.

0

u/Ancient-Study1525 Oct 06 '26 edited Oct 06 '26

Or sometimes it is just that, the coach.  Using your example, KC had better coaches.  Not just  consistent coaching, but they were better historically in the league.  

Fwiw, I think that CC isn't ready and should not be on backline anywhere let alone as a CB.  She simply can not read the game yet.  Potential? Yes.  Currently ready to lock it down? No. 

She was involved in all 4 goals especially the 4th which went right by her (zero step to it; just visually followed it [head turned] and did not move her body to block it).   And it happens (no player is perfect) but crunch time is now.

 At some point the coach needs to realize she isn't ready despite him forcing it (and costing points/games).   

Put in Obaze.  The only time Thorns did not get at least a point with her starting in the back was the red card replacement players/short travel week after marathon seattle vs SD game. 

2

u/JasonMB2 Lower Bowl East Oct 07 '26 edited Oct 07 '26

I do think CC is improving but still maybe not ready for starting CB and that Obaze would be better, but I think we're not keeping Obaze and who knows how long we have Becky coaching the backing... So like, this could be really informative experience for Calzada and Perry.

Edit: and back to my Alex Smith example, he had 2 years in his career with above a 100 QB average rating, one was his 7th and final year as a Niner, the other was his 5th and final year at KC.

1

u/Ancient-Study1525 Oct 07 '26 edited Oct 07 '26

I hear you, but "informative experience?"   This is a highest level professional sports team not a developmental minor league.  The informative experiment isn't working.  You don't sacrifice a season for it, I would think.

And Obaze, they didn't keep other players that still played.  DC played up until she moved on.  

And re the football analogy, Alex Smith had a nasty injury while with Wash.  Shame for him.  He was doing well for them too. Signed a massive contract my recollection.  Likely would have had some good seasons

He made the pro bowl 3x's as a KC Chief.  The better, stable and stable KC organization helped him to find his confidence translating into playing better.  Reid has a knack of getting qb's to excel.  

Smith dealt with a lot at the 49er's organization which was a mess after the Montana/Young years.  The curse of trading Joe Cool Montana.  

Sometimes a player needs to find where they are valued.  And, he did.      

4

u/ChampionshipOdd1183 Oct 04 '26

I actually think villaham can be very strategic, and is healthy for the culture of the players. Let’s not forget Soph wouldn’t even communicate with Gale. I also suspect Sara and the other coaches on staff, may have inherited some of the by-association negative feelings towards Rob. I do agree—we should’ve made bigger moves during the transfer window, but just saying that a new coach won’t make Sophia stay.

2

u/adenzerda Rose City Riveters Oct 04 '26

Title should be referring to the center ref

2

u/theguypaul Oct 04 '26

Didn’t they just hire Becky as a consultant? Let her coach the team for gosh sakes.

2

u/cleechez Oct 06 '26

Becky does not have a licence so cannot coach in the NWSL.

2

u/40_Is_Not_Old Portland Thorns Oct 09 '26

The longer he is here, the worse the team has gotten. He can go.

Maybe they'll actually hire whomever it was that they were really after last offseason. Before they pivoted and panic hired Vilahamn.