Tag Archives: Martin Rennie

The Turn Towards The Top

Mauro Rosales and his teammates are getting used to celebrating these days. Photos by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Mauro Rosales and his teammates are getting used to celebrating these days. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

There was a time when I wrote articles on this website that garnered reaction from the public (I still remember you 2014!), and most often of the negative variety. Perfect. In particular, I have authored two pieces that seemingly turned people off more than a pants-optional wet t-shirt competition featuring all three male Pucked In The Head contributors. And if you know us, you know that “pants optional” is just a politer way of saying “nudity mandatory.”

Anyhoo, the two pieces I’m referencing both kind of centre around the same subject – none other than the Whitecaps’ previous man in charge: Martin Rennie. The first was a scathing review of the Scotsman’s insistence on including Jun Marques Davidson in the Whitecaps lineup. The guy was horrible and I stand by that.

Could Jun Marques Davidson get a look in the midfield with Russell Teibert away on international duty? Only time, and Martin Rennie's pre-game press releases, will tell. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Jun Marques Davidson, pictured here, playing horribly.  Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The second, which now seems slightly contradictory, was a show of support to the former manager. In “A Rennie Saved is a Rennie Earned,” I extolled the virtues of the coach and attempted to coax the Whitecaps front office that the man was in a growing phase, much like the team itself. The Caps had improved under him each year and had some good pieces in place despite missing the MLS playoffs in 2013.

At that point in time, after going through coaches like weekdays, I felt the team’s best move was no move at all. Stable leadership had been elusive through their earliest MLS years and perhaps it was time to allow those in charge the opportunity to work and learn their way through the struggle. I suppose, with the promotion of Rennie’s assistant Carl Robinson, the Whitecaps did just that, albeit in a roundabout way.

Continue reading The Turn Towards The Top

Pucked In The Head’s 1st Annual Whitecaps Off-Season Playlist

It was an off-season filled with questions after a second half meltdown left the Whitecaps WhitecapsLogoon the outside looking in at the 2013-14 MLS playoffs. Where did it all go wrong? Would Martin Rennie keep his job? Who would step into the departing Y-P Lee’s boots? Could management finally land that elusive attacking midfielder?

Naturally, these questions can only be answered by a rousing playlist, featuring nothing but classic songs by classic artists.

I pored over the YouTube archives, spending no less than 32 minutes searching high and low for the finest musical contributions of the last 50 years. Now, without further ado, I present to you the:

 

1st Annual Whitecaps Off-Season Playlist!

Continue reading Pucked In The Head’s 1st Annual Whitecaps Off-Season Playlist

Whitecaps Wednesday – A Rennie Saved Is A Rennie Earned

Whitecaps WednesdayThere has been a lot of banter over the last few weeks regarding Martin Rennie and his uncertain future here in Vancouver. I thought I’d weigh in with my thoughts on the situation and why Martin Rennie should stay, for now.

He was widely regarded as a saviour for the club when it was revealed he would be taking over for Tom Soehn to start the 2012 campaign. His signing was seen as a coup for Bob Lenarduzzi and the front office – bringing in a young, highly regarded coach to grow with the expansion MLS franchise.

Once the players are on the pitch, Whitecaps FC bench boss Martin Rennie can only stand at the sidelines and watch his MLS future unfold, just like the rest of us. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Once the players are on the pitch, Whitecaps FC bench boss Martin Rennie can only stand at the sidelines and watch his MLS future unfold, just like the rest of us. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday – A Rennie Saved Is A Rennie Earned

Whitecaps Wednesday – Rennie Out?

Whitecaps WednesdayI’ve changed my mind on Martin Rennie over the past week. I was, in the not so distant past, a staunch advocate of the Whitecaps’ Scottish manager and a believer that he was young and intelligent enough to change his ways. A second straight late-summer Vancouver collapse (Rennie’s third in a row if you count his Carolina Railhawks tanking in 2011) and a series of bizarre decisions and comments have led me to think the club should exercise its rumoured out clause on the gaffer’s contract this winter.

More after the jump.

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Whitecaps gift the Goats a point

Vancouver Whitecaps FC entered Sunday afternoon with just one win in their last six games. They’d dropped from second to seventh in the Western Conference, and seen their league-leading scoring duo of Camilo and Kenny Miller suddenly go dry.

Kenny Miller steered this shot into the base of the post during the first half of a frustrating 2-2 draw against Chivas USA. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Kenny Miller steered this shot into the base of the post as Marco Delgado looked on during the first half of a frustrating 2-2 draw against Chivas USA. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

A visit from the MLS bottom dweller Chivas USA was just what the doctor ordered, then. The Caps had never lost at home to the Goats from LA, and surely they’d find their form, attack at will, and score a half dozen at least.

Right?

Uhhh, yeah. Right.

More after the jump.

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Whitecaps Wednesday: Marques Midfield Madness has to stop

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC roster has an exciting mix of savvy veterans in addition to flashy rookies like Eric Hurtado here. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC roster has an exciting mix of savvy veterans in addition to flashy rookies like Eric Hurtado here. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

It’s Whitecaps Wednesday, which means we at Pucked in the Head are out and about in our Vancouver soccer kits, hoisting pints and chanting in pubs all day long. As such, Chris and I don’t have time to do much writing and picturing for you. Kudos to Russell Arbuthnot (@arbuoutthere), then,  for filing this literate, epithet-heavy story after Whitecaps FC finally lose a home match, 1–0 to the Philadelphia Union.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – When healthy, Vancouver Whitecaps FC boasts one of the most potent offensive lineups in MLS soccer. Camilo “Mean Muggin’” Sanvezzo currently leads the league with 14 goals, while fellow striker Kenny “The Mauler” Miller sits in a tie for seventh with six markers. Russell “Dat Good Canadian Kid” Teibert is tied for 3rd in assists with seven, despite having played in just 12 games thus far.  As a team, the Caps rank 2nd in goals with 33 and have racked up 29 assists this year, good enough for 4th overall.

Even casual fans who aren’t much for the numbers notice the Whitecaps offensive style. Between Miller, Camillo, Teibert and Gershon Koffie and Darren Mattocks, Vancouver has breathtaking speed up front. They’re regularly running onto balls behind opposition defenders. Keepers have trouble gauging that kind of pace coming at them on a regular basis, forcing them to guess one way or the other. Whoosh. There’s Mattocks chipping the ball over a cheating keeper’s head in a win over Seattle. Boom. There’s Camillo burying one in the corner when the Chicago keeper gets caught too deep in his net.

With blazing speed and a nose for the net, Camilo da Silva Sanvezzo regularly finds himself one-on-one with opposing goaltenders. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
With blazing speed and a nose for the net, Camilo da Silva Sanvezzo regularly finds himself one-on-one with opposing goaltenders. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

More after the jump.

Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday: Marques Midfield Madness has to stop

Alain Rochat Traded to DC United for Peanuts

Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Alain Rochat had an effective game on the back end, but could have handed off set pieces to other, more offensively-booted teammates in the 2-1 win over Columbus. Photo courtesy of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Alain Rochat, one of the first confirmed MLS signings for the club, was traded on Thursday to DC United. Photo courtesy of Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Well that was fun. I woke up to a text saying that Whitecaps FC defender Alain Rochat had been traded. (Shut up, I was on a night shift last night.) My good friend Jason was kind: he didn’t tell me who the Whitecaps had got back. Had I received those twin shocks at once, I believe I would now be trying to get brain matter out of the curtains. No easy task when your head has just exploded.

Let me get this straight: Martin Rennie has traded another fan favourite for draft picks, and he’s done it just one week after a heartbreaking Voyageurs Cup loss had many people were howling for his scalp? Wow. Nobody’s ever questioned the gaffer’s testicular fortitude, anyway.

My questions about the deal after the jump.

Continue reading Alain Rochat Traded to DC United for Peanuts

Whitecaps Eke Out A Semi-Final Victory

Whitecaps Wednesday
Well. That happened.

The Voyageurs’ Cup tournament kicked off on Wednesday night. Vancouver have yet to win this trophy in eleven tries. They’ve been beaten outright, they’ve secured near-certain victory only to be betrayed by another team starting a reserve side and getting pummelled, they’ve had a late lead washed out by torrential downpour, clearing the way for them to lose the replay. What they hadn’t done, since the format was changed in 2011, was lose their semi-final matchup. Oh, they’d come close. Montreal, then in division 2, forced extra time at Empire Field in 2011, and Ali Gerba was inches away from winning it for them at the death. FC Edmonton scored early at BC Place last year, making the final leg interesting until Sebastien Le Toux put the game out of reach. Tonight, the Whitecaps again struggled against a division two side, but pulled out a 3-2 win to put themselves in the driver’s seat coming home next week. Continue reading Whitecaps Eke Out A Semi-Final Victory

Whitecaps Wednesday – Stop Blaming The Turf

WhitecapsWednesdayYeah, I know, I told you all I was going to write a Whitecaps post on every #WhitecapsWednesday. Well, I didn’t. I moved last week, so I unpacked my kitchen and living room instead. But here we go, only a day late (and hopefully not a dollar short), with this week’s Whitecaps Wednesday post. Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday – Stop Blaming The Turf