'Arry Out and Changing American Football in 5 Easy Steps

Harry Redknapp Out After Four Years as Tottenham Hotspur Manager

Reports are coming in from most major football news sources - for future reference, this usually means at least Goal.com, The Sun (it's a tabloid, but I like their sports coverage), and The Telegraph) - that Harry Redknapp will leave Spurs in the next few weeks, a year before his contract expires. His surprise departure was apparently caused by a fall-out in the relationship with chairman Daniel Levy, with the two unable to agree over transfer policy, financial issues, and personal differences. 

Redknapp won almost 50% of his games as manager at Spurs, turning Tottenham into a financial power and leading them to the Champions League in 2010 and consistent top-6 finishes. He was known as a very successful transfer artist, usually using is smaller budget to bring in one top-class player a year. Past successful signings include Rafael van der Vaart, Garreth Bale, and the loan signing of Emmanuel Adebayor.

Redknapp was heavily considered for the England job before the FA hired Roy Hodgson, and said that if he would have been offered the chance to manage the Three Lions, he would have accepted. As for the future of the Spurs now vacant manager position, Wigan manager Roberto Martinez looks to be the top candidate.

I was already under the assumption that Spurs were in trouble this year, and this compounds the issues. Having prepared for CL football, but having missed because of Chelsea's CL Final win, Spurs now cannot support their full roster. Niko Kranjcar has already left for Dynamo Kiev, Adebayor looks unlikely to sign on a full time basis, and Luka Modric, Garreth Bale, Rafeal van der Vaart have already been links to moves away from White Hart Lane, with replacements not being rumored. So, to recap, Spurs are now without a striker, have many possibly on the way out, lost their successful manager, have financial troubles, and the proposed replacement is no 'transfer wizard' or 'financial genius' himself, Martinez having never dealt with the issues of a major club. Not a fun time to be a Spur.

5 Steps towards Changing the Landscape of American Football

Having picked up a better appreciating for American football over the last year, and after discussions with Matt, I've only become frustrated with the system in place. The USA's current system is currently 3rd-tier in the world system (major European leagues being 1st-tier and minor European leagues and Argentina and Brazil being 2nd-tier), with American players not widely respected and the MLS seen only as a domestic hot-spot for decent players and a lucrative way for former superstars to dwindle out their career. However, with the MLS expanding, the Americans actually winning international games against decent nations, and fan support still quite strong and getting stronger, there are ways for the US to break into that 'second-tier.' Here's 5 ways they can move towards that goal.

1. Change focus of youth training to be more technical

For the record, I don't think the problem is with the fans. American fans have topped out, and are quite devoted, passionate, and knowledgeable. The problem lies with the fact that following soccer is extremely difficult in its present state, and this is mainly due to the infrastructure of the American system. This starts with training emphasis. The best players in the world usually have at least serviceable technical skills, however, in the current USA squad, only Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Michael Bradley could be described as having 'good' technique. Americans, despite being mentally strong and having good tactical knowledge, are widely considered some of the worst technical players in the world. Changing this starts at the youth level. Technical skills really cannot be learned after age 16 (see Brazil), but mentality and tactics can, so youth programs need to alter the focus of training America's youth to be more technically-oriented. Leave the tactics to the managers, at least at first.

2. Expand MLS and install promotion and relegation system with USL Pro and NASL

Promotion and relegation is down-right exciting. It gives the bottom of the table and lower leagues the same excitement as the top of the first league. It also gives any team a chance to fall from grace, or change their circumstances for the better, such as Villareal in Spain, who both turned from a debt-ridden lower league team to a European football power, then fell apart under its own weight this season. The MLS need to get to about 18 to 20 teams and restructure its lower league so that promotion and relegation are possible, but if they can, it would make all leagues much more exciting, and polarize fan bases and regions towards their clubs, just as it does in Europe.

3. Eliminate the Playoff System to determine MLS Champion

Playoffs don't really determine the best, or even the most successful team of a soccer season. Tournament play, exciting as it is, is much more conducive to upsets, as seen through Cardiff City's presence in the Carling Cup Final, and three USL Pro teams in the Quarter Finals of the US Open Cup. By sticking to the league table topper being the winner of the league, this would make it so that the winner is actually the best team for the season, rather than just the team that won the last three games, and making the US Open Cup all the more exciting.

4. Turn MLS into a quasi-"top league developmental league"

While I won't suggest that American soccer should adopt a broken system which has left 90% of European clubs in massive debt, the salary cap needs to go. It prohibits teams from expanding in any way, and essentially keeps the quality of the league down. Arsenal, Spurs, and Dortmund among many others have proven that with a proper business model, teams can have capless spending and still grow financially. With the elimination of the cap, the possibilities of the league expand, and when they do, I feel MLS clubs should target budding stars in big leagues to draw to their rosters. This would provide more talent to come, as most big signings in the MLS are currently extremely expensive older players nearing the end of their careers. While players like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, Torston Frings and Robbie Keane may boost jersey sales, they prevent rosters from many signings due to their huge wage fees. By bringing in younger talent, the league could bring in a mass of quality while still keeping wage bills low, and while some of these players might leave by 24 to play for top teams, they would improve the reputation of American leagues to develop talent, and those who couldn't make it to top would likely stay, thus building the quality of the MLS. The MLS will never become a parallel league to the EPL or La Liga, but this would make them comprable to the Dutch Eridivisie or the Turkish Pro League, which are not bad targets to set sights on.

5. Attract better announcers and analysts for televised MLS and US national team games

As trivial as this may seem, it actually makes a big difference. American broadcasters simply don't understand how to broadcast soccer. They try to make it much more exciting than it is, broadcasting it like a hockey game, rather than more like a baseball game, which is much more appropriate. This alters the tone of the game, and really makes the overall feel less tense because of the over emphasis of the excitement of relatively uninfluential moments. The reason English broadcasters are so successful is because they create a juxtaposition between the 'lull you to sleep' middle of the game, and the ever-exciting attacking moments and frantic nature of the end of a match, as well as using a more appropriate and more intelligent vocabulary. Good broadcasters make any game more watchable, and with a change, American soccer could draw a more casual audience to add to its ever-expanding base of hardcore fans.

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That's all for me for now. I'll be predicting EURO Match Day 3 in a few days, and explaining why I was so wrong about the Dutch at EURO 12.

Until then, best wishes,

Kevin Kryston
Host, Football Central w/ Matt and Kevin
Thurs. 6-8 (Aug. thru April) on 99.5 and 98.1 WUDR Dayton Flyer Radio