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For a team that has only recently completed their first season of MLS play, the Vancouver Whitecaps haven't quite emulated Manchester United’s vibe of deep rooted tradition. The carousel that has been their management hasn’t exactly helped that either. Already going through two head coaches (and now on their third) after one season of work, and now CEO Paul Barber has recently stated his intention to step down in February. It doesn’t really scream stability to the supporters of the franchise. However, before fans of the boys in blue and white get too agitated after the most recent shake-up, the question needs to be asked, is the departure of Barber a good thing or a bad thing?
Hear me out for a second. No team wants to go through two (technically three) head coaches in one season, but look at who will be guiding the team in the sophomore season – in the eyes of most seasoned football pundits, the addition of young Martin Rennie can only be looked upon as a positive. Now let’s take a closer look at the front office side of things.
Before I can continue, I should say that Paul Barber is a terrific executive and football mind, and many aspects of his leadership will no doubt be missed by the Whitecaps. That being said, let me throw a few clichés at you. First, too many cooks spoil the broth. Perhaps more fittingly, Three is a crowd. While Barber is leaving of his own accord, that leaves two people left to steer the ship. Paul Barber had the pedigree, coming from Tottenham, along with the air and sophistication of a European football expert leading a Canadian franchise, however, the two left behind should no doubt be able to shoulder the load.
Bob Lenarduzzi is a local legend, the face of the management team and his partner in crime is Rachel Lewis, the woman who was already operating behind the scenes as part of the management team. Funny enough, her name and the praise for her leadership skills were talked about extensively at the Paul Barber resignation press conference.
“She’s the unsung hero here,” said part owner of the Whitecaps Jeff Mallett.
So perhaps with only two people running the show, a clearer direction can be forged for the team. Paul Barber will obviously be missed, but perhaps a more fluid synergy can be accomplished with only two minds making football and business decisions.
I could even go as far as to suggest that the team’s struggles last season can be traced back to not having that one vision, that one clear path. Who knows? A more focused, streamlined front office might rub some positive energy off on the squad.
It should be noted, however, that all of this is just minor speculation. Really, with no matches played or moves made without Barber, time will tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
We will only discover what impact this move has on the team over the coming months, when the Whitecaps have played a number of matches. This could be a blessing in disguise to move the club in the right direction or it could be something that keeps them struggling to duplicate their previous history of success. In any case, it will likely not be until this time next year that we will be discussing the merits of these moves and whether less is more in Vancouver's front office.
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