socrnfun,
their activities affect their performance or the lack their of. well, as i have heard these players that have been cut for going out over 72 hrs before the nect game were some of the ones leading the sprints today. this is a coward move by the front office. i am not tryin to attack you. i am just saying that these players knew their limits and didnt cross them. hey, i have hung out till 6 in the morning and didnt drink a drop. now this punks *** bitch wants to write in and then call the office and nark out these players. i understand what you are saying and i do respect that. but i do know that if you do know your limits, you should be okay, unless you play for the blast.

Tell me it is not true that players got released because a fan saw them out? If it is, the head office better look at what is going on because they will have to answer to a lot of LOYAL fans. That is ridiculous-how many players do we have left ?????

Every team has its problems. The Blast have one big one right now and that is it is over burdened on its roster with people who will probably never play in the A League on a regualr or even semi regular basis. Whether you drink or not, whether you go out and tip pints or not, whether you check out people and go tell the office or not is not the point. None of the above make for the ideal situation. What is most important in my view is can you play the game and score goals on the pitch with the talent you have? If you can and do not and this is the Blasts problem in my opinion, you are not going to win games. It is important to respect your team leaders and owners. It is also as important if not more so to rise above any bad situations you perceive for your own personal pride and go out and do what needs to be done to win. If it gets so bad in the organization you cannot do that, you need to do whatever is possible to change the variables within the organization so you can or get out while the getting is good. You can always leave when your contract is up. If you are as good as you think you are, you can go play for someone else. Everyone from the owners down to the people who work in getting the games put on on the field are role models to the kids, their parents, and fans. I have been nothing but impressed with the team as to how they conduct themselves on the field and the ones I know who help with club teams and how they deal with parents handle themselves off the field seem to do so admirably. Whether you are one of the finest players who ever lived like Maradona who had and still has drug problems or Best and Greaves who almost killed themselves with alcohol you are a role model and represent the game. It may not be fair to those who favor doing your own thing after the work day, but it is a fact of life that people who know the team, coach, and owners tend to judge you by what they see both on and off the pitch. Right now, the team, owners, and fans need to pull together to get that first win and Calgary will be that big possibility. Give them the support before the game. Come up to them and wish them well and let them know you are behind them. This is about getting them into the left side of the column. ONce that happens, I think you will see a new confidence. If we continue to bicker on this board, and they do read this board, it will only make matters worse. Once the Blast email site gets up, they need to be sent numerous support messages to lift spirits. Remember if things are as bad as some on this board think it is, the team needs our support now more than ever. If they think the fans have turned then it can only get uglier. Just an opinion. gforever

To all of the above,
After reading all the above regarding the accusations and remarks about drinking I think you all need to realize what we are dealing with. Professional players that get paid in amounts that are not worthy of their title. Granted, to the very young athlete they are role models and need to live up to that reputation when dealing with the public. Personally I think all the Blast players do. When ever they are involved in work related duties they perform with integrity and in a professional manner, a manner that the Morris’s are proud of. This same public or at least 99% of them do not run into the players at broad ripple or where ever else due to the age of the Blasts fans base. Now if parents decide to tell there children what they so at 2am in the morning then why not also tell them what mummy and daddy did when they got home!
Players are role models no matter what, and there are limits to everything. But please remember soccer is, and always has been to me, a job, and that’s how the Blast players see it also. Not a hobby that they do when leaving work. A job that has with it demands and expectations like any other. Therefore to see a bank clerk or a road sweeper in the bar at 2am after he has finished work does not catch anyone’s attention. Therefore the public create a double standard.
Flip the coin and see the Blast 8-0-0 and the late night drinking at bars is now seen as celebration, bonding of the team and why they are so successful. Unfortunately that same bar presence today is seen as a lack of dedication and players turning up drunk for practice. Again I come back to double standards.
For a player to go out and socialize after a game is a way in which to unwind. As a fan you do not see the player in the dressing room after the game, the conversations that go on and sometimes get over heated. But at the end of the day sulking for the next 24hrs does nothing and will not change the result. Players spend time after the game discussing what went wrong, shower and maybe socialize together which creates a more relaxed atmosphere in which to discuss the game further.
At the end of the day all players are different and deal with things in their own way. Some like to go out and socialize, some like to go straight home, others have families and different obligations. Whatever their decision, rest assured the players care about what is happening and take a lot of pride in what they do.

I do not care to judge people for what they do in their personal lives. All I know is that when things are going well there is all sorts of flexibility regarding team policies. When things aren't going well, butts get real tight and mole hills get made into mountains.

To point out Mr. McDonalds' private activities is not the way to go either. He and the players should be judged soley on results and contribution to the team.

Gforever - It is important to have respect for those leaders and owners, but it can't just be given, it must be earned. The club and players are not doing anything that isn't done in any pro team in America. The community effort and fan interaction has been a common means of growing soccer in America for years and not just some Blast revelation.
Their primary job of earning respect is by providing a quality, entertaining, winning product and using all resources possible to achieve this. For example, working relationships between MLS and A-League teams. Milwaukee and Minnesota send players back and forth on loan when needed. Tuesday you saw #27 Nate Jaqua (Chicago Fire) notch 2 assists in the Thunder win.
The past has seen Amos McGee and Don Grammois in Fire Uniforms. Tim Curtin (Fire) helped last years championship team in Milwaukee. These are just a few examples. Why is it not done here? Because there is no mutual respect between the MLS clubs and the Blast. If there were, the Blast could have easily obtained Jaqua on loan for the season. How can I respect an organization that says it has no money, then makes a move to fly a player (defender) over from Scotland, when there's a top talented American forward in their back yard. They're insulting whatever intelligence I may have about the game and logic itself. It's more than just shaking hands, patting kids on the head and conjuring up game promotions. Granted these are all necessary, but the primary focus, once again, is to be soccer savvy in securing players that want to be here, do well and find ways to keep them instead of chase them away.

Having only seen the last six or eight games last year, I am not privy to has been here but I do seem to remember a player named Karyol SP? who was sent here to play a game with the Blast. I also saw on a schedule last year where an MLS team played exhibition here and I would assume that they would not have done so if they did not respect the team. I would assume from that same scenario that you do not jeopardize your players by putting them on the pitch and exposing them to possible injury if you consider your opponent unworthy. I do agree with you that respect has to be earned and cannot just be given. Patting kids, doing clinics, working with local teams all play into earning that respect. Winning is also an important and missing factor over the past year and nine games. Hopefully that will be coming. I was impressed by an image from last game that suggests that their is a respect among players of other teams for some of the Blast. I saw the big blong player from the thunder seek out Samples and Loess to shake hands with them. They were not approached, they were looked for and sought out. I believe we have talent and speed. We just cannot finish and that is the name of the game. No matter what you think of the Morris family, they continue to promote soccer. Fox last year suggests that and sponsoring the Latino tournament at Kuntz says they are trying to broaden the scope here along with tobacco free night. If anyone on this board is willing to be a silent partner, now is the time to step forward. If you have any major contributor connectons in the community, I would have them contact the Morris family. Alex's pockets are only so deep and unless the players start to win, fans are going to disappear. Just a fact of sports. Loss of revenues will probably result in a franchise loss here or a move to a lower level of competition. Just something to think about. gforever

The game beweeen the Fire and Blast was part of a contractual agreement between the MLS and A-League while they had an official working relationship. That contract has not been renewed between the leagues this year. Had there not been an official deal, I assure you the Fire would not have been here.

Please do not take my opinions toward the organization/owners as personal attacks. As her heart may be in the right place, but it takes a professional understanding of the soccer business to make it happen and that is not in her resume.
Some quality people in the front office have come and gone over the years. They left quietly, without controversy, but left none the less, showing at the least an inability to see eye to eye in how things should be run. You will be very hard pressed to find anyone to come in as a silent partner at this point. If they do, God bless them. At this point it would be even difficult to sell it outright. At best, a slim chance that someone or group comes along to take it over and relieve them of any debt they may have.

What is wrong with the boys going out for a few brews after the game. The coach did it as well. They all showed up at practice the next morning; ran their asses of; were kept after practice tor un another 30 minutes and then told of their release. That makes a hell of a lot of sense. No team rules were broken. They have a 36 hour rule and they don't play until Sturday. They are adults and responsible for their own decisions. - By the way "Fink" at the begining of this thread - why were you out so late on a work night? Were you responsible enough to do your job the next day or are you one of our unemployed wankers drinking off your government check? As for Dolinsky - he was told repeatedly by the new oaching staff to clean up his act and he didn't. No "role model" dragged him into a bar just like his dad din't teach him about birth control. Going out for a few beers, unless it is against the rules, is no reason to loose your job. Hell, 90% of the people in America would be unemployed. Jimmy - realize you blew it on this one and put them back on the field. You should be happy those boys are willing to play for such a lame organization that knew nothing about the sport prior to buying it for a birthday present.

Branko, are you telling me that these boys had to go thru a full training session, get punished with some extra training, and then got released. If that is the case, that could be one of the most chickensh@% moves of all time on behalf of the double standard holding coach. Coach, be a man about it and release them outright, why make them do the extra running. Do you think that proves your point, or do you think that making them unemployed proves your point. All you did by going about it your way, was pissing people off, and losing what little respect you have left.