Crewture

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Propaganda

After a glorious victory on an Emmanual Ekpo goal seeking missile i bring you the newest propaganda yet!

Just in time for the first Crew vs Shitcago match off the year...

Dear Crewture Reader: CrewFighters an idiot.

Ryan is at work right now, but he wanted me to tell anyone that reads this blog that he was mistaken and just had racing wild thoughts when he heard the false information about the streamers being prohibited. He apologizes to all including Hunts Sports Group and the Crew Front Office.

In other words,
Sorry Ryan, but your being an emo!

Attention: All Crew Fans

Do you ever have a concern and need an answer?

Have you ever wanted to voice your opinion and didn't know who to talk to?

Well try talking to someone that actually works for the Crew Front Office.

If you have general concerns, speak with your particular ticket representative:
614-447-2739 (general office line, press '0' to speak with secretary to get forwarded)

If you need to talk about some safety concerns or about security issues, speak with either Ryan Smith or Scott Debolt.
614-447-4102

If you need to talk about the Supporter Groups or anything relating the Nordecke, speak with Brad Kessler or Chris Keeney.
614-447-2739 (general office line, press '0' to speak with secretary to get forwarded)

Please try this before starting rumors and getting out of control over things that aren't true. I thought we were bigger then MLSRumors.

Best Quote On Today's Events

Posted by Kaiser Kraut:
Unbelievable... this is a page straight from Jim Smith's book on how to create a great divide between the franchise and it's most visibilly ardent and vocal supporters.

Can't say it any better then that. Off to work. Looking forward to the shit storm of material I have to wade through when I get back. Peace.

10 Minutes of Silence or Other Options

As a response to this bullshit, someone said we should sit on our hands and not do anything for the first 10 minutes. I think that would be an idea everyone could go with.

Originally Posted by HsH_Crew
I think maybe the FO is telling us we should just show up and sit quietly in our seats no flags no face paint no drums no banners and not say a word ill bet they would love that. We should do a 10 minute sit down and sit in silence for the 1st 10 mins!! LOL

Some have said we should just sit and be passionate-less like the rest of the team support for the whole game.

Originally Posted by west ham sandwich
I don't wanna punish the team, so to speak, but how about for this one game, everyone in Nordec silently walks in, stand sfor the anthem, sits the whole game and politely golf claps when the team scores. Nothing else. Nada.

If it was up to me and I could actually will myself to miss a game. I would say that all 2,000 of us not show up on Saturday and go support the Clippers or something instead. See how well they get on without us. Place would be a fucking tombstone.

They would be on their knee's begging us to come back.

Anyways, the 10 to 20 minutes of silence or a whole half of silence would be a good idea. Or we could all stand on the terrace for a half.

I'm just not up for any f'in disconnected suits that have no idea how they are ruining their fan support telling me how to support my club. While they are all getting rich, I'm spending all this money I don't have coming from Pennsylvania for every game to support the club I love. As a result, I think that gives me more of a right to support my club in anyway I desire. More of a right to decide fan support then they should ever have.

Anyways, have to do something or they will just push us around until we can't even clap or chant for our team.

F*ck Hunt Sports Group

Please Sale Us...

Placid Casual on Bigsoccer:
Could be a Hunt Sports Group wide crackdown on what they perceive as problem behaviour......

Other HSG Crackdowns.

My thoughts:Listen it's always a great idea to piss off your 2,000 most Hardcore fans that are there for every game. Good call. Bunch of f'in suits that have no clue what they are doing as they are so removed from the stituation.

It's a soccer match, not a tea and scones party.

Sometimes I wonder if the world is completely full with a bunch of moronic idiots that fall into money.

What we should do: Sit in silence for the first 10 minutes is what one person proposed.

If it was up to me I would just have the whole section sit this whole game out and see how well they get on without us. Place would be a fucking tombstone without us. They would be on their knee's begging for us to come back.

Streamers Completely Banned, Throwing of Smoke Bombs and You Will Be Arrested

From HSH_Crew on Bigsoccer:
"Well we just got a call from the front office and this is straight from McCullers himself anyone caught throwing anything including streamers at any point during the game will be ejected from the stadium. As well as anyone who is caught throwing a smoke bomb will not only be ejected but placed under arrested hurray for our glorious front office.

So no need to bring your streamers to this game unless you feel like listening to the game from outside!!"

My thoughts: FO is taking the easy way out. Giving up on working with the fans towards solutions without ever trying to in the first place. Sad really.

We were planning to do red, white, and blue streamers during the national anthem for Fourth of July. And, we were planning to do a TIFO with the Crew black and gold bar scarf with streamers going off around it. Better check to make sure the tablecloth's we are using for the project below are allowed. Might throw them at someone.

TIFO PROJECT.

Welcome to Police State Nordecke.

Guess their attendance is so great they can afford to lose another 2,000 fans.

This Shit Makes Me Sick

I think the Chicago Fire Fans are in for a surprise this year. Fire House East, my fucking ass.

This is our house:

Even if it's Toronto minus about a million, only about 150 Shitcago are making the trip, still got to defend our house and drown out these toolbags. So get up for it.

Should be elementary.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Good Guess. Schelotto May Be The DP Next Year.

Schelotto made $150,000 last year and is making $375,000 this year. To stay a third year bringing more of what he desperately brings to the Crew midfield this year is going to cost the Crew more in 2009. It's just simple economics.

Especially with Gimnasia fans beating on the door for a Guillermo return in 2009.

So when James at the Columbus Crew Offside posted the idea tonight and called it a, "wild guess." I have to give him more credit then that. I think it's a good conjecture of the stituation.

I think it's what's going to happen especially when there is soo much grinning going around by Sigi and Schelotto. James is right a little too much grinning.

Schelotto may be really happy because of the vast improvement of the quality of the side. But, he is also grinning because he knows he has some big money coming his way in 2009 if he stays with the Crew.

Polish Rifle Saturday

From Merz's article:

A side note to the upcoming game is that Schmid will not be there. He will attend his stepdaughter Lacey's wedding in southern California and assistant coach Robert Warzycha will run the team.

"It's one of those things where it's 'When should I set a date?' We really didn't want to do it in the winter so I said pick a date, it doesn't matter," Schmid said. "She actually picked July 5 with the expectation that we would play on the Fourth because the Crew has never been at home on July 4th weekend. We've always been away somewhere."

The Crew observed July 4 at Houston in 2006 and Colorado last year and did not play on the holiday in his first season with the Crew three years ago.

"As it turns out, we're home on the 5th," he said. "I try not to miss games. I think I've missed one other in the past for my one son's graduation and everything else seemed to work out."

My thoughts: I would have told Lacey to pick another day, :-). But, that's cool Schmid is a cool father that doesn't allow work to get in the way.

I'm also digging a little Warzycha attack football this weekend because that actually makes me even more confident for a win. As then there is no chance for bunker fear ball or laying off the peddle when we are up.

Warzycha went over .500 after Andrulis with probably the worse lineup in Crew history. So I would expect him to kick some ass with the 2008 Crew version that we have now assembled.

I also have to think that wherever Sigi's daughter's reception is taking place they better have some damn FSC. Sigi might have a coronary if not.

Crew Noonan? "Nope," says Parity MLS

According to Mitchell, apparently the guy the Crew recently wanted was former Revs player Pat Noonan, who now plays sparingly for Aalesunds AK of Norway. Noonan only played three times for Aalesunds in 2008 and never in a league game. As a result Noonan obviously wants to get back in MLS to revitalize his U.S. National career.

Apparently, Noonan, Aalesunds, The Crew, The Revs, and everyone that should matter was cool with it except for MLS. Apparently, the compensation package of $225,000 dollars the Crew was planning to give the Revs was too much for Noonan according to MLS.

My thoughts:
What a f'in Mickey Mouse League. Noonan wants to play with us and everyone else is playing fair but MLS.

Figures. This is why we need to get rid of single entity. And, also we need to get rid of this b.s. of if a MLS team doesn't decide to re-sign a player for more money like the Revs didn't want to do with Noonan in the winter and he goes to Europe, then that team doesn't retain his rights. No wonder Noonan doesn't want to play with the Revs.

This league is seriously so f'ed up with it's Mickey Mouse red tape plethora of pathetically dumb rules. It totally stops teams from building a successful product, a cup contender. And, MLS doesn't want that unless it's LA because they need their precious parity.

And, it's sad because I could see Noonan bolstering our midfield into something pretty remarkable as I could see him fitting right in where Evans is now playing. Or pushing Ekpo into central mid and Noonan out on the right. Look at this lineup:

----------------Hesmer-------------------
Hejduk-----Iro-------Marshall----O'Rourke
----------------Carroll------------------
Ekpo-------------Noonan------------Rogers
----------------Schelotto----------------
-----------------Moreno------------------

You know what it really is? MLS doesn't want the Crew to win a trophy.

The only reason MLS is probably bulking at this trade is because it would make the Crew pretty unbeatable. Which would screw up the MLS table of must needed parity. And, it would also screw up who really needs to win MLS Cup which is either Beckham or some other big market team.

Apparently, the Crew says this Noonan deal looks pretty dead now. Nice, MLS. But, they have a couple other things in the works possibly. And, now that they were going after Noonan I really don't believe that they are just looking for a backup player.

I really think what we are missing with Moffat out, is a central midfielder. So look for the Crew to pick up someone like that. And, hopefully MLS will accept the next one. Dumb league.

Seriously, Garber is probably just punishing us for continually throwing streamers. This league will do whatever is in it's power to keep Columbus down and to keep them from winning MLS this year. Just look at all the ridicoulous calls we have received from referee's this year. It's a true fact when I say it's twice as hard for the Crew to win one.

Editorial: The Solution To The Smoke Bomb Dilemma

On-going Discussion About Security in the Nordecke.

My response on the issues:

I just really think it's a mass cluster fudge of non-communication between FO, supporters, and CSC. On one side the FO, the players, Sigi, everyone is like that's what we want, that real European atmosphere. Then when some individuals confuse that by throwing smoke bombs on the field, they get tackled by some guy in a Beasley jersey and then the rest of us who usually don't throw them get looked at sorely.

I just think when you tell people flat out not to do something, that is going to give them more of a reason to do it. I don't even think CSC is really aware what is bannable and what is not. I don't think the fans are aware. And, really I think that banning things is where the real trouble comes. Plus, I'm not really sure the FO is aware on what they want to ban. If they were, they are not communicating it with us. It may help.

I know when people tell us to stop throwing streamers on bigsoccer or just before the San Jose game, even Don Garber, it just made me want to do it more. But, if McCullers or a player speaking for the front office said, "okay this is cool, this is what isn't," then I would respect that.

And, many, many clubs do smoke bombs professionally (yes, I know this is insanely hard for some of you bigsoccer folks to comprehend.) And, yes, DC fans have guys in the front of their section who light them after a goal. Many teams in Europe do smoke bombs and even flares in a professional manner. So why can't everyone just sit down and be amicable about it. Smart about it.

Crew FO: Okay we want you to look bad ass on TV, we want you to be real European. We want you to make it an intimidating place to play.

CSC: We want you to do all of that without doing all of that.

Crew drunk supporters: ******** it, I'm going to do what I want. Forget the consequences.

Listen, you tell everyone to cut that throwing them on the field shit out. Preferbly a leader before the game on a megaphone that actually works. You tell emm, but hey though since we are trying to bring an European atmosphere, if you have a smoke bomb, "light it up in this 3 by 5 sand pit box we have set up at the bottom of the section and you won't get kicked out for it. You won't have to deal with an undercover cop pretending like it's Eastern Germany 1989."

Then the old people in the section are happy because the smoke bombs are not ruining the prestine pitch or burning their imaginary coats. The young people are happy because they can still bring that European atmosphere without dealing with Beasley. And, CSC and the Crew FO are happy because they are not chasing smoke bombs all game with rakes, they are allowing their fans to be "European" in a safe controlled way, and their quelling a problem that will just get worse if you have a bunch of Rambo cops running a police state in the Nordecke.

Seriously there is a solution to make everyone happy. Just everyone wants to be on some higher level of ideals and not come down to other people's level to make it better for everyone.

Other solutions:
Groups like the HSH have told all their members not to throw smoke bombs and have found a new way to get smoke bombs out of their system on match day. By lighting them over by the railtracks on the walk over to the stadium while chanting.

And, if there is no way for a middle ground as it just seems that some people are going to throw them no matter what. And, it seems that no one except for myself can seem to think outside of the box. Then pat people down for smoke bombs before they enter the section.

SHITCAGO

Things I think about when I think of:

wait, no that wasn't what I was thinking about. Okay that's better.

The hot ladies of the band, Chicago Fire

Vote and Stop a Travesty

Ok so Ekpo has 31% percent of the vote behind Emilio who has 46% percent of the vote. I got to tell MLS that it's a joke of a website, there is no way that Emilio's joke header should be leading Ekpo's goal. The thing is MLS decided for some reason not to show how Ekpo's play started which was with two defenders on Ekpo and Ekpo flicking it to the left straight into his path and beating those two guys.

On the other hand, Emilio's goal was an absolutely laughable joke. For one he wasn't even trying to do that and for two if Cronin didn't suck ass as a goalkeeper that soft header should have been an easy save.

Ekpo just beat two guys with a flicking header at midfield, then ran 50 yards, and then struck it from 25 out. Yeah that's simple. It was one of the best goals I have ever seen and it's not even somehow good enough for goal of the week against weak candidates. But, whatever, dumb fans in this league. Can't vote for the Crew.

VOTE HERE FOR EKPO

(Photo: Kyle Robertson)

Some more game comments:
Schelotto went from underwhelmed to impressed with Ekpo: "Not much more will I show my hands to him," he said. "He will be more consistent with more time. Even Europe for him, maybe."

I sadly agree that once Ekpo gets a little more consistency he will be headed that way with Rogers.

Schelotto on his penalty kick:
Schelotto froze keeper Bouna Coundoul during the spot kick and said he thought Coundoul was on edge before the attempt. "I think he was thinking about my penalties before the game," said Schelotto, who punched the ball to his left to remain a perfect 4 of 4 on penalty attempts.

Lol, Schelotto cracks me up. Rest of Mitchell's Review here.

Kickoff Nigeria blurb on Ekpo's goal.

Now let's get ready to kick some Chicago ass.

Guillermo, mas que un idolo

Can't disagree especially if he wants to stay in 2009 as well. I'm going to work on a video like the one below but with his time at the Crew.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Top Flight Security

Apparently, my last post about the security at last night's Crew game caused a lengthy thread over on Big Soccer. Point goes to me, I guess. Anyway, I was trying to think how best I could sum up my thoughts on the CSC guards, when I remembered one of my favorite movies, Friday After Next. Obviously, it was the weakest of the Friday movies, but I still found it funny.

In the movie, career underachievers Craig (Ice Cube) and Dede (Mike Epps) have to get jobs, and do so as security guards. Top Flight Security guards, no less. And one of the two decides to make the most of his newfound power.

(NSFW language, by the way)

Whice one of these guys do you think is CSC material?