One step forward, two steps back.

[redpony]

I don't believe that I implied he had never been a head coach.

Actually, you said the following, which can not be interpreted any other way.

and turned it over to a coach who lacks D-1 head coaching experience ...

DD- lacking experience does not mean that he has no experience. It simply implies that he does not have sufficient experience for the task at hand.

GO PONIES!!!

[DallasDiehard]

I don't believe that I implied he had never been a head coach.

Actually, you said the following, which can not be interpreted any other way.

and turned it over to a coach who lacks D-1 head coaching experience ...

DD- lacking experience does not mean that he has no experience. It simply implies that he does not have sufficient experience for the task at hand.

GO PONIES!!!

Fair enough. I apologize for misinterpreting your initial comment.
One thing that made Coach McClements' performance at Vanderbilt even more impressive is that he accomplished everything with just over 2 scholarships to divide among his entire team. That is some serious recruiting skill at a school that's just as expensive (if not moreso) as SMU.

[pony friend]

....One thing that made Coach McClements' performance at Vanderbilt even more impressive is that he accomplished everything with just over 2 scholarships to divide among his entire team. That is some serious recruiting skill at a school that's just as expensive (if not moreso) as SMU.

That's true. Vandy had 2.2 scholarships for the whole mens' soccer program. The improvement to that program is a major accomplishment in light of this fact. Add to that the cost of tuition there (which is higher than SMU) and you can't disagree that McClements successfully faced that challenge when it came to getting players. And don't forget, he is considered one of the best coaches when it comes to training & development....

[redpony]

IMHO it doesn't matter how good one is at recruiting, training and development if that does not translate into wins and a national championship. PB was considered (prior to his stint at SMU) an excellent defensive coach but was never able to transition into a successful head coach and develop a team that could contend for championships. I hope TM will quickly prove to be a successful head coach and bring us the national championship. Soccer is one of the few sports that we have managed to consistently excel in and I would hate to see that change.

GO PONIES!!!

[EastStang]

I guess redpony you and I are going to disagree on this one. We could have done much worse, and I am not sure that better was available. We'll see how McClements does this year. Its a short deal and if the team starts sliding backward, we'll know.