Page 78 - Soccer360 Issue 106

MLS SPOTLIGHT
PRESSURE IN
PORTLANDMARCO D’ONOFRIO TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO PHIL NEVILLE’S FIRST SEASON AS HEAD COACH
WORDS SEAN MASLIN
When the Portland Timbers opted to make Phil Neville their new head coach, many fans of the franchise were initially furious with the decision. Supporters had not forgiven the Manchester United legend for sexist posts on Twitter - now X - that dated back to 2011 when he was still playing in the Premier League for Everton. The Englishman has since apologized for the posts and deleted them. The Timbers Army were vocal in their displeasure of the appointment before it was even officially announced. When reports that Neville was going to be named
the team’s head coach first surfaced, the fan group put out a statement calling on the club to reconsider its decision.
“We are deeply disappointed that the club has reportedly settled on a finalist for head coach who has a history of sexist public statements that run counter to our ethos as a club, city and supporters’ group, and who also lacks a proven track record as a manager,” the statement said. The controversy over Neville’s social media posts originally came to public attention in
2018 after he was appointed head coach of the England women’s team. It caused a storm in the UK at the time and although he quickly released a statement apologising for the remarks, adding that they were ‘not a true reflection of [my] character or beliefs’, Portland supporters were not prepared to let the issue slide.
Despite pressure on the Timbers hierarchy to change their decision, Neville was officially given the position in November, just a little over two weeks after the Timbers’ 2023 MLS campaign came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Houston Dynamo.
In his first media conference, Neville reiterated his apology for the offending posts, which were subsequently deleted. “The tweets that I put out were wrong in 2011 and they’re wrong today,” the former defender said.
The ex-England international had prior MLS coaching experience having been hired by
Inter Miami in 2021, acting as the head coach of erstwhile teammate David Beckham’s franchise until midway through the 2022 campaign, when he was ultimately fired with the team sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference.
The disappointing way things played out in Florida came after a Lionesses reign that faded dramatically after an encouraging start. In
2019 he led England to a World Cup semi-final
ABOVE:
Players of the Portland Timbers celebrate
and success in the SheBelieves Cup, only for form to deteriorate through 2020 with seven defeats out of 11, which ultimately saw him leave the role earlier than anticipated. These setbacks are what have caused the Timbers faithful to question Neville’s credentials, so this appointment is a critical one for the sake of his coaching career and he’ll be all too aware of the pressure he is under to get results - not only to silence the doubters, but to avoid further harm to his reputation.
“We are thrilled to welcome Phil Neville as the new head coach of the Portland Timbers, and we look forward to making Phil and his family feel at home in Portland,” said general manager Ned Grabavoy in a club statement announcing the unveiling. “Phil’s character makes him the right person to lead this team forward as we continue to reshape the group with a goal of returning to sustained success. His leadership qualities, diverse experience as a coach, and ambition to evolve made him a terrific fit here with us in Portland.”
Even with the fan backlash, the Timbers clearly believed Neville was the man to lead them forward after finishing in 10th place in the Western Conference with just 43 points from 34 games in 2023. In fact, Portland hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2021 campaign when they
OF THE PORTLAND TIMBERS AND THE BACKLASH HE FACED FOR HIS PAST SOCIAL MEDIA BEHAVIOUR.
76 SOCCER360 SUMMER 2024