So Who Is The New MC Captain 4 2017

[AtLarge]

... Alex can probably be ruled out on the grounds that he has already captained the European team when the Mosconi Cup was played in Malta. ...

Alex Lely has participated in the Mosconi Cup 4 times.

He was a player for Team Europe in 1999 and 2005. Team Europe lost both of those years. Lely's match record was 0 wins & 2 losses in singles and 2 wins & 4 losses in doubles.

He was non-playing captain of Team Europe in 2008 and 2009. Team Europe won in Malta in 2008 and lost in Las Vegas in 2009.

 

[Matt]

I look at the Mosconi Cup captain role the same way I would an amateur league team captain. It doesn't hurt to have a captain that is a good player, but there doesn't seem to be much correlation between pool skill and being an effective captain. The captain just has to understand the rules and strategy associated with the match format in order to do their job well. Sometimes, it's even better to have a captain that is clearly worse at pool than the rest of the team; there are no illusions that they are going to coach or teach anything, they are just there to serve the team and therefore get to share in the success.

What I think the Mosconi Cup team needs is a captain that has an established reputation as a pool enthusiast and has the commitment to do everything they can before and during the event to allow their team to play their best. That means motivating, encouraging team chemistry, and providing opportunities for them to train together. It's about focusing the same drive that led them to be great individual players to perform together as a great team. As several people have mentioned already, the game of professional pool in the US is largely individual, and playing for a team is a different sort of experience, even when part of the the team match is just a bunch of individual matches. When the Europeans were playing their singles matches, it was clear that they were playing just as much for their team and their fans as themselves, and I only saw occasional hints of that from the Americans.

To sum up, I like the idea of a captain that isn't a coach and has never been a champion pool player.

 

[Justin Bergman]

........ Lol

 

[Johnnyt]

As long as they have a smooth transition of captain's...that's all I ask. :smile: Johnnyt

 

[Mole Eye]

Seeing where Mr. Bergman is posting on this thread, so if he doesn't mind the question, what exactly should American players be doing different, if anything at all? If this is hijacking the post, I apologize.

 

[screamingelvis]

another angle

American players need to find a way to endure or enjoy playing in front of crowds. It is quite apparent the pressure mounds during periods of crowd interaction. Snooker players seem to take it in stride and even enjoy it. fwiw

 

[Get_A_Grip]

I'm still with Justin Bergman when he said the MC Captain might make a if that 5% difference in the outcome of the event.

Yeah, but Justin is talking about impact "during" the event I assume. I like Jay's approach. What is needed is more focused preparation and practice starting a year prior to the event. This of course means that a change is needed to the entire selection process and timing.


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[spartan]

she's pretty, can play pool well, wears tight black outfits, and will look good sitting on the rail, but the captain should have a better role than that when it comes to working with Team USA members.

I don't know about past captains being pretty and sitting on rail but they sure looked like they were sitting pretty railing the troops

 

[ribdoner]

I don't know about past captains being pretty and sitting on rail but they sure looked like they were sitting pretty railing the troops

close, but no cigar

 

[Stew_Pidaso]

Yeah, but Justin is talking about impact "during" the event I assume. I like Jay's approach. What is needed is more focused preparation and practice starting a year prior to the event. This of course means that a change is needed to the entire selection process and timing.


_______

That is a Matchroom issue then because they are the ones that are making the rules. How can a Captain work with a team all year when the team isn't determined until a month before the event. You guys have no idea how much work Mark put in behind the scenes all year long, not to mention $$ out of his own pocket. I can't remember who, but some ignorant person wrote weeks ago that we needed a captain that wasn't just looking for a payday, as if that is all Mark was doing. Justin is 100% correct that under the current parameters, the captain is not going to make a difference in the outcome, however, just like in all pro sports, you can't fire the players, so you have to fire the coach. I guarantee one thing, whomever is chosen to take over will not out work or do more behind the scenes than what Mark did the past 3 years. It's on Shane to figure out why he misses balls and shape in the MC format that he doesn't do in any other format. A new captain will never be the reason Shane starts making those shots, it will all be on Shane for correcting that.

 

[sjm]

Count me among those that feels that having a non-American coach for Team USA would be unacceptable at this moment in time.

Perhaps down the road, a European that has lived in America for many years and regularly plays/attends the full contingent of significant American events (at bare minimum, Derby City, Turning Stone and the US Open 9-ball) will be acceptable.

That said, this does not mean that American players shouldn't take lessons from or train with European players when the right opportunities present themselves. Alex Lely is a good example of a Europe-based player with a wealth of information and knowledge who comes to America from time to time.

 

[Scott Lee]

Tap, tap, tap! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

That is a Matchroom issue then because they are the ones that are making the rules. How can a Captain work with a team all year when the team isn't determined until a month before the event. You guys have no idea how much work Mark put in behind the scenes all year long, not to mention $$ out of his own pocket. I can't remember who, but some ignorant person wrote weeks ago that we needed a captain that wasn't just looking for a payday, as if that is all Mark was doing. Justin is 100% correct that under the current parameters, the captain is not going to make a difference in the outcome, however, just like in all pro sports, you can't fire the players, so you have to fire the coach. I guarantee one thing, whomever is chosen to take over will not out work or do more behind the scenes than what Mark did the past 3 years. It's on Shane to figure out why he misses balls and shape in the MC format that he doesn't do in any other format. A new captain will never be the reason Shane starts making those shots, it will all be on Shane for correcting that.

 

[sjm]

That is a Matchroom issue then because they are the ones that are making the rules. How can a Captain work with a team all year when the team isn't determined until a month before the event.

Because four of the five members of the 2015 Team USA returned in 2016. Was there any doubt entering the year that SVB, Dechaine and Bergman would all be on the team and that in a world in which numerous bar table events carried Mosconi ranking points, Skyler was highly likely to qualify?

When the team shows up with the same weaknesses year after year, it is, at least in part, on the coach, and Mark, unlike all others before him, had three years in which to help identify the weaknesses of each team member and request that each of them address the weaknesses they showed in Mosconi Cups past.