Miller accepts that he won’t hang on to coaching job if Eddies can’t turn things around By Steven Sandor Posted on June 5, 2014 6 0 960 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Colin Miller As FC Edmonton heads into the final game of the NASL spring season, the numbers aren’t pretty. FCE is last in the league in goals scored. Second last in the league table. And, the team has yet to pick up a point at Clarke Stadium, its home. The Eddies will try and remedy the winless-at-home stat on Sunday, when they host the Carolina RailHawks, the final game of the spring season. The NASL teams will then break for the World Cup and then launch the fall season after that. Coach Colin Miller is feeling the pressure. He isn’t going to deny it — the results haven’t been good enough. And he knows that if things don’t turn around for the Eddies, that he’ll be the one who will be taking the blame. “One win in our first eight games, that’s a recipe for disaster anywhere in the world,” said Miller after FCE trained Thursday at Clarke Stadium. “If things don’t change, there will be changes. That’s the nature of the profession I’m in.” And, changes could be coming on the roster, too. With Gagan Dosanjh being forced to leave the club because of a potentially career-ending knee problem, and midfielder Mike Banner ruled out for the season due to injury, there are already a couple of roster spots available to be filled. Miller said he expects some comings and goings, and that he and his coaching staff are already working to identify players who can help the Eddies. But, right now, the team is maxed out when it comes to the international slots, so any player who would come in would need to be American or Canadian. Also making things interesting is the fact FCE loses its training ground during the break. The new turf is coming into Clarke Stadium, and the team is hearing varying estimates on how long it will take to tear out the old turf and have the new stuff in. The Eddies will train in the suburbs of Spruce Grove during the break. But, concerned that Clarke might not be ready in time for the fall season, there is a contingency plan in place to move the July 13 fall season opener against the Ottawa Fury to Commonwealth Stadium. The scenario is simple: If Clarke isn’t ready, the Fury and Eddies will move next door to Commonwealth. But before thinking about the fall season, the Eddies need to finish out the spring. “It’s massive for us,” said Miller. “We want this win so badly. The players to a man are desperate for a result for our fans.” The NASL gives the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the post-season “Championship” to the winners of the spring and fall seasons. But seeds No. 3 and No. 4 will be the teams that have the next-best overall records in the league — spring and fall combined. “The way I look at it is that it’s not a break between a spring and a fall season,” said Miller. “The way I look at it is that we still have 19 games left, and we need to get up to the fourth position.” The team has been working this week on having more players join attacks, to have midfielder make offensive runs. Miller hears the critics. And he hates some of the tags that have been associated with him and his teams. He knows the Eddies have scored at a pace of less than a goal per game. But he’s working to encourage more players to take risks and get forward. “It’s a terrible thing, to get tagged as a ‘defensive coach.’ All I want is that when we don’t have the ball, that the players are made aware of their responsibilities defensively. “I’m as positive a manager as any I’ve seen.” CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. (Also available for Android devices at Google Play)
