SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Why!?!?!

Irmo is led by one of the utmost professional staffs in the state. Savitz is a true professional and leader in every sense of the word. I know the argument can be made that 'well they are just 16, 17, 18 yr old kids', and you can't control their normal adolescent conduct. But that kind of conduct is defintely not normal. No other state high school teams display that conduct, to that degree. I don't know if the parents care about those displays of rudeness and disrespect, but they should definitely be concerned. I am for all that wonderful energy and excitement and brashness that the Irmo players/fans display, but there is a line that should not be crossed. I know it may not happen, but lets hope that the Irmo boys who take the field for next season will indeed reflect a higher degree of professionalism during each game they play. If you development all the essential skills and abilities and style of play required to be successful, then just display all that on the field. I know that as a team, win or lose, you will feel better inside about the fact that you gave it all you had. And given the fact that you already have the best HS coach in the state, just use your abilities (and not your mouths and attitudes) to bring you to victory.

I agree that Coach Savitz is very good, maybe even "the best HS coach in the state." His record speaks for itself.
That said, you could make the case that Coach Tisdale "outcoached" him on Saturday, to the extent that the adjustments Tisdale made during the match were more positive and impactful than those made by Savitz.

Backscreen,

That may very well be that Tisdale coached a better game and I know Wando is an exceptional team. I am mainly stressing now that it appears that given Irmo's abilities/skills throughout the season, coupled with an excellent coach, that Irmo needs to not let 'that over-the-top' attitude hinder their focus on the field of play.

We are absolutely on the same page! For what it's worth, I have tremendous respect for the Irmo "program" -- with the single exception of the sideline and student-body antics.

Elaborate on "sideline"... are you speaking of the players, coaches, etc? Overall I do not see any outstanding instances (more than displayed by any other team) of bad sportsmanship from the starting 11 or Savitz. Just making sure I have a clear understanding of your post.

AND THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY IRMO-ONLY ISSUES!

1) Numerous assistants outside of anything vaguely resembling a technical area, working the referee and near-side AR. If you're going to have 8-9 assistants, they should be retained within a "technical area" close to the actual bench; not covering the middle 60-70 yards of the pitch. If this is not currently an SCHSL rule, it SHOULD BE!
This is doubly relevant in the context of uniform colors. If the opponent is wearing all-black, and several Irmo assistants are wearing all-black, why are we surprised when a Wando kid "passes" to an Irmo assistant standing within 25 years of the byline? That happened in the Lower State game last year.
2) Comments from Irmo-attired staff (trainer? managers?) directed at opposing players.
3) I thought Coach Savitz was remarkably composed on Saturday, given his obvious disappointment on behalf of his seniors. I know he made an effort to shake most of the Wando kids' hands when he didn't have to.

Hope that clarifies.

In reference to #1:
I agree that coaches (across the board) should stay within their own "technical" area. The problem... officials don't enforce the "technical" area. This is mostly due to the 2 man system and not having anyone "assigned" to deal with sideline issues. That being said, the 4A State match had 5 officials and still noone enforced the area. An easy solution could've been for the 4th official to bring the center over and warn/card the coach that was causing the problem. Then if it persisted a red could have followed. I can't blame a coach for doing something he has not been corrected on ALL season. I see this happening from 1A - 4A on both the boys and girls side. Until there is any enforcement we can't expect coaches to follow the "rule"

I remember playing against Irmo and the coaches yelling at me and my other teammates, very classy they are, haha!!

Agreed in principle. But is there a chance -- just a chance, mind you -- that one benefit of having 8 assistants during a game is PRECISELY that you can string them out along your side of the field in an attempt to gain competitive advantage.

I absolutely agree that an unenforced rule is no rule at all. In which case, a very senior coach should be taking the lead in policing his own sideline and encouraging others to do likewise.