Schelotto back with his first Argentinean club, Gimnasia, shocked by Crew offer.
As everyone has probably heard by now, from Shawn Mitchell's article "Schelotto still looking for work following Crew exit," the Crew recently made an embarrassing staff offer to Crew legend Guillermo Barros Schelotto:
Schelotto said the Crew offered him a salary close to the player minimum of
$40,000 to remain as a scout, adviser and coach, but made it clear that there
was no place for him on the roster, at any price.
"In the first moment I was surprised," said Schelotto, who was granted a green card last year and still intends to make his permanent home in the U.S. "But now I am just upset that I cannot be in Columbus, in the city, anymore."
48 assists and 35 goals in 110 games and you're offered $40,000 dollars to join the staff. Really? Quite a way to treat someone who had a part in 83 goals over the past three seasons for your club. Who had a huge part in turning a club who's goal was just to make a playoff, into a champion; A club where just making the playoffs is now a dismal season. A season that demands rebuilding.
So, considering the Guillermo wave and chant (above), and his iconic status to Crew fans; It would've made more sense for the Crew to not make an offer to Schelotto at all. To let Schelotto part ways amicably, as possible, than making a bad offer that there's no way Schelotto would accept. An offer that says "once you meant the world to us, now were going to pay you the same as a 4th rounder in the MLS draft."
As it's not like Schelotto doesn't have 40,000 other options. Schelotto could coach Boca Juniors whenever he wants to, he could coach almost anywhere in the world at some capacity. Schelotto's options are endless. But, his main ones recently were to play for Gimnasia, Coach Boca Juniors, or be a scout with the Columbus Crew at $40,000. Hmm.. That's like offering a CEO a job at a kinko's checkout. It's obvious that Schelotto was never taking that offer. So, if you can't make a correct offer, don't make one at all.
The Crew should have just said he isn't in their plans and left it at that. Cut ties. It's like the Crew made the lowest offer they could knowing Schelotto would never accept. In my opinion, that's a real disappointing way to end a relationship with Schelotto.
So, recently with no future left at Columbus, Schelotto decided to continue his playing career with his first Argentinean club Gimnasia for the rest of this season, Schelotto signed a six-month contract the other day.
After those six months with Gimnasia are up, the future remains to be seen for the Crew legend. Schelotto said he wanted to stay in Columbus, OH to raise his kids here and that he loved his neighborhood in New Albany, OH. But, once Schelotto retires from the field and settles into coaching his options are endless. He could coach in MLS or elsewhere, but I doubt he coaches with the Crew (under current management) after this most recent slight.
"I am not angry," Schelotto said. "But I don't agree with (Warzycha). I don't argue with him about (me) being slow. You have to have the ball be fast, but you have to have the brain be fast, too.
"But this is soccer, and he can think different than me. I don't argue with all the decisions he has made. He chose another way than me."
If I was Schelotto, I would also think about coaching in Europe (Schelotto is catching on with English- he could coach in England or Holland, and Spanish- could coach in Spain). I'm sure if Schelotto put his CV out there he could get $250,000 at a lot exciting jobs and work his way up. And I'm sure there are a few continential European teams that would even give him a crack at Head Coach, lots in Argentina (and South America) but also I could see a mid-table Belgian club, or a mid-table Netherlands club, or a Greek club giving him a head coach chance.
I just don't get why the Crew would give Schelotto a lower end scouting job. The Crew could've at least made Schelotto a head assistant coach. Schelotto is a lot better known than our other Argentine assistant Ricardo Iribareen, same with any of the assistants. None of them have anywhere near the resume as Schelotto, including possibly Warzycha, and that may be the problem. It's either Warzycha's team or Schelotto's, and Warzycha wants to make it his team in 2011. Through and through.
This isn't totally a bad concept, since two leaders pull a team in two directions. But, if the case, lets just be real about it instead of saying, "hey we made Schelotto a decent offer." Because in actuality, the Crew didn't; and in doing so they didn't embarass Schelotto (or put him down a peg) with such an offer, they embarrassed the organization.
Schelotto reacquiants himself with the Argentine paparazzi.
It is important to have a place where you could rest and stay when you travel in Argentina.
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