Didn’t we all know this was inevitable? Only the manner in which it would unfold was left to be decided; Would Canadian manager Stephen Hart resign or be fired?
Late Thursday, Hart took the issue off the table, resigning from the post he inherited late in 2009.
Hart actually leaves with a reasonable enough record (25-15-10), but he said straight away that fans were unlikely to forgive that 8-1 thrashing Tuesday in Honduras.
In this story, Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani allowing Hart to resign instead of being fired was “just a nice way of letting a nice man keep his dignity.”
That same story, from CBC Sports in Canada, suggests that the first step is to identify a full-time technical director to implement developmental programs.
(MORE: Yallop sees hope despite the dark moment)
Either way this is not an easy post, and it looks like an uphill climb for anyone who takes it. Look how well Frank Yallop is doing this year at San Jose. Despite some years of lesser in Los Angeles and then San Jose, Yallop remains a well-respected figure around MLS. And yet he could not steer things straight from the Canadian managerial driver’s seat.
As national team manager, Yallop failed to reach final round qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. So, same as this time around.