S6: George Tarantini Would Fire George Tarantini (Updated 10am)

AD & Department General Non-Revenue40

Historical SFN soccer entry for background


In the middle of football season we can’t just ignore the other sports in which our program is currently struggling …so, we thought we would throw some love towards “Section Six” for their poignant reasoning.

So, from the coach himself, there are no excuses for not making the NCAAs, and missing the tournament is unacceptable. If/when the team does not reach that goal, then… right? Right?

When you read Tarantini’s comments like the following…

To get to play on Friday or Saturday night will be a huge advantage for us. I have never talked about that before. You never heard me say anything like that. I never talk about facilities. That’s not me. I play with whatever we have, and there was no excuse for us to not make the NCAA tournament.

…you need to keep in mind how easy it is for Tarantini to make these statements publicly without the least bit of private or internal pressure. He could basically make himself sound like quite a stand-up guy because he has never had to worry about complaining about facilities since his Athletics Director makes the excuses for all of his coaches.

Remember this entry?

“I couldn’t expect a whole lot more from [the soccer coaches] with the facilities we had,” Fowler said. “So now that we do have facilities, I expect an uptake, and we need to be playing to go to the NCAAs every year — not one out of two or three.

As shared in the comments section of this entry, the following is the current NCAA South Region Soccer rankings…all of whom OBVIOUSLY have much better fuch-cilities than NC State when you apply the Fowler-doctrine.

1. Wake Forest
2. North Carolina
3. South Carolina
4.Campbell They will beat UNC OCT. 28
5. College of Charleston
6. Furman
7. Clemson
8. Florida Gulf Coast
9. Belmont
10.Appalachian State

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AD & Department General Non-Revenue

40 Responses to S6: George Tarantini Would Fire George Tarantini (Updated 10am)

  1. BillyTheKid 09/10/2008 at 11:48 AM #

    Manu, how do the players themselves look? Would they be okay if they had a coach to work with them? Thanks for the information.

  2. DAMangum 09/10/2008 at 11:52 AM #

    I’m glad to be a Campbell alum, we have owned UNC at soccer the last few seasons. Now I wish State can pull this off at basketball and football! Oh yeah, Campbell beat UNC at baseball two years ago when UNC was ranked in the top 10 and Campbell had only won 8 games! Ha, screw UNC and their loser fans! Jerrick Hall, a former State D-lineman, is the D-line coach at Campbell now. He is another former Wolfpacker doing something with his life that you hear nothing about. Guys google Morroco Brown in your free time he is doing big things!

  3. Manu Ginobili 09/10/2008 at 12:08 PM #

    Billy,

    I think you have a mix of everything, some good players and some bad ones. Obviously, having such a mediocre program and being so close to some powerhouses like UNC, Duke or Wake Forest hurts the in-state and regional recruiting, but every once in a while we get a wave of some good players, usually international ones, for the reasons I explained before.

    Actually, I think it was in 2005, my junior year, when we had a great group of players, that I believe having been coached by a real coach, it would have been a real and possible contender for a national championship. It’s fair to say that we were ranked most of the year, as high as 7th, we did pretty good during the regular season, but we completely dismantled during the post season. I strongly believe that the 2005 season, saved Tarantini tenure here at State. We sucked pretty much since.

  4. Greywolf 09/10/2008 at 3:35 PM #

    Please, what I am about to write is not to toot my horn but to add to what Manu and others are saying. I coached youth soccer here in the triangle in the 70’s and 80’s. I know, actually work with, both John Rennie and Anson Dorrance from those days. I have never seen GT except from a distance. Why is that? Rennie and Dorrance contributed to the development of soccer in the triangle. The gave coach and player clinics, had coaches camps, trained better players to be national caliber players, etc. (One Raleigh team, the 72 Stars, won a national age group champianship. Others competed as well.) Those guys had a relationship with every coach in the state and, like I said, I never saw Gross or Tarantini nor do I hear of him being there. Kids I coached grew up wanting to play for Coach Dorrance and to a lesser degree, John Rennie. There were other coaches from some other schools that these two enrolled in participating. And kids wanted to play for them.

    If it is the way Manu says it is, it is no wonder the talent level has fallen off. Who wants to play that crappy style game. Imagine if we had a coach playing a Single Wing offense and 6-2-2-1 defense in football. What high school player in his right mind would want to play here?

    A player who played on the Hungarian National team named Steve Almasi is responsible for the great soccer we have here in the Wake County. Steve leased land for $1 in Mini-City as it was called then and lined off the fields that John Agnew laid out. I was qualified to cut the grass and wore out a riding lawn more doing it. Home Depot on Capital Blvd is on part of one of our first 2 fields. I better shut up or I’ll be telling Riddick Stadium stories next.

  5. Ed89 09/10/2008 at 8:10 PM #

    No offense to you soccer fans, but if I never see another sentence discussing soccer strategy and/or statistics, I’ll be just fine…that being said, the soccer team’s performance is dismal. It just proves that non-revenue sports at NCSU are not even “on” the totem pole, much less being “low” on the same pole. Our revenue sports have been bad enough, but it you don’t expect the best of your revenue sports, you can’t expect it from the non-revenue sports. I think (and sincerely hope) our revenue sports, Football and Mens basketball are both on the upswing.

  6. Greywolf 09/10/2008 at 8:58 PM #

    Ed89
    Sep 10th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
    “No offense to you soccer fans, but if I never see another sentence discussing soccer strategy and/or statistics, I’ll be just fine…that being said, the soccer team’s performance is dismal.”

    And if I don’t read another comment about a sport from someone who doesn’t know shit about it…
    This is or was StateFans Nation, not RevenueSportsFans Nation. If the owners want to censor non revenue sports comments, fine but until they do, son, get a gripe.

  7. ruffles31 09/10/2008 at 10:51 PM #

    I have long talked with my friends, including stat and bar graph guru WV Wolf, about how Tarantini needs to go. Here are some stats that I have compiled from the Tarantini era (only during the Lee Fowler administration):

    These records include our current 0-2-1 for this school year.

    Overall record: 52-86-13
    ACC Record: 11-49-7
    BCS Record (excluding ACC teams): 0-4-0
    Below BCS level record: 41-33-6

    I played soccer when I was in high school and am a pretty casual fan. I enjoy watching the US play in the World Cup (and Qualifying for the WC) and actually enjoyed Euro2008. I don’t watch MLS or any leagues though. I haven’t been to many State games, partly because I have never heard of one good word about our coach.

    But these records, plain and simple, stink. How one can stay as coach is unbelievable for me? I could almost get it if he had won a couple of NCAA titles, but he has won ONE ACC title in 22 years. One title in 22 years, yet he still has a job. The Pack has finished first or second 4 times in the regular season in the 22 years and gotten to the ACC title game only twice, the last time being in 1990, which coincidentally, was the same year that I learned how to drive.

    We do not have a winning record against any BCS team. In the past 8 years, the only teams that we even multiple victories against are:

    Clemson 3-5-1
    Virginia Tech 2-3-0

    In going over the records from the Media Guide, which is another topic that is equally depressing (I don’t have time to even start), we have a losing record against the following teams (where we have played them more than once):

    Charlotte
    UNC-Greensboro
    Radford
    East Carolina
    Old Dominion

    We also have lost to the following teams in the past 8 years:

    Butler
    Fairfield
    Fairleigh Dickinson
    Hartford
    Harvard
    Holy Cross
    Illinois-Chicago
    Maryland-Baltimore County
    Massachusetts
    Northeastern
    Richmond
    UC-Santa Barbara
    Villanova
    William and Mary

    Now, we do have a winning (or .500) record against the following teams:

    Gardner-Webb
    Georgia Southern
    Campbell
    Charleston Southern
    Elon
    High Point (.500)
    UNC Wilmington
    Liberty
    Longwood
    St. Francis
    Temple (.500)
    American
    Brevard
    College of Charleston
    Columbia
    Delaware
    George Washington
    Georgia State
    Howard
    Maine
    St. John’s
    Stony Brook
    Valparaiso
    VMI

    Will the new NC State Soccer Stadium help? I hope so, because as Coach Tarantini says, he should be fired if he doesn’t make the NCAA tournament. What does history say…bye bye George. However, this is under Fowler’s watch so we need to wait 4 or 5 years to get a good understanding of how a coach can do with the proper facilities. I guess the first 22 years don’t matter. What a good gig Tarantini has.

  8. Ed89 09/11/2008 at 8:05 AM #

    Greywolf,
    Tough guy behind a keyboard, I’m not your son, so shut it!

    Do you think a Football or Basketball coach would still be here with Tarantini’s record???? I REST my case.

    As much as you may love soccer, it just is NOT an important sport at NC State!!

    P.S. Where was my comment “about” soccer? I’m perfectly happy admitting I don’t know $%^& about soccer, but I do know about the sports that matter to the administration and the majority of State Fans. It is STATEFANSNATION and I have no problem with soccer, but lest you forget the two big boys enable us to have a soccer team. Check out the logo on the top of the page if you forget. Oh yea, learn to spell.

  9. Greywolf 09/11/2008 at 9:11 AM #

    Ed89
    Sep 11th, 2008 at 8:05 am
    “Greywolf,
    Tough guy behind a keyboard, I’m not your son, so shut it!”

    That’s right, you wouldn’t make a pimple on my son’s ass.

    “It is STATEFANSNATION … Check out the logo on the top of the page if you forget. Oh yea, learn to spell.”

    I checked out the logo on the top of the page and I saw STATEFANS NATION. That’s weak. What else you got?

    Are you old enough to remember Lou Holtz? Lou had some advice you might want to take under consideration: “You don’t want to get in a pissing contest with a skunk.”

  10. primacyone 09/11/2008 at 10:01 AM #

    Interesting comment from the Section Six post:

    “There is much talent/skill on the men’s soccer team. Coach T puts players in positions where they have never played before, therefore not getting the best out of each person’s talents. He also listens to his “favorite” players and allows them to play the positions they want to play; therefore placing other players around his “chosen” players. He shows favoritism toward players who are not born and raised in the U.S.A. The players have the skills to win, the coach just does not lead or coach them as a team. It is obvious he does not allow the men to practice corner shots or free kicks during practice. Go to a game, it is sooo obvious! Coach needed to leave 18 years ago. Give those players who have stayed with the team lots of credit for staying. They must really love the game of soccer. After reviewing the past 10 years of rosters, coach is averaging 6-9 players leaving each year. many had ample playing time and/or scholarship.There are 7 Jr. college transfers on the roster this year-building team chemistry? The coach has a personality disorder and has no clue how to fairly coach young men without prejudice or favorites. What does it take to get rid of such a poor coach? If he was coaching a revenue producing sport, he would have been at state for 3 years max.
    lonewolf5 | 09.10.08 – 11:34 am | # “

  11. Scooter 09/11/2008 at 10:06 AM #

    Where I agree with Grey:
    The revenue sports get the glory and appear in the newspapers, but the non-revenue sports are no less NC State than the team that plays in Carter Finley. If you look at the elite athletic programs in this country, they compete in all or most sports, revenue or non-revenue. The money we put in the athletic department supports them just the same as it does the football or basketball teams, so for us to discard them because we don’t know much about them is short-sighted.

    As an athletic department, I think we should strive EXCELLENCE in all sports. If we spent a little less on capital projects and maybe spent more on coaching and actualy support of the programs, maybe we would see some progress in all sports, revenue and non-revenue. I think if you look at the non-revenue sports, that is where you get a more accurate outlook of the performance of an athletics department than one or two major sports. They have tighter budgets and, as a result, are more difficult to manage effectively.

    Also, Ed, if you read the top again (as you recommended to Grey), it says “StateFansNation,” not “State Football and Basketball Fans Nation.” I don’t think it is unfair for fans of the non-revenue sports to care and be able to voice their opinions. Maybe you don’t care, but I do.

    Where I disagree with Grey:
    It doesn’t appear that you recognize the difference in skill level between the college level and above or skill level. The speed of play is much faster and the formation and strategy of play is much more important. If you ask the best goal scorers where the best opportunities lie, they will tell you in corners and other set pieces. If you ask the best defenders where they have to defend the best, they will tell you in corners and set pieces. To write off corners because the defense pulls back is rather ignorant. Corner kicks are HUGE opportunities for goals. Watch just one EPL game and look at the emphasis they place on corners. Like turnovers in football, the inability to defend on or score goals on corners and free kicks around the box is a key statistic that is tracked with ferver by successful teams. All teams pull players back into the box, but all good teams still score off of corners. We can’t because we are not organized and the talent level is low. To brush off these opportunities as you say is foolish, especially when you have 11 chances in ONE GAME.

    Finishing is a combination of player confidence/talent, and coaching. Defensive strategies do not have any relevance on this. Finishing is when you have a scoring opportunity and you convert it. If you don’t have scoring opportunities (due to a defensive strategy), finishing is not the issue.

    To suggest that the rules will change because teams score two or three goals and then shut down by subbing out goal scorers and putting in either more defenders or defensive midfields is ignorant. FIFA has been comfortable with 1-0 scorelines for a long time. This isn’t the NHL, this is the world’s most popular and wide-spread sport.

  12. Ed89 09/11/2008 at 10:34 AM #

    ^^^Are you old enough to remember Lou Holtz? Lou had some advice you might want to take under consideration: “You don’t want to get in a pissing contest with a skunk.”

    Grey, You’re a sad old man.

    Btw, I SHOOT skunks! Sorry to hear about your son’s acne problem on his ass. Maybe it’s because his dad is such a pain in one.

  13. Ed89 09/11/2008 at 10:45 AM #

    Just to add, I DON’T mind discussing any and all sports. I just prefaced my statement with I’m not a soccer “fan.” Sorry if that offended anyone. It was said mostly in jest. Grey, ya listening? I’m just saying if Tarantini was a Football or Basketball Coach, he’d have been fired. The expectations are different. I don’t necessarily agree, but they are. Tarantini doesn’t make nearly as much money as TOB or Sid, so it’s high risk, high reward.

  14. Scooter 09/11/2008 at 11:16 AM #

    Ed — I spit coffee laughing about the skunks comment. Cheers dude.

  15. Greywolf 09/13/2008 at 7:34 AM #

    Ed89
    Sep 11th, 2008 at 10:45 am
    My fault for starting the personal crap.

    Not knowing a sport is no problem. Not know a sport and passing judgement on the sport, team or coach… well, that’s OK, too, in the world of internet experts. Looking for chances to put down Wolfpack teams without any real knowledge of the sport while professing to be a State fan, begins to annoy me.

    Scooter,
    1-0 can be and is very exciting. 2-0 games with packed in defense for most of the game, with one team not even trying to score is not.

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