Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic knows the decision to trade Homegrown player Harry Shipp to the Montreal Impact on Saturday wasnāt well received by the teamās supporters.
Paunovic has an active Twitter account and has seen the messages directed his way. His request Sunday was for Fire fans to continue to trust him. He said the decision to trade Shipp wasnāt made lightly, that it was one he and Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez believed was best for Shipp and the club.
āIt was a very, very difficult decision for us,ā Paunovic said. āHarry is a fantastic kid. We know how difficult this is for everyone. But again, we think itās important and in this case for the team and Harry, too. We canāt guarantee Harry he will play and have the role that heās expecting.
āAt this point, we had the situation where he had to decide. We believe Montreal can provide him with everything for him in order to be happy and play and enjoy soccer. It was the place for all parts was the best solution. Right now what we have is the situation that we have opened up that spot. Everybody has to earn it.ā
Paunovic thought decisions like Saturdayās were what separated the great coaches from everyone else. Ultimately, itās about what he believes is best for the team.
āAlways itās difficult, but if youāre not ready, and what I always preach and what I was told from my father and my mentors was if youāre not ready as a coach to make difficult decisions, decisions that you think are worth it and youāre not ready to lose games and you donāt know how to handle it, this is not a job for you,ā Paunovic said. āI understand that perfectly. I think Iām ready. Sometimes some decisions arenāt popular from the point of view from the people, but sometimes theyāre necessary. Sometimes itās because the project needs it and the team needs it.ā
Paunovic also realized whatever goodwill he may have created in the first few months could have been thrown out the door with Saturdayās trade. Heās OK with that. He just wants the fans to know that their end goal remains his, too.
āWhat Iām finding so far that the people are very passionate,ā Paunovic said. āThey want to win. They want a change. They want to see a different energy, different approach, style of play. Everything mixed with some sort of frustration. But what Iāve found in this couple of months working with the Fire is a hope. I saw the people are hopeful and willing to give that support, patience.
āAgain, I understand after this decision we made it may a little bit change that. But I saw the people, they are really eager to deliver the same amount of energy, passion and trust, and we are not going to play with that. Again, some decisions are difficult, but thatās because we really want this year and the years to come to be different for them in the point of view to make all of our fans happy, and thatās what Iām feeling they are looking for and expecting.ā