Nicol doesn't need his space
He's content with flying under radar
In the early '90s, during a tour of British soccer stadia, a group of journalists visited Tannadice Park, home of Dundee FC, which had been renovated and symbolized the modernization of mid-level British clubs. While being led through the facility, an interview request for the coach, Jim McLean, was rejected because he was "unavailable." American journalists could not have been expected to know about McLean's lack of media savvy, which would not become apparent outside of Scotland until several years later.
But, along the way through the stadium, there appeared a slim, silver-haired man who was dressed like a janitor or someone who does the players' laundry. The man more than slightly resembled Jim McLean, the coach of Dundee United, and he quickly disappeared into what was either a storeroom or his office.
That experience comes to mind when observing Revolution coach Steve Nicol at work deep in the bowels of Gillette Stadium. To say Nicol's office is small is an understatement. The space was used as a storage area when the stadium first opened, and it is difficult not to think of it like that, especially in contrast to the gigantic locker rooms and players lounges across the hall.
The proximity of the office to the Revolution locker room, and the distance from the administrative area upstairs, are symbolic. Nicol's office has space for a desk, a television on a wall mount, and three chairs. One gets the feeling Nicol would be just as content with even less furniture.
Nicol is certainly comfortable with a low-key image. He has become media friendly and savvy in a way that would be unimaginable to previous generations of taciturn Scottish coaches, but there seldom has been a professional coach with a lower profile in the Boston area.
The fact that the Revolution's record this season triggered incentives that assured his return next year must have been cause for celebration, but Nicol was quiet about the achievement until yesterday. Apparently, the Revolution were in no rush to release the news, just as they were reluctant to announce his re-hiring last year with the season still in progress.
Nicol rallied the Revolution last season and was named MLS Coach of the Year, but instead of a long-term contract, he received a one-year deal with an option. The short-term nature of the deal reflected the austerity of the MLS, according to a source, but could have been perceived as a lack of confidence in Nicol.
Nicol, though, seemed to be sincerely satisfied with the agreement after meeting with owner Jonathan Kraft. The contract terms -- it is worth about $150,000 annually -- did not change, but Nicol felt reassured by Kraft's personal involvement.
"Anybody would love a long-term, secure contract," Nicol said. "Certainly, I would. But I was happy with the contract they offered. I didn't have a problem with it and I still don't. It's pretty much the same situation for next year, the same type of things have to happen. At the end of the day, it's all about being happy where you are.
"I'm a soccer guy and I love being involved in soccer. Contracts and money have to do with your family being secure. But I have not ever thought about contracts, that has never motivated me. It is not at the top of my list of priorities. What is important to me is having a good team, a team that plays well and gets results. If you work hard and you are confident enough in your ability to help the team, all these things happen and you get rewarded. It's never been any different in my career."
The Revolution first called on Nicol in 1999, but he did not rush in, coaching on an interim basis, then returning to the purgatory existence of the A League. Nicol's experience in England had earned him fame and fortune, but it was not applicable to the MLS. The advantages and support system involved with a club such as Liverpool FC are absent with the Revolution, much less the Boston Bulldogs.
After three seasons coaching the Bulldogs, Nicol became a Revolution assistant last season and then coach after Fernando Clavijo was fired.
"The six months I had with Fernando was enough time to understand the league and, more important, the players in and around the league," Nicol said. "If you don't know these things it will be pretty difficult for you. The first time [in '99] I had no insight into the league."
Nicol guided the Revolution to a 5-0-1 record at the end of the 2002 regular season, a finish generally regarded as a testament to good fortune combined with persistence. A year later, Nicol's Revolution are on a 6-0-1 skein entering a first-round playoff match against the MetroStars at Giants Stadium Saturday. The strong finishes cannot be considered coincidental.
"I would say the players responded to the positive stuff we were giving them even when results were not going our way," Nicol said. "We had a lot of optimism. You just have to keep reinforcing what you are doing. The only thing guaranteed in this game is that you are going to be up one week and down another week. It goes with the territory. We were losing because of small things here and there, elementary mistakes or missing a chance, things that are part of the game. But if your fundamentals are right, when the time comes you get your reward."
