Mehdi Ballouchy returns to NYCFC (Academy Coach)

I just had a red eye from SFO and went straight to the office cut me some slack. Critical thinking skills are at best 60% today.
Ugh, definitely a personal day situation.
 
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I like the guy. I have no idea what he's like as a coach. I hope this isn't a predominantly sentimental decision :)
I think he'll be good. Ballouchy always struck me as a tactics guy, we just didn't get to see the best of it since he was at the tail end of his career.
 
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Maybe he can be our Casey Stengel - a serviceable/likable player who becomes a solid manager?
Always struck me as a clean, technical player that knew he didn't have the physical tools and instead tried to play within himself and make the high percentage plays. Will always remember the 2015 match vs Chicago when he started the comeback out of nowhere with the goal in the 45+1 minute and Shelton got the tying goal in 90+1 to salvage the point.
 
Are we talking about the same guy? Backpass Ballouchy?

Right?! Whole lot of revisionists in this thread, I never enjoyed watching the guy play. Wish him nothing but the best with our academy kids of course.

For any of the more zany posters looking to add to Tom's excellent start at nicknames for Ballouchy, it's not too late, we can also accept:

Mehdi-ocre
Balls Deep
More like Ball-douchy amirite?
Merde-y
 
Are we talking about the same guy? Backpass Ballouchy?
He was better than Grabavoy. And Jacobsen.

I still don't get how Jacobsen has an MLS Job. He's either inherently terrible or Kreis is the worst coach in MLS.

Of course, all could be true. But all of what happened can't indicate an abundance of quality out of anyone involved.