Phil Neville returns to MLS with a point to prove but a fanbase that doesn’t want him

PHil Neville is somehow back in Major League Soccer. Many Portland Timbers fans wish he wasn’t, and they’ve clearly said so. When the club released an announcement video of Neville strutting across the stands at Providence Park, it inadvertently symbolized how supporters’ concerns were ignored in the former England international’s appointment. The video has been removed, but fans aren’t ready to accept Neville yet

Neville, as his detractors see it, was a failure in the only other MLS position he has held.

Under his leadership, Inter Miami was the worst team in the league and was at the bottom of the Eastern Conference when he was fired in June. This was before Lionel Messi, of course, but still: Neville’s credentials as an MLS manager are far from convincing.

Timbers fans have also questioned Neville’s character, especially in regards to his past statements socially about women. “(Neville) has a history of sexist public statements that go against our ethos as a club, city and supporters group,” the Timbers Army said in a statement. Neville acknowledged his comments after he was appointed manager of the England women’s team. “The tweets were wrong then and wrong now,” Neville told the Guardian in 2019.

This isn’t the first time Neville’s distasteful comments about women from over a decade ago have been resurfaced, but the discussion is particularly relevant given the Portland Timbers’ recent controversies. After all, this is an organization (including the Portland Thorns) that has faced widespread criticism for its actions tackling a range of sexual misconduct and domestic violence accusations. The club settled a domestic violence lawsuit with the estranged wife of former midfielder Andy Polo in 2022. fined Portland $25,000 for failing to disclose the allegations of domestic violence.

The Thorns fired coach Paul Riley during the 2015 season after a player, Mana Shim, filed a formal complaint with the team that Riley had sexually harassed her. Allegations about Riley’s sexual misconduct were known to players, a coach, an owner and an assistant general manager of another team before the complaint, according to a independent research in claims of abuse and sexual misconduct in professional women’s football. According to the report, the Thorns then helped Riley land another job in the NWSL with the Western New York Flash.

The Thorns and Timbers need to regain the trust of their supporters and Neville’s recruitment has thrown up another hurdle.

In more ways than one, Portland is at a crossroads. Owner Merritt Paulson announced his intention to sell the Portland Thorns almost 12 months ago and is under pressure to also sell the Timbers. The team also needs to regain form on the field after failing to make the play-offs in consecutive seasons. Previous manager Giovanni Savarese led the Timbers to the MLS Cup final in 2021 – and the MLS Is Back tournament in 2020 – but 2023 marked the undeniable end of a cycle. Change was needed.

However, meaningful change will be difficult with Marcel at the helm. In his six years in charge, he failed to develop an identity as a coach. He doesn’t have a recognized playing style, unlike the likes of Wilfried Nancy or Bradley Carnell, who have found some form of success in MLS. As coaches, they stand for something. They have principles. What are Neville’s principles? What does he stand for? MLS fans now expect more than a recognizable face in the dugout.

With some justification, Neville argues it was “impossible” to be successful at Inter Miami due to the circumstances surrounding the club at the time. Sanctions imposed by the MLS due to a violation of salary budget and roster rules made it difficult for Neville to build a winning team. “Finishing sixth (in 2022) was probably the biggest achievement I’ve had,” he argued. “We changed about 19 players.”

Portland could see similar turnover this season, with as many as nine players out of contract by the end of the year. Neville and general manager Ned Grabavoy will be given the freedom to reshape the squad before the start of the 2024 season. Neville says he wants to impose a fast, attacking style of play – and claims the cool Pacific Northwest weather will help him do so . There will be no excuses if he doesn’t keep his promise.

Even if he does, some fans may never come to see Neville. It is not for the first time that a rift has opened up between the club’s decision-makers and the fans, and Neville, only just in the door, is a symbol of that. Neville has pledged to become a Thorns season ticket holder and “support them in any way he can”.

“I feel really fortunate to be the head coach of an organization with two incredible football teams,” he said at his introductory press conference.

Neville plans to meet the Timbers Army in person, but he cannot answer for the process that ultimately led to his recruitment, nor for the mistakes made by the owner in running the club.

The potential of the Portland Timbers is clear to anyone who has visited Providence Park for a game. Their homey atmosphere is among the best in MLS, with the stadium’s downtown location reflecting how central the Timbers are to a place dubbed “Soccer City USA.” Newer, flashier franchises like Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC have taken MLS in a different direction in recent years, but the Timbers remain one of the league’s biggest success stories. It’s easy to see why Neville would be drawn there, even with the club in its current state.

Neville says he has “unfinished business” in the MLS. In fact, he has a point to prove as a coach and needs to do something to reverse the trend of teams improving dramatically after his dismissal (see Inter Miami and the England women’s national team). The same questions have haunted Neville throughout his coaching career. In Portland, he has to come up with answers for a fan base that doesn’t want him.