A Chat with Ralph’s Mob CEO Jason Bruzzichesi

This is the first of a two part interview we conducted with the CEO of Ralph’s Mob, Jason Bruzzichesi. Ralph’s Mob is an independent supporters’ group for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

John Frusciante (JF): When the Rowdies sacked Ricky Hill and brought in Thomas Rongen what were your thoughts?

Jason Bruzzichesi (JB): Losing Ricky was both hard, but at the same time, we all knew there had to be a change. I think we went something like 11 games in a row without a win, and considering the level of talent that we had on the team at the time, there’s no way you could sit back and think that there wasn’t going to be some dramatic changes. Ricky has been a part of the Rowdies going all the way back into the 80’s, and to be honest, we won a championship under his coaching, so it’s hard to say goodbye. At the same time, it was pretty clear that finishing 8th overall was simply not good enough for this team.

So there was a period after when Coach Hill was released, we speculated on who would come in. Would it be a big name? Would they elevate Stuart Campbell, who has been a very good player coach in his own right? Or would we end up with Gunter Kronsteiner after his mistreatment by the Strikers? We really had no idea. A few people were bandied about, but when the announced Farrukh, the list got a lot shorter. As soon as Coach Rongen’s name was floated, there wasn’t a person who disliked the hire, which for a group of opinionated soccer fanatics, was incredibly rare. Everyone had positive things to say, that he was passionate, thorough, professional, and a real teacher of the game – somethings that we felt Ricky lacked at times. It was everyone’s opinion that Tommy was a great hire, and every clip or interaction that we’ve seen with him has only gone further towards reinforcing that excitement that big things are coming.

JF: What does Thomas Rongen bring to the team that Ricky Hill didn’t?

JB: Sorry, I kinda stepped all over the second question with the ending of the first one. However, as a fan, you don’t get to see a lot of the intricacies of what goes on behind the scenes. Even though the NASL is an incredibly intimate and fan friendly league, there are still some things we simply aren’t privy to. There are times that we felt like Ricky had a dog house for certain players, and it was a shame that even though they were incredibly talented, they didn’t see playing time as often as we as fans would like. Speaking with coach Rongen, you don’t get that impression at all. You feel like he’s going to put players out there with drive and determination to bring their very best, and if they’re not up to performing, they sit until they can prove otherwise. You get a sense of professionalism with him – not to say that you didn’t with Ricky, but it’s just a feeling that the stakes are higher, even in practice, or during a scrimmage. Almost a fatherly figure standing from the sidelines, silently demanding nothing less than a player’s very best. I’ll admit, as a player it must be intimidating, and at the same time inspiring to work with a coach like that.

JF: What style of play do think Thomas is going to implement?

JB: From what we hear, Coach Rongen will have an attacking style that will be a departure from the possession styles we’ve seen in the past. I’m expecting a faster pace, more precision passing, opportunistic level of play from now on. So instead of knowing it’s going to be the standard 4-3-3 every game, we don’t know who or what we’re going to see, but if it’s anything like the conditioning we’ve seen in the off-season, I can imagine that any team that isn’t in their peak physical condition, is going to get ground into the turf (which looks amazing, by the way).

JF: With a lot of additions to the team what player are you looking forward to see?

JB: Admittedly, I don’t know every player in the league, or even ones in the MLS, so unless someone really stood out, it’s hard to say who would be a favorite. I can tell you that seeing the spine of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in Antonijevic, King and Chavez come over here is nothing short of amazing. Seeing them compete so well all the way up to the Championship, and then having them added as a way of addressing what we felt was the weakest element of our team, was an absolute dream come true. I’m still a bit of a homer, so seeing Georgi Hristov, Keith Savage, Brian Shriver, and Corey Hertzog come back, really gets me excited about scoring opportunities. I do not envy any coaches that have to face this lineup, because every one of them is a potential game changer for us. We are definitely looking forward to seeing what Coach Rongen can do with a team this talented.

JF: Bill Edwards is a committed owner and has changed the club in many ways by bringing in a bigger budget, renovations to Al Lang, and the addition of a practice facility not too far away from Al Lang. Can you talk about what he means to the club and to the future to the club and the city.

JB: Despite having won a championship only two years earlier, the Rowdies were not in a good place financially. We struggled on the field, and we struggled filling the stands. There was a sense that the club was in decline, if not in danger of going under. I don’t know how many people ever knew, myself included, how bad it was getting in the front office. So when we heard that Bill Edwards, who anyone in Tampa Bay knows, has deep pockets and a no holds barred attitude towards success, it was exactly what we though the franchise needed. He has stated, and it’s something that I happen to agree with, that this is not an organization that will be satisfied with being just another footnote in the history of Tampa Bay sports. He has brought a sense of urgency and an expectation of success that may have been lacking in previous years. Better yet, he’s also come from the standpoint of asking his staff “what do we need to be successful?” and when they say a better field, improved players, better training facilities, or even more community outreach in marketing – he’s provided the resources. No one can ever fault him by saying he didn’t put his money where his mouth is. So now it’s up to the coaches, the players, and even the fans, to show up every game day. That’s the kind of enthusiasm you want from an owner, and it’s absolutely contagious.

Look for Part 2 later this week.

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(image courtesy of ralphsmob.com)