Houston Chronicle/Bernardo Fllas - Jan. 10, 2008, Dynamo aide Spencer turns down Fire's offer Salary offered for head job was similar to compensation in Houston
With the MLS combine and SuperDraft fast approaching, the Chicago Fire still plan to announce the hiring of a new head coach by week's end.
And his name won't be John Spencer.
Spencer, the Dynamo's assistant coach for the past two MLS championship seasons, said Wednesday night he rejected an offer to become the Fire's head coach because the pay was not up to par.
"(Tuesday) I got offered the job in Chicago, accepted it and sat down to try and negotiate a contract, but we couldn't come to terms,'' Spencer said. "It wasn't much more money than I (was making) here with the Dynamo, and I felt that to move my family to another state and all the upheaval and such, I just didn't think it was worth it, so I turned it down.''
Spencer declined to go into details of the offer or his salary, but said he will be signing a one-year extension with the Dynamo today.
"Another piece of the puzzle for '08 has fallen into place,'' Dynamo chief operating officer Chris Canetti said. "We're more than happy to have (Spencer) back, although at some level, personally, sorry for him that he wasn't able to get his first head-coaching job, which will happen some day.''
Spencer was a finalist for the job vacated by Juan Carlos Osorio last month, along with longtime Fire assistant Denis Hamlett, who now appears in line for a promotion.
Osorio, who coached the Fire to an impressive turnaround since arriving in July, left to sign with the New York Red Bulls.
Reports last week also had former Dallas Burn assistant and current Duke assistant Mike Jeffries in the hunt for the position.
Turning down the offer was a no-brainer for the former Scottish international and MLS star.
"I value myself a lot more than what they offered,'' said Spencer, who was interviewed multiple times. "They obviously felt I was the right guy for the job and offered me the position, so I must have done something right in the interviews, because I sure had enough of them.
"Things happen.''
AP - Fire assistant promoted to coach
Costa Rica native Hamlett moves up with Dynamo assistant out of the running
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire promoted longtime assistant Denis Hamlett to head coach Friday, ending a long search to find a successor to Juan Carlos Osorio.
Hamlett, a 39-year-old Costa Rican, is the Fire's fourth coach. He had been an assistant since the Fire's inaugural 1998 season.
"I'm excited to have an opportunity to take my career to the next level with the team I started with 11 years ago," he said. "There is no other place I'd rather have this opportunity with than the Fire."
Hamlett served as interim coach after Dave Sarachan was fired in midseason, but instead of getting a promotion at the time, he got passed over.
The Fire hired Osorio and went 6-3-7, going from last place in the Eastern Conference to within one game of the MLS Cup after a season as manager at Millonarios in Colombia. The arrival of Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco in July helped turn around the season, but Osorio left abruptly a month ago to coach the New York Red Bulls.
"The goal from the beginning was to make sure we got the right guy, and if it took a little bit extra time to do that, then so be it," Fire president and general manager John Guppy said. "We have the right guy."
Hamlett's promotion came after Houston Dynamo assistant coach John Spencer reportedly accepted and rejected the job. Spencer told the Houston Chronicle that the Fire offered the position on Tuesday, and he initially decided to take it. He then turned it down because the pay wasn't enough. Guppy would not comment. ...." (AP)
Meanwhile another ex-QPR man,remains Head Coach at Dallas FC - Steve Morrow
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