It's a rare thing that an outgoing coach has the opportunity to include a farewell message in the press release announcing his firing.
But that is what Phil Neville received, as he penned a paragraph of parting words for the Portland Timbers and city of Portland as he was ousted as head coach. He went out of his way to thank the club, the players, and the greater Timbers community for his two-and-a-half year stint – while also of course recognizing that he indeed failed to deliver.
Neither the fact that he got the chance to share those words nor what he said was an accident. Neville proved himself to be a charismatic and emotional leader during his time in Portland, endearing himself to the ownership and players. And while he never delivered the results needed to fully endear himself to the supporters, he recognized and appreciated the passion that every fan in green & gold had for their soccer club.
The now former gaffer had nearly everything you would want from a head coach of the Portland Timbers. An admiration for the city. An appreciation for the culture and energy that makes this club so special. A genuine sense of care for his players and genuine desire to see them be all they can be.
The only thing lacking was unfortunately the biggest and most important thing he needed: the acumen as a head soccer coach.
Phil Neville ultimately could not meet the moment required of him as head coach of the Timbers. And while it was indeed time to move on, it is a real shame that it couldn't work out.
Harken back with me to the fall of 2023. Ned Grabavoy had just made the decision to make Phil Neville the next head coach of the Portland Timbers – and it was met by immediate consternation from all sides.
There was of course the lack of a successful record on the field, and we'll get to that in a second. But there was also loud concerns over Neville's character and whether he was the right guy to represent the Timbers Army on the touchline. Namely, a series of sexist social media posts he made back in 2012.
In his introductory press conference, he faced questions the usual questions around his coaching history, his past stint at Inter Miami, and his vision for his time in Portland. But through most of the presser very little was asked about his past social media comments and how he has changed or learned since then.
And then it came time for me to ask a question via Zoom. I went right in on those character concerns and past comments, asking the new head coach, "What have you learned since then, and how will you continue learning?" Neville gave a very thoughtful and authentic answer, sharing how he has used his experiences with the England Women's National Team and beyond to genuinely learn about the experience of women's soccer players. He also emphasized that those comments aren't a reflection of who he is as a person, and that he wanted to be judged by everything he has done since and everything he would do while he was in town.
That is exactly what we all did. And what we saw was a man who made a mistake, apologized, learned from it, and then did everything he could to embed himself into and understand his new home and community.
What we saw was a man who understood what made Portland special. From day one, Neville knew what the Timbers Army represented. He understood the passion. Even when times were challenging and frustration was mounting, he never once questioned the angst emanating from Timbers fans. If anything, he agreed with it.