It is more the game planning side of things I don't see myself using as much as what you guys do at the moment. Outside of some initial scouting and maybe listening to some experienced managers on their thoughts, I don't think I would be involving myself to much in that kind of group decision. I would be running for manager because I think that "I" have good idea of what tactics to run etc, and would look to take that responsibility for myself with less outside input than previous managers have in the past.
I don't usually post in these kinds of threads, I'm more of a lurker, but I want to be as active and informed as I can be. That being said, I find this post rather offensive. By no means do I consider myself an experienced or super involved manager. I've played BB on and off for around 10 seasons, and I have a good idea of how the game works, but but not a ton of actual experience. I am currently fairly active on the offsite and try to always view discussions about training and game tactics, but unfortunately, real life commitments limit what I can do here, otherwise I would volunteer more of my time to scout and participate.
Though I don't consider myself to be the most knowledgeable, I'm very peeved that someone who considers himself a candidate for the U21, someone who wishes to represent the managers of the community would say that part of his strategy is to involve as little members as possible. Just because I don't know all the stats and numbers and history as some of the other people around, doesn't mean that my opinion should be overlooked or ignored. I want to be involved so I can get a better understanding of how the process works and maybe make more meaningful contributions in the future.
You're overlooking how community involvement, offsite or no, trains younger, less experienced managers on how national team games work, thus when people like jfarb and Coco leave, people like magiker, E.B.W and Phyr step up to take their place. If previous national team managers ran their teams like you're suggesting you'll run yours, we'd be in a worse spot than we are currently, because their successors wouldn't have been deemed competent enough to participate in gameplay discussion.
So far, you've done nothing but insult people like me, because you think I'm not good enough to give you advice. You think you have all the answers for a new age of the U21. Let me break it to you pal, as someone who isn't part of the "cabal". USA managers don't respect arrogance. You can't be a writer unless you read. You can't be a rocket scientist without studying the science of others. You can't be a musician unless you start off by jamming to others' tunes first. You can't be a manager, scout, or helpful contributor to this team without any experience. That goes for you and for me.