You only want them to retire to save your own nerves, you don't actually care about them. They have a disproportionate amount of haterz as it is, you can join them where your opinions are more popular.
T/M are the first pair I've ubered since Brasseur and Eisler when they were competing. If anything, I got too invested last year. Don't tell me that I don't care or that I'm a hater because I'm very opposite both of those things when it comes to T/M. I've been watching skating since 1992. I've seen a lot of different scenarios with skaters/teams (sometimes more than once). I've picked up on how the sport works. It doesn't make me a "bad fan" or not a real fan because I am frustrated and worried about the position that T/M are in right now given how I've seen similar situations play out in figure skating past. I'm also far from being the only person to have picked up on how miserable they seem to be when competing. People who are fans on multiple message boards and social media outlets have commented on it. I don't like seeing anyone be miserable while working at a job, participating in an activity, etc. My advice to friends and family over the years when they've been in situations that made them miserable/unhappy/they didn't enjoy was to change something if they could. If competing makes them miserable.... I know, it's their life, their decision, but if they really dislike competing so much, then they do have other options to skate. I'd much rather see them happy skating in shows than looking miserable competing.
On a more shallow note, if Vladimir is going to go with this Erik the Red hair thing, IMO he needs a more artfully shaggy and blow-dried haircut. Today it just looked dirty. To be honest, he looked like he had the flu. I don't remember his face being so sweaty after skating.
The hair is just long with no style to it. He could pull of the long hair, but it needs the right cut and styling to make it work. Otherwise, to quote my mother, it just looks stringy-headed.
I find it so depressing that people are talking about them downgrading their triples. They had more technical difficulty a couple of years ago yet were able to land their jumps. It's getting worse. They were fighting it out with Savchenko (and beating her a few times) and now...
Me too. It's not a technique problem. Someone I know who skated in the past says the same thing--they know how to do these jumps and do these right, it's just a mental block on it. They used to could land jumps and do all of this difficult content. They were known for being excellent technicians. You're also right it wasn't that long ago that they were sometimes beating Savchenko, beating D/R, giving S/H a run for the money (short program at the Olympics). Now, they're struggling to stay on podiums and getting beat by teams who are far less talented.
I'm not saying retire yet but they're clearly trending to not be on the podium at worlds and if that happens I think that spot will be really difficult to get back. I keep thinking they can turn it around if they skate well but it just never happens. Now I'm thinking if they go clean the most they can get is bronze.
Repeating what I said when they didn't make the GPF: in a non-Olympic year, no pairs team who had two GP events and failed to make the final have ever gone on to medal at worlds that season. They're looking at bronze at best if they skate clean at worlds. They haven't skated a clean competition this year. I think judges will be reluctant to put two Russian pairs on the podium, T/M are not Rus#1. There's the second Chinese team. Also, worlds are in Canada and Skate Canada is going to be pushing hard to get M-T/M onto the podium because they want medals at the home worlds. I agree that once they're off podium, it's going to be hell getting back on there.
This is where we get to the bigger picture of the position T/M are in right now, their stated goals, and how this sport really works. In a perfect world, how a team skated the day before, competition before, or season before would not matter. Everyone would have a clean slate every time they competed. T/M do not lack the talent to outskate everyone else. I think they are one of the most talented pairs this discipline has ever had.
It is not a perfect world though. The role that momentum plays is not a secret. Every commentator NBC has across their multiple networks and platforms has been talking literally for years now about the role momentum plays. Trying to win these big titles is not just about what happens on the days in that event. It's like running for office. You gotta campaign for it. Teams and skaters spend a whole quad, sometimes more, building up a positive reputation and earning medals in order to be under consideration for the OGM when the Olympics come. Within that, they have to reputation and resume build within a season to be under consideration for a world title. By under consideration, that means if you go clean, the judging panel will give you the PCS and GOE. As I said in a different thread, before people say this isn't ice dance, remember it's because of pairs scandal that we ended up with a new judging system. Pairs is not immune to the importance of momentum and reputation. It takes time to build those things. T/M have gone backwards big time on that this year. They've lost the Russia #1 spot. They haven't had a clean competition all year. For a team that says they want an OGM, that cannot be happening two years out from the Olympics. They needed to show that they were on par with S/H. A team/skater also really needs to be a country's #1 team to make a run at a world or Olympic title these days. It's not something you can do unless the fed is full in. I don't think RusFed has ever fully been behind T/M. When they were younger, they were essentially told to wait their turn. They weren't really a solid Rus #1 until the eve of Pyeyongchang. Now, and how they're skating this season has factored into this, they've been surpassed by a younger team. Given the lack of support in the past, I don't think RusFed will get behind them again even if they do manage to turn the skating around and skate up to full potential. I think the fed never wanted them to be the team and now that they're struggling, it's given the fed the chance to drop them. That's why I think even if they can fix the skating, the political damage is done and impossible to fix at this point. RusFed is never going to let them back into the number 1 spot again and they're not going to back them internationally for the big medals because they've never been a fed favorite.
Basically, I'm down to they do manage to fix the skating, but they don't have the political backing to win and so they aren't allowed to win even if they outskate everyone else because they're not given the PCS and GOE. Or, they don't fix the skating, this spiral they're in just keeps continuing, and they dig themselves into a worse hole than the one they're already in.
On one final note, if there is some sort of injury or physical/health issue behind why they've been skating the way they have, I think they'd be better off to fess up. Narrative matters and it's possible to make a comeback if you have a bad season because of an injury (think D/R when Eric was injured in 16-17). Injury/health issues are much more forgivable and that can make a difference if a skater/team is trying to get back on top.
