Robbo: To say I've had a bad week is an understatement

[Oldtimer]

http://www.countytimes.co.uk/columnists/To-say-I39ve-had-a.5358036.jp

speaks for itself.

[spezz44]

Calls out the defense a few times, as he should. Can tell he and the other players are upset like us. Solid read.

[CoachGT]

Very glad to see Robbo's column again and his comments about the team. Thanks for posting!

[Pachuco]

Excellent read. He's a very good writer.

Note one thing. He says Dichio was offside by a mile on the goal. I don't see any crazy threads about "there's a conspiracy, MLS refs hate TFC". People forget really quickly or turn a blind eye when a call goes our way, but when it goes against us, all hell breaks lose. Anyhow, had to throw that in there because we've been getting our way lately with refs and people aren't noticing.

[rocker]

geez, what a bad week for him, particularly with his kid

[Parkdale]

I thought Dichio got the ball back from a bounce of the post?
that makes the whole 'offside' thing a bit harder to judge, when everyone's in a cluster around the net.

[Toronto Gunner]

Wow, what a great article. I appreciate the honesty. Too bad about his kid's head.

If it's any consolation Robbo - the same thing happened to me when I was a kid and I still have a scar running about 1/4" from my hairline dead center at the top of my forehead. If a scar forms, just tell the little one that they've got a Harry Potter scar, that's what I call mine.

[Pachuco]

I thought Dichio got the ball back from a bounce of the post?
that makes the whole 'offside' thing a bit harder to judge, when everyone's in a cluster around the net.

I'm going on Robbo's word, cause I haven't seen the replay but I will when I get home. If Dichio was offside when Robbo headed the ball then he's offside when he scored, that's what I'm picturing happened based on what Robbo said.

[JonO]

The ball was pin-balling at 3 feet from the net - hard call to see (although I haven't seen the replay, I don't think it was from Robbo's header - it would have been later...)

But the point is not that their is a conspiracy, or even that the refs make bad calls - it's the lack of consistancy, even within a game. Oh - and it screws all teams, not just us...

[Boudge]

Great read, Robo is such a champ.... I like how he still beleives they can win the NCC still, hopefully this is the mindset of everyone in that locker room!

[dupont]

Robbo is the man. I know he is being completely honest when he says how much that Vancouver loss hurt him. I haven't been able to go to the last 3 home games but I am going this weekend. I am going to sing and cheer so loud for the players like him that really give a shit.

[Wighty]

To me, it looked like Dichio was in an offside position when the ball was shot at the keeper, who made the save but gave up the rebound, which Dichio then put across the goal line.

[KRO]

If you look at the replay, Dichio is in an offside position for Robbo's header off the post and in an offside position for the shot that the keeper saved.

However, as he was not involved in either of those plays and the ball came back to him off the keeper for him to score, he was not offside by the new definition.

Having said all that my immediate reaction when he scored was he was offside and I was surprised it was given. The new rule is very confusing - even the TFC players thought he was offside!

[Gobi]

Excellent read. He's a very good writer.


You're joking, right?

I love him as a player, and love reading his take on things, but a competent writer he is not.

Eg:

This totally deflated us and we ended up losing 2-1 totally against the run of play. Positives to take out, well we showed character but still ended up with nothing. Negatives, well there are too many to name, but we move on.

Don't they say, things always happen in threes, well hopefully that's the case for the week just gone.

I also managed to sit down and watch wales play Azerbaijan in Baku...There's so much wrong with this linguistically; I don't know where to begin.

It's ok, it's not his day job. :)

[KRO]

I'm going to contradict my previous post. I took the time to read the rules properly and found this clarification.


Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position includes playing a ball that rebounds to the player off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that rebounds to the player off an opponent having been in an offside position.

This describes Dichio's situation perfectly and therefore Robbo was right and our only goal in the last 3 games should have been disallowed.

[Blazer]

If his son looks anything like him, the forehead gash shouldn’t leave much of a scar on his three-quarter inched skull. Honestly, Robbo barely has one!
http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/imgs/bios/photos/robinson_c.jpg

[TorontoBlades]

Excellent read. He's a very good writer.

Note one thing. He says Dichio was offside by a mile on the goal. I don't see any crazy threads about "there's a conspiracy, MLS refs hate TFC". People forget really quickly or turn a blind eye when a call goes our way, but when it goes against us, all hell breaks lose. Anyhow, had to throw that in there because we've been getting our way lately with refs and people aren't noticing.


my perfect view from 111 - offside for sure. We had a ton of calls go our way against LA and still lost.

[TorontoBlades]

You're joking, right?

I love him as a player, and love reading his take on things, but a competent writer he is not.

Eg:
There's so much wrong with this linguistically; I don't know where to begin.

It's ok, it's not his day job. :)

I don't think he meant gramatically, this is not English class. It was meant more for his persepctive on things, which I agree with him on.

[Beach_Red]

You're joking, right?

I love him as a player, and love reading his take on things, but a competent writer he is not.

Eg:
There's so much wrong with this linguistically; I don't know where to begin.

It's ok, it's not his day job. :)

Writing isn't just about grammar, though. He is a good writer because he does what very few writers can - he gets his voice across really well.

Writing is my day job and my grammar is no better than his ;).

[Pachuco]

You're joking, right?

I love him as a player, and love reading his take on things, but a competent writer he is not.

Eg:
There's so much wrong with this linguistically; I don't know where to begin.

It's ok, it's not his day job. :)

I find his writing very entertaining. Sometimes it's about the substance and not how grammatically correct he is when he writes. Believe me, I'd rather read that shit then some moron who has no substance but can use big words to sound cool.

[Gobi]

^ Fair point, P.

[ExiledRed]

You're joking, right?

I love him as a player, and love reading his take on things, but a competent writer he is not.

Eg:
There's so much wrong with this linguistically; I don't know where to begin.

It's ok, it's not his day job. :)

That's not what he wrote, it's a bad translation from the welsh.

they mistranslated this bit for a start.

"LLiiansde sferttrehthielli ogdenlla ruinne pwllererehiillfair Bwddr yr cyfiethied llungogono ym run gaer."

which means,

"The forward we have come to affectionately refer to as Barretta is more like a cork gun with the string still attached."

[Pigfynn]

That's not what he wrote, it's a bad translation from the welsh.

they mistranslated this bit for a start.

"LLiiansde sferttrehthielli ogdenlla ruinne pwllererehiillfair Bwddr yr cyfiethied llungogono ym run gaer."

which means,

"The forward we have come to affectionately refer to as Barretta is more like a cork gun with the string still attached."


:lol:

[Gwando]

Not sure if this has been discussed here or not...here's the link:
http://www.countytimes.co.uk/columnists/To-say-I39ve-had-a.5358036.jp (http://www.countytimes.co.uk/columnists/To-say-I39ve-had-a.5358036.jp)

"This was a major disappointment and words were exchanged in the locker room. Did this defeat actually hurt some players?"

This is my favorite part. I figure the 'conversation' went something like this:

Robo: "Vitti, you complete fuckin idiot! Why in the hell can you not score a single fuckin' goal!"
Vitti: "Well, my foot is kinda of broken and won't..."
Robo: "Oh, never mind your lame excuses!" Robinson turns away and now faces a downfaced Chad Barrett. "Chad can't bury it, Chad can't bury it!" he sings in mock irony. "Barrett, you complete asshole! Do you have any idea how to get ball A into net B? Huh? Let's try this simple, you kick ball, ball does NOT fly off over net, does NOT skip wide and land in someone's beer in the stands, does NOT gently float into the keepers arms...no! No! No! The ball goes into the fuckin' net!"
Barrett: "Well, you see, my foot goes all kinda funny when..."
Robo: (Kicking over the refreshment table) "Oh, for fuck sakes!"

[spezz44]

Not to be rude but this was posted a few days ago.

[spezz44]

sorry it was posted yesterday.

http://www.redpatchboys.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=14374

[FluSH]

You know what... Robinson can write... I thoroughly enjoyed reading that...as bad as it was (describing the losing events) it was a good piece.

[Gwando]

Ya, sorry, didn't know. Had a feeling it was. I am sure someone will merge the thread. But the 'conversation', that's what is the point of it all

[Kickit09]

More like.....

Robo: "Vitti, you complete fuckin idiot! Why in the hell can you not score a single fuckin' goal!"
Velez: "completar fuckin idiota! Por qué en el infierno le puede no raya un solo golaso"
Vitti: " mi pie es de un poco roto, y no"

Velez: "Well, my foot is kinda of broken and won't..."
Robo: "Oh, never mind your lame excuses!" Robinson turns away and now faces a downfaced Chad Barrett. "Chad can't bury it, Chad can't bury it!" he sings in mock irony. "Barrett, you complete asshole! Do you have any idea how to get ball A into net B? Huh? Let's try this simple, you kick ball, ball does NOT fly off over net, does NOT skip wide and land in someone's beer in the stands, does NOT gently float into the keepers arms...no! No! No! The ball goes into the fuckin' net!"
Barrett: "Well, you see, my foot goes all kinda funny when..."
Robo: (Kicking over the refreshment table) "Oh, for fuck sakes!"

[Gwando]

Kickit, can we have a translation?

[ecospice]

Kickit, can we have a translation?

no, that's the point. duh!

[Gwando]

Ha. okay...sorry, I get it... c'mon though, the original 'conversation' is funny... no one? any one?

[Stryker]

It seems that not only Robo but a number of players have been calling out other players.
Ah he'll let's be honest we all know they're talking about Barrett.
Makes me wonder if his attitude has made him unpopular in the the dressing room cause dispite his lack of goals, he has been working hard and teammates rarely call someone out who's busting his tail.

[Carter]

Locker Room cancer....

[FluSH]

I mentioned this in the other thread... and I will here as well... Robo can write! I truly enjoyed reading this piece.