Which signing has disappointed you the most?

[J .]

Of all the players brought in and have played at least one game with Toronto FC, which player did you have the most hope for but ended up being a failure?

Ill start...

For me, Ali Gerba. One part of me feels he did not get a fair chance to play a full season for the Reds and the other is unhappy over the allegations he was not in shape.

He has played some really good matches for Canada and I thought him and Barrett would potentially be a strong combo with Barrett opening up space for Gerba to poach. That is what Gerba is, a poacher, he needs service and is not known for his mobility or means to create plays. In a league like MLS, with some pace wide in guys like Peterson/Barrett and DeRo operating behind him in a free role, I thought Gerba would be a good fit given room to turn a defender and finish. Alas, my hopes obviously have been dashed, he under performed when he did join up and in the pre season did not look like he was putting his heart into it.

I suppose he did not come into camp in good shape and that was a massive disappointment, Ill give Preki the benefit of the doubt considering his reputation of being strict when it comes to fitness. When he signed, I thought it was a great move for the club and now we lack a proven striker aside from Barrett who lacks finish around the net.

Ali Gerba didn't last 365 days with the club, not what I expected.

Runner up: Laurent Robert. We needed some offense wide and someone who could put a cross in, he had pedigree and history....and has to be considered a failure.

[Stouffville_RPB]

Pablo Vitti - The guy obviously had talent. Skill on the ball, passing, confidence to run at defenders, runs off the ball, ability to draw fouls everything you would want except for the finishing.

[Nuvinho]

Lombardo

[flambe]

Pablo Vitti - The guy obviously had talent. Skill on the ball, passing, confidence to run at defenders, runs off the ball, ability to draw fouls everything you would want except for the finishing.

^^+1

[Parkdale]

I love threads about being disappointed!

<3<3<3





fuckit,


http://www.austinthirdgen.org/upload/threadjack.gif



Which signing made you the most happy?

I was absolutely blown away when DeRo signed. I just didn't think
it would ever happen, but somehow, it did. Who else...
I think that getting Cronin and Frei from the draft was a great move.

[Detroit_TFC]

#1: L Robert
#2: Cunningham

I never expected much from Vitti.

To be fair, IMHO we got more than expected from Guevara.

[Nuvinho]

Favourite TFC signing: Guevara

Guy who had a bad rap before coming to TFC, he did well for us, and got along with everyone.

[Parkdale]

To be fair, IMHO we got more than expected from Guevara.


yeah, good point. Like Nuvinho also said, we got more than we expected.

[sampace]

If the rumors are true and we have signed 37 year old Dickov, then I will be quite unhappy. Especially considering we have let Brennan go who was 32!!! What is Dickov going to do for TFC besides collect a paycheck? We won't have many Canadian Players left on this team at the rate Preki is dumping them left right and centre. We need Holger Osieck in charge to turn this ship around.

[Parkdale]

If the rumors are true and we have signed 37 year old Dickov, then I will be quite unhappy. Especially considering we have let Brennan go who was 32!!!

kindof a bunk argument when Brennan was clearly past his peak.
Not to say he was old or anything, because he's not, but the
difference between 37 and 32 is pretty small compared to say.... 25.

[Steve]

Wow, there are just so many. I had high hopes for Gerba (thought he would play well off DeRo and DeGuz since he has played incredibly for the CMNT), Robert (who started well and fizzled), Ricketts (his history and supposed potential), Ruiz, etc. The player, however, that I had the biggest hope for that let me down the most was... drumroll please... Mr. Cunningham.

Most of the other players were coming into MLS, and no-one really knew how they were going to perform. Cunningham came to us having already proven he could succeed at this level. Hell, in 2006 (the year before joining us) he won the Golden Boot award. I thought, for sure, Mo had pulled off the steal of the century by getting Cunningham for Esky. I wasn't even nervous, since it was well known that Kreis didn't like Cunningham not because of his skill, but because they had been strikers together on RSL and didn't get along. Fuck, I thought for sure this guy would solve all of our scoring problems.

We all know how that ended. The worst part of it all? He went on to win the golden boot the year after he left us (2009). So, he bookended his Toronto career with golden boots. That means I can't even blame Mo for not scouting properly, or missing something. Essentially, he is a talented player who we just had no idea how to use.

[Parkdale]

That means I can't even blame Mo for not scouting properly, or missing something. Essentially, he is a talented player who we just had no idea how to use.

see also:

Robert, Vitti,

[reggie]

MOJO

[fetajr]

MOJO, CARVER, and CUMMINS.. all disappointed.

[Steve]

see also:

Robert, Vitti,

Yep, I agree. Robert in the first few games was completely outclassing our team. I mean, even when he gave the ball away, he was usually making a pass into space that SHOULD HAVE had a TFC player running into it. As he played more and more games, he became more and more frustrated with our lack of off the ball movement (something that has always plagued us) and essentially looked to have given up. He kept the ball too long (because he couldn't trust his teammates) and just seemed to stop caring about the outcome of games. Quite sad really.

Vitti was kind of the same. He would have been a better player if we had had players around him he could work off of. Sure, he couldn't finish, but if we had had some good finishers, his skill on the ball would have been more important, as we wouldn't have had to rely on him to finish. Another TFC player that didn't work as much because of the supporting cast as because of their own skill.

[MG42]

Carlos Ruiz.

50 goals in 72 games for LAG

38 in 77 for FCD

0 in 5 for TFC

and he looked like the Porno for Pyros dude

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/images/2008/08/19/carlos_ruiz_2_isiphotoscom.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-kpLUp6754c/SoOYIfiwrjI/AAAAAAAAAXM/GJibqtLZOu0/s400/porno+for+pyros.jpg

[Parkdale]

Yep, I agree. Robert in the first few games was completely outclassing our team. I mean, even when he gave the ball away, he was usually making a pass into space that SHOULD HAVE had a TFC player running into it. As he played more and more games, he became more and more frustrated with our lack of off the ball movement (something that has always plagued us) and essentially looked to have given up. He kept the ball too long (because he couldn't trust his teammates) and just seemed to stop caring about the outcome of games. Quite sad really.


I remember one match where Robert put a perfect cross into Dichio that would have been an easy header just the keeper got in between the ball and Danny and jumped to catch it. Then less than two minutes later, Robert sends in the EXACT same cross, and Dichio ends up on the wrong side of the keeper again. Robert just looked so frustrated with the whole thing. If you run the same play twice, you shouldn't be making the same mistake the second time. I know theres' a lot of other factors going on, but it seems like way too often we've had a player who's just that much better than the rest of the team, and they don't fit. I just really, really hope that JDG can bring the team up to his level, instead of cheapening his game to match the lowest common denominator.

[Carts]

Mo Johnston - the face of the team from before day-1. It seems he's more interested in bringing in his friends that building a winner...

Laurent Robert - I had high hopes - never produced much...

Jeff Cunningham - he couldn't even score from 2-yards out with an open net in a Championship game, but he did produce perhaps Carver's best rant of "...how that man has scored 99 goals (etc etc..."

Pablo Vitti - he did nothing, yet people praised him like he was our best player for some reason. Possession and skill blah blah, led to nothing...

Ali Gerba - I knew he wouldn't run around & make things happen that way, but I thought we found a big, Canadian striker that would poach goals when the ball landed at his feet (ie: his goal vs Columbus), but that happened once...

Carts...

[Roogsy]

For me, Ali Gerba. One part of me feels he did not get a fair chance to play a full season for the Reds and the other is unhappy over the allegations he was not in shape.

I think TFC will regret cutting Gerba for sure.

5 games was not nearly enough so I don't understand why people would even consider calling him a bust at all. He certainly hasn't been given the endless chances that Barrett has been given.

[werewolf]

Colin Samuel, he is a fantastic player, when he tries.

[drewski]

Mo Johnston, cause that's the one that lead to all the other bad signings, which sadly, far outweigh the good one's

[druid]

Mo Johnston, cause that's the one that lead to all the other bad signings, which sadly, far outweigh the good one's

dido.

[Parkdale]

Mo Johnston, cause that's the one that lead to all the other bad signings, which sadly, far outweigh the good one's

but technically... ALL the signings came though him, so it's not really fair to judge it that way. Would you turn back the clock and never waste time on Welsh, Ruiz, Samuel and Cunningham if it also meant that Dichio, robinson and DeRo were never on the squad? I wouldn't.

[flatpicker]

I was really disappointed when Parkdale signed with MLSE

[Parkdale]

I was really disappointed when Parkdale signed with MLSE

you're just upset because

BURRITO > schwarma

[drewski]

but technically... ALL the signings came though him, so it's not really fair to judge it that way. Would you turn back the clock and never waste time on Welsh, Ruiz, Samuel and Cunningham if it also meant that Dichio, robinson and DeRo were never on the squad? I wouldn't.


yes the did, which is why I added the bit about the bad outweighing the good.

if turning back the clock meant getting a GM with a clue who made better signings and had us in a better position then we are now, yes, as much I'd miss them (though theoretically I never woulda known they had been signed, so I wouldnt' actually miss them), I would still turn the clock back. And chances are we'd have other hero's, though I imagine given he's a TO boy, DeRo woulda been brought in at some point anyway

[Pearce321]

Carlos Ruiz. Jeff Cunningham. Ali Gerba...

too many candidates to choose from.

[Beach_Red]

Of course I was disappointed when MLSE got the team. It's just sad that in this big a market they're the only ones who, as they say, "champion sports."

And then there's Teliby - he hated it here so much he ever played anywhere again.

[J .]

For me Cunningham was not much of a disappointment until after he left. I thought he was going to be a veteran that would poach and give us stable goal scoring, but his body language out on the field was that he was not really interested in giving it his best. He's tearing it up now and thats bullshit cause he didn't try here.

As for Robert, I had real high hopes. His first few games he looked good, not great, but very promising. While there were times he made plays which were not finished as pointed out by Parkdale, to me that was not the norm. I always felt he needed some rounding into form for consistency because for every solid cross he put in he was getting burned and seemed to be waiting for the play to come to him. I didnt expect a burner, but consistent attacking play. I certainly didn't feel he was justified in getting antsy about the times other players did not finish the play he created because he was guilty of the same problem.

Rohan Ricketts, also disappointed me, he would be my third choice and part of a list of wide players that have grossly under performed. I remember going insane after the Colorado game where he dominated, it was the only game where he showed why he was a candidate for the EPL. Craiger and I were bouncing off the moon with that effort. I thought finally, we have that winger who can create, score...give us more options than Amado in attack. Alas, too often he played like it was Blue Square Conference, instead of training and making an effort to be an All Star, he was busy playing on the internet.

[Parkdale]

Alas, too often he played like it was Blue Square Conference, instead of training and making an effort to be an All Star, he was busy playing on the internet.


hahaha... I swear if he wasn't good at the game, him and his cousin
would be selling bootleg DVDs and fake watches at a stall in some
London version of a flea market / swap meet.

[ecospice]

The beer agreement with Carlsberg. After 3 seasons a better beer selection at BMO is needed.

I was never a fan of Velez, either.

[TFC USA]

Nick Fucking Garcia.

Okay that was a trade but I figured this thread needed Garcia bashing.

Right now um....Gerba and Cunningham. Actually almost every true forward we've ever signed has disappointed me.

[MartinUtd]

In order (for me at least)

Jeff Cunningham
Ali Gerba
Pablo Vitti
Olivier Tebily
Johann Smith

I never expected anything from Ruiz or else he'd be on there

[spezz44]

Robert, Vitti, Ricketts, and Gerba. In order.

[KezmanCCCC]

There has been to many to keep track of... Gerba Cunningham and robert are just a few....

[Velvet Elvis]

Eskandarian had a lot of potential, but never seemed to click here.

[mastermixer]

Pablo Vitti.
I'll never forget the first time they showed him on one of those TFC TV episodes.
They put him running in slow motion with like chariots of fire music in the background. You would think we signed Messi.

[KezmanCCCC]

The thing is alot of players seem to come here and fail... maybe its not thoughs players faults... maybe TFC is just poisonous to some players... or alot of players....

[Dbl_D]

In order (for me at least)

Jeff Cunningham
Ali Gerba
Pablo Vitti
Olivier Tebily
Johann Smith

I never expected anything from Ruiz or else he'd be on there

I'm glad someone brought up Smith... promising speed and ball control... (or is that speed = out of control...)

[trane]

I am not sure it is the players, it is the club and lack of structrue brining in players, that are not wanted by the manager, or not properly used by the managers. One or two bad signings I can see but we have had too many players come in and move on.

[J .]

Johann "Crazy Legs" Smith, never expected much from him. Pace to burn, but just never was able to do anything on the wing.... and he couldnt cross, worse than mens league.

[canadian_bhoy]

There are too many to mention

Ruiz, Robert, Tebily, Welsh, Barrett, Gerba, vitti - the list goes on and on.

[morgank1986]

Gerba

We spent a lot of time crafting that Prince Ali song. It had so much potential and then he had to go and spoil it all by not playing up to expectations.

[druid]

Tebily

Ewww. That's one I'd managed to erase from my mind completely.

[MartinUtd]

Johann "Crazy Legs" Smith, never expected much from him. Pace to burn, but just never was able to do anything on the wing.... and he couldnt cross, worse than mens league.


He fooled me. He really did. I was there in Chicago when he floated in a beauty to Ibby who headed it in to tie the game. At that point I was sold that TFC had a really good up and coming winger.

Boy was I wrong.

Funny side story to that trip: I got talking to Flush after the game and later on found a thread on here where he said he was talking to "a casual fan" about road trips. I was a little embarrassed at the time and didn't speak up :facepalm:

[ManUtd4ever]

Cunny, although he started off well but never regained his form with TFC after his injury...

[J .]

He fooled me. He really did. I was there in Chicago when he floated in a beauty to Ibby who headed it in to tie the game. At that point I was sold that TFC had a really good up and coming winger.

Boy was I wrong.

Funny side story to that trip: I got talking to Flush after the game and later on found a thread on here where he said he was talking to "a casual fan" about road trips. I was a little embarrassed at the time and didn't speak up :facepalm:


Man, I remember that cross. I thought we had something brewing when Smith and Ibbe linked up. But then he couldnt control his legs, did too much, too little, low in game IQ and after that cross our strikers might as well have been nuns with the (lack of) service they got from him.

[MartinUtd]

haha..I also remember back home we'd see him streaking down the wing then come face to face with a defender.

*step over*
*step over*

*BLATANT GIVE AWAY*

Followed by a collective groan from the crowd.

End scene.

[S_D]

extending barrett for 2 seasons @ 200K

[jazzy]

MOE!

[felipe]

Most disapointing is the signings we haven't made...

1)the essential central defender - really you build your team around this guy - we've never had one.

2)a decent striker

We've been saying the same shit for three years - where are these guys?

Thats the most disapointing thing...

[Limani_Ole]

If Dickov is signed that will be the worst signing in MLS history..

Sell your tickets while they are still worth something.. !!

[Pachuco]

Personally for me it has to be Ricketts. I got caught up in the hype. I was a rookie at looking at someone's past and made lots of assumptions. Ricketts played for Spurs and Everton. He was touted as the next Beckham. How could he not come here and absolutely tear up the MLS?

Well...Ive been alot more cautious at making assumptions about a player I had never seen play since then.

[ensco]

1) Jarrod Smith
2) Tomer Chercinski
3) Abbe Ibrahim (the first one)

[TFCRegina]

Nick Garcia.

[ag futbol]

Johann "Crazy Legs" Smith, never expected much from him. Pace to burn, but just never was able to do anything on the wing.... and he couldnt cross, worse than mens league.
Winner. There's a difference between an athlete and a footballer. He had bust written all over him before he even walked it. Bit signing at 45k, nothing much was expected, nothing much was provided.

I'll say ruiz was a huge disapointment here. Showed up out of shape, out of mind... prior to that the guy was money in this league.

It was, something like this:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2352178009_327163c152.jpg

[canadian_bhoy]

Does Mo count as a signing? Because if so, I put him at the top of the list of our biggest disappointments.

Although, to be disappointed, you need to have expectations...which not many people did.

[Davenport]

Julian de Guzman.
He cost us the most (in salary) and for all that money has given us very little.

A close second is MLSE's signing of Johnston.
What a tosser.

[Pachuco]

Julian de Guzman.
He cost us the most (in salary) and for all that money has given us very little.

A close second is MLSE's signing of Johnston.
What a tosser.

I was going to say JDG, but the reality is he still has a chance to prove himself this year. So far though, I agree, he's been a bit of a dissapointment.

[J .]

The thing about JDG for me will not be the points he puts up, but if he is able to pull the strings of the midfield, someone who wins tackles, pushes the ball wide or plays it off to DeRo. For me, he has to be everywhere. Not necessarily scoring, but tackling and making solid outlet plays.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

Andy Welsh. I remember seeing that he played a few games for Sunderland in the Premier League and thought "Wow, we're getting some good players in here".

[MartinUtd]

Maybe I'm being naive but I do expect JDG to put up numbers. Not necessarily goals but since MLS counts up to two assists per score I don't think its unreasonable to think that he should be able to notch 12+ in that department. Lets face it, TFC is not a short passing team and since DeRo is such a ball hog I wouldn't be surprised if JDG has a hand in half of his goals this season.

[KezmanCCCC]

Julian de Guzman.
He cost us the most (in salary) and for all that money has given us very little.

A close second is MLSE's signing of Johnston.
What a tosser.

no way JDG can be considered a disapointment yet... he has hardly been given a chance so far... last season was a write off... we will have to see this season what he brings... but for now his slate is clean...

[Dunc]

It seems to me like we have always had one piece of the puzzle that is let down by others. (thats how it is with a salary cap i guess)

Robert could have been great. I don't regret that signing at all because he was well worth the gamble. I wouldn't even have released him.

You could see the frustration on him when he'd put in a great through ball and had nobody to get on the end of it. Dichio had the mind but not the legs to take advantage, Cunningham had the legs but not the brain to pick it out and be in the right place.

If we had an attacker who could make a solid connection with Robert's service it would've produced a lot.

Shit call me crazy but I'd even have him back this season.

[prizby]

Pablo Vitti - The guy obviously had talent. Skill on the ball, passing, confidence to run at defenders, runs off the ball, ability to draw fouls everything you would want except for the finishing.

he also had the same amount of goals in his first year in the MLS as Conor Casey did too

[KezmanCCCC]

i dont think Garcia should be considered a disappointment... you have to have some hope in the guy first inorder for him to be a disappointment... lol... and after that PK he gave away vs montreal last year in the NCC i never had hope in the asshole... so he hasnt disappointed me... i just want him off our fucking squad....

[J .]

Maybe I'm being naive but I do expect JDG to put up numbers. Not necessarily goals but since MLS counts up to two assists per score I don't think its unreasonable to think that he should be able to notch 12+ in that department. Lets face it, TFC is not a short passing team and since DeRo is such a ball hog I wouldn't be surprised if JDG has a hand in half of his goals this season.

I can see the assists thing being a big factor. But right now, Im going to give him the season to get there to be a success, failure isn't an option :drinking:

[jloome]

Personally for me it has to be Ricketts. I got caught up in the hype. I was a rookie at looking at someone's past and made lots of assumptions. Ricketts played for Spurs and Everton. He was touted as the next Beckham. How could he not come here and absolutely tear up the MLS?

Well...Ive been alot more cautious at making assumptions about a player I had never seen play since then.

Hell, I saw him play that season he started 20 games for Tottenham. I couldn't believe we'd signed him. It took about four games, and several really, really bad attempts at heroics, before that shine came off. Then it just got worse and worse from there.

Laurent Robert did fine for about three games. Then he mentally packed it in, content that there was no point trying around "inferior" football. Plus, he played totally one-way in a two-way league.

Smith was disappointing because I got the sense his career was ruined by him being moved to the wing. When he was a US u-19 striker, he looked lethal. Then Bolton moved him to the wing and he just didn't have the right tools.

But to me, all of these issues point back to the same problem: we haven't had a team gel together, with MLS-relative strength in all positions, since the team was founded. Not one preseason has ended in us having a strong starting lineup.

Uh....fire Mo?

I'm actually started to feel slightly sorry for the wee scotsman. I'm sure once he leaves here he'll manage to spin this sorry pantload to someone with money, as he obviously has the gift. But he's had a pretty sorry run so far.

[jloome]

It seems to me like we have always had one piece of the puzzle that is let down by others. (thats how it is with a salary cap i guess)

Robert could have been great. I don't regret that signing at all because he was well worth the gamble. I wouldn't even have released him.

You could see the frustration on him when he'd put in a great through ball and had nobody to get on the end of it. Dichio had the mind but not the legs to take advantage, Cunningham had the legs but not the brain to pick it out and be in the right place.

If we had an attacker who could make a solid connection with Robert's service it would've produced a lot.

Shit call me crazy but I'd even have him back this season.

Only played offense. If we'd put him the hole, that might work, and he certainly had the skill. But his didn't track back, leaving his fullback flat.

[Pachuco]

no way JDG can be considered a disapointment yet... he has hardly been given a chance so far... last season was a write off... we will have to see this season what he brings... but for now his slate is clean...

NO way man. Last season was by no means a write off. why would it ever be? if anything, this season is a bigger right off then last season. We had the players in place to make the playoffs and we didn't. Deguz did nothing to help us when he came.

It's not a clean slate scenario for Deguz, it's a you better turn it around scenario with that paycheck you're making.

Nana Attakora had more impact on this team in his first half season then Deguz has in his first half season. don't tell me Deguz gets a free pass, that's crap.

[maninb]

Mo and Garcia....and to think those 2 are best buddies....Can I make some kind of package deal with Satan to get rid of those 2? Hell he can even have my soul...