Today's News,Tuesday,Apr.20

[denime]

Mornin,


Toronto FC needs rapid improvement (http://www.cbc.ca/sports/blogs/nigelreed/2010/04/toronto-fc-needs-rapid-improvement-1.html)


Interesting Trends Developing Early in MLS (http://www.goltv.ca/blog/lee_godfrey_soccer_blog/134/)


Gerba blasts TFC for letting him go (http://www.mlssoccer.com/content/gerba-blasts-tfc-letting-him-go)


Gerba has sense of entitlement (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/gerba-has-sense-of-entitlement/article1539934/)


Gerba rips TFC’s Preki, Johnston (http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/mls/torontofc/article/797662--gerba-rips-tfc-s-preki-johnston)




SUNSHINE (http://www.torontosun.com/sunshinegirl/)

[keem-o-sabi]

Coed Ladies of the Day 1 (http://coedmagazine.com/2010/04/19/miss-coed-heather-lynn-theisen/) and 2 (http://www.totalprosports.com/2010/04/19/picture-of-the-day-check-out-the-size-of-that-wave/)

[FluSH]

Another day... please give me some good TFC news...

[scooter]

mornin d

[Carts]

Another day... please give me some good TFC news...

Our team is extremely successfull from a business stand point and is in no danger of folding... That is good news... :)

I couldn't beleive the poor crowd in Colorado - I know there's alot going on in Denver these days - but the announced crowd of 9,000 (approx) looked like it was inflated by the 'rule of 3'...

Carts...

[flatpicker]

The Globe and The Star seem to have very different perspectives on the Gerba situation.

[daner90]

pic 4 of the SSG...wow that is interesting lol

[ensco]

Face it, the vast majority of European based players and coaches, from Beckham on down, haven't thought much of MLS practices.

That's not news. Paul James needs to provide more evidence of a specific "attitude of entitlement" that impacted on Gerba and his dealings with TFC. The fact that Gerba didn't like the regimen is not important.

Would Gerba run, or wouldn't he? Was he an attitude problem, or not?

Is it really an "attitude of entitlement" not to like getting cut via email?

[arbogast]

Face it, the vast majority of European based players and coaches, from Beckham on down, haven't thought much of MLS practices.

That's not news. Paul James needs to provide more evidence of a specific "attitude of entitlement" that impacted on Gerba and his dealings with TFC. The fact that Gerba didn't like the regimen is not important.

Would Gerba run, or wouldn't he? Was he an attitude problem, or not?

Is it really an "attitude of entitlement" not to like getting cut via email?

^^ Agreed. paul James has had it out for Gerba for years, he's trashed him time and again for a poor attitude and lack lustre work ethic, but never gave any specifics.

[Oldtimer]

Posted on April 19, 2010

Who would have thought that after week 4 the New York Red Bulls would be top of the table in the MLS East? A complete revamp of their roster, a new stadium, and a new coach and this team is certainly on the up and up. Certainly it may be a little bit early to really dive into how things are looking, but if things continue along the same lines we are starting to see how things may roll out for Major League Soccer’s 15th season. Could we once again see two teams from the West in MLS Cup, in an Eastern venue (BMO Field)?


Parity is king in MLS.
A rebuild can happen in just 1 season, once Mo is gone.

[Pachuco]

Paul James sounds like even more of a whiny bitch then Gerba does in his interview. I don't know who he thinks he is but he really is making himself look like the bigger idiot. That wasn't journalism from Paul James, that was na na na boo boo shit.

[Beach_Red]

Parity is king in MLS.
A rebuild can happen in just 1 season, once Mo is gone.

Yes, New York would be a great lead to follow.

What's the biggst difference between the team today and five years ago?

[menefreghista]

The Ali Gerba issue aside, I think Paul James is absolutely right with his assessment that the CMNT players have a sense of entitlement.

There have been countless instances.

-whining about fake turf at BMO Field.
-complaining our friendly opponents suck despite the fact that we can't even beat the likes of Estonia, Iceland, Macedonia, etc.
-partying in Montreal after a crucial World Cup loss, days before the next World Cup game.

[rocker]

Not to defend Paul James (I think he's a miserable cunt usually) but he seems to be using Gerba as an example of the typical modern Canadian player, which he certainly has experience with. He obviously hates Mo, respects Preki, and does not respect Gerba and other problematic Canadians. Not an unreasonable position.

[Roogsy]

Winsper left this year and they didn't replace him. Preki said he'd take care of that side of training. Is it possible that this is all Preki is doing? Personally I have seen no evidence of tactics. Even during the game, I don't see Preki doing what I see other coaches doing which is positioning players as the game goes along. He just sits there with his arms crossed. I guess the players are doing what he is asking of them 100% of the time?

[Kaz]

I find it interesting that is two players that have played in Europe now, how have made comments about the lack of Tactics.. JDG said that as well that he is used to knowing where everyone is, and that there doesn't seem to be any tactics in MLS... (I'm sure he meant TFC specifically though as other teams have tactics)

Seems to me that Preki relies on his players ability as individuals.

I wonder who the new GM and Coach next year will be?

[Beach_Red]

Winsper left this year and they didn't replace him. Preki said he'd take care of that side of training. Is it possible that this is all Preki is doing? Personally I have seen no evidence of tactics. Even during the game, I don't see Preki doing what I see other coaches doing which is positioning players as the game goes along. He just sits there with his arms crossed. I guess the players are doing what he is asking of them 100% of the time?


Did they really not replace him? Is the training staff smaller this year than last year?

[ua-kozak_TFC]

Not sure if any body read this. But it interesting what peter nowak had to say about TFC's chances against Phily. ( I totallly agree with him...)
http://www.mlssoccer.com/content/kick-inter-host-barca-fc-dallas-makes-new-hire
Barcelona’s 600-mile bus ride to Milan, Italy, and the debate over the competitive disadvantage it represents has been the chief story line (http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=afp-fbleurc1itaespinterbarcelona) heading into this afternoon’s first leg UEFA Champions League semifinal between the defending champions and Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan (2:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net, Fox Sports en Español).
Barça manager Pep Guardiola says he used the hours on the road to watch several of Inter’s matches.
The subplots abound: there is Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic facing their former clubs, Inter’s quest for their first European championship in 45 years, the unstoppable Lionel Messi looking to maintain his run form, the Milito brothers going head-to-head, Inter’s chase of the treble and the pragmatism of José Mourinho clashing with the style of Guardiola’s Barça. It’s a fascinating matchup that many would have preferred to see in the final.
Could Peter Nowak be the Mourinho of MLS? His statements to the media are unpredictable and entertaining. On Tuesday he served up a Ben Johnson steroid quote (http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/04/20/sports/doc4bcd1bcb1e116896438323.txt) and stated that Toronto FC had no chance of "sniffing" a win against a full-strength Philly side.
That’s the last thing TFC need to hear after Ali Gerba resurfaced yesterday in a video interview with some choice words for those who run the club. But one reporter takes it with a grain of salt (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/gerba-has-sense-of-entitlement/article1539934/).
In the meantime, the home of Nowak’s Philadelphia Union gets a touch of green (http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/04/20/news/doc4bcd19a7a9a09779026108.txt).
They’re also looking to build a stadium in Edmonton, Canada. How long before the Edmonton to MLS articles (http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/local/article/507012--fc-edmonton-to-hit-the-pitch-with-european-flavour)?
The media can even get to Landon Donovan sometimes. In this video he loses his patience with a reporter (http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/sow/Featured_Videos/19218931#sow/Featured_Videos/19218931).
Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, Clint Dempsey is featured by Jeremy Schaap and E:60. Here’s a video preview of the piece. (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5099279)
Claudio Reyna says that the next Clint Dempsey needs to be developed by clubs (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/sports/soccer/20vecsey.html) and not merely discovered.
One player whose U.S. National Team candidature is picking up steam is Player of the Week Edson Buddle. Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jason Kreis says he should get an opportunity (http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_14917892).
The Seattle Sounders make a grand unveiling today: their third kit (http://gosounders.com/2010/04/19/sounders-to-reveal-3rd-kit-on-tuesday/).
One day after the Alessandro Del Piero rumors began to swirl, Ryan Nelsen says he would enjoy a return to MLS after his EPL career is over in two years. While that news is not quite stunning, it is shocking that it comes through a book titled: Ryan Nelsen's Road to the World Cup. (http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/3599136/Phoenix-eye-on-Ryan-Nelsen)
D.C. United could probably use a guy like Nelsen given the new long-term injuries to Dejan Jackovic and Chris Pontius. Read what Curt Onalfo (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2010/04/a_few_minutes_with_curt_onalfo.html#more) and Dave Kasper have to say (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2010/04/a_few_minutes_with_dave_kasper_1.html#more) about the club’s current situation.
If you want candid analysis, FC Dallas manager Schellas Hyndman provides it in this analysis of Jeff Cunningham (http://www.3rddegree.net/2010/04/19/hyndman-calls-out-cunningham/).
More news from Dallas: It seems they have settled on a technical director (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/soccer/stories/042010dnspofcdallaslede__.3c19512.html) from the college ranks. The club will also play the Haitian National Team this Friday (http://www.3rddegree.net/2010/04/19/fcd-to-play-haiti-friday/) in a benefit match to assist the earthquakes relief efforts.
Liverpool defeated West Ham 3-0 on Monday to keep Jonathan Spector and the Hammers (http://www.mlssoccer.com/content/europe-liverpool-keep-euro-hopes-alive-3-0-win-over-west-ham) mired in the relegation battle.
With all the Yanks Abroad recaps that are all over the web, bet you didn’t know how many Americans were plying their trade in Israel (http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37709/adeleye-scores-first-goal-in-israel.html).

[spark]

A segue from the Gerba vids/articles, is this just another symptom of how the business side of MLS (and some of it's clubs) is completely out of whack with the professional football side?

FIRST RATE FANS, FOURTH RATE FOOTBALL CULTURE (http://www.rednationonline.ca/first-rate_fans_fourth-rate_football_culture_apr_20_10_column.shtml)

[Suds]

The Globe and The Star seem to have very different perspectives on the Gerba situation.

Yeah, it's good to get different perspectives, eh?

With Paul James being a former coach and manager you can see he's clearly taking it on from that viewpoint.

[Sonny Cheeba]

pic 4 of the SSG...wow that is interesting lol

tell me about it... the first pic made me hopeful, she was kinda cute.

but then someone pulled the pin out of the grenade.

[TFCREDNWHITE]

Montreal Impact in the MLS announcement coming in May.....

Talks about Impact playing Fiorentina, AC Milan and MLS announcement

http://www.team990.com/sound_bytes/view/session/oranges_halftime_podcast/7/

MLS announcement is towards the end of the Joey Saputo interview...about 17th minute...

[J .]

I think the James artile is spot on!

[jloome]

Face it, the vast majority of European based players and coaches, from Beckham on down, haven't thought much of MLS practices.

That's not news. Paul James needs to provide more evidence of a specific "attitude of entitlement" that impacted on Gerba and his dealings with TFC. The fact that Gerba didn't like the regimen is not important.

Would Gerba run, or wouldn't he? Was he an attitude problem, or not?

Is it really an "attitude of entitlement" not to like getting cut via email?

I had a senior manager (in the world of newspaper cutbacks) essentially threaten me with this statement. "You have an attitude of entitlement."

I had to explain the difference to him between entitlement (things to which you are actually entitled) and "self-entitlement" (things to which you believe you are entitled.")

"Attitude of entitlement" is just a current management buzz term for "we want to treat you like a piece of machinery."

[rocker]

I had a senior manager (in the world of newspaper cutbacks) essentially threaten me with this statement. "You have an attitude of entitlement."

I had to explain the difference to him between entitlement (things to which you are actually entitled) and "self-entitlement" (things to which you believe you are entitled.")

"Attitude of entitlement" is just a current management buzz term for "we want to treat you like a piece of machinery."

Did you work at 11 newspapers in 10 years?

Usually the entitlement line is used when you've been in a place forever. Gerba is probably entitled to nothing but a paycheque given his inability to succeed anywhere (even at Dons.. why did he leave?). James makes a good point though with Canadian players expecting a lot despite not contributing the expected.

[spark]

James makes a good point though with Canadian players expecting a lot despite not contributing the expected.

Yeah but it's not like up until a few years back these players were given anything much to begin with.

If Canada had a top notch federation in place, then I'd agree, but for the most part there is still alot of BS here and if a player really wants to make a good career they have to go overseas and fend for themselves. IMO that's where this 'attitude' has been cultivated, which ultimately falls back onto Canadian soccer.

I think my point is, it goes both ways.

[jloome]

Did you work at 11 newspapers in 10 years?

Usually the entitlement line is used when you've been in a place forever. Gerba is probably entitled to nothing but a paycheque given his inability to succeed anywhere (even at Dons.. why did he leave?). James makes a good point though with Canadian players expecting a lot despite not contributing the expected.

James offers no insight into that situation other than "read between the lines."

I don't doubt he's right, because it's a logical assertion. But it's still an assertion, and as far as I know he's never actually coached gerba, or worked with an organization that's coached Gerba. So how the fuck would he know if he actually has an attitude of entitlement.

[jloome]

Did you work at 11 newspapers in 10 years?

Usually the entitlement line is used when you've been in a place forever. Gerba is probably entitled to nothing but a paycheque given his inability to succeed anywhere (even at Dons.. why did he leave?). James makes a good point though with Canadian players expecting a lot despite not contributing the expected.

But generally, James is right about Canadian players. We lost Holger OSieck because guys like Forrest and DeVos knew that the answer with a tough coach is to act as professionally as possible, but guys like Watson and Bircham thought the Nats owed them something.

[rdroze]

James offers no insight into that situation other than "read between the lines."

I don't doubt he's right, because it's a logical assertion. But it's still an assertion, and as far as I know he's never actually coached gerba, or worked with an organization that's coached Gerba. So how the fuck would he know if he actually has an attitude of entitlement.

Ali G was part of the U20 squad in 2001, of which Paul James was head coach. Ali was part of the successful qualifying for the U20 World Cup, but was then dropped for the final tournament. One assumes James already has a very clear opinion of Gerba based (at least) on this history.

[TFCREDNWHITE]

Ali G was part of the U20 squad in 2001, of which Paul James was head coach. Ali was part of the successful qualifying for the U20 World Cup, but was then dropped for the final tournament. One assumes James already has a very clear opinion of Gerba based (at least) on this history.


Hmmm very interesting....

[J .]

James makes a good point though with Canadian players expecting a lot despite not contributing the expected.

I think that is the point. The players always want more from the FO or the CSA, but never play up to their potential.

During Gerbas time here he was a disappointment and I call bullshit on him being in shape. He was garbage and it hurts to say that cause I really wanted him on the team. My high expectations were horribly let down.

[Ron Manager]

I think we might be forgetting that we (almost) all considered Ali a bit of a risk when he was signed. His rep as not being a hard worker or very mobile was discussed and the general thought was "Let's hope he works out here.

Guess he didn't.

No great loss I think and I have to say he comes off as a whiner in the interview. Whether or not he has a point is a different matter.

[koryo]

Face it, the vast majority of European based players and coaches, from Beckham on down, haven't thought much of MLS practices.

That's not news. Paul James needs to provide more evidence of a specific "attitude of entitlement" that impacted on Gerba and his dealings with TFC. The fact that Gerba didn't like the regimen is not important.

Would Gerba run, or wouldn't he? Was he an attitude problem, or not?

Is it really an "attitude of entitlement" not to like getting cut via email?

Not liking training doesn't necessarily equate to not wanting to work hard.

If a training regimen is all fitness and no work on the ball... well, that kind of training is about 60 years out-of-date.

It's quite clear that the team hasn't done much work on the ball to-date.

Point is: fitness good, as is technical practice. You need both.

There has to be a balance in this, as in the relationship with your players. I don't think Preki understands either.

[ag futbol]

Well that's easy for PJ to say, as everyone seems everyone who played for him at the national team level seems to hold him in pretty low esteem. How many more former players from his youth teams will he write critical articles about?

I find it extremely hilarious in a country where soccer is a middle class sport, the only development route is basically through the CSA (ergo it's kiss ass or get out all the way through, many a talent has been sent home for things that were far less than attitude problems), that people like Paul James have the stones to label the majority of our players as having attitude problems (which is much different than just looking at Ali Gerba).

Sounds to me like the incompetent craftsman blaming his tools. Maybe when getting a job at the CSA involves something more than being a member of the old boys club and coaches have actual qualifications, we can revisit this argument. Who wouldn't take issue with following orders from someone who is incompetent and continually puts you down for their own self-gain?

Write this down as reason #4000 why i have no respect for PJ.

[TFCRegina]

pic 4 of the SSG...wow that is interesting lol

CwCWvn60L3w

We can just call her teef...

[kdzb]

Our team is extremely successfull from a business stand point and is in no danger of folding... That is good news... :)

I couldn't beleive the poor crowd in Colorado - I know there's alot going on in Denver these days - but the announced crowd of 9,000 (approx) looked like it was inflated by the 'rule of 3'...

Carts...

Even my wife who is not really into soccer asked me where were the crowd at that game,
One section of the stadium had only 2 people into the entire section ...Very sad to see.

[TFC115]

Tell me someone saw the wing vs coyotes game....there was a guy in the 3rd period when detriot killed off a penelty and showed him with a tfc hat on all hammered and going crazy with 1 of those beer hats.I swear tfc is everywhere!