Barrett...?

[Shakes McQueen]

So, in light of the performance today, does anyone have any clue when we can expect Chad Barrett to play again?

- Scott

[Juanito]

Man I miss him. This is a first in my vocabulary.

[Pachuco]

It all starts in the service to the strikers. Getting Barrett back and having him score a goal out of nothing is a band aid to the problem. We have no midfielders on this team that can service strikers.

But yes, we need Barrett back badly.

[kaos197O]

So, in light of the performance today, does anyone have any clue when we can expect Chad Barrett to play again?

- Scott
He trained yesterday and rumour is he may be ready for this Saturday. 680 News mentioned it this morning!

[Phil]

Remember when we rushed him back last time....what was it 5 minutes before it happened again?

I am all for his return but he needs to be healthy before they think of putting him back on that field.

[denime]

It all starts in the service to the strikers. Getting Barrett back and having him score a goal out of nothing is a band aid to the problem. We have no midfielders on this team that can service strikers.

But yes, we need Barrett back badly.

THIS :iagree:100%

[ecantona7]

Remember when we rushed him back last time....what was it 5 minutes before it happened again?

I am all for his return but he needs to be healthy before they think of putting him back on that field.

Was against NYRB. He finished off the game though even though he quickly tweeked his injury again so it's surprising to see him out for this long. Hope he's back cause this season he's been absolute class. Chicago at home, motagua at home and away, Chivas and these are just off the top of my head.

As much as I hate player bashing, it's hard to defend the likes of OBW, Peterson in a TFC shirt and don't even get me started on Ibrahim.

[James17930]

Barrett, yes -- but also Mista. Seriously, they need to get that situation sorted out.

Is he injured or is it some locker room bullshit?

[Juanito]

^^

Knowing Preki (not that I know him personally), it's the latter.

[__wowza]

i can do without mista. as an option yeah he can take up some space, but he's not where we need him to be. at least obi has been killing himself for balls. yes he can't finish, but he tries. mista can't finish and he doesn't try. he's better skill wise, but that doesn't change the fact that neither of the can put the ball in the twine.

[stugautz]

at least obi has been killing himself for balls. yes he can't finish, but he tries.

Funny you say that, Barret was like that the first year he was here before things started to click. Just give the kid time.

[rocker]

I understand the sentiment about not wanting to rush Barrett back. But honestly, we don't have many games left. He's gotta get back soon or he'll require another pre-season just to get up to speed...and by then the season will be over.

[T_Mizz]

It all starts in the service to the strikers. Getting Barrett back and having him score a goal out of nothing is a band aid to the problem. We have no midfielders on this team that can service strikers.

But yes, we need Barrett back badly.
This is classic because before this season it was the opposite, we'd be all,

"It all starts with the strikers. Having Barrett in there and having him miss open chances is like ripping a band aid off. We have no strikers that can use the service their getting from the midfielders."

[Fort York Redcoat]

i can do without mista. as an option yeah he can take up some space, but he's not where we need him to be. at least obi has been killing himself for balls. yes he can't finish, but he tries. mista can't finish and he doesn't try. he's better skill wise, but that doesn't change the fact that neither of the can put the ball in the twine.

OBW appears to be killing himself because his football sense is terrible right now. Perhaps he can grow into it but our league games have become too important to continue growing him.

Countless times he finds himself on the wrong side of the ball and outpaced by legs shorter than his. Too often (just yesterday) he was simply outmatched in the air by players a head shorter than him.

But the way he goes down after impact with another player? It looks like he's working his ass off.

That's not to say I don't expect more from Mista but just because he doesn't waste effort needlessly don't damn Mista just yet.

How did we land on Guevara? There were lots of complaints on his effort during his stay...

[__wowza]

Funny you say that, Barret was like that the first year he was here before things started to click. Just give the kid time.

oh, i agree. it just goes back to the age old conversation of depth. barrett didn't deserve to start when he did. if he was brought up properly he could've played like he was playing this season 2 seasons ago. obi does need time, he also needs to get in shape and better footie IQ. some of the judgement calls i saw him make made me scratch my head, but those will get fixed in time. it's just hard justifying that when the kid's a 24 year old striker who has 4 goals in 27 apps.


OBW appears to be killing himself because his football sense is terrible right now. Perhaps he can grow into it but our league games have become too important to continue growing him.

Countless times he finds himself on the wrong side of the ball and outpaced by legs shorter than his. Too often (just yesterday) he was simply outmatched in the air by players a head shorter than him.

But the way he goes down after impact with another player? It looks like he's working his ass off.

+1

you don't reward mista by playing him and say "hey, thanks for working your ass off, but we're going to start the other guy who shows no signs of ever giving a damn!"

[Fort York Redcoat]

you don't reward mista by playing him and say "hey, thanks for working your ass off, but we're going to start the other guy who shows no signs of ever giving a damn!"

BUT you don't play a DP 2 full games, decide he's not doing enough and play the kid you're barely paying. OBW and Mista should have very different expectations from all of us when talking $$ value.

[Pachuco]

This is classic because before this season it was the opposite, we'd be all,

"It all starts with the strikers. Having Barrett in there and having him miss open chances is like ripping a band aid off. We have no strikers that can use the service their getting from the midfielders."

That's what happens when you blow up your midfield and bring in a bunch of plumbers to man the middle and the wings.

[ACSertL]

It all starts in the service to the strikers. Getting Barrett back and having him score a goal out of nothing is a band aid to the problem. We have no midfielders on this team that can service strikers.

But yes, we need Barrett back badly.

Barrett himself is also a fairly good provider.

[v00d00daddy]

Sorry but I disagree about the whole Mista v. OBW thing. I couldn't care less if OBW runs his ass off. He does that cause he has no idea where he's supposed to be. Ironic that this thread is about Barrett...who is just about the same type of player with marginally more touch.

Both guys together don't have the "football IQ" that Mista has.

And sorry to say..that shit doesn't "come around". If you don't have it in your mid 20's you never will. OBW's first touch is not going to get much better (if at all). Same goes for Barrett.

So why in god's name are we upset that our midfield is full of "plumbers" and not upset that our forwards are just as bad (if not worse)?

Our starting forwards should be Maicon and Mista. First one who is gassed gets subbed off by Barrett. That's it.

OBW should only play in extreme circumstances. Ibby should never play.

That's our forward sitch as I see it.

[v00d00daddy]

That's what happens when you blow up your midfield and bring in a bunch of plumbers to man the middle and the wings.

Losing Guevara constitutes blowing up the midfield?

Who did we lose that was good/better at distributing the ball than what we got now...other than Guevara?

Cronin?
Robbo?
Serioux?
Wynne?

Which one of these guys is the "non plumber"?

I wish we had Guevara back as much as the next guy but I think we're over reacting a bit.

We don't score because our forwards (that get playing time) don't score...same old story.

[JonO]

Still not sure why people are critical of Barrett's first touch. I think it's actually quite good. His problem generally is when he has too much time to think and his consistancy...

[ecantona7]

Still not sure why people are critical of Barrett's first touch. I think it's actually quite good. His problem generally is when he has too much time to think and his consistancy...
Nail on the head right there. When Chad doesn't have time to think he's absolute class for MLS standards. It's just that when he has time on the ball then he panics a little and shit gets messed up. His consistency was getting there but unfortunately he picked up that injury which not only set him back, but set the team back as a whole. Chad's first touch is fine btw.

[Fishnicker]

Was against NYRB. He finished off the game though even though he quickly tweeked his injury again so it's surprising to see him out for this long.

To me it looked like he tweaked his adductor after the grass gave way under his plant foot, not the hamstring. I blame it all on that goddamned kinesio tape TFC started using this season. "Here - put on this Q-ray bracelet and run as fast as you can - your hammie will be magically healed!"

[hodgkiss]

given that barrett and mista won't feature this weekend... i would like to make a suggestion for a new line up. i think several players have had quite a few chances at starting and some just don't have it. in particular, white and garcia. although hate to say it but garcia has been better than he has in the past but it's still not good enough and he is a liability every time he sees the pitch. de guzman is another one that i'm not sure what is wrong with him but he needs a kick in the ass or something... peterson has no right to see the pitch - he is garbage. usanov is out with too many cautions. get gargan up, de guzman back, henry in, with harden, nana and cann, get dero and gala forward and on the left side where they like it with dero closer to the middle. larocca on the right side - he looks good there and santos up front solo. this would be great defensively and offensively - could be an all out attack and forwards can feel confident that the back four will be strong with this group including gargan and de guzman.

only subs i would consider would be: ibby in late for gala and play two up front. nane in for gala and let de ro go wide left and he can defend the mid in front of gargan and de guzman OR... white in for santos if we have a good lead by 2 or more goals.


but i would try something like this:

-----------------------frei-------------------------

-------------attakora-------cann-----------------
---henry--------------------------------harden---

------------------------------de guzman----------
-----------------gargan----------------------------

labrocca--------------------de rosario-------gala

-------------------santos--------------------------

[Bombonera]

Henry?...Gala? Have you lost it?
No JDG I agree with. What an unbelievable waste of space....

[Heart of Stone]

Barrett likely to want to play for the TIMBERS next year...

[supersaint]

You can get away with plumbers more in the midfield than up front. I loved to watch Guevara and I think that he would have been a great addition to our midfield just now with his class. He would have complemented the workhorses. He would have worked well with Mista, and Maicon Santos, and definitely Chad and DeRo....but wait....nearly forgot Preki is our coach and he would have benched Guevara for not WORKING his ass off enough and that would have been the end of him. As for Chad, I really saw him working hard on his game, I like his first touch also, I like his confidence, and he is obviously gonna do well by Preki cos he also works his ass off!

:drinking:

[Brooker]

Barrett likely to want to play for the TIMBERS next year...

based on what?

[Pachuco]

Losing Guevara constitutes blowing up the midfield?

Who did we lose that was good/better at distributing the ball than what we got now...other than Guevara?

Cronin?
Robbo?
Serioux?
Wynne?

Which one of these guys is the "non plumber"?

I wish we had Guevara back as much as the next guy but I think we're over reacting a bit.

We don't score because our forwards (that get playing time) don't score...same old story.

Robbo, Vitti, Johann Smith, Guevara, Brennan (great crosses even from the D), Harmse, Ricketts.

If you don't call losing 7 midfielders blowing up the midfield then I don't know what to tell you.

I would take last year's midfield over this year's midfield in a heartbeat. I guess you haven't noticed yet that we don't have a single player who is a natural winger on this midfield and that this year's midfield is made up of a bunch of hard running plumbers with no vision.

If you think our strikers are the problem please don't ever take up a coaching job.

As for your other post talking about how Mista is a starting striker on this team, now I get it. I get why you love JDG so much. You really do only look at a player's pedigree and make an assessment right away. Mista has shown nothing that suggests he should be starting over Barrett.

[v00d00daddy]

Robbo, Vitti, Johann Smith, Guevara, Brennan (great crosses even from the D), Harmse, Ricketts.

If you don't call losing 7 midfielders blowing up the midfield then I don't know what to tell you.

I would take last year's midfield over this year's midfield in a heartbeat. I guess you haven't noticed yet that we don't have a single player who is a natural winger on this midfield and that this year's midfield is made up of a bunch of hard running plumbers with no vision.

If you think our strikers are the problem please don't ever take up a coaching job.

As for your other post talking about how Mista is a starting striker on this team, now I get it. I get why you love JDG so much. You really do only look at a player's pedigree and make an assessment right away. Mista has shown nothing that suggests he should be starting over Barrett.


lol...you're a funny guy.

you miss Ricketts, Robbo, Harmse, Johann Smith and Brennan?

Wow.

Guevara I will agree with because he's the type of player we need more than anything else.

Mista is not about pedigree. He's about touch and vision. Both of which he has shown in his little playing time. Barrett on the other hand has played more than any other bad player in this teams history. He's been given ample time to show that he's good and he hasn't.

If you think this team is missing play on the wing from the likes of Brennan, Ricketts and Johann Smith....I just don't know what to say.

As for coaching....you take out JDG and Mista and put in Robbo and Barrett....

Pure genius. I'm sure we'd be on the fast track to attractive, attacking football with all the guys you think we're missing. I've never used one of these before but it's totally warranted here:
:facepalm:

[Fort York Redcoat]

If you think our strikers are the problem please don't ever take up a coaching job.

As for your other post talking about how Mista is a starting striker on this team, now I get it. I get why you love JDG so much. You really do only look at a player's pedigree and make an assessment right away. Mista has shown nothing that suggests he should be starting over Barrett.

So are you saying that it's up to our midfield to score goals? Then say it. Cause you're not saying much yourself other than you don't like what he said.

A question for you: How long was it you gave Mista to perform? What did he have to do?

[Pachuco]

lol...you're a funny guy.

you miss Ricketts, Robbo, Harmse, Johann Smith and Brennan?

Wow.

Guevara I will agree with because he's the type of player we need more than anything else.

Mista is not about pedigree. He's about touch and vision. Both of which he has shown in his little playing time. Barrett on the other hand has played more than any other bad player in this teams history. He's been given ample time to show that he's good and he hasn't.

If you think this team is missing play on the wing from the likes of Brennan, Ricketts and Johann Smith....I just don't know what to say.

As for coaching....you take out JDG and Mista and put in Robbo and Barrett....

Pure genius. I'm sure we'd be on the fast track to attractive, attacking football with all the guys you think we're missing. I've never used one of these before but it's totally warranted here:
:facepalm:

You questioned whether losing Guevara constitutes me saying that we blew up our midfield. I PROVED to you that we lost 6.5 guys from last year. Therefore, we blew up our midfield. Whether you think the guys this year are better then last year's is just your opinion. However, are you denying that last year's midfield had atleast players playing in their natural positions? I'll repeat myself again, WE HAVE 0 wingers and you don't see that as a problem? We also don't have an attacking midfielder who can do squat since Dero has played most this year as a forward.

As for your coaching statement, Yes I take out Barett for Mista. It's absurd that you think Mista has done enough to warrant a start. Seriously absurd. Barrett has probably been our best striker this year next to Dero, you have short term memory.

As for taking out JDG for Robbo, that is not my stance at all. JDG doesn't come at the price of Robbo. For JDG, we could have Guevara and still have money left for a decent DM.
:picard:

[Pachuco]

So are you saying that it's up to our midfield to score goals? Then say it. Cause you're not saying much yourself other than you don't like what he said.

A question for you: How long was it you gave Mista to perform? What did he have to do?

That is such a short sighted statement it's not even funny. I SAID that we don't have midfielders to service our strikers, I didn't say our midfielders should score goals.

And I'm not throwing Mista under the bus, I am simply saying he has no way proved he's more effective then Barett. The question is more like how long did you take to make an assessment that Mista can score more goals then Barrett? You probably didn't get past the part where you looked at his collector's card and saw that he once played for Real Madrid.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

As for taking out JDG for Robbo, that is not my stance at all. JDG doesn't come at the price of Robbo. For JDG, we could have Guevara and still have money left for a decent DM.
:picard:

Unless im completely mistaken he does come at the same price as Robbo, 300K

[Pachuco]

Unless im completely mistaken he does come at the same price as Robbo, 300K

Not when his contract was signed. Last year's cap hit was 450K for JDG.

[Section 117]

IMO if you could play with JDG in his natural position, Guevera as your attacking midfielder and Barrett as winger as this in my opinion is best position as he is a tireless worker he is improving his crosses and can strike ball better than almost anybody on the team with Dero and Santos upfront. Mista for all of the skill and vision that he has is not suited for this league teh same gos fro JDG. They do not play a very physical fast pace game. They a possesion based game and this league does not play that way. This all goes back to MO he buys players with no regards to our system of play

That will give you potential for attractive soccer.

v00d00daddy - I can not see the reason to be down on Chad, he has shown a remarkable improvement since we have gotten him from Chicago. His strike rate is expontentially better than last year. Also, there are about 5 -10 players on the TFC roster who play that IMO are worse players than Chad.

[Roogsy]

I have been one of the most vocal Chad-bashers on there, but even I have had to admit this has been a better year for him than his previous 2.

Still not impressive, but at least I am not cursing his name every game. He is by far not the worst player on this team.

[v00d00daddy]

You questioned whether losing Guevara constitutes me saying that we blew up our midfield. I PROVED to you that we lost 6.5 guys from last year. Therefore, we blew up our midfield. Whether you think the guys this year are better then last year's is just your opinion. However, are you denying that last year's midfield had atleast players playing in their natural positions? I'll repeat myself again, WE HAVE 0 wingers and you don't see that as a problem? We also don't have an attacking midfielder who can do squat since Dero has played most this year as a forward.

As for your coaching statement, Yes I take out Barett for Mista. It's absurd that you think Mista has done enough to warrant a start. Seriously absurd. Barrett has probably been our best striker this year next to Dero, you have short term memory.

As for taking out JDG for Robbo, that is not my stance at all. JDG doesn't come at the price of Robbo. For JDG, we could have Guevara and still have money left for a decent DM.
:picard:


We agree on the first point. We need an attacking midfielder who can distribute. No doubt about that. As for wingers...meh. Give me a Guevara type player and I can live without the wingers. Who's gonna win the balls swung into the box? OBW? lol

As for Mista v. Barrett. How long has Barrett been given to show that he's our best striker (which is fucking sad in my opinion and wrong....Maicon is much better). Barrett's been given more time than anyone on this team to show what he has...and in my opinion...it's not that much.

Mista on the other hand has been played one full 90 minute game and bits and pieces of a couple others. So tell me...you've seen enough of Mista to determine that Barrett deserves to play instead of him?

As for the JDG v. Robbo comment. As a previous poster has already mentioned...the cap hit is about the same. We were paying "TOP 15" money to a player that doesn't even play anymore with NYRB. What does that tell you about our evaluation of talent and our propensity for making heroes out of marginal players?

If you want to argue that JDG should not have the DP title....fine...that's another argument all together.

I want Barrett to come back if only to put OBW on the bench but if I had my choice..it would be:

----------------------Maicon-------------------------
--------------------------Mista----------------------
----------------------DeRo--------------------------
---------Labrocca--------------Gargan--------------
---------------------JDG----------------------------
----Harden-----Cann-----Attakora------Usanov???----

----------------------Frei---------------------------

Barrett would be my first choice off the bench when one of the strikers loses steam or is having a rough game. He could come on and run around and make life tough on the defenders but not be relied upon to score.

Is that so bad?

[v00d00daddy]

v00d00daddy - I can not see the reason to be down on Chad, he has shown a remarkable improvement since we have gotten him from Chicago. His strike rate is expontentially better than last year. Also, there are about 5 -10 players on the TFC roster who play that IMO are worse players than Chad.

He HAS improved. I just think his skill set was so low to begin with that he's gone from terrible to bad/serviceable.

I still don't see him as a starting striker on this team or in this league.

[Pachuco]

We agree on the first point. We need an attacking midfielder who can distribute. No doubt about that. As for wingers...meh. Give me a Guevara type player and I can live without the wingers. Who's gonna win the balls swung into the box? OBW? lol

As for Mista v. Barrett. How long has Barrett been given to show that he's our best striker (which is fucking sad in my opinion and wrong....Maicon is much better). Barrett's been given more time than anyone on this team to show what he has...and in my opinion...it's not that much.

Mista on the other hand has been played one full 90 minute game and bits and pieces of a couple others. So tell me...you've seen enough of Mista to determine that Barrett deserves to play instead of him?

As for the JDG v. Robbo comment. As a previous poster has already mentioned...the cap hit is about the same. We were paying "TOP 15" money to a player that doesn't even play anymore with NYRB. What does that tell you about our evaluation of talent and our propensity for making heroes out of marginal players?

If you want to argue that JDG should not have the DP title....fine...that's another argument all together.

I want Barrett to come back if only to put OBW on the bench but if I had my choice..it would be:

----------------------Maicon-------------------------
--------------------------Mista----------------------
----------------------DeRo--------------------------
---------Labrocca--------------Gargan--------------
---------------------JDG----------------------------
----Harden-----Cann-----Attakora------Usanov???----

----------------------Frei---------------------------

Barrett would be my first choice off the bench when one of the strikers loses steam or is having a rough game. He could come on and run around and make life tough on the defenders but not be relied upon to score.

Is that so bad?

Yes, there are two things I whole heartedly disagree with.

1. Your suggestion that a team is quite fine playing without wide players. Who needs wingers anyways huh?
2. Your question as to whether I've seen enough of Mista to determine that Barrett should play instead of him. We've seen what Barrett can do this year, we've seen very little of Mista. Mista has done nothing to warrant replacing Barrett. Shit he's had all kinds of opportunities to get on the field and he hasn't for one reason or another. Whether it's because he's not healthy, out of shape, doens't like Preki. It doesn't matter. The fact is he hasn't had an opportunity to show he can replace Barrett. Unless you sit at pratice every day I don't know how you could come up with that assessment. In my world the new comer proves himself before I replace a striker that is close to leading the team in goals.

[MKR]

Barrett has been the best striker this season. You could say on par with Derosario i guess, but lets remember how many of Dero's goals were from penalties.

For the people that say they wouldn't suit up Barrett on this squad.... wow. i don't get it.

[Fort York Redcoat]

That is such a short sighted statement it's not even funny. I SAID that we don't have midfielders to service our strikers, I didn't say our midfielders should score goals.

And I'm not throwing Mista under the bus, I am simply saying he has no way proved he's more effective then Barett. The question is more like how long did you take to make an assessment that Mista can score more goals then Barrett? You probably didn't get past the part where you looked at his collector's card and saw that he once played for Real Madrid.


No. It was a question. And it was honest. When your not making wild assumptions about other posters you can be quite informative.

For example, I'd start Mista as much as possible to see the value we're paying him for. At the end of the season there will be a clear, definitive result or lack thereof in his abilities. I've said as much elsewhere.

Apparently, you disagree. Fine. You can keep the insults and I'll keep the Mista rookie card:rolleyes:.

[Pachuco]

No. It was a question. And it was honest. When your not making wild assumptions about other posters you can be quite informative.

For example, I'd start Mista as much as possible to see the value we're paying him for. At the end of the season there will be a clear, definitive result or lack thereof in his abilities. I've said as much elsewhere.

Apparently, you disagree. Fine. You can keep the insults and I'll keep the Mista rookie card:rolleyes:.

It was a sarcastic response to a sarcastic question.

As for the sink or swim mentality with Mista. That's all fine so long as you aren't replacing a capable striker to do so. You can't just say well we are paying more for Mista then Barett, therefore we should play Mista instead of Barrett. You would only start him just to see how he performs if the season was ready to throw down the toilet.

Another thing, starting Mista as much as possible is something you want for your own benefit. The coach can assess a player during practice and determine whether he's good enough to start. If he doesn't start, then it's definitive in that he's not worth his money. No DP that can't gain a starting role on this team should be on this team.

[MKR]

I would start both barrett and Mista because they are better than the alternative.

[ManUtd4ever]

It's no coincidence that DeRo's game has gone south since Barrett's injury which underlines his true value to the club. Chad has always been one our best players moving forward and creating space for himself, but his achilles heel in years past was his ability to finish. This year, DeRo and Barrett developed chemistry and have been our most consistent scoring threats up front. Santos provided a boost midway through the season but after he got injured as well it became glaringly obvious that DeRo was left to fend for himself. Our ONLY hope of making a legitimate run down the stretch is to have all three of DeRo, Barrett, and Santos healthy and firing and all cylinders. I would have included our 2nd DP in that scenario but based on the last few weeks it seems unlikely that he will play a significant role...

[Fort York Redcoat]

As for the sink or swim mentality with Mista. That's all fine so long as you aren't replacing a capable striker to do so. You can't just say well we are paying more for Mista then Barett, therefore we should play Mista instead of Barrett. You would only start him just to see how he performs if the season was ready to throw down the toilet.


I believe that's exactly what I'm saying. They play Mi$ta because they payed so much for him, because they thought him worth the $$ and better or should/could be better than Barrett. This is more a question of time. Barrett, while scoring for us before hasn't done it enough to ensure the playoffs. Mista should. We're disagreeing on how long to give either one.

See I think them bringing in Mista at all would tell Barrett he has to do more. Therefore, start Mista and challenge Barrett to score putting him in as the substitute because we've all seen Barrett's chin drop when he's subbed off after starting.



Another thing, starting Mista as much as possible is something you want for your own benefit. The coach can assess a player during practice and determine whether he's good enough to start. If he doesn't start, then it's definitive in that he's not worth his money. No DP that can't gain a starting role on this team should be on this team.I don't understand why Mista playing benefits me personally...

But you're putting a lot of trust into our coach not playing a DP because he's not up to at least what Barrett can do. It reflects extremely poorly on our GM and exceptional on our coach to see it in such little time.

To simplify: Why keep doing something (starting Barrett) if it isn't enough? They've invested in Mista. See that investment to the end.

[ecantona7]

Barrett has been the best striker this season. You could say on par with Derosario i guess, but lets remember how many of Dero's goals were from penalties.

For the people that say they wouldn't suit up Barrett on this squad.... wow. i don't get it.

Yep, seriously, how can ppl say Barrett has been shit? Up until his injury he was getting into stride and scoring very important goals for this team. It's no coincidence that when Barrett's injury hit, we hit a slump. Can't wait for Chad to come back healthy. Easily a starter on this team.

[Pachuco]

I believe that's exactly what I'm saying. They play Mi$ta because they payed so much for him, because they thought him worth the $$ and better or should/could be better than Barrett. This is more a question of time. Barrett, while scoring for us before hasn't done it enough to ensure the playoffs. Mista should. We're disagreeing on how long to give either one.

See I think them bringing in Mista at all would tell Barrett he has to do more. Therefore, start Mista and challenge Barrett to score putting him in as the substitute because we've all seen Barrett's chin drop when he's subbed off after starting.

I don't understand why Mista playing benefits me personally...

But you're putting a lot of trust into our coach not playing a DP because he's not up to at least what Barrett can do. It reflects extremely poorly on our GM and exceptional on our coach to see it in such little time.

To simplify: Why keep doing something (starting Barrett) if it isn't enough? They've invested in Mista. See that investment to the end.

I was just saying that you want to see him play to see if he's really of value or not. All I was saying is that's only for your benefit. If the coach feels he's not up to snuff in practice and decides not to play him then it's official, he's of no value to the team. Coaches don't need to see a player in action for half a season on the field to determine whether he's of value or not.

[Fort York Redcoat]

^ Except that there's question whether our coach could see the value Mista could provide. I accept I don't see the players practice but we've been discussing how a "Preki" team is different in that his expectations from Mista may differ from another coach in practice. Your faith in the Preki way is again a positive thing but in this case I see what could be a detrimental side of having such a no-nonsense coach.

[v00d00daddy]

^ Except that there's question whether our coach could see the value Mista could provide. I accept I don't see the players practice but we've been discussing how a "Preki" team is different in that his expectations from Mista may differ from another coach in practice. Your faith in the Preki way is again a positive thing but in this case I see what could be a detrimental side of having such a no-nonsense coach.

And there's the irony in it all. I'm a Preki fan but one of the things that bugs me about him is the whole Mista thing. I don't like that Preki doesn't value skill and talent sometimes. (especially when it comes to Mista). He'd rather have guys who run tirelessly but lack touch. see: OBW, Barrett.

This is why I think Pachuco's stance on Mista and Barrett is so amusing. He complains that our midfield is full of plumbers but is okay with having a plumber (which is what Barrett is) starting at striker every game.

And please people...don't for a minute try and convince me that Barrett is anything more than a "plumber". He's a plumber on a good day. He runs his ass off but his football acumen is hardly worth mentioning.

This board is hilarious sometimes. A year ago Barrett was one of the biggest villains on this team. Now he's the saviour? Do you really expect me to believe that he's improved so much that he's gone from brutal to good in a couple of years.

It's the borg mentality around here. A couple of people start gushing over a guy and it becomes the common practice. It's almost as if as soon as we all had Nick Garcia to pick on Barrett became palatable.

Sorry..not for me. Barrett still has a long way to go before I say that I miss his play.

BTW...Nick Garcia is looking decent lately. Who's the next victim on this board's hate train?

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Preki is the current.
Im voting for Nane tho, hes brutal and i hope hes not sticking around...

[Heart of Stone]

based on what?

He's from Beaverton, Oregon not Beaverton, Ontario... he's going to want to play for the TIMBERS...

[Ossington Mental Youth]

not necessarily, id be amazed if he'd wanna go there based on that alone, id be even more surprised if Preki let him go without a fight

[DichioTFC]

Slightly off-topic, but I was walking around Chicago after the match last week and I swear I saw Barrett passing right in front of me running along the lake. Same height, same freckles, same bald head. He's from Chicago and TFC were playing there the night before...

Anyhoo, in the mile that I watched him run, he looked to be in fantastic shape.

Of course, this is all speculation because I didn't ask him if he was who I thought he was...

[torontocelt]

And there's the irony in it all. I'm a Preki fan but one of the things that bugs me about him is the whole Mista thing. I don't like that Preki doesn't value skill and talent sometimes. (especially when it comes to Mista). He'd rather have guys who run tirelessly but lack touch. see: OBW, Barrett.

This is why I think Pachuco's stance on Mista and Barrett is so amusing. He complains that our midfield is full of plumbers but is okay with having a plumber (which is what Barrett is) starting at striker every game.

And please people...don't for a minute try and convince me that Barrett is anything more than a "plumber". He's a plumber on a good day. He runs his ass off but his football acumen is hardly worth mentioning.

This board is hilarious sometimes. A year ago Barrett was one of the biggest villains on this team. Now he's the saviour? Do you really expect me to believe that he's improved so much that he's gone from brutal to good in a couple of years.

It's the borg mentality around here. A couple of people start gushing over a guy and it becomes the common practice. It's almost as if as soon as we all had Nick Garcia to pick on Barrett became palatable.

Sorry..not for me. Barrett still has a long way to go before I say that I miss his play.

BTW...Nick Garcia is looking decent lately. Who's the next victim on this board's hate train?

I think because the alternative is so bad (O'Brian Shite) that Barrett does almost seem like the next coming of Pele in comparison despite all of his obvious limitations.

[Kaz]

I really don't understand why people are pissing on our Midfield? We have DeRo and JDG both who can play attacking mid-roles.. in fact DeRo maybe one of the best attack Mids in the league.

Of course Preki dosen't play them as attacking Mids. In fact DeRo stoped scoring right around the time that Preki decided it was better to play a constant revolving forward rotation preventing any chemistry and anticipation between players...

The Mid-field has some major changes this year... but it wasn't a blow up really as half the team last year was midfielders.

The issue is a) we have few options on the wing. b) Preki has no offensive football IQ

Preki would be a great Assistant coach to a good coach. I'd love to see a new GM with some talent, and a new Head Coach with some Skill at the job and just demote Preki to a Defensive Assistant.

[trane]

Still not sure why people are critical of Barrett's first touch. I think it's actually quite good. His problem generally is when he has too much time to think and his consistancy...

Agreed. When he keeps it simple receives the ball runs, and pulls the trigger when he has the chance he does well. When he starts thinking, he gets anxious and lets off a wild shot.

[Shakes McQueen]

This board is hilarious sometimes. A year ago Barrett was one of the biggest villains on this team. Now he's the saviour? Do you really expect me to believe that he's improved so much that he's gone from brutal to good in a couple of years.

I can only speak for myself, but I have always been a fan of Barrett's, and caught a lot of flack here for it. He's no Pele, but I always thought he demonstrated really good footballing qualities that could be worked with. And he seemed to be exhibiting more of those qualities this season, in addition to overthinking things less.

He's not a great striker, but he has the abilities to be a good striker, and has qualities that can make him useful in other positions, too.


It's the borg mentality around here. A couple of people start gushing over a guy and it becomes the common practice. It's almost as if as soon as we all had Nick Garcia to pick on Barrett became palatable.

I can certainly attest to the Borg mentality around this place. A few high-profile members will agree on something, and then browbeat dissenting points of view into submission. Happens all the time.


BTW...Nick Garcia is looking decent lately. Who's the next victim on this board's hate train?

It bothers me that Garcia still gets so much hate here, and I've mentioned it a few times. I wanted Garcia gone last season, because outside of a game or two, he was a disaster. He started off looking bad this season too, but as his play improved, so did my opinion of him. But once some people have passed judgment on a player, new information becomes irrelevant to them.

Now? I'd actually be open to Garcia sticking with the team as depth. He's still not a great defender, but he has been competent, and that is more than enough for MLS bench depth. Plus I do think his experience counts for something - particularly on a backline depth chart filled with youngsters.

I think Preki should be commended for how he handled Garcia. He managed to turn the team's pariah, and a player with no confidence, into a decent contributor on the pitch. Garcia hasn't been aywhere close to our problem this season.

- Scott