Should Anselmi Be Fired Now?

[maximo_rpd]

... I sincerely someone takes my question and runs with it:
....
IMO, Anselmi's neck is on the chopping block for this mess. As far as I'm concerned, he's as culpable as Mo.

Ah boys, DichioTFC has brought us to the crossroads that will actually decide wether TFC will slide into oblivion or rise from the ashes like a phoenix... Should Tom Anselmi be fired right now, this year, tout suite, right after the ticket renewal period is over? Should the house be cleaned completely, or should the big fish be allowed to slither away... Should the person really responsible get away with it? Answer the following questions and then comment/vote


Whose fault was it that Mo was hired in the first place?
...Tom Anselmi?
Whose fault was it that Mo was promoted, despite lack of results?
...Tom Anselmi?
Whose fault was it that Mo's got a job extension despite last year's failure in New York?
...Tom Anselmi?
Who is responsible for the boys having to play an extra year on artificial turf (while spending 1/2 million? hauling in grass for the madrid game)?
...Tom Anselme?
Who is responsible for a dorky, useless and awkward seat relocation process?
...Tom Anselme?
Who has brought in, and continues to bring in crappy consultants because he doesn't know much about soccer?
...Tom Anselme?
Who is responsible for the 75%-100% price hike in seats in only FOUR years - during a recession, with pathetic results each year on the field?
...Tom Anselme?
Who is responsible for the most discusting Season Ticket Holder offering in living memory, in all of Major sport?
...Tom Anselme?
Who was on major media last week and bumbled and fumbled to try to come up with the number of games included in the season ticket package they are trying to fleece Toronto FC fans with?
...Tom Anselme?
Who has launched a bunch of bogus townhalls and stands in front of everyone continuing to give the city of Toronto (with the most ardent soccer fans in North America) piffle, baffle gab, spin and a few crocodile tears rather than directly dealing with, and fixing the issues at hand:
- continued unbelievable price hikes with terrible product on the field
- forced inclusion of MLS Cup 2010 tickets in a 2011 package
- an overall ticket package that disrespects the fans in too many ways to count...
...Could it be Tom Anselme?

The solution is obvious, and we should do a poll on it now (if I can figure out polls, I will put it up next...)

The solution is:

A 2011 Season Ticket package that includes
only the 17 regular season MLS games for
the exact same total price as last year.

This will allow the fan base to survive intact, feel respected, invigourate ticket sales and launch the "NEW Toronto FC" into the next few seasons.

I do not think that Tom Anselmi is smart enough to realize that this is what is required, so I vote to:
KICK HIS ASS AS SOON AS THE TICKET RENEWAL PERIOD IS COMPLETE

[J .]

yes he should, will he? no.

[menefreghista]

Tom Anselmi and Paul Beirne should both be fired.

I know people don't want to hear this but Paul Beirne is not your friend.

[AL-MO]

Yes and they should hire me.

:flare:

[Gazza]

Tom Anselmi reports massive earnings to his bosses. They don't evaluate him on wins and losses or whether fans are happy with his work.

Just like Richard Peddie. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Richard Peddie found two "consultants" for the leafs and raptors and washed his hands of the mess. Anselmi will do the same thing for TFC and continue to make his bosses money.

[King Jeff]

Tom Anselmi reports massive earnings to his bosses. They don't evaluate him on wins and losses or whether fans are happy with his work.


This.

[menefreghista]

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

But it is broken now...

[Gazza]

But it is broken now...

Not for the shareholders it isn't.

[Kooper]

Not for the shareholders it isn't.

Agreed. Should he give up some of his oversight for TFC? Yeah that seems possible. We could see a director or executive VP who reports to Tom but has the day to day control of the team, manager, marketting, season tickets, BMO, etc... therefore keeping Tom 3.7km away, where he belongs: Fucking up the Raptors and Leafs.

[stugautz]

No, he should have been fired a long time ago. How many consecutive seasons have the leafs, raptors and TFC missed the playoffs?

[maximo_rpd]

Tom Anselmi reports massive earnings to his bosses. They don't evaluate him on wins and losses or whether fans are happy with his work.

Just like Richard Peddie. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Richard Peddie found two "consultants" for the leafs and raptors and washed his hands of the mess. Anselmi will do the same thing for TFC and continue to make his bosses money.

:confused: Dunno about you, but I'd say things are busted pretty good right now - empty stands, 30% renewal rate, 100% of the fans pissed off, pathetic product on the field, top two team management positions stand empty, bad press everywhere, Tommy A. embarassing himself publicly several times a week, an MLS Cup PR debacle looming and on top of all that, Adrian Cann's nose is broken. You must be a real Mary Sunshine...:confused:

[maximo_rpd]

Momma Mia - there are 2 votes for Tommy A. - the rumours must be true that he has joined the Red Patch Boys forum along with one of his interns... or perhaps he got several interns to join... I guess the poll will flush them all out... ;-)

[Kooper]

:confused: Dunno about you, but I'd say things are busted pretty good right now - empty stands, 30% renewal rate, 100% of the fans pissed off, pathetic product on the field, top two team management positions stand empty, bad press everywhere, Tommy A. embarassing himself publicly several times a week, an MLS Cup PR debacle looming and on top of all that, Adrian Cann's nose is broken. You must be a real Mary Sunshine...:confused:

As much as we love TFC their overall revenue is tiny compared to the rest of MLSE.

The leafs are winning so TV revenue will rise as will ticket sales, and executive boxes will fill up soon. Raptors are about to start their season and is doing as well as usual. (Granted not perfect but making money) Real Sports Bar is a hit improving the brand.

If the leafs were in the same position this year as last year then I can see that Tom should be worried. Leaf Nation is happy therfore MLSE is happy.

[nascarguy]

Tom Anselmi reports massive earnings to his bosses. They don't evaluate him on wins and losses or whether fans are happy with his work.

Just like Richard Peddie. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Richard Peddie found two "consultants" for the leafs and raptors and washed his hands of the mess. Anselmi will do the same thing for TFC and continue to make his bosses money.
yeah that is what is need to get this team back he did this for the leafs and they just won there last 4 game they have not done that for 10 years

[Pachuco]

Yes, Tom Anselmi should be fired. He's gone public and admitted they made a big mistake. Well, Tom, in my world, when executives like yourself make big mistakes, big changes follow.

[Section 117]

Do you guys think that Tom A is the sole person making all if these desiscions? MLS gave us Mo, and do you really think that he sits there how can I screw this up and piss of yeh supporters?

Just q reminder with all of this bashing of MLSE do you think that there would be a TFC if it wasn't for MLSE as I didn't see anyone willing to pony up the ten million at that time.

For the record I don't work for MLSE. I just want to show the other side. A lot of people won't like itbut think about it no MLSE no TFC

[J .]

Paul Beirne is not your friend.

No he is not

[menefreghista]

Not for the shareholders it isn't.

Don't be so sure about that. They didn't retract the CCL games for no reason. And there is still a lot of unrest over the MLS Cup tickets.

[rocktml]

I would ppl say no, like fuck

[Kooper]

Just q reminder with all of this bashing of MLSE do you think that there would be a TFC if it wasn't for MLSE as I didn't see anyone willing to pony up the ten million at that time.


I do wish that TFC were owned by someone else, even rogers. If TFC were owned by someone who had fewer sports franchises they would have to concentrate on making TFC a winner. With MLSE TFC's potential losses can be rolled into the leafs and Raptors profits and look good.

[J .]

Do you guys think that Tom A is the sole person making all if these desiscions? MLS gave us Mo, and do you really think that he sits there how can I screw this up and piss of yeh supporters?

Just q reminder with all of this bashing of MLSE do you think that there would be a TFC if it wasn't for MLSE as I didn't see anyone willing to pony up the ten million at that time.

For the record I don't work for MLSE. I just want to show the other side. A lot of people won't like itbut think about it no MLSE no TFC

And they have made money hand over fist and used us as marketing tools while raising prices and putting inferior shit on the pitch. The least they could have done is freeze prices instead of jacking supporters section tickets because they overpriced and overvalued the prawn sections.

Get out the lube, its not going to get better soon.

[maximo_rpd]

As much as we love TFC their overall revenue is tiny compared to the rest of MLSE.

The leafs are winning so TV revenue will rise as will ticket sales, and executive boxes will fill up soon. Raptors are about to start their season and is doing as well as usual. (Granted not perfect but making money) Real Sports Bar is a hit improving the brand.

If the leafs were in the same position this year as last year then I can see that Tom should be worried. Leaf Nation is happy therfore MLSE is happy.

You are way off topic - the question was:

Do YOU feel that Tom Anselmi SHOULD be fired

If MLSE determines they need one more scapegoat for this TFC debacle, Tom is the man, but I am not asking if you think MLSE will make another scapegoat - I am asking you to make your assessment of the job done to date and if you think he should continue in his current capacity with this club.
:scarf:
Has Tommy A, in your opinion, done enough for this club to continue in his current capicity?

... I would note that Tom has at least 3 of his interns on this board so far :ack2: (he has 4 votes!:eek:) Even an intern must be embarassed to vote for Tommy A. given their "up close" view of how well he is handling the soccer portfolio... What is going on? Please, interns, speak up and tell us why Tom deserves your vote of confidence?? Somebody throw me a bone...:toetap05:

[wzhxvy]

Anselmi fetches coffee for richard peddie...not even close in terms of stature, relevance or power within MLSE...he is the waterboy who got into the game, managed to score and now thinks he can play..

[AL-MO]

I voted no, just cuz...

[maximo_rpd]

Do you guys think that Tom A is the sole person making all if these desiscions? MLS gave us Mo, and do you really think that he sits there how can I screw this up and piss of yeh supporters?

Just q reminder with all of this bashing of MLSE do you think that there would be a TFC if it wasn't for MLSE as I didn't see anyone willing to pony up the ten million at that time.

Agreed - good point. That gave them a free pass for 3 pathetic years, but that does not give them a free pass forever and we are the ones paying all the cash out, and they are the ones raking all the cash in... we want accountability and a substantial financial fix - now!:flare:

[Section 117]

WTF is wrong with everyone? If you are MLSE there is no reason to fire him. As fan I realize that really at the end of the day what do you want him to say? At least he admitted his error. It took Peddie how ling to admitted he fucked up the Leafs or the Rapotors?

When you buy a franchise you rely on the company to help you with getting the contacts to hire the right people and they gave us Mo

[maximo_rpd]

Anselmi fetches coffee to richard peddie...not even close in terms of stature, relevance or power within MLSE...he is the waterboy who got into the game, managed to score and now thinks he can play..

Agreed - so, should we keep the water boy - has the water been cool, refreshing and on time? Or should we get a new water boi, or better yet fix the structure and just get rid of the position of waterboy altogether?:hump:

[menefreghista]

WTF is wrong with everyone? If you are MLSE there is no reason to fire him. As fan I realize that really at the end of the day what do you want him to say? At least he admitted his error. It took Peddie how ling to admitted he fucked up the Leafs or the Rapotors?


How can you say there is no reason to fire him?

Its unprecedented to have a sports executive come out and apologize for fucking up like Anselmi did.

Its also unprecedented for a professional sports team to alter its season ticket package just days before its deadline.

Anselmi and Beirne fucked up financially. Not sure how anyone can't see that. They are reeling. Its shocking they are still running TFC.

[Section 117]

So you go hire some other person from MLSE property and what is goinng to change? Really what do you think that they are going to go to RBP, Usecotr, NEE and ask us what we want and do what we ask?

[Kooper]

You are way off topic - the question was:

Do YOU feel that Tom Anselmi SHOULD be fired

If MLSE determines they need one more scapegoat for this TFC debacle, Tom is the man, but I am not asking if you think MLSE will make another scapegoat - I am asking you to make your assessment of the job done to date and if you think he should continue in his current capacity with this club.

His job as Executive VP and COO for MLSE is safe. Do I think he will be fired no. Do I think he should be fired no. He is making money had over fist for MLSE with the leafs, raptors and Real Sports. Overall MLSE is in a good position and from a business perspective he is doing just fine. He will collect his annual bonus and probably get some ribbing at the company christmas party about how he handled those TFC fans back in the fall.

Do I think he has squandered a good thing with TFC oh yeah. If there is any scape goats both have been shown the door. MLSE made it really clear that Preki and Mo were responsible and they have been dealt with.

[Beach_Red]

The question should be, "Should TFC have a president?"

Brian Burke isn't just GM of the Leafs he's the president. They changed their corporate structure and took themselves out of the operation of the Leafs.

They should do the same with TFC.

[Cashcleaner]

People tend to talk about sacking someone as if losing a job isn't a major personal setback that it really is. Nobody likes to be out of work, and that applies for sports team directors and executives as much as it does bank tellers or taxi drivers.

That said, however, at the end of the day people are paid a wage or salary to do a job and do it properly and make no mistake, Tom has made a mountain of errors when it comes to Toronto FC. Personally, I just don't think he's the right man for the job and the events of the last few weeks have really shown just how out of his element he is with soccer. That doesn't mean the man doesn't have any place with the larger organization - I just don't want him anywhere near TFC.

Beach Red brings up a good point about the internal structure of the Leafs (and Raptors for that matter). For years, myself and others have been arguing about how TFC fits into the larger picture of MLSE and it's very apparent that the club really isn't operated on the same tier as the hockey and basketball teams. Obviously, I don't expect Toronto FC to receive the same level of attention as the Leafs or Raptors, but I would like to see a little more autonomy from the MLSE board and and internal control given to a dedicated TFC executive.

[Blowing Bubbles]

Yes the team has made money hand over fist so he's going to take his share of the credit for it (insert faceless suit who could've got the credit in the first few years)

But I'm sorry - giving out a contract extension to Mo last August should be automatic grounds for firing, considering where we are right now.

How in the fuck can that extension be justified?

[Kooper]

The question should be, "Should TFC have a president?"

Brian Burke isn't just GM of the Leafs he's the president. They changed their corporate structure and took themselves out of the operation of the Leafs.

They should do the same with TFC.

That I can agree with. A director of Soccer will fill that postition. Given how small TFC is relative to the rest of MLSE they won't call them President even though he will probably have all the same responsibilities as a leafs President.

[Blowing Bubbles]

I mean, gmafb.




Furthermore, Anselmi says he doesn't regret for one moment the decision that was made back in August to sign Johnston to a two-year contract extension, even in light of the team's humiliating end to the campaign in New York.
"You can't look at any one thing in isolation," Anselmi told CBCSports.ca.
"I think you have to look at things in context, and the context is that the GM's responsibility is to provide overall leadership and vision for the franchise, to put a roster together, to build the infrastructure [in terms of] coaching, youth academy, scouting and development systems.
"That's what the job has been about for the past three years, and I think Mo has done a good job."


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2009/11/02/sp-anselmi-tfc-johnston.html#ixzz12XLyrTRE


Anselmi should have to eat those words now.

[Kooper]

Yes the team has made money hand over fist so he's going to take his share of the credit for it (insert faceless suit who could've got the credit in the first few years)

But I'm sorry - giving out a contract extension to Mo last August should be automatic grounds for firing, considering where we are right now.

How in the fuck can that extension be justified?

I think the contract extension was a mistake in hind sight but at the time it probably seemed like a good idea to the front office. We were in what second or third in the east at the time, we had just signed Dero, JDG was on the way and we had some exciting youth, (Cronin, Frei, White and Attakora), Real Madrid had just played to HUGE profits and Grass was on the way thanks to some good business selling Edu to Rangers so things were looking good. The end of season collapse came after the contract was extended and MLSE had their hands tied. His crap moves to bring in the current squad was still 8 months away.

[maximo_rpd]

How can you say there is no reason to fire him?

Its unprecedented to have a sports executive come out and apologize for fucking up like Anselmi did.

Its also unprecedented for a professional sports team to alter its season ticket package just days before its deadline.

Anselmi and Beirne fucked up financially. Not sure how anyone can't see that. They are reeling. Its shocking they are still running TFC.

MENEFREGHISTA has it 100% correct here - the appauling season ticket renewal rate has hit the MLSE, Tommy A and Pauly right where it hurts - the wallet, the bottom line - have no doubt. They would not have done all of these self- embarassing things of the last 10 days (botched radio shows, appology letters, cosmetic change to the season package, extend the renewal, town halls) if there was not a strong financial problem here. Their balls are in a financial vice right now and the future financial situation is not looking good either... On top of that, they are getting a lot of bad publicity that is giving the public a pretty good view of their unmentionables being squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezed
<for those under eighteen or who are squeemish, please look away from the screen>

We must all be strong and not renew - THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE ONLY MESSAGE THAT THESE BOZOs UNDERSTAND. The CBC has certainly twigged to the fact that the Toronto FC product is poor and support is floundering - CBC won't carry as many games next year if this is the case - a further kick in the financial balls of MLSE, Pauli and Tommy - don't forget, there will be other Canadian MLS teams to watch next year... This is also all so very public and embarassing...

The lack of season renewals is unprecedented, What Tommy A has done so far is unprecedented and what we need to have done is unprecidented -

BE STRONG - :scarf:

DO NOT RENEW THIS DISRESPECTFUL, FINANCIALLY UNWISE TICKET PACKAGE!
:iagree::drum::party::canada::grouphug::hump::taz: :iagree:

[rocker]

Momma Mia - there are 2 votes for Tommy A. - the rumours must be true that he has joined the Red Patch Boys forum along with one of his interns... or perhaps he got several interns to join... I guess the poll will flush them all out... ;-)

Why would you start a poll giving both options and then make fun of people who vote for the option you don't like? The poll is pointless then.

[maximo_rpd]

People tend to talk about sacking someone as if losing a job isn't a major personal setback that it really is. Nobody likes to be out of work, and that applies for sports team directors and executives as much as it does bank tellers or taxi drivers.

That doesn't mean the man doesn't have any place with the larger organization - I just don't want him anywhere near TFC.

:hump:I agree with CASH 110% - Mr. Anselmi is probably a very nice person, just move him to a galaxy far, far away from the Toronto FC football club. By all means keep him in the MLSE organization!:hump:

[maximo_rpd]

Why would you start a poll giving both options and then make fun of people who vote for the option you don't like? The poll is pointless then.

Good point ROCKER - a strong case for a YES vote was outlined, I was trying to prod some discussion/rationale from those who feel Mr. Anselmi should continue in his current position... There actually are some good reasons/rationales for keeping him on - I was trying to spur discussion, as there were several "No" votes with little or no discussion outlining a reason for voting no... I retract the "Intern" labelling and just ask (politely) that "No" voters share their thoughts too - I will refrain from making any further "fun" on this thread - I will be mindful of my Ps and Qs. Thanks again for making a good point!:hump:

[ManUtd4ever]

People tend to talk about sacking someone as if losing a job isn't a major personal setback that it really is. Nobody likes to be out of work, and that applies for sports team directors and executives as much as it does bank tellers or taxi drivers.

That said, however, at the end of the day people are paid a wage or salary to do a job and do it properly and make no mistake, Tom has made a mountain of errors when it comes to Toronto FC. Personally, I just don't think he's the right man for the job and the events of the last few weeks have really shown just how out of his element he is with soccer. That doesn't mean the man doesn't have any place with the larger organization - I just don't want him anywhere near TFC.

Beach Red brings up a good point about the internal structure of the Leafs (and Raptors for that matter). For years, myself and others have been arguing about how TFC fits into the larger picture of MLSE and it's very apparent that the club really isn't operated on the same tier as the hockey and basketball teams. Obviously, I don't expect Toronto FC to receive the same level of attention as the Leafs or Raptors, but I would like to see a little more autonomy from the MLSE board and and internal control given to a dedicated TFC executive.

My thoughts exactly. Should Anselmi be fired outright by MLSE? None of us have the insight to determine his value to the corporation as a whole entity. Should he be Director Of Operations for TFC? Absolutely not, and it appears he will hand over the reigns to a qualified executive in the off season...

[Beach_Red]

I mean, gmafb.



Anselmi should have to eat those words now.
[/COLOR][/LEFT]

And if you look at what he said, what the job description was for GM... Well, does any other team in MLS have one person responsible for all that? We keep looking at Vancouver and the four guys (each one more experienced than the one guy TFC hired) but really Vancouver isn't the exception, TFC is.

[Suds]

When you fuck up at your job for 4 years you should be fired, hence, Tom Anselmi should be fired or at least relieved of all duties related to Toronto FC.

He could very well be doing a great job in other areas for MLSE.

[maximo_rpd]

Why would you start a poll giving both options and then make fun of people who vote for the option you don't like? The poll is pointless then.

Good Point ROCKER, but I have to have just one more funny...



I talked to my PR department (my dog) and they recommended that I respond to the issues you raised in a slightly different, more professional, more MLSE-like way...





Dear ROCKER, I am sorry.

For the way I put the poll together for not bringing the excitement to the message board. I fell short of our goals and more importantly, your expectations. But most of all, I am sorry for not listening better.


You deserve more than I have delivered this season. Recently I received feedback. One of the most prevalent issues you have brought to my attention is fixed. I screwed up. In hindsight, the comments you received from me about the poll was a mistake. I have listened to your feedback and eliminated the word "Intern" from my vocabulary and will reduce your ticket package price accordingly, and because of this change I have extended the deadline for me to fleece you of your money, until October 22. We need to build message board posts that earns the right to fleece you on these extra games. Your account and your online account manager have been adjusted to reflect the changes.
These first four posts I have made have been a real learning process. In our conversations you have affirmed my belief in and commitment to an ongoing, one-way dialogue. As such, I will be hosting a series of RPB Hall meetings with fans over the next few weeks at Joes.

Thursday, October 14
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Monday, October 18
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 21
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
All RPB Hall meetings will take place at Joes near BMO Field. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to fuckthetownhall@torontofc.ca (townhall@torontofc.ca) with the date and time of the meeting as the subject line. Also, be sure to indicate if you would like to bring extra money as we drink a lot of beer. We will fill the limited space on a first come, first-not-to-renew-ticket basis and all accepted RSVP's will be notified by email.
We know dick all about soccer, but rest assured we are working hard to assemble a football mis-management team that will be second to everyone in MLS. We need leadership that will establish the vision for money, create a winning cash cow culture, and provide stability for the boobs who run this organization. The poor manager, whoever that ultimately might be, will be charged with building a goofy team around him including hiring the head scapegoat.

Next month we have the honour of hosing the MLS Cup. Unfortunately the Reds will not be participating, but this is still a wonderful opportunity to showcase our world-class city and how we screwed up our fan base - hence the empty seats. We're looking forward to showing the rest of MLS and the soccer world how stupid a few of our fans are this November - the ones who show up.
This is the start of a new era for Toronto FC. We are committed to a financially winning future and don't give a flying f*$! about your passion and support.
Sincerely,
Toronto FC
// All For Money


PS - my PR department <my dog> has assured me that this boiler template appology will work under almost any circumstances where you need an insincere apology to allow you to completely hose and fleece some unsuspecting sheep - It is so good in fact that my dog admitted that he had secretly stolen it from the PR department of a billion dollar corporation in the Toronto area. I can't divulge the name of this corp as my dog might get into trouble... you have my permission to use this text anytime you need to make an insincere apology ... Oh did I mention how good my dog is at sniffing out and finding dogshit???

[ensco]

^That's great. I wish I had thought of that! ;-)

[fetajr]

ANSELMI is a cock sucker. Hey Anselmi's intern who read this board, tell your boss that
he is a BIATCH!!

[ArmenJBX]

^^^

LMAO, the Will Farrell avatar just makes that line so much better, I could actually hear Will Farrell saying that :D

[CretanBull]

Anselmi has done nothing but lose...and make tons of money. Guess which one MLSE cares about?

[Redcoe15]

Should he? YES!

Will he? No. :prrr:

[DangerRed]

Anselmi is an excellent executive with a long track record of success. If I was part of MLSE's ownership group, the last thing I would do is fire him. I would continue to reward his performance as a steward of the corporation.

His performance, you see, has nothing to do with the performance of our little football club.

There is no reason to fire him at all.

[123 elite]

The thing i don't get about the whole MLSE making a ton of money regardless of results is that businesses tend not to operate that way. They always want to make more. You don't see coca cola not advertised because they make tonnes of money already. If the team is successful then they will make MORE money. More people will want to come, drink, buy the beer and buy the play off tickets etc then you can build a bigger stand, sell more tickets and justify any hikes in prices. Its a no brainer. That's why i find all this baffling. Why would they settle for fleecing those they already have. They are really bad business people if this is the case. They are like the maifa running Vegas. Sure they made money but then Steve Wynn came along and showed what could be done. Truely depressing stuff. I'm not renewing.

[ensco]

We know what the results are: financially impressive, but suddenly wobbling.

The question for MLSE is: what would somebody else have done?

Hard for us to opine on this because we don't see the inner workings.

[Sullivan]

Damage is done,... so there is a need to look at TFC differently, so can someone come up with answers to, or stronger questions than:

How much of the Pension Plan's investment in TFC has been wasted by Anselmi's negligence?
How much potential Pension Plan revenue has been unrealized due to Anselmi's ignorance of the game of football?
As a point of reference, the transfer of former TFC player Maurice Edu to a european club generated $5 million, TFC enjoyed a large %.
The pending transfer of current keeper Stefan Frei is uncertain due to current MLSE mismanagement, his skill and abilites are not appropriately being supported.
The potential transfer of former TFC first round pick Sam Cronin was traded away for $75,000 in allocation money; a million$+ transfer opportunity was squandered.
Player transfers are a significant, yet unrealized revenue stream at TFC.
MLSE Exec VP + COO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment does not enjoy the confidence from TFC supporters; no supporters no TFC. Ergo, remove Anselmi from all TFC related matters.
However, MLSE is prepared to allow Anselmi another go ....
If the intent is to have Anselmi removed from all things TFC, it has to come from people with more influence than supporters. So it becomes a matter of how his removal is framed.

MLSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS e mail address's (based on google & dogpile searches)
Larry Tanenbaum ltanenbaum@kilmercapital.com
Richard Peddie rpeddie@mapleleafsports.com
Ashvin Malkani ashvin_malkani@otpp.com
Bob Bertram bob_bertram@otpp.com
Glen Silvestri glen_silvestri@otpp.com
Robert MacLellan rob.maclellan@northleafcapital.com.
Dale Lastman dlastman@goodmans.ca

OTTP Executive Emails (based on google & dogpile searches)
jim_leech@otpp.com
neil_petroff@otpp.com
rosmarie_mcclean@otpp.com
russ_bruch@otpp.com
melissa_kennedy@otpp.com
peter_maher@otpp.com
david_mcgraw@otpp.com
marcia_mendesdabreu@otpp.com
madhav_murti@otpp.com
Barbara_zvan@otpp.com

OTTP Board e-mails (based on google & dogpile searches)
jim_leech@otpp.com
eileen_mercier@otpp.com
albertr@osstfd.ca
hkearns@bellkearns.com
hugh@hughmackenzie.ca
louis.martel@greystone.ca
Jean Turmel ?
david_smith@otpp.com
Sharon Sallows ?

[Alixir]

listening to Tom talk to Nigel Reed about the fans displeasure just proved to me even more how absolutely FUCKING CLUELESS the guy is.

[ArmenJBX]

Alixir, I realized that same fact when he talked of the riots between "Croatia-Italy" and how he STILL didn't know anything about them.

[DichioTFC]

Tom Must Go.

A lot of people here are talking about Tom like they themselves are shareholders in ML$E. Who cares if thats not his job description. Can anyone deny the list of faults the OP wrote in his opening comment?

I get it, we're all so self-aware and knowledgeable about the inner-workings of our club's executive management structure. His main job is to create value for his shareholders. But in doing so, he's fucking over our club. Who sets up a Town Hall and then downplays everyone's concerns?? These are the business practices of this man. Throwing us a bone and making us play fetch.

Giving him a pass on this is like giving a rapist open season on your ass. Sure some of you might like it, some of you may even be intrigued and curious or want more, but at some point its gotta stop.

[DichioTFC]

For everyone saying Uncle Tom makes money therefore he should stay, he's in charge of operations.

Do you have long wait times at concession stands? Yes.
Do they get your order wrong? Yes.
Are the operations staff competent? No.
Do you have long wait times to get to a urinal? Yes.
Do you have issues with security (an issue under his portfolio)? Yes.
Is post-game traffic notoriously bad? Yes.
Are there any operations staff present to help guide traffic flow? No.
Do the beer girls card you even though you look old enough to be their baby daddy? Yes.

I could go on and on. The fact of the matter is that operations is the flaw. Not marketing and not accounting, the two departments that are more directly related to MLSE's success than operations.

Uncle Tom is the wart on MLSE's behind. Get rid of him and everything else improves.

[Shakes McQueen]

Pointless conversation. Anselmi isn't going anywhere in the near future. His job isn't contingent upon on-field results. If the club starts to crumble financially, he might feel a modicum of heat, but nothing aside from that will do anything.

Richard Peddie is still with MLSE, despite everything that he did to the Leafs. That should give you an idea for how likely it is that anything happens to Anselmi.

Regardless of what you think of the job Anselmi personally is doing, this is just the reality.

- Scott

[ag futbol]

I mean, gmafb.



Anselmi should have to eat those words now.
[/COLOR][/LEFT]
I think i remember some quote about "sour grapes" as well when all the former players and coaches blew the whistle as to how much of an idiot Johnston was.

Anselmi seems to suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.

[Redcoe15]

Pointless conversation. Anselmi isn't going anywhere in the near future. His job isn't contingent upon on-field results. If the club starts to crumble financially, he might feel a modicum of heat, but nothing aside from that will do anything.

Richard Peddie is still with MLSE, despite everything that he did to the Leafs. That should give you an idea for how likely it is that anything happens to Anselmi.

Regardless of what you think of the job Anselmi personally is doing, this is just the reality.

- Scott
This! Unfortunatly.

[Chevy]

^^^

LMAO, the Will Farrell avatar just makes that line so much better, I could actually hear Will Farrell saying that :D

LOL. True!

[DOMIN8R]

I have been suggesting that Anselmi should be shown the door for 3 years now. He has been at the helm when many highly suspect decisions were made. The question should be would the lines of business that he is responsible for be more effective/profitable with a better decision maker in his place. In my opinion, the answer is yes. Let's face it - in the Toronto market, if you own (have a monopoly on) 4 of the 5 prime sports franchises it's hard not to turn a profit. Heck, even a monkey with a ouija board would fair well or better in making key business decisions.

There is no doubt that MLSE sport properties are not realizing their full revenue potential.

For those of you who think that this is a pointless conversation - I disagree. If enough people voice their displeasure, something will come of it. After all, we all know that it is because fans are disgruntled that have been offered a chance to vent during these town hall charades. Disatisfied fans that organize, mobilize and vocalize are getting key decision makers attention. Which has led to some unfortunate unintended consequences. Let's admit it - there have been times when the F.O. took some our bad advice. But that is another story.

At the very least, to be taken seriously - we need to voice our displeasure. I have Anselmi in my sights. If this doesn't turn around - I'll be the one to print the first 500 t-shirts with an Anslemi must go slogan for anyone who wants to wear one.

[jloome]

^That's great. I wish I had thought of that! ;-)

Wasn't it Rudyard Kipling who received the appended bedbug letter? Do a search under "train" and "bedbug" and author and it'll probably come up. Classic.

[jloome]

Anselmi is an excellent executive with a long track record of success. If I was part of MLSE's ownership group, the last thing I would do is fire him. I would continue to reward his performance as a steward of the corporation.

His performance, you see, has nothing to do with the performance of our little football club.

There is no reason to fire him at all.

As Ensco points out in another thread, he's average about a 5.5% rate of return since initial investment. Not that hot.

Anyone who thinks corporate success is actually based on financial track record hasn't spent much time in management.

[Pookie]

I think the question as worded results in a pointless conversation. He isn't going to be fired from MLSE.

I think a better question is should he (and Richard Peddie) remain in charge of the Soccer team? Both have removed themselves from the reporting structure of the Raptors and Leafs because they oversaw losing records. Perhaps most importantly, weren't qualified to make any decisions related to the performance of the teams.

Even here, they need to hire "consultants" to execute a search. Why in the hell would it be wise for the new GM and his team to report into these guys???

The new guy and his team should have a direct line to the Board, just like Burke and Colangelo.

[DichioTFC]

I think the question as worded results in a pointless conversation. He isn't going to be fired from MLSE.

I think a better question is should he (and Richard Peddie) remain in charge of the Soccer team? Both have removed themselves from the reporting structure of the Raptors and Leafs because they oversaw losing records. Perhaps most importantly, weren't qualified to make any decisions related to the performance of the teams.

Even here, they need to hire "consultants" to execute a search. Why in the hell would it be wise for the new GM and his team to report into these guys???

The new guy and his team should have a direct line to the Board, just like Burke and Colangelo.

Fair enough. But the same point is getting across, Anselmi should have nothing to do with TFC. His pedigree is in engineering, degrees from Ryerson and University of Saskatchewan, not in soccer or sports management.

Uncle Tom Must Go.

[Cashcleaner]

For everyone saying Uncle Tom makes money therefore he should stay, he's in charge of operations.

Do you have long wait times at concession stands? Yes.
Do they get your order wrong? Yes.
Are the operations staff competent? No.
Do you have long wait times to get to a urinal? Yes.
Do you have issues with security (an issue under his portfolio)? Yes.
Is post-game traffic notoriously bad? Yes.
Are there any operations staff present to help guide traffic flow? No.
Do the beer girls card you even though you look old enough to be their baby daddy? Yes.

I could go on and on. The fact of the matter is that operations is the flaw. Not marketing and not accounting, the two departments that are more directly related to MLSE's success than operations.

Uncle Tom is the wart on MLSE's behind. Get rid of him and everything else improves.

To some degree I would agree with you, but in the corporate world, executive titles don't always accurately reflect the mandates of the people who hold them. While Mr. Anselmi is indeed the Chief Operations Officer at MLSE, that point should not be confused with what he does or what his overall contribution to the company is. More often than not, these things are merely formalities.

[H Bomb]

What gets me is that he obviously does not know anything about football. He has spent 4 years now claiming to be "learning" well Tom, what have you learnt? From every piece of info I've ever seen I'd say you're as ignorant today as you were 4 years ago. What president of any business can get away with not knowing anything about their product for 4 years. MLSE, you make money dispite yourself.

[DichioTFC]

To some degree I would agree with you, but in the corporate world, executive titles don't always accurately reflect the mandates of the people who hold them. While Mr. Anselmi is indeed the Chief Operations Officer at MLSE, that point should not be confused with what he does or what his overall contribution to the company is. More often than not, these things are merely formalities.

Very true. My intention is to put more heat on TA than he already has. If his mandate is to oversee TFC, then I think we can all agree he's failing.

[Cashcleaner]

^ Oh for sure.

H Bomb makes a good point at Tom as well. In fact, when I think about it, we've been hearing the whole spiel about "still learning" from pretty much everyone at the club in some detail. Tom Anselmi - still learning. Paul Beirne - still learning. Ticket reps - still learning.

Sorry, but if you're not even getting some of the basics right after four years, there's not much hope you ever will.

[DichioTFC]

^ Oh for sure.

H Bomb makes a good point at Tom as well. In fact, when I think about it, we've been hearing the whole spiel about "still learning" from pretty much everyone at the club in some detail. Tom Anselmi - still learning. Paul Beirne - still learning. Ticket reps - still learning.

Sorry, but if you're not even getting some of the basics right after four years, there's not much hope you ever will.

This is one part where you're wrong. Security - never started learning. :D

[prizby]

as clueless as he may sound, as much as we dislike what is happening, I have hope, I hold faith, i think he might soon realize the problem is bigger than his head and once his head gets back to this planet and planted on his shoulders again, i believe he can get the job done, I believe he can implement improvements that will satisfy not just us supporters, but all fans, and I feel, although it might take time, he will get it right for us.

so NO

I think if he would just come be a supporter for a game, come to 112 and participate, come to Joes and do a march, live the experience, come on a road trip and just be one of us, he might see where we are coming from and he might want to work for us, but the effort needs to come from Anselmi to try this out, and we need to in turn give him the respect.

Basically he needs to become an actual soccer supporter, kind of like Drew Carey is, kind of like a Mike Ashley in order to better appreciate where we come from and to in the end better serve, us, the customers

[no1redsfan]

They say a fish wroughts from the head down. This one metaphor sums up TFC.

The Dwayne DeRosario episode was just the tip of the iceberg. There was the
John Carver 'suspension', Chris Cummins, Carl Robinson, just to name a few.

All this happened under one man's watch.

To play musical chairs with managers, coaches and players solves nothing.
The merry-go-round will just keep spinning round 'n' round, with no direction.

TOM MUST GO !!!

I have spent my last 'red' cent on the current TFC regime.

[jloome]

They say a fish wroughts from the head down. This one metaphor sums up TFC.

The Dwayne DeRosario episode was just the tip of the iceberg. There was the
John Carver 'suspension', Chris Cummins, Carl Robinson, just to name a few.

All this happened under one man's watch.

To play musical chairs with managers, coaches and players solves nothing.
The merry-go-round will just keep spinning round 'n' round, with no direction.

TOM MUST GO !!!

I have spent my last 'red' cent on the current TFC regime.

'Rots' dude, not 'wroughts'. I gotta admit, that's the most arcanely weird typo I've ever seen, and I've been editing for 20 years.

The weird thing to me is the amount of social disconnection in this case. It's one thing to be corporately cloistered -- I have to deal daily with pinheads who are only where they are due to the corporate social hierarchy. It's one of the principle frustrations of life, to me, that so much of our social leadership is determined not by competence, but by willigness to play a particular corporate role without making waves.

But being COO of a football club is a public role, in which socializing and understand the social atmosphere of the game is essential. And if Anselmi was really out there amongst the great unwashed, he would've heard an earful on Mo starting in year one.

Let's face it: his incompetence was fairly obvious from then on in. Has anyone publicly endorsed Mo since, say, week three of John Carver's tenure on?

So does Anselmi either not see the obvious -- which speak to a level of stupidity that would seem incongruous with the ability to tie one's shoes -- or has he simply ignored what's been going on for four years, with the exception of the bottom line?

They've made money far beyond their initial projections, so he simply didn't give a damn. He can tell you he did; he may even convince himself of it. But when there's a real passion tied to the output, to the product, the people involved in producing it pay attention; they don't always show the requisite humility to accept the required outside expertise, but given that we never saw a sign he was looking or it, that's not the issue here.

It's fucking tragic. I hate the world sometimes. A man without passion, placed in control of the fate of something that is an important passion to tens of thousands, with no more concern for them than he has for an ATM machine.

Welcome to further evidence that western capital culture has passed its tipping point of social restraint and become an orthodoxy unto itself, resigned to produce as much or more damage as it does productivity. Moderation is seriously required.

[mastermixer]

I've gotten a bad vibe from this guy ever since he showed his mug in an interview after the 5-0 debacle of 2009. I understand if you need to hire consultants to make some decisions, nothing new there, but I know for a fact this guy has about as much soccer knowledge as my grandmother. And guess what boys and girls... he's in the drivers seat.

[Roogsy]

I think he should be fired from having anything to do with TFC whatsoever. If he wants to continue making money for MLSE from on top his ivory tower, by all means, I could care less. But stop messing with my team. It's the laughing stock of the league and it's all your fault.

[Beach_Red]

But being COO of a football club is a public role, in which socializing and understand the social atmosphere of the game is essential. And if Anselmi was really out there amongst the great unwashed, he would've heard an earful on Mo starting in year one.

Let's face it: his incompetence was fairly obvious from then on in. Has anyone publicly endorsed Mo since, say, week three of John Carver's tenure on?




Oh come on, they knew exactly what they were doing with Mo. He bought them four years of profit with the smallest front office in the league and no looking past him. The perfect fall-guy.

I bet they're shocked that we didn't all cheer his firing and flock to renewals thinking all the problems with the team had been solved. They never expected us to look any further.

And remember, Mo and Carver have the same agent, so there's a lot more to that story than we've heard.

[jloome]

Oh come on, they knew exactly what they were doing with Mo. He bought them four years of profit with the smallest front office in the league and no looking past him. The perfect fall-guy.

I bet they're shocked that we didn't all cheer his firing and flock to renewals thinking all the problems with the team had been solved. They never expected us to look any further.

And remember, Mo and Carver have the same agent, so there's a lot more to that story than we've heard.

I love how the Shamus automatically gravitates to the conspiracy theory :D

No, dude, I've been interviewing and informally talking to guys like Anselmi for decades. You can't assume that they're smart enough to avoid convincing themselves they'll succeed no matter how cheap they're being.

I'd submit these guys are emblematic of corporate leadership in many companies, where their rank value as a well-capitalized company has more to do with any profit than their actual operations; as Ensco often alludes to on here, many of these guys live in a world of backslapping and headpatting, where the guy one step below is appropriately sycophantic, and almost no one ever faces harsh criticism.

The consequence is that they're very open and susceptible both to flattery and a confident approach; a variety of consultants, venture capitalists, hangers-on and fix-it men will be hanging onto the various execs of a firm like MLSE at any one time, most notably near the top.

The FIrst Wave/Keep it cheap and stupid theory you're proposing is probably quite accurate. But the key difference is that a) these guys are experts at telling corporate egos what they want to hear b) the consequence is that the corporate types often really believe they're doing the right thing, or moving in the right direction. It's not a conspiracy, it's high-level manipulation and greedy narcissism masquerading as corporate competence.

For a lot of gung-ho leader types, it starts as willful self-delusion for personal gain and an increase in authority, and becomes a pattern of behaviour, going to the sources of information and advice that feed the egos inherent to high-level management/leadership.

And whether they're lobbyists, consultants or agents, the people who end out genuinely influencing direction and policy, whether the environment is corporate or political, are the ones who stroke those egos most effectively, not the ones offering the best advice.

Quite recently, I had a chance to offer a businessman some advice. But, even at my most tactful, I can be abrasive. Dealing with self-deluded individuals, in particular, brings out this trait.

So when I told him he was going to lose a couple of million dollars in his first fiscal year, he told me it wasn't possible. Now, keep in mind, he'd spend the hour prior agreeing with almost every piece of advice I'd given him.

But the final verdict? That was totally at odds with his already-selected CEO's advice. In fact, almost everything I told him was the polar opposite approach to what he'd been told by his guy.

And his guy won out. "You're knowledge and expertise of the subject matter is obvious, but we want to build a team atmosphere, where we make our mistakes and learn as we go," he said. "XXXXX is the guy who got me involved in this investment in the first place, he's my friend and the guy I came in with."

So, even though he'd agreed with everything I said, he chose to take the social route and go with the guy he trusted. Six months later, he proved me slightly wrong: he'd lost closer to $3 million.

Anselmi probably has no concept of this kind of sudden loss of customer base. So he's utterly unprepared for it. His first move will be to turn to people in the biz he already trusts, and right there, we might well be fucked.

[Pigfynn]

^great post

[JonO]

The leafs are winning so TV revenue will rise as will ticket sales, and executive boxes will fill up soon. Raptors are about to start their season and is doing as well as usual. (Granted not perfect but making money) Real Sports Bar is a hit improving the brand.

Honestly, I think the executive boxes problem is more tied to costs than winning (certainly more so than the rest of the seats). Companies have to device what return they are getting on these seats and as the costs skyrocket, the return diminishes. I have also noticed that a lot of places value corporate boxes less and less as a business development tool....

[Beach_Red]

I love how the Shamus automatically gravitates to the conspiracy theory :D




I don't want to quote the whole, it's excellent. And maybe I think it's a great post because I think essentially we're saying the same thing. The only place we differ is what role the GM played in it.

The other day Gareth Wheeler mentioned that in one of his first conversation with Mo he asked him about a DP and was told, "We don't need one, all the tickets have been sold." Then that was never said again and the official line became, "When we find the right one."

Is it a conspiracy to think that when the GM got hired he asked about a DP and was told they didn't need one because all the tickets were sold and he was so inexperienced he told that to a journalist and was then told the "correct" thing to say?

I'm not saying that the execs are controlling much of this, I'm saying they are opportunists and very good at using what they've been given. The supporters looked at this expansion team and judged it using the criteria of an established organization. That may not have been the plan, but as soon as it happened the execs went along with it.

In fact, they told people up front it would take them five years - if anyone had bothered to ask when the year-by-year plan was they may have actually been told how the front office was goingto expand over those five years, how grass was going to be brought in later, how a DP wouild be added later and so on.

This team is likely following the corporate plan exactly as it was laid out. That's why people weren't fired but rather given extensions- they were following the plan they'd been given.

It's just not the plan we wanted.

[jloome]

I don't want to quote the whole, it's excellent. And maybe I think it's a great post because I think essentially we're saying the same thing. The only place we differ is what role the GM played in it.

The other day Gareth Wheeler mentioned that in one of his first conversation with Mo he asked him about a DP and was told, "We don't need one, all the tickets have been sold." Then that was never said again and the official line became, "When we find the right one."

Is it a conspiracy to think that when the GM got hired he asked about a DP and was told they didn't need one because all the tickets were sold and he was so inexperienced he told that to a journalist and was then told the "correct" thing to say?

I'm not saying that the execs are controlling much of this, I'm saying they are opportunists and very good at using what they've been given. The supporters looked at this expansion team and judged it using the criteria of an established organization. That may not have been the plan, but as soon as it happened the execs went along with it.

In fact, they told people up front it would take them five years - if anyone had bothered to ask when the year-by-year plan was they may have actually been told how the front office was goingto expand over those five years, how grass was going to be brought in later, how a DP wouild be added later and so on.

This team is likely following the corporate plan exactly as it was laid out. That's why people weren't fired but rather given extensions- they were following the plan they'd been given.

It's just not the plan we wanted.

Yeah, that's pretty much the same thing. Seems the fairly logical progression of events, doesn't it? Again, unless there's a fair injection of humility at this point, it's tough to see a greatly improved result the second time around.

[ochos]

Quick question I'll post in any ticket renewal/protest/town hall meeting/MLSE related thread:

Is it worth it for those of us who've yet to renew to call our ticket agents today and demand a price deduction or else we're not renewing?

Based on the response I may or may not make a new poll/thread (yay! Another protest related thread...)

[boban]

The new guy and his team should have a direct line to the Board, just like Burke and Colangelo.
And what good has that been. Despite some initial success, the Raptors have been out of the playoffs for 2 years amd look to be worse off even more so this year. And under Burke, while he gets kudos from many, he oversaw the first time in MLSE ownership history the Leafs finishing in 2nd last place in the NHL.
Hiring Presidents and giving them direct access (reporting) to the board is not the answer. The problem is the board itself. MLSE must be sold. Period!!

[Roogsy]

Quite recently, I had a chance to offer a businessman some advice. But, even at my most tactful, I can be abrasive. Dealing with self-deluded individuals, in particular, brings out this trait.

:lol:

You too huh?

[Pookie]

And what good has that been. Despite some initial success, the Raptors have been out of the playoffs for 2 years amd look to be worse off even more so this year. And under Burke, while he gets kudos from many, he oversaw the first time in MLSE ownership history the Leafs finishing in 2nd last place in the NHL.
Hiring Presidents and giving them direct access (reporting) to the board is not the answer. The problem is the board itself. MLSE must be sold. Period!!

You are getting confused with short term success vs building the structural foundation that will lead to success.

If you are going to measure success by the wins and losses immediately after the seat is warm, you might as well roll the dice with a new coach/GM every year like Anselmi and Peddie have done. You'll miss the playoffs like they did with both the Raptors and Leafs.

If you are going to have a cultural change, you need to give the new guy a chance to create the supporting structure. This is the problem with MLSE (and Toronto fans). They talk about patience but really don't have it.

The Board simply provides a budget and makes a decision, as a collective, in regards hiring/replacing the President.

[boban]

You are getting confused with short term success vs building the structural foundation that will lead to success.

If you are going to measure success by the wins and losses immediately after the seat is warm, you might as well roll the dice with a new coach/GM every year like Anselmi and Peddie have done. You'll miss the playoffs like they did with both the Raptors and Leafs.

If you are going to have a cultural change, you need to give the new guy a chance to create the supporting structure. This is the problem with MLSE (and Toronto fans). They talk about patience but really don't have it.

The Board simply provides a budget and makes a decision, as a collective, in regards hiring/replacing the President.
I'm getting confused with nothing. Facts speak for themselves.
And I have more patience than most here.
How much more time you think Colangelo needs? year 5 is not enough? Its a mess.

[Beach_Red]

I'm getting confused with nothing. Facts speak for themselves.
And I have more patience than most here.
How much more time you think Colangelo needs? year 5 is not enough? Its a mess.

Not to defend anyone here, but it seems like the NBA is a mess. Surely the Raptors should be doing better, but unless they want to take them into luxury tax area it's just not going to happen no matter what the reporting structure is. They're likely getting the results they expect nd are happy with that.

It is too early to tell, of course, but for the Leafs the ownership did about the best that could be expected - they went out and hired the most recent Stanley Cup winner who was willing to come here and gave him complete control. When it comes to hockey there really aren't that any guys qualified to run a team.

The question is, is MLS closer to the NBA or NHL? If expensive DPs are going to become integral parts of winning teams then it's likely TFC will become a lot more like the Raptors. They'll claim they're willing to spend the money but they won't.

[ag futbol]

Not to defend anyone here, but it seems like the NBA is a mess. Surely the Raptors should be doing better, but unless they want to take them into luxury tax area it's just not going to happen no matter what the reporting structure is. They're likely getting the results they expect nd are happy with that.
Well there in lies the problem.

They will only "selectively" spend into the luxury tax but it's pretty clear you have to reach it to be competitive.

You can tank a few years and load up on picks, but when the time comes you still have to make the commitment dollars wise. They have been notably stingy in that regard except for the one year where Gunwald (who i admire for being a stand up guy) did some bad contracts with the likes of Davis, AW, and a few others.

Anyway, clearly the raptors are further down the road we hope TFC never goes. It used to be a very hot ticket, but now you can get a four game pack with premium opponents and a raptors jersey to boot for a discount price.

They've pretty much seen the last of my money with the exception of one game a year. If i want to watch good basketball I’ll watch the rest of the league rather than a bunch of "young guns" who are shooting for nothing but the lottery.

[ExiledRed]

The other day Gareth Wheeler mentioned that in one of his first conversation with Mo he asked him about a DP and was told, "We don't need one, all the tickets have been sold." Then that was never said again and the official line became, "When we find the right one."


It was said well and often, by Mo. Anselmi said it blatantly on Television as if he was explaining something intelligent to a preschooler.

"The only reason we would get a DP is to sell more tickets or to improve the product. We dont think it will improve the product, we think a young team like this needs to be built on youth and we've sold out without one anyway."

Not verbatim, but as close as I can remember. They didnt take the notion of a DP seriously until season 2.

[rocker]

but didn't Paul Beirne say in an RPB video in season 1 that they were looking at a top DP? or was that season 2?

it was in the interview video where a RPB got a tour of BMO Field and sat down with PB.

[SuperTCP]

Okay, who are the 20 teachers that voted no?

[London]

go even higher than TOM, his boss too, calling leaf fans, speak the fuck up leaf fans

[scooterTFC]

Should Tom be fired? Yes.
Will Tom be fired? No.

Renewal results will be bad... how bad I don't know? But clearly results will be below expectations. But the problem is bigger than just some bad sales numbers for a single year. Anytime your most loyal customers respond to your sales and marketing strategy by organizing protests that garner local and national press coverage you've really screwed up.

I remember watching "Lebron: The Decision" and thinking, "how could Lebron and his 'people' possibly think this was a good marketing idea?" The TFC ticket renewal strategy has the same kind feeling - its just so bad you scratch your head think, "did they really just do this?"

I've lead pricing and customer acquistion/retention departments for some big companies, so I can see the technical mistakes these guys probably made in building their plans and models for this years renewal pricing and bundling.

This was a colossal business failure but Tom won't lose his job over this. I suspect that Paul B will take a bit of hit internally, but he won't lost his job either. I bet they hire a president/vp who will be Paul's new boss and the internal spin will be, "Paul's great, but this business grew much faster then we expected and he just didn't have enough experience to handle everything as it got bigger."

[prizby]

Why fire Tom...he is trying (finally) to understand what it takes to please as many fans as possible...firing Tom means bringing in a no guy who DOESN'T GET IT, and dare I suggest probably worse than Tom

everyone is so bloody quick to jump on the fire tom train, no one has ever thought, hey maybe his replacement might be WORSE

then y'all be begging for Tom back

[Cashcleaner]

^ What if his replacement is a lot better?

Why would the new guy "not get it?"

You're making two very big assumptions based on nothing more than speculation.

[v00d00daddy]

Why fire Tom...he is trying (finally) to understand what it takes to please as many fans as possible...firing Tom means bringing in a no guy who DOESN'T GET IT, and dare I suggest probably worse than Tom

everyone is so bloody quick to jump on the fire tom train, no one has ever thought, hey maybe his replacement might be WORSE

then y'all be begging for Tom back


What does Anselmi do? What are his responsiblities?

It's absolutely crystal clear that he knows very little about football yet he makes comments about he thinks we were "a few tweaks" from being a playoff team last year.

Gimme a break.

How much worse could it get?

Fire him and hire somebody who knows something about football...or at least hire somebody who won't stick his nose in the football side of things if he's not capable of doing so.

I'd fire Anselmi in a heartbeat.

[trane]

Why fire Tom...he is trying (finally) to understand what it takes to please as many fans as possible...firing Tom means bringing in a no guy who DOESN'T GET IT, and dare I suggest probably worse than Tom

everyone is so bloody quick to jump on the fire tom train, no one has ever thought, hey maybe his replacement might be WORSE

then y'all be begging for Tom back

Hahahahah. Quick to jump on the fire Tom train? Has he not been at the head of this club for four years? How is that quick, and no his replacement can only be as bad not any worse.

[stugautz]

Why fire Tom...he is trying (finally) to understand what it takes to please as many fans as possible...firing Tom means bringing in a no guy who DOESN'T GET IT, and dare I suggest probably worse than Tom

everyone is so bloody quick to jump on the fire tom train, no one has ever thought, hey maybe his replacement might be WORSE

then y'all be begging for Tom back

Same argument could be made for head coach's and GM's. At the end of the day, where is the proof that Anselmi can bring a winning culture to TFC? I have yet to see it. Some people have it and others don't. Anselmi doesn't. He can say everything he wants about working hard and doing his homework, but he is what he is.

[trane]

^ Maybe the homeworkd should have been done in 2007 not in 2011.

[DichioTFC]

Season ticket prices will be frozen until end of 2011 (renewal for 2012).

The updated pricing scheme just bought Anselmi enough time until then.

[prizby]

^ What if his replacement is a lot better?

Why would the new guy "not get it?"

You're making two very big assumptions based on nothing more than speculation.

that is asking a lot of MLSE to think that a replacement would be any better


Hahahahah. Quick to jump on the fire Tom train? Has he not been at the head of this club for four years? How is that quick, and no his replacement can only be as bad not any worse.

since you didn't care to read earlier here it is trane



so NO

I think if he would just come be a supporter for a game, come to 112 and participate, come to Joes and do a march, live the experience, come on a road trip and just be one of us, he might see where we are coming from and he might want to work for us, but the effort needs to come from Anselmi to try this out, and we need to in turn give him the respect.

Basically he needs to become an actual soccer supporter, kind of like Drew Carey is, kind of like a Mike Ashley in order to better appreciate where we come from and to in the end better serve, us, the customers


Same argument could be made for head coach's and GM's. At the end of the day, where is the proof that Anselmi can bring a winning culture to TFC? I have yet to see it. Some people have it and others don't. Anselmi doesn't. He can say everything he wants about working hard and doing his homework, but he is what he is.

we shall see soon, but if they have said they are going to bring in a name that most fans will recognize and they say that there is no salary cap in spending on things outside of players...

[Derko]

No, he should have been fired a long time ago. How many consecutive seasons have the leafs, raptors and TFC missed the playoffs?

Yet MLSE is making scads of money, your business would be crazy to fire a succesful businessman.
If TFC were winning more games this would not be an issue.
We really are quite fickle aren't we.

[Pookie]

Season ticket prices will be frozen until end of 2011 (renewal for 2012).

The updated pricing scheme just bought Anselmi enough time until then.

So, if they make the playoffs and then charge you more per game for the privilege of attending that playoff game... all is cool?

Even when LA gives out playoff games as a free bonus?

Not saying this to you personally but I do find it funny that we are thanking the guy for "listening" when he had his ears closed for business through 4 seasons. He is still the guy that hired, kept and then extended Mo throughout his tenure.

This is the guy who is outsourcing his GM search to some unknown (team of?) expert(s) but will ultimately decide whether the hired GM and his team are doing good job.

He was at the helm for 4 seasons of price increases that took us from plans for a "discounted season ticket package for kids under 14" to one in which you may be paying double what you used to.

As far as I know, the Marlies crap package is still going to be sold to.

He's only bought time from those who are easily distracted. Including those that equate winning with ticket prices.

[sweetlemon69]

His job as Executive VP and COO for MLSE is safe. Do I think he will be fired no. Do I think he should be fired no. He is making money had over fist for MLSE with the leafs, raptors and Real Sports. Overall MLSE is in a good position and from a business perspective he is doing just fine. He will collect his annual bonus and probably get some ribbing at the company christmas party about how he handled those TFC fans back in the fall.

Do I think he has squandered a good thing with TFC oh yeah. If there is any scape goats both have been shown the door. MLSE made it really clear that Preki and Mo were responsible and they have been dealt with.

Very well said and completely agree.. Still clueless as to why people want Anselmi fired...

[calvo2612]

Ah boys, DichioTFC has brought us to the crossroads that will actually decide wether TFC will slide into oblivion or rise from the ashes like a phoenix... Should Tom Anselmi be fired right now, this year, tout suite, right after the ticket renewal period is over? Should the house be cleaned completely, or should the big fish be allowed to slither away... Should the person really responsible get away with it? Answer the following questions and then comment/vote


Whose fault was it that Mo was hired in the first place?
...Tom Anselmi?
Whose fault was it that Mo was promoted, despite lack of results?
...Tom Anselmi?
Whose fault was it that Mo's got a job extension despite last year's failure in New York?
...Tom Anselmi?
Who is responsible for the boys having to play an extra year on artificial turf (while spending 1/2 million? hauling in grass for the madrid game)?
...Tom Anselme?
Who is responsible for a dorky, useless and awkward seat relocation process?
...Tom Anselme?
Who has brought in, and continues to bring in crappy consultants because he doesn't know much about soccer?
...Tom Anselme?
Who is responsible for the 75%-100% price hike in seats in only FOUR years - during a recession, with pathetic results each year on the field?
...Tom Anselme?
Who is responsible for the most discusting Season Ticket Holder offering in living memory, in all of Major sport?
...Tom Anselme?
Who was on major media last week and bumbled and fumbled to try to come up with the number of games included in the season ticket package they are trying to fleece Toronto FC fans with?
...Tom Anselme?
Who has launched a bunch of bogus townhalls and stands in front of everyone continuing to give the city of Toronto (with the most ardent soccer fans in North America) piffle, baffle gab, spin and a few crocodile tears rather than directly dealing with, and fixing the issues at hand:
- continued unbelievable price hikes with terrible product on the field
- forced inclusion of MLS Cup 2010 tickets in a 2011 package
- an overall ticket package that disrespects the fans in too many ways to count...
...Could it be Tom Anselme?

The solution is obvious, and we should do a poll on it now (if I can figure out polls, I will put it up next...)

The solution is:

A 2011 Season Ticket package that includes
only the 17 regular season MLS games for
the exact same total price as last year.

This will allow the fan base to survive intact, feel respected, invigourate ticket sales and launch the "NEW Toronto FC" into the next few seasons.

I do not think that Tom Anselmi is smart enough to realize that this is what is required, so I vote to:
KICK HIS ASS AS SOON AS THE TICKET RENEWAL PERIOD IS COMPLETE
and whose fault is it that your a moron..tom anselmi

[v00d00daddy]

Very well said and completely agree.. Still clueless as to why people want Anselmi fired...

very simple...

he makes decisoins that directly affect the quality on the field and those decisions have been shitty. (ie: hiring/extending Mo)

if he's willing to step back and let soccer people make the soccer related decisions then fine, he can stay...but he's shown that he can't/won't do that.

he is part of the (huge) problem with this club and we won't move forward until it's solved.

[prizby]

very simple...

he makes decisoins that directly affect the quality on the field and those decisions have been shitty. (ie: hiring/extending Mo)

if he's willing to step back and let soccer people make the soccer related decisions then fine, he can stay...but he's shown that he can't/won't do that.

he is part of the (huge) problem with this club and we won't move forward until it's solved.

umm not sure, but hiring (a) consultent(s) to find a GM is not a step back then i dunno what is

[v00d00daddy]

umm not sure, but hiring (a) consultent(s) to find a GM is not a step back then i dunno what is


That's fine. I'm okay with that...as long as he doesn't come out anymore and talk about how close we were/are to making the playoffs or how good or bad we are. He should only have a say in the business side of things. In truth I don't even trust that he can hire the right consultants to hire the right GM.

The guy is not a soccer guy. He's a business guy. He should be nowhere near the team...let alone speaking for it, or making decisions that affect the on field product.

We have our priorites skewed right now if you ask me. They fucked us over so well with the renewals/package that we've lost focus that this team needs A LOT of work to make it competitive.

We have no coach.
No GM.
and lots of holes all over the field.

We're like a first year team all over again.

[nascarguy]

FUCK MLS CSL IS WHERE IT'S AT DON you can take your fucking mls and stick it up your US ass

[Yeoman]

well, there's the door
leave

[Fort York Redcoat]

FUCK MLS CSL IS WHERE IT'S AT DON you can take your fucking mls and stick it up your US ass

MLS is where our team plays. The team in which we support on this site. Perhaps you could direct such comments to a CSL forum..

[H Bomb]

^^ I know right. some of us actually live in Toronto, so Toronto FC might make more sense to us.

Screw the CSL!!! ;)