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jloome
06-11-2011, 01:19 PM
... I think, on the balance of his movement, crossing, shot power, tracking back and work ethic, might be the best player the club's ever had.

In fact, I watch him play and, as someone raised on English football, honestly think this guy could slot in at right back for a lot of premier league clubs, and certainly in the championship.

He's so solid. Dribbles well, moves off the ball, ALWAYS marks his man back, even when he's come forward on an offensive move or overlap. He reminds me of Danny D or Stu Holden in that he's pretty much a total package player.

I guess the downside is I can't see this turning into a bosman, and we dont' exactly have a history of shelling out tranfers.

Beach_Red
06-11-2011, 01:26 PM
^ Beyond the money, TFC hasn't had a great record of keeping its better players, or of keeping them motivated. But we're all hoping that this is a "new" TFC and history doesn't matter.

The next DP signing and being able to retain Eckersley past the time of the loan will really tell us a lot about this team going forward.

MartinUtd
06-11-2011, 01:29 PM
I get the feeling that Ecks is very frustrated out there with TFC and can't wait to leave. I see him timing perfect runs while the ball is on his side only to be ignored and hung out to dry. Definately a class above the rest of this team but I don't think he's going to wait around for the standard to catch up.

torontocelt
06-11-2011, 01:37 PM
Eckersley is a fine football player and we are lucky to have him. It is obvious from watching him that he has had good training, an incredible engine and great work effic. Whether or not he would want to stay with TFC is a different story. You can see on the pitch that he is thinking 'what the feck is going on' as some of the players around him are so inept and so limited. At what point is he going to wish to be playing with better players as it will effect his game negatively to continue to play with players who are not at his level. Homesickness and the lure of championship football might also prove too much for him in the long run although that is just speculation on my part.

J .
06-11-2011, 01:37 PM
Eckersley had a problem finding time on a League 1 side, he looks good out there because he is a good fit for MLS. He is not EPL quality I believe.

I do hope we sign him though, best RB I think we've had and the only guy who consistently performs.

torontocelt
06-11-2011, 01:38 PM
I get the feeling that Ecks is very frustrated out there with TFC and can't wait to leave. I see him timing perfect runs while the ball is on his side only to be ignored and hung out to dry. Definately a class above the rest of this team but I don't think he's going to wait around for the standard to catch up.

Pretty much what I just wrote too.

brad
06-11-2011, 02:25 PM
Eckersley had a problem finding time on a League 1 side, he looks good out there because he is a good fit for MLS. He is not EPL quality I believe.

I do hope we sign him though, best RB I think we've had and the only guy who consistently performs.

I would be surprised if Ecks doesn't find a team in the Championship to take him after his loan ends.

He's having a very strong showing for us. Clubs in England are taking the level of play in the MLS more seriously, and youth education with United is valued highly in the Championship.

I think it's hard to say if he is EPL quality, but he is at least a Championship starter. I think this his career fell off more to a bit of bad luck than actual lack of ability.

kodiakTFC
06-11-2011, 02:31 PM
I definitely agree, he is a great talent and he's got to feel frustrated out there.

Yohan
06-11-2011, 02:39 PM
Well at least eck is getting first team mins and thats what his primary reason for coming to tfc. He should be happy for that

Davenport
06-11-2011, 02:42 PM
He'll go back to Burnley when his loan spell is up and he won't be back. He'll end up doing a good job for a Div 1 team.
He was at Bury on loan and they got promoted to that division so that may be a good fit..especailly as he's a Salford lad.
He's done well but he's not a great player. He shines above the others because they're crap. There's hundreds of young footballers like him in England.
In the meantime, I bet he's enjoying it off the pitch here....Toronto in the summer is a bit nicer than Burnley !!

Couchy81
06-11-2011, 03:27 PM
If TFC somehow manage to sign him to a real contract I will shit bricks.

A.J
06-11-2011, 04:04 PM
It would be nice to see him back next year, but I just don't see it happening

Thomas
06-11-2011, 06:00 PM
I agree. His skills really come across at the MLS quality level (particularly TFC sub par level). What I really like about this guy, and it shows on the field, is his passion....and the red head stands his ground and fights for the ball.

prizby
06-11-2011, 07:12 PM
remember all loan deals with the mls have a buy-on option

Stryker
06-11-2011, 07:18 PM
Twenty mins into his first game here I called him the best defender we've ever had in the game thread and numerous people pointed out how premature such a statement was (understandable).
But it was pretty obvious to me his talents shined above everyone elses immediately.

Gazza
06-11-2011, 07:20 PM
He's a class above any defender to have played for this team. But that's not saying much.

I really hope we can find an economical way of keeping him here long term, but i don't see that happening. He'll be so frustrated at the end of this MLS year that he'll take what he can get back home.

brad
06-11-2011, 07:39 PM
remember all loan deals with the mls have a buy-on option

True, but if he doesn't want to stay then it won't matter.

MartinUtd
06-11-2011, 08:22 PM
Who knows what could happen between now and the end of the season/year. Winter could bring in some proper players and give the Eckersley's and Plata's something to look forward to. If not that I expect we'll be "rebuilding" for a while longer.

swan
06-11-2011, 08:25 PM
would like him to stay but i don't see him staying

koryo
06-12-2011, 09:13 AM
He's a class above any defender to have played for this team. But that's not saying much.

I really hope we can find an economical way of keeping him here long term, but i don't see that happening. He'll be so frustrated at the end of this MLS year that he'll take what he can get back home.

Well, he's the first real full back TFC's ever had. I'd like to see him stay, but...

Pachuco
06-12-2011, 09:35 AM
Best right back we've ever had? YEAP
Best defender we've ever had? YEAP
Best player we've ever had? Not in my opinion.
EPL quality? Far from it.

That's how I see it.

CanuckPete
06-12-2011, 10:17 AM
We need him to meet a nice Toronto girl and never want to leave.

dow117
06-12-2011, 12:51 PM
We need him to meet a nice Toronto girl and never want to leave.

We need him to find a "bad" Toronto girl that won't let him leave !!!

Carts
06-12-2011, 12:56 PM
Best right back we've ever had? YEAP
Best defender we've ever had? YEAP
Best player we've ever had? Not in my opinion.
EPL quality? Far from it.

That's how I see it.

I agree with this except for one...

EPL quality? Far from it.

For me: EPL Quality? Not yet, but there's a chance he could develop more and, if he found time at a higher feeder league perhaps he could make it...

^ then again I guess that kinda is 'far from it' LOL

He's definitely had EPL coaching, and has a football brain - you can see that his head is ahead of his body at times. He knows what to do, when to do it, sometimes its just the execution...

Carts...

jazzy
06-12-2011, 01:40 PM
I get the feeling that Ecks is very frustrated out there with TFC and can't wait to leave. I see him timing perfect runs while the ball is on his side only to be ignored and hung out to dry. Definately a class above the rest of this team but I don't think he's going to wait around for the standard to catch up.

Agreed , esp what happenned last home game when he was taken off early??...he went straight to dressing room and I had erie feeling he was pissed, as always maybe??.....I'd sign him whatever the cost.......an english hot head ,..yup but it's what we need NOW..............He makes mistakes, yes but he's definitely another level

Gazza
06-12-2011, 02:33 PM
Best right back we've ever had? YEAP
Best defender we've ever had? YEAP
Best player we've ever had? Not in my opinion.
EPL quality? Far from it.

That's how I see it.

He's more of an EPL quality right back than Glen Johnson.:)

CretanBull
06-12-2011, 03:54 PM
Best right back we've ever had? YEAP
Best defender we've ever had? YEAP
Best player we've ever had? Not in my opinion.
EPL quality? Far from it.

That's how I see it.


Agreed!

KRO
06-12-2011, 05:27 PM
Agreed , esp what happenned last home game when he was taken off early??...he went straight to dressing room and I had erie feeling he was pissed, as always maybe??.....I'd sign him whatever the cost.......an english hot head ,..yup but it's what we need NOW..............He makes mistakes, yes but he's definitely another level

I thought the same thing, but apparently he had a 'stomach problem' and had to get off the pitch as quick as possible.

boysblue
06-12-2011, 05:37 PM
He'll go back to Burnley when his loan spell is up and he won't be back. He'll end up doing a good job for a Div 1 team.
He was at Bury on loan and they got promoted to that division so that may be a good fit..especailly as he's a Salford lad.
He's done well but he's not a great player. He shines above the others because they're crap. There's hundreds of young footballers like him in England.
In the meantime, I bet he's enjoying it off the pitch here....Toronto in the summer is a bit nicer than Burnley !!


this is it.

Dreadlocks
06-12-2011, 07:26 PM
I like the guy and there's a reason why he came to the MLS - more specifically TFC. He wanted to play and he wants to learn the game. I think he'll be here as long as Winter is here - or until either a League One team or Premiership team thinks he's learned enough.

CSO_BBTB
06-12-2011, 08:16 PM
I agree. His skills really come across at the MLS quality level (particularly TFC sub par level)....

A lot of people from the UK equate the tempo a game is played at with skill level when they are really two different things and that mentality has heavily influenced a lot of people in Canada as well. Let's see how Eckersley does away to Houston next month when a high tempo style is no longer doable for climate reasons. That will provide a good test of whether he is a fully rounded player in an MLS context. The Galaxy game wasn't his best. Most of the positive play from the fullback position was coming from Danleigh Borman for a change.

drexel10
06-12-2011, 08:24 PM
A lot of people from the UK equate the tempo a game is played at with skill level when they are really two different things and that mentality has heavily influenced a lot of people in Canada as well. Let's see how Eckersley does away to Houston next month when a high tempo style is no longer doable for climate reasons to see if he is a fully rounded player. The Galaxy game wasn't his best. Most of the positive play from the fullback position was coming from Danleigh Borman for a change.


He already gets full marks for his performance in Colorado, which I was very surprised by.

P-NUTZ
06-13-2011, 12:57 PM
he better than prety much everyone on that team - especially JDG.
what a burn. hes awesome and will leave. barf.

Ossington Mental Youth
06-13-2011, 01:01 PM
jesus, hes still here, im not going to mourn him until hes definitely gone

CoachGT
06-13-2011, 01:06 PM
Most of the positive play from the fullback position was coming from Danleigh Borman for a change.

Perhaps by design. Looking at it as the opposition would, would you prefer to test a guy who has looked really solid game in and game out at right back, or a guy who has been spotty at times at left back? Looking at who was playing in front of Borman, the night was his to shine.

I like Eckersley a lot and think he is well suited to MLS. He has indicated that he likes the city and looks to be the type of player that could do very well here - I want to be in the stadium when he scores his first, probably following a long run! His connection is with Mariner, who has given him the opportunity to play a couple of times in his career. I'm hopeful that he sticks around for a while.

CSO_BBTB
06-14-2011, 03:35 AM
Only thing I'll add is that there is a tendency for people to rate the league of the country of their birth or ancestry a bit more highly than other people would and to overrate players from that environment relative to MLS. Think it goes without saying that Nick Soolsma wouldn't be a TFC player if a non-Dutch coach were in charge and that Collin Samuel and Peter Canero very much owed their MLS careers to being signed by somebody from a Scottish background so this is something that applies not just to fans but people who do this stuff for a living.

Some people are probably quite comfortable with the idea that Eckersley is a Bury reject because of what that says about MLS relative to the league in their home/ancestral country but I think the reality is probably that he was a blue chip prospect at a much higher level than that whose career veered off course due to some sort of attitude problem. You can definitely see why he was rated by Man Utd at one point when the weather conditions are at their most British and it's relatively easy to make lots of overlapping runs. There's more to being a success in MLS than that, though, over the long haul. Worth bearing in mind maybe that Rohan Ricketts looked quite good at times initially as well.

maninb
06-14-2011, 07:24 AM
We need him to find a "bad" Toronto girl that won't let him leave !!!

^This!!!! Anybody have a sister with low self-esteeem??? :)

Yes he's frustrated but he is getting the minutes. IMO he'll stay if we make him a good offer AND he sees progress/results from now on....

Davenport
06-14-2011, 07:40 AM
Only thing I'll add is that there is a tendency for people to rate the league of the country of their birth or ancestry a bit more highly than other people would and to overrate players from that environment relative to MLS. Think it goes without saying that Nick Soolsma wouldn't be a TFC player if a non-Dutch coach were in charge and that Collin Samuel and Peter Canero very much owed their MLS careers to being signed by somebody from a Scottish background so this is something that applies not just to fans but people who do this stuff for a living.

Some people are probably quite comfortable with the idea that Eckersley is a Bury reject because of what that says about MLS relative to the league in their home/ancestral country but I think the reality is probably that he was a blue chip prospect at a much higher level than that whose career veered off course due to some sort of attitude problem. You can definitely see why he was rated by Man Utd at one point when the weather conditions are at their most British and it's relatively easy to make lots of overlapping runs. There's more to being a success in MLS than that, though, over the long haul. Worth bearing in mind maybe that Rohan Ricketts looked quite good at times initially as well.

He's not a Bury reject, he belongs to Burnley, he played for Bury on loan for some of last season.
Bury would love to sign him but they probably can't afford him and I bet he wants a chance of being a regular in the Championship so he'll probably stay with Burnley.