Is It Just Me?-Take 2

[JuliquE]

OK,let's try again and see what direction this thread will take.
Denime
I may take a bit of flack for this.. but it's okay, because I have on my crucifying-shorts and a clean pair of underwear - boxer-briefs, if you must know - ready to meet my maker.

:rant:

Does it seem, to any of you, like inside info. from this board (and probably others, but I couldn't say), is often shared with an underlying motive to gain status points?

Under the thin veil of "hoping they're wrong," people will proceed to post information that they know will only fan the flames -- like giving a child candy and asking him/her not to eat it. It's widely agreed by most that Winter should stay on, at least until this time next season.. but then the same people of whom subscribe to the importance of us keeping a coach for more than one season will go out of their way to discredit him and stir the pot.

I liked what Alan Gordon had to say before he left (whilst it was still his problem), when he mentioned about it being important to believe in the coach and his system.. because if you start to question and doubt, it doesn't help things (if someone could find and post his direct quote, that'd be great).

I don't fully agree with it, though; I believe that timing is everything and it would be important to simply show your support throughout the season, reserving criticisms for when things are winding down and over the course of the off-season (less distracting).

I just feel like, instead of looking to be the person that start "this" or "that" conversation - the coveted OP, as it were - we should ask ourselves if posting this information is truly, as you would claim, in the best interest of the club. Maybe it's just a timing thing, but I get the impression that, for many, this is more of a popularity contest and the media will only follow suit.

:rant:

[Globetrotter]

people on boards like these love to hear themselves speak, and think very highly of themselves. the chance to be the king in a world of serfdom.

[Menelaos]

I'll agree with some of what you said.

I have never put too much stock into something said by someone traded away. Lets be honest, there has to be a feeling of being unwanted and nobody likes that. So, is it possible they will say stuff to get back at someone? Of course.

As for status points, while there are so many experts and insiders on these boards, anyone with 1/2 a brain can tell the morons from the ones who might actually know a thing or two. Just do what the rest of us do, ignore those who you think are full of it.

[JuliquE]

I'll agree with some of what you said.

I have never put too much stock into something said by someone traded away. Lets be honest, there has to be a feeling of being unwanted and nobody likes that. So, is it possible they will say stuff to get back at someone? Of course.

As for status points, while there are so many experts and insiders on these boards, anyone with 1/2 a brain can tell the morons from the ones who might actually know a thing or two. Just do what the rest of us do, ignore those who you think are full of it.
Not saying that the type of individuals I'm describing above are necessarily "full of it," as far as their info. is concerned (they are probably correct in whatever they're saying and even a broken clock is right, twice a day).. just that their intentions/priorities, with respect to the club's best interests, are suspect.

Not saying to remain silent all season.. but I just feel that certain inside information, at the wrong times, does more harm than good (my opinion, anyway).

[menefreghista]

Personally I hope the 'insiders' continue to post the info that they have. That's what makes this place so great, imo.

Its not like the media is doing a good job of breaking interesting TFC stories.

[Suds]

Personally I hope the 'insiders' continue to post the info that they have. That's what makes this place so great, imo.

Its not like the media is doing a good job of breaking interesting TFC stories.


I can understand where the OP is coming from, however, I'm glad there are people who pass along information here when they come across it. I guess the people posting need to decide when it's the right and wrong time to share the information and how to present it on here without a bias of opinion.

It's also up to us people reading the information to understand most of what is posted is third-hand information. Internet boards are probably the worst form the the game "Telephone" there is.

The only time I get annoyed is when someone posts something like - I've got some inside info that would change everyone's opinion but I'm not going to post it for whatever reason. In those cases I think people should just not post anything at all.

[ag futbol]

people on boards like these love to hear themselves speak, and think very highly of themselves. the chance to be the king in a world of serfdom.
LOL! I regard your comments with suspicion.

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001671175/2332779200_600full_austin_powers_in_goldmember_scr eenshot_answer_11_xlarge.jpeg

[Roogsy]

Seriously....status points?

Sharing info on this board has given me nothing but headaches. To the point where I now intentionally avoid becoming involved with the players and find other consultants to help them because at the moment I want as little to do with the inside track of this team as is possible. Ignorance is indeed bliss and I wish I had never gotten to know any of the players personally.

Status? More like nightmare.

And DangerRed just got a taste of that frustration. It would appear people simply want to hear platitudes and cliché remarks in the media and not honest opinions and true insight into the team.

[DangerRed]

Seriously....status points?

Sharing info on this board has given me nothing but headaches. To the point where I now intentionally avoid becoming involved with the players and find other consultants to help them because at the moment I want as little to do with the inside track of this team as is possible. Ignorance is indeed bliss and I wish I had never gotten to know any of the players personally.

Status? More like nightmare.

Agree, and I'm not even remotely as connected or routinely interacting with players as you are. Every single (rare) time I've shared any player meeting information on here or any inside track, I get bashed because either a) my credibility gets questioned, b) a bunch of people tell me "great story, but it's not surprising" even though they're surprised or c) people tell me it's bad for the club like in this instance.

It's not bad for the club. It might be bad for someone's deluded image of what this club is, but it in no way hurts the club. For me, it enriches my understanding of what's actually going on with this team, and I treat ex-player comments with a grain of salt ALWAYS. I guess I'll keep this stuff to myself from now on and only share with my buddies - no skin off my back.

[Roogsy]

Agree, and I'm not even remotely as connected or routinely interacting with players as you are. Every single (rare) time I've shared any player meeting information on here or any inside track, I get bashed because either a) my credibility gets questioned, b) a bunch of people tell me "great story, but it's not surprising" even though they're surprised or c) people tell me it's bad for the club like in this instance.

It's not bad for the club. It might be bad for someone's deluded image of what this club is, but it in no way hurts the club. For me, it enriches my understanding of what's actually going on with this team, and I treat ex-player comments with a grain of salt ALWAYS. I guess I'll keep this stuff to myself from now on and only share with my buddies - no skin off my back.

Can't blame you.

[tiberius]

I may take a bit of flack for this.. but it's okay, because I have on my crucifying-shorts and a clean pair of underwear - boxer-briefs, if you must know - ready to meet my maker.



Does it seem, to any of you, like inside info. from this board (and probably others, but I couldn't say), is often shared with an underlying motive to gain status points?

Under the thin veil of "hoping they're wrong," people will proceed to post information that they know will only fan the flames -- like giving a child candy and asking him/her not to eat it. It's widely agreed by most that Winter should stay on, at least until this time next season.. but then the same people of whom subscribe to the importance of us keeping a coach for more than one season will go out of their way to discredit him and stir the pot.

I liked what Alan Gordon had to say before he left (whilst it was still his problem), when he mentioned about it being important to believe in the coach and his system.. because if you start to question and doubt, it doesn't help things (if someone could find and post his direct quote, that'd be great).

I don't fully agree with it, though; I believe that timing is everything and it would be important to simply show your support throughout the season, reserving criticisms for when things are winding down and over the course of the off-season (less distracting).

I just feel like, instead of looking to be the person that start "this" or "that" conversation - the coveted OP, as it were - we should ask ourselves if posting this information is truly, as you would claim, in the best interest of the club. Maybe it's just a timing thing, but I get the impression that, for many, this is more of a popularity contest and the media will only follow suit.



You raise and interesting point, but as you point out in one of your later posts - it is useless to discuss this, given that the it is buried inside this other big thread...

[JuliquE]

Seriously....status points?

Sharing info on this board has given me nothing but headaches. To the point where I now intentionally avoid becoming involved with the players and find other consultants to help them because at the moment I want as little to do with the inside track of this team as is possible. Ignorance is indeed bliss and I wish I had never gotten to know any of the players personally.

Status? More like nightmare.

And DangerRed just got a taste of that frustration. It would appear people simply want to hear platitudes and cliché remarks in the media and not honest opinions and true insight into the team.
Well.. you know what they say: any attention is good attention

I definitely wouldn't want for more negative bits of information to stop being shared, but I just feel like the timing of it is very important.

The media always has their ears to the ground, hoping to feel out the mood amongst supporter's groups. A positive thread will be celebrated by all, yes.. but a negative thread is on a whole other level, with 20-30+ pages. The media catches wind of this and sensationalize things to no end, as rumours and whispers around the club ensue.

Knowing the influence of these boards, having somewhat of a snowball effect, people posting information "for the good of the club" need to think twice about whether or not this would be the right timing. Certain things would only work against the generally agreed upon notion that it's important for us to stick it out with a coach, for more than one season.

[MartinUtd]

Get thicker skin or make use of the ignore function if you don't like the rantings of a select few. Unless you're a John Molinaro, the idea of maintaining credibility on a message board is an exercise in futility. Unfortunately people have the freedom to act stupid, that's life.

[JuliquE]

Get thicker skin or make use of the ignore function if you don't like the rantings of a select few. Unless you're a John Molinaro, the idea of maintaining credibility on a message board is an exercise in futility. Unfortunately people have the freedom to act stupid, that's life.
Certainly agree. it's not as if to say I'm losing sleep over all this; I know how the internet works (I'm pretty good at that there google-machine, muhself).

Just an observation, from me and I was curious to see how others might view things.

[Alonso]

Personally I hope the 'insiders' continue to post the info that they have. That's what makes this place so great, imo.

Its not like the media is doing a good job of breaking interesting TFC stories.


Agreed.

I appreciate the info from people that are closer to the action and have a less filtered perspective of the team.

[Alonso]

I can understand where the OP is coming from, however, I'm glad there are people who pass along information here when they come across it. I guess the people posting need to decide when it's the right and wrong time to share the information and how to present it on here without a bias of opinion.

It's also up to us people reading the information to understand most of what is posted is third-hand information. Internet boards are probably the worst form the the game "Telephone" there is.

The only time I get annoyed is when someone posts something like - I've got some inside info that would change everyone's opinion but I'm not going to post it for whatever reason. In those cases I think people should just not post anything at all.

This is more 'Ego' posting then anything else.

[ensco]

It's not specific to these boards. The question "how do you find the signal in the noise" is a big problem in a world with a lot of data.

The Gordon thing sounded right to me, it fit what I knew of Gordon and what I was seeing with my own eyes. These things are always mostly subjective.

The identity of the poster is less relevant imho.

[tiberius]

Does it seem, to any of you, like inside info. from this board (and probably others, but I couldn't say), is often shared with an underlying motive to gain status points?

Under the thin veil of "hoping they're wrong," people will proceed to post information that they know will only fan the flames -

I agree that there is status in sharing the "scoop" and the scoopster will probably know they also are fanning the flames and are also supporting their particular position. But it is kinda human nature to share "secrets" and to gossip and to shade/slant the "gossip" to support their thinking.
Most folk on this board probably treat posted "inside info" as gossip - no more...

Therein lies the accute frustration of Roogsie (and a few others) who have real "facts" - not just opinions and forth hand information. They also have way more information to form a more complete picture - a lot more "facts" to come to certain conclusions. Meanwhile we treat their information as gossip (as we probably rightly should) and fire all sorts of "gossip test" posts their way - "what is your motivation?", "is this really first hand info?", "Did you just make that up?", "Here is some other gossip that refutes your "gossip"" or even better: "You are full of shit", "ST**", "You are an asshole", "You are just being negative" "Your source is biased" ... I am sure Roogsie could write a book on the number of life sucking variations in responses... I think we can be sympathetic? I think everyone should be incredibly careful not to accuse others of bad intentions - attack their argument, their sources etc but don't assume bad intentions, even if the balance of evidence is leaning in that direction.

This is a classic problem with no real solution - we are not going to take as "truth" that which we cannot verify ourselves, and the person with the scoop can't "prove" what they believe to be true...

It often takes years (if ever) for a scoopster or someone with inside information to get any real satisfaction - What if you met Mo in 2007, and on that very first day you gathered that this was one very slippery snake who only knew how to talk a good line and that it all would turn out badly for everyone involved? Those early voices in 2007 and 2008 who thought Mo should go had to wait four years for truth and satisfaction...



... when he mentioned about it being important to believe in the coach and his system.. because if you start to question and doubt, it doesn't help things (if someone could find and post his direct quote, that'd be great).

I don't fully agree with it, though; I believe that timing is everything and it would be important to simply show your support throughout the season, reserving criticisms for when things are winding down and over the course of the off-season (less distracting).

...we should ask ourselves if posting this information is truly, as you would claim, in the best interest of the club. Maybe it's just a timing thing, but I get the impression that, for many, this is more of a popularity contest and the media will only follow suit.

I really like what you are saying here - negativity and criticism is usually not helpful - are we actually damaging the club?

When I look at the example you raised in your starting post, (I will not mention any player names for fear of this thread being merged :D:D) the traded player in question spouts off to a stranger in the airport about this, that and the other... I fully expect that player spouted off BEFORE he got to the airport too ...(to the sky cap, taxi driver, doorman and 100 of his closest friends...) I also think that the player's story line will continue to be spread in California, at least until settled into his new team.

Given this situation, I think we should publicly analyse the heck of what the player said. We will turn it upside down and backward, analyse it to death, and by the time some media type shows up on the boards there will be a (somewhat) balance analysis, as opposed to just the players "spouts" floating around in the wind...

You may be onto something though, for information that is not in public view... I am not sure what might qualify, but there could be some inside info that could hit this board and actually cause harm... any ideas?

[jazzy]

Seriously....status points?

Sharing info on this board has given me nothing but headaches. To the point where I now intentionally avoid becoming involved with the players and find other consultants to help them because at the moment I want as little to do with the inside track of this team as is possible. Ignorance is indeed bliss and I wish I had never gotten to know any of the players personally.

Status? More like nightmare.

And DangerRed just got a taste of that frustration. It would appear people simply want to hear platitudes and cliché remarks in the media and not honest opinions and true insight into the team.

^this....., we have to remember every viewpoint on these boards is just that an OPINION,..no matter how much any poster believes he has the facts,...with that note I feel anyone should feel free to post any info they feel is relative to TFC, and it's players/mgmt. When posters get personal or nasty, thats when mods should step in,(and there are a few angry/bitter posters) lol, but more importantly we are grown-ups here (wishful thinking)? lol, and should be able to filter out/comment on, the more interesting or inflammatory issues ourselves. In the case of Gordon, I liked him and if comments are true??, it only speaks of his credibility, no? He only hurts himself IMHO. Think about it, a classy individual never remarks on a bad experience immediately after the act. EG. My girlfriend dumped me, so I think I'll bitterly crap on her now,..never once thinking it could be partially my fault.With that in mind this is a social activity and a engaging two-way medium,so rant on everyone and bring on all your facts/opinions, because I'm old enough to decipher the rants from the informative OPINIONS.

[tiberius]

Well.. you know what they say: any attention is good attention

I definitely wouldn't want for more negative bits of information to stop being shared, but I just feel like the timing of it is very important.

... but a negative thread is on a whole other level, with 20-30+ pages. The media catches wind of this and sensationalize things to no end, as rumours and whispers around the club ensue.

Knowing the influence of these boards, having somewhat of a snowball effect, people posting information "for the good of the club" need to think twice about whether or not this would be the right timing. Certain things would only work against the generally agreed upon notion that it's important for us to stick it out with a coach, for more than one season.

I am with you - We both believe in what that "certain recently traded player":D was saying prior to his trade: the players need to stay positive, believe in their teammates, coach and the vision.

Now that being said, what is your biggest fears of what might be discussed on the boards that somehow gets into the media and negatively affects the team? I don't want to hurt the team. I am not worried if the media picks up on the overpriced ticket issue, or if some recently traded player (who will remain unnamed) says the boys are having a tough time picking up the new system. If anything, it seams like it takes FOREVER for the media to pick up an issue. (eg. it took until middle of year 3 before there was any real media pressure around getting grass at BMO...) Interested in your thoughts...

[JuliquE]

I am with you - We both believe in what that "certain recently traded player":D was saying prior to his trade: the players need to stay positive, believe in their teammates, coach and the vision.

Now that being said, what is your biggest fears of what might be discussed on the boards that somehow gets into the media and negatively affects the team? I don't want to hurt the team. I am not worried if the media picks up on the overpriced ticket issue, or if some recently traded player (who will remain unnamed) says the boys are having a tough time picking up the new system. If anything, it seams like it takes FOREVER for the media to pick up an issue. (eg. it took until middle of year 3 before there was any real media pressure around getting grass at BMO...) Interested in your thoughts...
Information to do with infrastructure upgrades and ticket pricing isn't an issue. Anything that touches on the players, coaching staff and their cohesion or lack their of could be a delicate area.

Everyone here wants the same thing, so I don't see a reason for the animosity sometimes exhibited towards one another.. but I do think that the pressure of being in the head coach hot-seat for Toronto fans is part of the problem and I can understand when some of those hoping to steady the ship get upset with others of whom cause more harm than good with their contributions.

I feel like, at times, management is just trying to do exactly what the supporters are asking for.. but we're like children and don't know what's good for us -- don't get the many subtleties one must take into account, when running an MLS club. We can sometimes come across as the kid throwing a tantrum in the middle of the mall and it is my opinion that poorly timed information plays a huge role in getting us to that point.

[ensco]

Now that being said, what is your biggest fears of what might be discussed on the boards that somehow gets into the media and negatively affects the team? I don't want to hurt the team.

This is a terrible thing to read, and I wonder how much of it is going on.

It's one thing if you just have a different, strongly-held opinion (as I believe many in the "let's wait and see on Winter" camp do, to be clear). But....

If more than a tiny minority of people here are doing what they do or saying what they do just because they want to squelch something, because it's "bad" for the team, I believe many interesting people will leave this board.

[tiberius]

Now that being said, what is your biggest fears of what might be discussed on the boards that somehow gets into the media and negatively affects the team? I don't want to hurt the team.



This is a terrible thing to read, and I wonder how much of it is going on.

It's one thing if you just have a different, strongly-held opinion (as I believe many in the "let's wait and see on Winter" camp do, to be clear). But....

If more than a tiny minority of people here are doing what they do or saying what they do just because they want to squelch something, because it's "bad" for the team, I believe many interesting people will leave this board.

?? Ensco, you have stumped me... I don't understand - I just asked a question? Or was it my statement that I don't want to hurt the team?

Myself, I couldn't really put my finger on a topic that could not be harmlessly discussed on these boards - but clearly JuliquE had something in mind, so I asked....

I am not sure why you are having a cow over my post...:noidea:

[ensco]

^mistakenly fingered you there, now that I read it again. Sorry.

But I would say that the phenomenon of posters taking aggressive positions based not on facts, but because it's the "right thing to do by the team" bothers me, if it is going on.

[JuliquE]

^mistakenly fingered you there, now that I read it again. Sorry.

But I would say that the phenomenon of posters taking aggressive positions based not on facts, but because it's the "right thing to do by the team" bothers me, if it is going on.
Your post before this one makes it sound like there'd be nothing worth the discussion, here, any more.. when I clearly said that the same "negative" information might still make it's way onto the boards, but at a more appropriate time.

Even if some inside info. would be held back, there would still be much to discuss and speculations to be made. If that meant more harmony in the locker and between the players and coach, then wouldn't it be a worthwhile sacrifice for the place to be come a little less interesting and the team a little more successful?

No one quite understands the curse that has befallen TFC, but also no one's willing to let go of something they have grown accustomed to for the sake of trying a different approach. If you go to many other team websites, you will have a tough time even finding player interviews and game recaps -- man are we spoiled, here.

[ensco]

I'm not interested in a forum where people are silenced for saying the truth.

Well, the good news is, nobody seems too interested in this thread.

[JuliquE]

I'm not interested in a forum where people are silenced for saying the truth.

Well, the good news is, nobody seems too interested in this thread.

Ouch. Well, I guess I deserved that.

Again: not silenced and I wasn't suggesting this be enforced

I thought it would be some food for thought to discuss the motives behind sharing some inside info. and how it contradicts with what I'm sure we all want for the club, which is to win.

We would never be rid of the problem, entirely.. but maybe with a few people looking themselves in the mirror and being careful about their timing, it could improve the general mood around the club.. from the supporters on up.

But you're right that most don't interested in the thread; can't help but feel it validates some of what I was saying, then (positive thread vs. negative).

[menefreghista]

Ouch. Well, I guess I deserved that.

Again: not silenced and I wasn't suggesting this be enforced

I thought it would be some food for thought to discuss the motives behind sharing some inside info. and how it contradicts with what I'm sure we all want for the club, which is to win.

We would never be rid of the problem, entirely.. but maybe with a few people looking themselves in the mirror and being careful about their timing, it could improve the general mood around the club.. from the supporters on up.

But you're right that most don't interested in the thread; can't help but feel it validates some of what I was saying, then (positive thread vs. negative).

If decisions by management are being made based on forum chatter than we are in even bigger trouble than I first suspected.

The club isn't in its current state because of the pessimistic mood on the forum. The pessimism is a result of how shit this team is.

Besides, I don't want to be willfully ignorant. I like learning about inside information about the teams I follow. If I have to get it on a forum, so be it. We can all decide for ourselves which posters are credible or not.

I take issue with people trying to silence insiders because it doesn't agree with their utopia like idea of the club.

[JuliquE]

If decisions by management are being made based on forum chatter than we are in even bigger trouble than I first suspected.

The club isn't in its current state because of the pessimistic mood on the forum. The pessimism is a result of how shit this team is.

Besides, I don't want to be willfully ignorant. I like learning about inside information about the teams I follow. If I have to get it on a forum, so be it. We can all decide for ourselves which posters are credible or not.

I take issue with people trying to silence insiders because it doesn't agree with their utopia like idea of the club.
There's that word again -- I never used it or any variant.

Anyway, I can fully understand/respect your perspective and don't think the more negative information should be filtered out.. just have to feel like mentioning it at the wrong time could prove counter-productive.

I'm in no way suggesting that everything is decided on by the supporters, but I would argue that some of the moves made have been strongly influenced by them and that is the power I am referring to.

I think a lot of us were really scratching our heads, trying to figure out who the locker room cancer was, last season and I don't think we'll ever truly know. That said, there are many ways to frame certain bits of information, which changes the context entirely. If the only thing we can be certain of is that we'll never know the full truth, then maybe it's not worth the risk of agitating the masses in the middle of the season. Aside from the possibility of being wrong, it could just be that, like with any coach, Winter made a few bad moves.. but the ends justify the means and we can be grateful he we weren't calling for his head, prematurely.

Once again, I was more wanting to encourage a few of those insiders to rethink what they feel might be accomplished with sharing any given information they have. I know if I knew something that might sink Winter, in the eyes of supporters, I would stay mum until the right time (coming from Mr. Serioux's cousin, by the way).

[menefreghista]

You are essentially asking for censoring because of an unfounded fear that what gets posted here could hurt the club.

I disagree with that completely. And would hate it very much if things went the way you prefer.

[Roogsy]

It's also difficult to judge what would "hurt the club". Is all negative news hurtful to the club or does it help fans and supporters judge what is going on?

If people had spoken up about Mo and his shenanigans, may the pressure would have been greater to get rid of Mo a year earlier and maybe Uncle Tom would not have pulled the plug so late and saved the team from the massive damage experienced and maybe we'd be further along in our progress?

The question also arises, how would people have accepted this news? Would they have been musing at the time about the damage this info could have caused not knowing they would have been saving themselves even more damage?

I work in an industry where knowledge is king. Those with the info make more money than those without the info, plain and simple. To me, there is nothing beter than complete knowledge and complete transparency. You can't be selective about the info you want to hear or read because all you are doing is short-changing yourself and putting yourself at a disadvantage.

[Chevy]

people on boards like these love to hear themselves speak, and think very highly of themselves. the chance to be the king in a world of serfdom.

lol. +1.

[brad]

Don't think it's status points, I think some people take the internetz too seriously.

If you have info, and want to share it, share it. Once it's out there, some will question it, call you out, ect. Either take in on personally or treat it for what it is. That's the way internet message boards work.

[JuliquE]

It's also difficult to judge what would "hurt the club". Is all negative news hurtful to the club or does it help fans and supporters judge what is going on?

If people had spoken up about Mo and his shenanigans, may the pressure would have been greater to get rid of Mo a year earlier and maybe Uncle Tom would not have pulled the plug so late and saved the team from the massive damage experienced and maybe we'd be further along in our progress?

The question also arises, how would people have accepted this news? Would they have been musing at the time about the damage this info could have caused not knowing they would have been saving themselves even more damage?

I work in an industry where knowledge is king. Those with the info make more money than those without the info, plain and simple. To me, there is nothing beter than complete knowledge and complete transparency. You can't be selective about the info you want to hear or read because all you are doing is short-changing yourself and putting yourself at a disadvantage.
This is a good point, that has me thinking. Not sure why the lad before you is intent on putting words into my mouth. I thought it was fairly simple, without the need for "essentially" this or that:

I felt that the allure of being an insider might, for some, have gotten in the way of their better judgement (I know you don't see it that way, Roogsy.. but I do think that, for some, any attention is good attention). I then submitted what, for me, would be a more prudent approach and asked what others thought on the matter.

I'm not sure where one or two have got it in their mind that I don't want people to share certain information, by force or request.. when I was simply suggesting what I thought would be "the right thing to do"; I kept insisting that others should do as they see fit and I would be glad to have made someone think twice, is all. Jeesh.

** * **

Back to Roogsy's point -- I think that if someone knew something to have put more pressure on Mo, sooner, they would not have been taken (as?) seriously, being just four months into his first campaign. But, if they'd have waited until around the same time in the season that followed, it would pack a bigger punch.

[Waggy]

Man this is a can of worms. I love reading the inside info, and I see where the OP is coming from but I'd go in a different angle. Anyone with inside info probably has more info that they either don't think is that important, or don't really understand, or don't really trust or whatever so they use their judgement (which includes their bias) in deciding what info we get. But just like with any media that means that we the readers have to decide who is to be believed and to what degree. It's not the posters job to discredit someone else and their sources if there are competing posters with inside info. And I don't think anyone is looking for status points- posting incorrect info is the quickest way to lose status points anyways.

Besides I'd rather have too much inside info that we have to sift through to find the good nuggets than too little. The more info out there the more we (anyone who isn't intellectually lazy anyways) can piece together the whole puzzle and maybe learn something about what the club has done, is about to do or will do down the road. Hopefully some of these ramblings make sense (it's been a long day)

[Gazza]

I take inside info on this board with a large grain of salt.

I didn't really watch the mls until Toronto got a team. So anytime i would read posts by certain individuals who claimed to have "inside info" and "close ties to the team" i would believe them. Until they spoke about players who i knew and actually spoke to on a regular basis. Making baseless claims about contracts and reasoning behind certain things they did and said. So what they say now about the team, even if true, holds no credibility in my eyes.

This board is great for tfc info and i love coming in for the daily news. Especially since i am new to the MLS. But anything i read from posters rolls off my back until it's confirmed by those involved. Everything else is just speculation. And such is the interweb. Enjoy it for what it is.

[rocker]

inside info is cool... fun to read... entertaining. but it's always going to be selective. it's biased... it presents an incomplete view of the situation. it's not "fact" since nobody can proof it is true.
over time, however, it often turns into myth on the boards and becomes perceived as fact.

[Whoop]

In most cases, where there is smoke, there is fire.

For all the "inside" info that is shared here, there is way more out there.

I mean the real juicy stuff - i.e. trades, new signings, problems in the locker room, etc. - won't necessarily be shared here.