Today's News,Thursday,Jan.26

[denime]

Mornin`




TFC TV (http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/console.jsp)



TFC Gears Up For Media Day (http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/01/tfc-gears-media-day)


After Burnley release, Eckersley likely to stay in Toronto (http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/01/25/after-burnley-release-eckersley-likely-land-toronto)


Toronto FC set to sign defender Richard Eckersley to full-time gig (http://www.thestar.com/article/1121572--toronto-fc-set-to-sign-defender-richard-eckersley-to-full-time-gig)


Eckersley set to re-sign with TFC (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/01/25/eckersley_tfc/)


CONCACAF semi 'test' for Canada (http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/25/concacaf-semi-test-for-canada)


Mexico a familiar foe for Canada with Olympic berth on line (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/mexico-a-familiar-foe-for-canada-with-olympic-berth-on-line/article2314813/)




TFC related blogs ! (http://www.redpatchboys.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=29582)




SUNSHINE (http://www.torontosun.com/sunshine-girl)


_

[pekduck]

morning D

[flatpicker]

jibber-jabber

[[NBF]]

Released from Burnley???

He plays well in MLS and for TFC, but to be dropped from a club in the 2nd division in England for nothing, that just leaves alot of questions.

Good for TFC and hopefully he stays with the team long enough to be the most capped player on the team.

[Oldtimer]

;1435396']Released from Burnley???

He plays well in MLS and for TFC, but to be dropped from a club in the 2nd division in England for nothing, that just leaves alot of questions.

Good for TFC and hopefully he stays with the team long enough to be the most capped player on the team.

If reports are true, if he played one more game for Burnley, Burnley would have had to pay Manchester United a huge wack of cash. Those savings are a net gain for Burnley. Maybe Burnley could possibly have sold him to another English team, but then Manchester United would probably have gotten most of the money. They had little incentive to try to keep him in England, especially given that Ecks loves it here and probably would not want to go to yet another Championship side.

As far as the style of football goes, Ecks fits in very well to TFC's possession style. Most of the Championship is kick and run, which wouldn't make much use of his talents.

[Eastend]

Great news on the Ecks front. My confidence going into this season is reserved optimism.

[scooter]

mornin d

great news on ecks

^ paul mariner probably had a lot to do with getting his contract anulled and the player expressed desire to stay here -- i dont think there are any questions

[sully]

http://the11.ca/2012/01/26/attakora-leaves-fc-union-berlin-camp-without-a-deal/

Things not going well for Attakora. Bring him back as an off-the-bench player?

[Ossington Mental Youth]

http://the11.ca/2012/01/26/attakora-leaves-fc-union-berlin-camp-without-a-deal/

Things not going well for Attakora. Bring him back as an off-the-bench player?

doubt it, with supposed cbs coming in wont need him and wont have cap room

[Red CB Toronto]

Good morning Vietnam, hope everyone has a great day. Wonderful to see that Ecks will be back.

[__wowza]

http://the11.ca/2012/01/26/attakora-leaves-fc-union-berlin-camp-without-a-deal/

Things not going well for Attakora. Bring him back as an off-the-bench player?

winter gave him a chance, he shat the bed. no second chances methinks.

i can honestly say that his trade (along with alan gordon) was a great move for winter and co. it gave us a roster slot, allocation and ryan johnson. he was great with cann in 09/10, but he never seemed to be the same after his "personal problems".

[TorCanSoc]

Great info on the back-end of the deals.

The business of football fascinates me. Remember TFC has made money every year since its existence. Can't say the same for big name Europe. (warning link is Fox News, I think Fox News Sports is much less controversial than Fox News...anyway)

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/01/25/europes-top-clubs-report-rising-losses-in-2010/

I'd really love to see the books on those big clubs spewing losses. Can we every really know? How can a team just keep losing and losing and losing money? Someone has to make up the short fall.

And TFC, all the efforts to get a club going for what 2M of profit per year? Seems kind of paltry for the risks involved. Anyway, all is good.

[Canary10]

^ The big European clubs are owned by gazillionaires who view their clubs as a world status symbol. They don't care one wit about whether they make a profit. That's why Man City can lose hundreds of millions of dollars and keep going. Winning is everything. There is no bigger status symbol in the world than having the best football club.

[Parkdale]

Winning is everything. There is no bigger status symbol in the world than having the best football club.

very few sports teams in north america work that way. Sure everyone wants to win, but never at the expense of being a profitable team. And when a team says "we're going to break the bank on making a dream team" it often is shortsighted and bad for the team's long term goals (Hello Miami Heat)

[Canary10]

^ North American sports don't have the global reach of football. Most of the big European teams cannot possibly even come close to making a profit if they don't progress far in the Champions League.

[Roogsy]

There is no bigger status symbol in the world than having the best football club.


That's not altogether true...

http://www.hairstylesnew2012.tk/resimler/alessandra-ambrosio-8.jpg

:drinking:

[Canary10]

^ Ha! I gotta be careful reading this at work...

[__wowza]

^ The big European clubs are owned by gazillionaires who view their clubs as a world status symbol. They don't care one wit about whether they make a profit. That's why Man City can lose hundreds of millions of dollars and keep going. Winning is everything. There is no bigger status symbol in the world than having the best football club.


i'm pretty sure roman abramovich owns chelsea because he wants to bring champagne outt've the champions league trophy.

[Whoop]

Looks like Kurt Larson has a new blog site for TFC.

http://blogs.canoe.ca/reds/

From today's entries:



The Seattle Sounders are expanding their youth system after announcing Wednesday the club has added the PDL’s Tacoma Tide, re-branding it as Seattle’s U-23 team (http://blog.thenewstribune.com/soccer/2012/01/25/tacoma-tide-officially-becomes-sounders-fc-u-23/). “Having an affiliated PDL program, Sounders FC has added an additional piece … creating a bridge between our academy teams and our Major League Soccer first team.”

Maybe an idea for TFC?

***

And I like this one... LOL



Icelandic under-21 international Victor Palsson says he’s on his way to New York Red Bulls from the SPL’s Hibernian. Making 31 appearances for the Hibees last season, the Post reports Palsson is close to inking a two-year deal at Red Bull Arena. Editor’s note: Palsson was reportedly banned from every bar in Edinburgh (http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/soccerblog/report_red_bulls_year_sign_iceland_XXIPVhXVWZieqAG IG7LZXK) last September for public urination.

[Roogsy]

And I like this one... LOL


After our experience in Columbus, I am going to guesss that Scotland is more forgiving about that sort of thing than the US. Which means he'd better behave...

BTW, found a nice rant on the Jays by the Suns Buffery that is somewhat related to us in that he complains about the Jays owner which is now also a partial owner of TFC.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/Toronto/2012/01/25/19294736.html

Not that I want to simplify the issue, but a quick and dirty explanation of my position is that it is similar to this writers. Toronto fans are far too gullible and easy-going on our team owners. We won't get excellence until we demand it and unfortunately none of Torontos teams has a fanbase that puts the flame to the feet of team management or ownership. We give in to the "patience" demands far too easily. And since that is not likely to change, Toronto teams will continue to underperform. There is no reason to believe any of our teams will have any kind of sustained success. Maybe a year here or a year there where there is a playoff appearance, maybe even something of a run. But our long-term performance will continue to be mediocre. There is no culture of excellence in this city. And in many ways, it's what we deserve.

[Wull]

I'm not sure how exactly Attakora shit the bed? He had a few bad games, was benched but I thought he was almost back to his best when he came off the bench in the Washington debacle but we never really saw him again after that

[Fort York Redcoat]

^He didn't perform as well near the end of his tenure here but I think the poor form he has shown in the interim at SJ is more to the matter here. That's if we forget about our cap space issue.

[Roogsy]

I honestly didn't pay much attention at the time as my anger was directed towards other actions by this management, but does anyone know how many actual minutes Nana played under Winter? It wouldn't be a bad idea to put the judgement he has received here under the light of some context.

[brad]

I honestly didn't pay much attention at the time as my anger was directed towards other actions by this management, but does anyone know how many actual minutes Nana played under Winter? It wouldn't be a bad idea to put the judgement he has received here under the light of some context.

6 Games played, 4 started 373 minutes.

BTW - MLS stats on the team web sites show stats for all players that appeared in a given season including the ones that were moved.

EDIT; since I'm already there - for SJ it was 6 played, 5 starts 383 minutes

[mastermixer]

^Six games under Winter. 4 as a starter and two as a sub. Total minutes was 373. He only played a full 90 in the first game against Vancouver.
To be honest, I don't remember seeing anything "Iro-esque" in the games he played, but I guess it was all going on behind the scenes.

[brad]

Posted in the player movement thread, but I'll put it here as well as this is pretty newsworth -

Ecks signs!

http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/01/reds-make-eckersley-move-permanent

[brad]

^Six games under Winter. 4 as a starter and two as a sub. Total minutes was 373. He only played a full 90 in the first game against Vancouver.
To be honest, I don't remember seeing anything "Iro-esque" in the games he played, but I guess it was all going on behind the scenes.

I only remember one specific game at BMO - might have been his last. He was awful. Absolutely dreadful. He was passing the ball to shadows, well in our own half when there were no opposition players in our half.

These were passes that I could make with pretty much all of the time, and I'm not that good...

[Technorgasm]

Plata
Ecks
Frings
Kovers
JDG

starting to look like a team!

[Dreadlocks]

Eck's has signed - confirmed on TSN

http://tsn.ca/soccer/mls/story/?id=386141

[dupont]

Great news about Eckersley! He was my player of the year last season!

[Redcoe15]

:party:For Ecks returning!

[Gazza]

I have never felt more comfortable having a guy on our back line as i have with Richard Eckersley.

Hopefully our core can stay healthy this year.

And Go Canada Go!

[Canary10]

Roogsy, you're so right about Toronto sports fans. Could you imagine Toronto fans EVER doing anything like what Blackburn fans are doing right now? Leaf fans staging a full on protest? Would be interesting, but would never happen.

[Gazza]

Roogsy, you're so right about Toronto sports fans. Could you imagine Toronto fans EVER doing anything like what Blackburn fans are doing right now? Leaf fans staging a full on protest? Would be interesting, but would never happen.

I think it would be different if there was relegation. Plus, Keane has the full support of his players.

I find some of what the fans do in Blackburn to be embarrassing.

[rocker]

I only remember one specific game at BMO - might have been his last. He was awful. Absolutely dreadful. He was passing the ball to shadows, well in our own half when there were no opposition players in our half.

These were passes that I could make with pretty much all of the time, and I'm not that good...

Attakora's achilles heel was always passing. Under Preki, it didn't matter, since the passing game wasn't emphasized. In that environment, he did fine with massive physical ability and good speed. He could close forwards down no matter how out of position he was. But he couldn't make a pass if his life depended on it, no matter who his coach was during his tenure with TFC.

Then he went to San Jose and stunk the joint out defensively. Two games in particularly he was beaten for goals.

Nana has great physical skills of power and speed. He's lacking in passing skills and positioning. He's still young though so can learn those things with experience. He could also be helped by having a CB partner that does those things he's lacking. Look at how Julius James survived next to Chad Marshall. Julius James is similar in that he has low footy IQ and passing ability but has great physical traits.

[JonO]

The things is that before last year, I rarely thought he was out of position and seemed to read the game really well. That's why I was excited to see what he could do with Winter. Not sure we'll ever know what happened, but hopefully he'll be able to turn things around. Always seemed like a solid kid...

[rocker]

well, maybe I'm wrong but i thought he was like Marvell in that regard -- never quite in position and depended a lot on Cann to advise him... and used his speed a lot to cover up the positioning mistakes. I thought this was really born out in the games he played with San Jose. He looked lost out there, didn't know where he needed to be.

[JuliquE]

I distinctly recall the last word on the matter, regarding an alleged falling out between Winter and Attakora, was that there is absolutely no truth to that rumour -- Attakora's words.

This was, I believe, during a CMNT camp, in Toronto.. where he took the opportunity to go out of his way and praise Winter for being there, during a very difficult time in his personal life.

Still.. people keep insisting there was some major bust-up or alluding to the "mysterious" circumstances. If there was anything, this stinks of someone making a mountain out of a mole-hill; people won't always see eye to eye, especially in a competitive environment.

[MarkoftheDrink]

After our experience in Columbus, I am going to guesss that Scotland is more forgiving about that sort of thing than the US. Which means he'd better behave...

BTW, found a nice rant on the Jays by the Suns Buffery that is somewhat related to us in that he complains about the Jays owner which is now also a partial owner of TFC.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/Toronto/2012/01/25/19294736.html

Not that I want to simplify the issue, but a quick and dirty explanation of my position is that it is similar to this writers. Toronto fans are far too gullible and easy-going on our team owners. We won't get excellence until we demand it and unfortunately none of Torontos teams has a fanbase that puts the flame to the feet of team management or ownership. We give in to the "patience" demands far too easily. And since that is not likely to change, Toronto teams will continue to underperform. There is no reason to believe any of our teams will have any kind of sustained success. Maybe a year here or a year there where there is a playoff appearance, maybe even something of a run. But our long-term performance will continue to be mediocre. There is no culture of excellence in this city. And in many ways, it's what we deserve.

My sentiments regarding the article are similar to those found here:

http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2012/1/25/2735133/steve-buffery-thinks-that-rogers-are-the-worse-owners-ever

It must be a slow news day because Cathal Kelly put up a similar piece today as well:

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/mlb/bluejays/article/1121398--kelly-blue-jays-stand-pat-free-agent-strategy-costly

Great minds and fools...

Fact is Jays just had their farm system rated #1 (http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/1/23/2728027/2012-baseball-farm-system-rankings-prospects) in the majors by a well respected journalist/analyst who specializes in the minor leagues and most others would say they're top 3 if not the top. The Jays have been spending waaay more on scouting, the draft and foreign signings, but that doesn't sell papers. They're trying to build a dynasty not sign more Vernon Wells type albatross contracts and flame out.

I read a break down of the kind of WAR Fielder is going have to put up over his contract to make it worthwhile and it's something like 6 WAR next year and 36 over the 9 years (his WAR was 5.2 last year btw). For an over-weight DH/1B with terrible d, that's a bet I wouldn't take and I'm glad AA didn't.

We need homegrown talent not quick fixes. FA's should be the icing on top not the foundation, as JP Richardi soon found out. The farm system was one of the worst in baseball when AA took over, now look at it. We're on the right track.

I think too many Toronto fans are easily lead astray by the media who all too often like to stir up shit to sell papers and cause a controversy out of nothing. As a result it then pressures management (see: JP) into making dumb moves to win now and as a result there is more interesting stuff to write about, good or bad for the team, typically the latter.

In AA we trust!

\rant

Oh and good news on the Eck signing. :D

[mastermixer]

Stream is up. Are they doing it inside the ACC??

http://www.torontofc.ca/MediaDay12

[keem-o-sabi]

Coed Girl (http://www.brobible.com/slideshows/view/adriana-lima-various-stages-undress) since this is my Bday I'm posting my all-time fave - Adriana Lima :)

More of her (http://www.brobible.com/bronews/story/7-photos-from-adriana-limas-victorias-secret-valentines-day-photo-shoot)

More (http://www.brobible.com/slideshows/view/hottest-pics-2011-victorias-secret-show)

And some more of her and her friends at VS (http://www.brobible.com/bronews/story/photos-victoria-secrets-bombshell-summer-2011)

[Whoop]

On the flip side, ticket sales went up 352% in Detroit after the announcement that Fielder signed.

The Jays are in a holding pattern - and they've slightly come out and said that they won't spend until fans come to the park. Fans are saying I'm not going to the park until you guys spend/win.

So it's the chicken or the egg argument. I think the Jays are in a situation that at some point they'll have to increase their payroll to entice the fans to come to the park.

But by the same token, in the past, they've signed a guy like Clemens, and no one came.

It's something they'll have to figure out. I mean I understand spending more on scouting and management (I'm all for that) but the casual fan - the ones that used to fill up the Dome - don't care for that. They want to see action.

Everyone holds the Rays as a model, and even though they win, their attendance isn't that much better than the Jays in fact in 2011 it was worse than the Jays.

[Whoop]

It would interesting to do a study on baseball attendance vis-a-vis payroll.

[Roogsy]

My sentiments regarding the article are similar to those found here:

http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2012/1/25/2735133/steve-buffery-thinks-that-rogers-are-the-worse-owners-ever

It must be a slow news day because Cathal Kelly put up a similar piece today as well:

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/mlb/bluejays/article/1121398--kelly-blue-jays-stand-pat-free-agent-strategy-costly

Great minds and fools...

Fact is Jays just had their farm system rated #1 (http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/1/23/2728027/2012-baseball-farm-system-rankings-prospects) in the majors by a well respected journalist/analyst who specializes in the minor leagues and most others would say they're top 3 if not the top. The Jays have been spending waaay more on scouting, the draft and foreign signings, but that doesn't sell papers. They're trying to build a dynasty not sign more Vernon Wells type albatross contracts and flame out.

I read a break down of the kind of WAR Fielder is going have to put up over his contract to make it worthwhile and it's something like 6 WAR next year and 36 over the 9 years (his WAR was 5.2 last year btw). For an over-weight DH/1B with terrible d, that's a bet I wouldn't take and I'm glad AA didn't.

We need homegrown talent not quick fixes. FA's should be the icing on top not the foundation, as JP Richardi soon found out. The farm system was one of the worst in baseball when AA took over, now look at it. We're on the right track.

I think too many Toronto fans are easily lead astray by the media who all too often like to stir up shit to sell papers and cause a controversy out of nothing. As a result it then pressures management (see: JP) into making dumb moves to win now and as a result there is more interesting stuff to write about, good or bad for the team, typically the latter.

In AA we trust!

\rant

Oh and good news on the Eck signing. :D

The Jays have had a top rated farm system for many years. They (and other teams in Toronto) have been top spenders for years. "Patience" is a wonderful word to throw out there to bring down expectations but when you spend the kind of money our teams have spent for the amount of time they have and received the kind of performance we have been rewarded with, the justification for patience goes right out the window. There is a difference between not wanting "quick fixes" and instead getting "never fixes".

This ongoing rolling hopeful expectation that "soon" dividends on these investments will pay off is what has kept Toronto sports teams free from responsibility for so long. Other than rants on the internet and in the newspaper columns, there isn't anybody with any real influence that ever gets up and says "time is up, we should see results by now". Which is why we have been such underperformers for so long and why we will continue to be underperformers. So much so, that we have essentially become beggers of the sports world, happy with the mere crumbs that we get from the occasional meaningful win as opposed to having perennial contenders as they should be.

[MarkoftheDrink]

The Jays have had a top rated farm system for many years. They (and other teams in Toronto) have been top spenders for years. "Patience" is a wonderful word to throw out there to bring down expectations but when you spend the kind of money our teams have spent for the amount of time they have and received the kind of performance we have been rewarded with, the justification for patience goes right out the window. There is a difference between not wanting "quick fixes" and instead getting "never fixes".

This ongoing rolling hopeful expectation that "soon" dividends on these investments will pay off is what has kept Toronto sports teams free from responsibility for so long. Other than rants on the internet and in the newspaper columns, there isn't anybody with any real influence that ever gets up and says "time is up, we should see results by now". Which is why we have been such underperformers for so long and why we will continue to be underperformers. So much so, that we have essentially become beggers of the sports world, happy with the mere crumbs that we get from the occasional meaningful win as opposed to having perennial contenders as they should be.

I disagree.

AA was promoted to GM in October 2009.

Written on December 3, 2009

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/01/farm.systems/index.html


28. Blue Jays (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/teams/blue_jays): Toronto would be No. 30 if not for last summer's Scott Rolen (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/5668) trade, which brought needed pitching talent from the Reds. Toronto's top hitters, such as infielders Justin Jackson and Kevin Ahrens and catcher J.P. Arencibia, had poor seasons in 2009, and the Jays also failed to sign three of their first four draft picks this year.AA is building this thing properly. He's turned one of the worst farm systems into one of the best and we are just starting to see it bear fruit. This is the reason Blue Jays fans should be optimistic and realize that "soon" has never in reality been closer. We are seeing results of the investments in scouting and the draft. Fortunately I think he and Paul Beeston have the vision and strength of character to not be coerced by the media/public into making nearsighted moves (like this franchise had been for the 15 odd years before AA took over). Blowing wads of cash on a 9 year deal on a player like Fielder is not the way to build a winner. AJ Burrnet, BJ Ryan and Vernon Wells can all attest to that.

I'm not sure what you think AA should be doing differently to make this a consistent playoff team any sooner that he is.

[ag futbol]

Regardless of whether you think the slow build or the gradual one is the way to go, the only acceptable outcome at this point IMO is for Sr. Management to have some skin in the game.

We've gone through enough coaches, GM's etc... where the only reasonable explanation left is that either we are hiring the wrong people or something is getting in the way of their success. If winning is really important to these guys, the price of failure is someone's career with MLSE taking a dirt nap.

I treat each team differently, but personally (as I've written on this board before) I'm done with the raptors at this point. This from being someone who used to watch 70+ games a season, even during the bad years initially. I know mediocrity when I see it.

[Roogsy]

Attakora's achilles heel was always passing. Under Preki, it didn't matter, since the passing game wasn't emphasized. In that environment, he did fine with massive physical ability and good speed. He could close forwards down no matter how out of position he was. But he couldn't make a pass if his life depended on it, no matter who his coach was during his tenure with TFC.

Then he went to San Jose and stunk the joint out defensively. Two games in particularly he was beaten for goals.

Nana has great physical skills of power and speed. He's lacking in passing skills and positioning. He's still young though so can learn those things with experience. He could also be helped by having a CB partner that does those things he's lacking. Look at how Julius James survived next to Chad Marshall. Julius James is similar in that he has low footy IQ and passing ability but has great physical traits.

Absolutely agree with this. Nana's biggest problem was his technical ability. He thrived with previous TFC teams because he had great physical attributes.

Some of us were completely aware of Nana's deficiencies before the current regime even arrived. And some of us were pretty amused with all the praise he was getting one year and pretty annoyed with how suddenly that praise turned to a public lynching in a matter of months. Neither extreme was deserved. Shoot...there were people lauding him for captain. Which eventually went to Santos. A completely shit-show if you ask me.

[Yohan]

Not sure if this was noticed but Chicago has a jersey sponsorship w/ Quaker Oats worth 8 mil over 3 yrs

As of right now, 14 out of 19 teams have a jersey sponsor (Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, San Jose, Kansas City do not have a shirt sponsor)

[Roogsy]

I disagree.

AA was promoted to GM in October 2009.

Written on December 3, 2009

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/01/farm.systems/index.html

AA is building this thing properly. He's turned one of the worst farm systems into one of the best and we are just starting to see it bear fruit. This is the reason Blue Jays fans should be optimistic and realize that "soon" has never in reality been closer. We are seeing results of the investments in scouting and the draft. Fortunately I think he and Paul Beeston have the vision and strength of character to not be coerced by the media/public into making nearsighted moves (like this franchise had been for the 15 odd years before AA took over). Blowing wads of cash on a 9 year deal on a player like Fielder is not the way to build a winner. AJ Burrnet, BJ Ryan and Vernon Wells can all attest to that.

I'm not sure what you think AA should be doing differently to make this a consistent playoff team any sooner that he is.

I have been following the Jays since their inaugural season. As far back as the early 80s, I remember very well the Jays being considered the best team in the majors for bringing up minor league talent. The Syracuse Chiefs (their AAA farm team at the time) was a factory of talent sending up players to Toronto. That may have take a hit in recent years, but believe me, the Jays knew about development long before AA arrived.

Ironically, they were the most aggressive team in the majors in scouting and bringing up Latin American talent. Funny that they seem to have deviated from that in recent years. Kind of the opposite of TFC who have resisted looking to Latin America for almost 5 seasons and after having found a diamond in the rough in Plata are all of a sudden believers.