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View Full Version : My honest concensus after being in love with this club for 7 years...



Corpand
03-09-2013, 09:56 PM
I have been here since the beginning, from the early forum relocations and Parkdale's crazy Youtube vids to the countless discussions regarding Collin Samuel's pie eating marathons.
See I have European blood in me, born and raised on football and would not trade it for anything. Seeing my city have it's own professional football club in a half-decent league was incredible for me back in '07. Months of construction and dozens of half-built stadium photos later and the team was on the field. I did not know how much drama, turbulence and actual stress I would end up experiencing. The highs and lows of this particular club have been endemic based on:

-First Canadian team in a American league. With league rules injected by an accountant junkie.
-Hungry-for-success fanbase with knucklehead management (which has mucho $$$) to try and hold accountable.
-More coach changes than Chelsea.
-Low quality, high salary players brought in, consistently, for years.
-Aformentioned players lashing out at management for absolute lies they (and us) were fed. Like that Gerba interview with KJ. Or the DeRo fiasco, etc etc etc etc, etc etc.
-Just crappy tactics with crappy results, seasoned with miracles (like Montreal) to give you fucking hope.


Now if you haven't, go and watch the post-game player interviews (pay particular note to O'Dea). What I realized after the victory today is that no matter how much hell we go through, how much suffering and damage to their careers the players experience, when everything is stepped up and comes together, from the now-experienced Front Office to the quality and experience presented on the field, that's when the magic happens.

O'Dea bluntly answers "Yes" when asked if there is a bump up in quality of players from last year. He gets brownie points from me. He mentions that from the first day of pre-season he could see the leap in quality immediately. Fantastic. He is awkward when he answers but he is honest. I think that is what has been missing on this team since day uno.

Honesty and Accountability.

To some degree, all players feel disillusioned when lied to. This is reflected in their results. Trust me, I'm an Arsenal fan. Watching Wenger post match conferences after a loss is brutal. He spews acid towards refs, blames fatigue and midweek games,anything but his methodology or tactics. He is deflecting the actual problem and consistently does so. His players lose confidence in him and drift in and out of play. Seems like half the team is not behind him and that is when the heads go down.

What we saw today was a full-blown team performance that was instigated by a head coach who is confident in his abilities and speaks without smokescreens. Also by Payne up top who gives some players calm knowing they won't suddenly be shipped out (mentioned by Califf a while ago) while telling the whole group that this team will look different come June. He is making everyone fight for their spot, driving everone to step up their game and improve. The players feel the energy in the locker room. You anchor that energy on a passionate and knowledgeable fanbase in an ever-improving league and you have yourself a football team.

In a single day, my opinion of this team has skyrocketed based off the performance I saw today. The game just felt different. And it wasn't the different stadium or $12 beers (ripoff). It was the quality on the pitch that had me excited. I truly do feel that this team's mentality is becoming strong. Nelsen cheekily said in his post-game that he was glad we conceded one so that we could truly test our fortitude and how well we played for each other, turned out well.

Now try and picture Mariner saying that in one of his post-gamers.
Yea me neither.

Positive change is goooooooooooood. Can't wait to see this team grow throughout the year. Cheers if you read the whole thing, one big delicious Collin Samuel pie for you.

james
03-10-2013, 12:56 AM
I think everyone has noticed the league has been improving every year since 2007 from quality of players, to new stadiums to better support by fans. And I hope it continues to grow as I still say the quality is still below that of many leagues in South America and Europe, but its a slow and growing process, 1 step at a time.

Jack
03-10-2013, 02:31 AM
Captain O'Dea. I like it.

JuliquE
03-10-2013, 06:09 AM
hhaha This is almost verbatim the same talk I had with my sleepy wife, shortly after the match, with the same highlighted points and everything.

Thought it was epically intriguing the overall mentality of our head coach, but, in particular, his comments about how, as a player, he used to love weathering through waves of attacks, whilst up 1-nil; you picture scenes from movies like 300, Immortals and the like, with him instilling that same dominant personality he has into the team. I just love it.

As you mentioned, O'Dea, for me, is class. He knows it's important to enjoy every moment, properly.. but, he's put it best when, a few times well, he mentions that "we've only won a match of football"; he knows there's so much work ahead of us and just seems to exude leadership quality.

Onward TFC.

Parkdale
03-10-2013, 08:34 AM
great post.

I wish I had a video of Colin Samuel eating a pie.

ensco
03-10-2013, 09:07 AM
Truth to this.

A lot of international guys have had good starts, then fizzled. We've been through that a lot. Here's hoping.

[NBF]
03-10-2013, 09:32 AM
Arsene Wenger has a good team, and because they're being outspent by the top four teams they deserve to be sitting 5th. If you wanna blame him for anything its his banking on known injury-prone players.

Last night DeVos said the big difference from last season was the better organization of the defense thanks to Nelsen and the players they've brought into the team. The quality of the players has improved significantly from the bottom of League 1 and middle of League 2.
Does anyone remember Paul Mariner saying that the players dictate the formation? That's been the biggest difference so far and the no board shorts policy.

FluSH
03-10-2013, 09:50 AM
Great post! 2 Colin Samuel references + a Parky mention :)
And you are bang on the Nelsen vs Mariner post interview...

phonzo
03-10-2013, 09:58 AM
The league is improving and even internationally. My dad told me last week a Euro Sport Chanel in Poland is going to be showing one or two MLS games each weekend.

Still Kicking
03-10-2013, 10:06 AM
Agree, but must add...
The post game group hug of the back four and keeper was an indication to me that is a combo of new talent and new belief that has this team moving in the right direction. Coach Nelsen was also saying in the conference that protecting a lead in the final minutes was always his favourite time as a player. TFC has been in need of that attitude for a long, long time.

ManUtd4ever
03-10-2013, 10:37 AM
Good post OP.

The ability to protect a one goal lead in the dying minutes for our club in particular is a monumental psychological boost for our squad given our history. It's a testament to the work of Nelsen and the coaching staff thus far.

Chevy
03-10-2013, 11:07 AM
Well said.

The way I see it, it's like I've been standing on a streetcorner for nearly a decade, waiting for a beautiful woman to walk by. I can't go searching for her, and don't really want to change my location because no other woman will measure up. I have seen her across the street maybe twice, and once in a while I'll catch a glimpse as she drives by. Every year I hope and pray that she'll walk up to me and say hello.

Maybe this is the year?

tiberius
03-10-2013, 11:19 AM
...
What we saw today was a full-blown team performance that was instigated by a head coach who is confident in his abilities and speaks without smokescreens....

Great post Corpand! If we can manage a couple of more results ahead of our April 20th home stand, we will be primed to enjoy some real old fashioned BMO "magic"!! It is amazing what can happen when you have some proper footballers!

Thank you for the big delicious Samuel pie! :yum:

Ajax TFC
03-10-2013, 12:05 PM
Now if you haven't, go and watch the post-game player interviews (pay particular note to O'Dea). What I realized after the victory today is that no matter how much hell we go through, how much suffering and damage to their careers the players experience, when everything is stepped up and comes together, from the now-experienced Front Office to the quality and experience presented on the field, that's when the magic happens.

O'Dea bluntly answers "Yes" when asked if there is a bump up in quality of players from last year. He gets brownie points from me. He mentions that from the first day of pre-season he could see the leap in quality immediately. Fantastic. He is awkward when he answers but he is honest. I think that is what has been missing on this team since day uno.

Honesty and Accountability.

Watch O'Dea's interview from the 8th. he gets asked how difficult it is with all the player turnover and he says "it's not difficult because they're bringing in quality and they're replacing players who didn't have quality" and "at the moment it's actually refreshing to see players of that quality coming in"

SirBobSaget
03-10-2013, 01:16 PM
Truth to this.

A lot of international guys have had good starts, then fizzled. We've been through that a lot. Here's hoping.

Javier Martina :(

Though in his case was more of 2 moments of brilliance as opposed to 90 solid minutes

Abou Sky
03-10-2013, 02:07 PM
Thanks guys, I have a cold and am tired and was pretty cranky but feeling much better now.

Man I hope we can stomp Montreal but watching highlights from Portland yesterday I don't think two in a row is coming unless we can really hurt and scare them into submission in the first 10 mins which won't be easy because they are going to be tough.

Oldtimer
03-10-2013, 02:38 PM
Good post, Corpand.

To paraphrase Churchill, the team is not yet turned around, it hasn't fully started turning around. It has just started to start turning around.

Kevin Payne was an unknown quantity to most here when he arrived, but having known a bit how DC ran things I said that it would be very different from what we had seen so far. There certainly is a different feel to things and Payne is a truly professional president, something TFC has never had. He took a risk bringing in Nelsen, but he's done those kind of risks before, and won. I am very pleased with how things are going, but am in no way going to be delusional about it; we won't really start seeing the fruit until 2014, and there will be many losses before then.

It's nice to finally have a FO team that respects the fans. It will be nice to be done with protests and the like and just enjoy our team.

Parkdale
03-10-2013, 03:25 PM
It will be nice to be done with protests and the like and just enjoy our team.

I think that a certain type of person is always drawn towards protesting. Some people just can't see a silver lining without looking for the gray cloud. If we don't have something legit to be upset about, they'll make something up.

james
03-10-2013, 06:17 PM
season is still to early tho to say how good TFC will be this year. We could still end up dead last place. ITs been 2 games.

Technorgasm
03-10-2013, 07:44 PM
lovely , honest post.
pragmatic, and positive.
please post more often, it is infectious.

was a fantastic occasion, and if nothing else, it seems this team may prove to be able to put on some entertaining football.
As long as we as a group dont get too cuaght up in results, i think we have a real shot at enjoying our football again.

Love you lads.
Love this City.
Love my footy.

:flare:

Alonso
03-10-2013, 09:13 PM
Some people maybe.

But their has been systemic management failure with our club for 6 years, and their has been plenty to protest about.

I wouldn't paint the protesters with such a broad brush stroke.

I think this management team will effectively end that vein of support protest with their competence.

Here is to hope that we finally have a team to be proud of. A team that will fight for self respect. :drinking:



I think that a certain type of person is always drawn towards protesting. Some people just can't see a silver lining without looking for the gray cloud. If we don't have something legit to be upset about, they'll make something up.

Alonso
03-10-2013, 09:14 PM
lovely , honest post.
pragmatic, and positive.
please post more often, it is infectious.

was a fantastic occasion, and if nothing else, it seems this team may prove to be able to put on some entertaining football.
As long as we as a group dont get too cuaght up in results, i think we have a real shot at enjoying our football again.

Love you lads.
Love this City.
Love my footy.

:flare:


Fuck yeah!

Corpand
03-11-2013, 11:58 AM
lovely , honest post.
pragmatic, and positive.
please post more often, it is infectious.

was a fantastic occasion, and if nothing else, it seems this team may prove to be able to put on some entertaining football.
As long as we as a group dont get too cuaght up in results, i think we have a real shot at enjoying our football again.

Love you lads.
Love this City.
Love my footy.

:flare:


Thank you, Thank you. I`m glad that quite a few people enjoyed the product on Saturday, I don`t know if the posts in this thread would be as positive had they lost.
I have been burned too many times by this team over the years causing my rose-tinted glasses to melt off my face. The boys have only played two league games and the season is long but off and on-field actions so far have given me some hope. Nelsen has zero experience in pro coaching but I feel he has that mental fortitude (which coupled with his international experience) to motivate our players to buy into his system. Dug up this golden quote from the cap`t this morning:

“You would be lying if you weren’t worrying [during the final 20 minutes of the match]," O'Dea said. "but truthfully, the resilience we have under this manager is something he had as a player and he’s trying to rub that off on the team. I think in the short time that he has been here, he has done that, so I probably felt more confident than I did last year during the last 20 minutes of games.”

Been hearing only good things. Pray it continues.

KRO
03-11-2013, 12:28 PM
Great post.

No doubt there will still be some low spots over the next few weeks as the team gets used to each other but I definitely sensed a change in attitude on Saturday. We had seats close behind the team benches and could see the whites of players eyes. They all looked focused, organised and confident and the senior team members particularly O'Dea and Earnshaw were not slow to make their voices heard when necessary. Last year under both coaches there was a lot of 'deer in headlights' looks from the players particularly when they were protecting a lead and very little leadership on the field. There was nothing of that on Saturday.

The new imports are saying all the right things and I think they are all hungry for the chance to play regularly. Let's hope Nelsen can keep the team spirit going. With Caesar and Silva still to come in and this young Argentinian on the horizon we also have some decent depth. I believe that the team is in good hands at last and the future is bright. See you in Montreal.

Yohan
03-11-2013, 12:45 PM
I'm cautiously optimistic, but it's still early season. TFC has disappointed me too many times for me to get hopeful on slightest bit of progress.

But for now, I'm enjoying the fact that TFC is a .500 club this season so far (and may be for only time this season)

Abou Sky
03-11-2013, 02:35 PM
lovely , honest post.
pragmatic, and positive.
please post more often, it is infectious.

was a fantastic occasion, and if nothing else, it seems this team may prove to be able to put on some entertaining football.
As long as we as a group dont get too cuaght up in results, i think we have a real shot at enjoying our football again.

Love you lads.
Love this City.
Love my footy.

:flare:


Nail hit square on the head! I want to enjoy my football, I said from before the season started that if we went 0-34 I would just go out and enjoy the sun/rain/wind, friends, beer and the fact that I get to go to TFC with my 8 year old son and call it 'childcare time' to my wife (who knows better and is just great about our shared obsession)

The boys are obviously trying VERY hard, they WANT to win, for the fans, for their coach and most importantly, for themselves. That is really all I care about, and the fact that Terry D is still one of my favorite players is probably testament to that.

Yup, still love Terry D and that is likely my next jersey.

Corpand
05-02-2013, 01:33 PM
I'm cautiously optimistic, but it's still early season. TFC has disappointed me too many times for me to get hopeful on slightest bit of progress.

But for now, I'm enjoying the fact that TFC is a .500 club this season so far (and may be for only time this season)

I hate you for being right. The game last night really gave me a different outlook on what I originally posted. I guess we all need to bite our lower lip for another season, I'm not sure how the team will handle yesterday's butchering coupled with the 90 min syndrome. Heads need to REALLY be pulled out of asses.

Oh and fuck Beirne. Absolutely zero class. I think his tweet pissed me off more than the loss.

ensco
05-02-2013, 06:10 PM
Two steps forward, 1.5 steps back.

Alonso
05-02-2013, 07:00 PM
I posted most of this in the members area and thought I would parse it down and post it here too:


We have to keep a firm grasp on reality here.

It's a game where grown men kick a ball into a big net.

I voted with my wallet and took my $1000 tickets into $238 tickets zone so they lost $1,500 on me this year. I also don't bother to sing or try to start chants etc. Soon I am going to stop buying anything at the games all together. These are my forms of protest, and over the years I've noted that others are doing this to.

When the team is respectable and playing .450 to .550 football (or better, if I dare dream) then they'll have my interest again to start supporting in better ways. They haven't earned our admiration yet so I don't see the point in jumping up and down and singing all game to reward the team for less then mediocrity.

Might I respectfully suggest just laying back, taking a deep breath, enjoying what you can out of the game day experience with your friends and family. Stop being a cheerleader and wait for something hopefully down the road to cheer about, once the team has earned it.

I think the way the TFC fans are supporting the team now a days is the perfectly appropriate response to a team that has been utter crap for 7 years in a capped league where parity is paramount and expected.

This is my way of supporting and I don't think that I am way out in left field with this view. Sometimes a bit of tough love is in order, while still being supportive.

There is a more even keeled middle ground to be had and that is what I have illustrated above. Stop singing, and stop protesting, and just enjoy the match as best you can with your friends. One day there will be time for singing again, as one day hopefully long down the road, there will be a time for protesting again. Either way I'll still be here.

Also a big "We are still here" sign is in order, and just a happy go lucky but not necessarily singing for 90 minutes either, attitude.

My 7 cents.

Fort York Redcoat
05-03-2013, 07:11 AM
Stop being a cheerleader and wait for something hopefully down the road to cheer about, once the team has earned it.

This is my way of supporting and I don't think that I am way out in left field with this view. Sometimes a bit of tough love is in order, while still being supportive.



I appreciate your attitude of enduring the struggles of the team but it's the same old argument of

Stop being a cheerleader or You only sing when we're winning.

I appreciate the tact in your post and hope you appreciate the freedom we all have to support the way we want.

Alonso
05-03-2013, 10:59 AM
I appreciate your attitude of enduring the struggles of the team but it's the same old argument of

Stop being a cheerleader or You only sing when we're winning.

I appreciate the tact in your post and hope you appreciate the freedom we all have to support the way we want.

For sure.

Cheerleader was a bad choice of word.

Not meant to be derogatory.

And I would consider myself to sit somewhere in between these two (I identify with both to a certain extent, as most of us probably do) ... and that was the main point of my post.