Alex Francis?

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06-03-2008, 02:44 PM
ExiledRed

Alex Francis?

Cant find any reference to this on the boards.

I apologise if i missed it.

"Alex Francis and Olivier Bernard trained with the team on Tuesday. "Alex is young midfielder who has been released by Newcastle. He's been here for a few days for me to have a look at," said Carver. Bernard, 29, played for five seasons with Newcastle United in the Premier League and is training with Toronto to regain fitness after an injury. "He's had an operation on his hip and because we worked with him at Newcastle, we're doing him a favour to get him fit," Carver explained. "He's just here having a bit of a holiday and he's friends with Laurent Robert. He's just here to get himself fit after his surgery." "

from:
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080603&content_id=163017&vkey= news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

More depth in defence?

was Francis or Bernard the mysterious number 35?
06-03-2008, 02:45 PM
ExiledRed

Well I just got a photo of Olivier Bernard, and no...he wasnt number 35 :)
06-03-2008, 02:46 PM
ExiledRed

Could be the kid though

http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/java...3127302,00.gif
06-03-2008, 02:47 PM
flatpicker

nice avatar Exiled!
:)
06-03-2008, 02:47 PM
Daveisonfire

hmm interesting...I suspect Bernard is here to work with Winsper aswell.
06-03-2008, 02:53 PM
Shaughno

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daveisonfire

hmm interesting...I suspect Bernard is here to work with Winsper aswell.

I do believe that was the implication in the article. ;)

Anyone seen this kid play first hand though?
06-03-2008, 02:54 PM
onemanbarmyarmy

I guess winsper is pretty world class if Newcastle is still sending guys to work with him. I like the Newcastle connection. TFC should make it official.
06-03-2008, 02:58 PM
Lucky Strike

Couldn't find a wiki for Francis but got one for Bernard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Bernard

We don't need more defenders do we? Plus the article sounds exactly like it does: he's here as a favour to regain fitness. Nothing more.
06-03-2008, 03:00 PM
RPB_RED_NATION_RPB

hmmmm...a good relationship with newcastle might be a great thing!!...Thinks they will loan us owen for the summer? :)
06-03-2008, 03:02 PM
Shaughno

No chance on Owen, how about a good local boy. ;) Hey David, wanna come home for a summer or two? :D :D
06-03-2008, 03:03 PM
RPB_RED_NATION_RPB

mabe VIDUKA!? :)
06-03-2008, 03:05 PM
RPB_RED_NATION_RPB

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaughno

No chance on Owen, how about a good local boy. ;) Hey David, wanna come home for a summer or two? :D :D

fuck KW! ;)

not a bad thought though bro! :D
06-03-2008, 03:05 PM
T_Mizz

I have a serious man crush on him bring him over
06-03-2008, 03:07 PM
Shaughno

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPB_RED_NATION_RPB

fuck KW! ;)

not a bad thought though bro! :D

hahaha always thinking!

PS, I'm back living in Cambridge now. :lol:
06-03-2008, 03:09 PM
RPB_RED_NATION_RPB

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaughno

hahaha always thinking!

PS, I'm back living in Cambridge now. :lol:

hell no! :)

give me a shout sometime....we'll get on the drink!:hump:
06-03-2008, 03:13 PM
ExiledRed

I was thinking that Alex Francis may be a promising talent, and that 'having a look at him' might possibly mean we could snag him on loan for a year.

I suggested that last season, that loaning young players who need experience while they languish on premiership reserve sides, could be a better option than bagging 32 year olds and up.
06-03-2008, 03:17 PM
ExiledRed

Found this:

cant copy the text:

http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page...099845,00.html

"Newcastle United Academy defender, Alex Francis was forced to play the entire second half in goal for the magpies as they were beaten 2-1 at Stoke City"
06-03-2008, 03:23 PM
T_Mizz

This is actually a good question: what is an 18 year old kid plying for the NUFC academy doing in TFC training? MLS is supposed to be a retirement community so what's this youngster doing?
06-03-2008, 03:24 PM
T_Mizz

Scratch that he's been released but still I know maybe you loved Carver and Winsper but WTF?
06-03-2008, 03:35 PM
DigzTFC!

Well this is interesting, isn't it. He would be placed in our Academy if he came here or he might be given a development contract. If he gets on the development squad that's a huge slap in the face to Attakora and it means another international spot need to be used. Both these guys sound like they're here for the short term
06-03-2008, 05:13 PM
T_Mizz

Yeah good point he would take up an international slot and what's the point for a developmental player to be taking up a international spot present roster (jarrod smith) excluded of course
06-03-2008, 05:18 PM
ag futbol

Any loan deals will probably be foiled by (you guessed it): the mls rule book, which only allows for loans if there is a permanent option for purchase. On top of that they have to be approved by the competition committee. Who wrote this crap?

It's never a bad thing to look at extra players, but man our strength at defense is already pretty damn good. I think it's time to trade away a few assets for something in some other areas.
06-03-2008, 09:51 PM
UltraSuperMegaMo

Francis won’t becoming as a loan player, as Newcastle released him in March:

http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=84967

TFC could sign him on a free, but would have to make some roster moves to accommodate him.
06-04-2008, 12:01 AM
jloome

Quote:

Originally Posted by UltraSuperMegaMo

Francis won’t becoming as a loan player, as Newcastle released him in March:

http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=84967

TFC could sign him on a free, but would have to make some roster moves to accommodate him.

Maybe he's like Bircham and has a Canadian grandma or gramps.
06-04-2008, 12:09 AM
DigzTFC!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jloome

Maybe he's like Bircham and has a Canadian grandma or gramps.

I think this must be the case as TFC would get a lot of shit if they start bringing internationals into the academy and given tge teams international restrictions. Who knows, David Edgar might have found it out in a conversation and told him about Carver in Toronto
06-04-2008, 03:16 AM
UltraSuperMegaMo

It will be interesting to see how Francis fits in with the team (development roster or academy team) if he stays with TFC. I’m not sure if the league has a policy regarding foreign players on the academy team. Since there’s no proper roster on the TFC website, for all we know there could foreign players on the academy team.
06-04-2008, 07:32 AM
Oldtimer

Quote:

Originally Posted by ag futbol

Any loan deals will probably be foiled by (you guessed it): the mls rule book, which only allows for loans if there is a permanent option for purchase. On top of that they have to be approved by the competition committee. Who wrote this crap?

There actually is some rational behind this. This was one area where the NASL really abused things. In fact, whole foreign teams were imported to be the "local side." For example, the Vancouver Royals (the Vancouver team before the Whitecaps came into being) were actually Sunderland AFC.

This rule, like so many others (single entity, salary cap) is actually a reaction to the NASL excesses. Maybe someday the league will be able to move on, but the stark lesson of the NASL collapsing in a wave of red ink is pretty hard to ignore.
06-04-2008, 09:27 AM
brad

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldtimer

There actually is some rational behind this. This was one area where the NASL really abused things. In fact, whole foreign teams were imported to be the "local side." For example, the Vancouver Royals (the Vancouver team before the Whitecaps came into being) were actually Sunderland AFC.

There are other ways around that though, like allowing a maximum number of players on loan. That's what other leagues do.
06-04-2008, 09:49 AM
Oldtimer

Quote:

Originally Posted by brad

There are other ways around that though, like allowing a maximum number of players on loan. That's what other leagues do.

Exactly, maybe the league will be able to move on eventually. The DP rule is a first step in doing so, and it hasn't exactly brought the league to it's knees. Limited loans could be another step.