Rumour: Kevin Kyle to TFC

[CretanBull]

Are you really trying to tell me that you don't see a difference of style from the way they play soccer in the EPL (outside of the top 4-5 teams) and the way they play soccer in Italy, or Mexico, Argentina or many other leagues?

It's night and day.

It's a faster and more physical league than most. I don't think either of those qualities define a style though. You couldn't point at Burnley and say that they play like Stoke City - even though Burnley and Stoke share the qualities of being quicker and tougher than similarly placed teams in Italy, Mexico or Argentina.

By the way...it's pointless to bring up the likes of Gerard and Arshavin. When we get one of those guys at TFC then we can talk. Right now we get the likes of Carl Robinson, formerly of Norwich City...not Arsenal or Liverpool.

You raised the point that you can judge a player based on his nationality/league. I listed off foreign players who play in England and asked if they played like their nationality or like their league (and in the case of Gerrard if he played like his nation or his club team).

Look....you seem to want to defend the English game and you're doing it by talking about Wayne Rooney and David Beckham. You're putting a very convenient spin on this. I never said that Mo Johnston is an idiot because he's Scottish.

You've made the assertion that we're shit because Mo Johnston based our team on his style and that his style is English. I'm saying that there's been nothing English about our style of play. If there's anything stereotypically English, it's big strong CBs - go back 50 years to Jack Charlton and work your way forward to Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Nothing defines the English game more than a nasty CB and that's something that we've never had.

Again...look at TFC. Look at the players they've selected over the years..both domestic and those from places outside of North America. The vast majority have been the athletic, rough, target man, kick and run type of players. Kevin Kyleish..maybe.

Agreed. Mo Johnston can't build a team...but what does nationality have to do with this?

You're right. The team will be mostly Americans. My point, quite simply is this:

I want more Sam Cronin type players and less Marvell Wynne type players. That's it.

I want people who know how to handle the ball properly. Know how to see the field properly. First and foremost.

Unfortunately, for 3 years, that has not been what TFC have valued...and still don't to a certain extent.

Agreed. Mo Johnston can't build a team...but what does nationality have to do with this?

Just look at who the club and the supporters have named player of the year for 3 years. It's a symptom of a footballing mentality that I don't share.

Who was better than the players selected? Maybe Brennan got the nod in year 1 because of some Homer-ism but he did give a terrible club some heart and soul and exemplified a captain. In year 2 Robo was our best player hands down. Other players did more than him in spurts, but over the course of a full season he was our most consistant player and really solidified himself as one of the leaders of the team. Last season DeRo's stats spoke for themselves.

Look at our starting XI......Cronin and JDG..that's it. Those are the only guys who don't shit their pants (or try to take on the world ala DeRo) when they have the ball at their feet. TFC have gotten rid of Guevara and Vitti and replaced them with who exactly?

I'm not going to defend Mo, but Guevara left because of the coach that was hired and Vitti was horse shit. Oddly enough, in my last post I pointed to two box-to-box CMs as being typical of English teams, and now you point to our two box-to-box CMs as being our two best. You're an English fan and you don't even know it

At the end of the day, I don't care where they come from except to say that I want them to come from everywhere. I want TFC to incorporate all kinds of different players with all kinds of different skill sets.

I don't care where they come from, but I think we do need some consistancy ie develope a system and then find players who fit in with it. What we've done so far is just grab a mix of players without any thought of how they'll work together and its been a complete failure.

[Ontario Arab]

Nationality has nothing to do with it, either does what league the players come from........it takes a very good coach(manager) who has very good contacts to find very good players....for example, I would just love it if TFC could find such gems like this guy.........Non league to Cowdenbeath eh.......he must be shit like........????. Feckin Great wee player.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgaro_Gomis
Only reason we have him is because of former manager Craig Leveins knowledge and contacts.............his mate Buaben is no bad too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Buaben

Im just using these two as an example because Im a United fan....but surely to fuck TFC should be able to pick out some diamonds in the rough, if DUFC can do it, then why cant we (a team with a much bigger budget). I will tell you why........MO JO is an idiot and should piss off back to selling tracksuits from the back of his motor in parking lots.

You can throw in this guy too.....been injured all year,double hernia....but will be back in a week for the final run in..........3rd tier in Spain eh....must be shite......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Sandaza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9gGo...eature=related
Didnt pay a penny for any of them ...........

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

Nationality has nothing to do with it, either does what league the players come from........it takes a very good coach(manager) who has very good contacts to find very good players....for example, I would just love it if TFC could find such gems like this guy.........Non league to Cowdenbeath eh.......he must be shit like........????. Feckin Great wee player.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgaro_Gomis
Only reason we have him is because of former manager Craig Leveins knowledge and contacts.............his mate Buaben is no bad too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Buaben

Im just using these two as an example because Im a United fan....but surely to fuck TFC should be able to pick out some diamonds in the rough, if DUFC can do it, then why cant we (a team with a much bigger budget). I will tell you why........MO JO is an idiot and should piss off back to selling tracksuits from the back of his motor in parking lots.

TFC has a bigger budget than Dundee United? How much do they pay out in salary? I would have guessed 4 million pounds.

Gomis was a great find, but Buaben? Picking a player out of Ajax youth system isn't exactly great scouting.

[Ontario Arab]

TFC has a bigger budget than Dundee United? How much do they pay out in salary? I would have guessed 4 million pounds.

Gomis was a great find, but Buaben? Picking a player out of Ajax youth system isn't exactly great scouting.

So whats stopping TFC from picking out these guys then mate? BTW I edited my post there is more for you to remark upon.....lol.

[Sonny Cheeba]

FRAAAANSISCO SANDAAAAAAZAAAAA

can't wait til he's back on.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

Getting someone to move from the Scottish third division to Dundee is probably easier to get someone to uproot themselves from Scotland to Toronto. Who knows?

Seriously thought, what kind of budget does DUFC have? They've got to have more to spend on salary than TFC.

[Alonso]

While I can't certify you're whole post, I agree 100% with this.

I get tired of us bringing in some athletic specimen and saying "all we have to do now is teach him how to play the game". Easier said than done!

For the record i have no problem scouting players from the England, but you have a few large immediate problems to get past. 1) They have a very deep league system that is economically powerful. 2) The players that occupy the lower levels are protected pretty well by regulations 3) You are asking someone to move from a soccer hot-spot to backwater. Assuming that every players ultimate goal is to make it to the top, you are a lot closer to being seen and doing in there than you are here. And frankly a lot of the same problems exist with the continent.

So theoretically, I would much rather scourer markets where the cost is less and we have something to offer players either in terms of increased quality of life considerations, stable teams, etc... But then again, our management is so clueless when it comes to searching these spots... maybe they are better off sticking where they are util we ultimately replace them.

You're bang on with this stream of thought, and in some cases this is exactly what TFC management has done with the likes of gomez, and sanyang. We should be scouting in latin american countries, in africa, and maybe in asia as well. We have something to offer these players and as such can get better talent and better bang for our buck.

[Ontario Arab]

Getting someone to move from the Scottish third division to Dundee is probably easier to get someone to uproot themselves from Scotland to Toronto. Who knows?

Seriously thought, what kind of budget does DUFC have? They've got to have more to spend on salary than TFC.

Hey man, I wasnt having a go like...I just get pissed aff sometimes with the Anti SPL rubbish banded around here sometimes...DUFC spent 3.6 Million pounds on wages last year(that includes managment and coaches etc), but it wasnt the player wages I was getting at....As an organisation TFC (MLSE) has more money to spend on other aspects like Managment/coaching/scouting/training facilities etc and so forth....we should be able to identify guys from Tier 3 in Spain like the guy Sandazza for United..........who btw would absolutley rip it up in MLS. I just dont understand what the hell MO JO does during the week ???Maybe he bases his decisions on his current game of Football Manager or LMA Manager, really hes an idiot. Im gonna get stick for this but dont you think if he was any good at his job he would be in the UK...???
Also...if u asked most Scottish Folk...they would love to move to Toronto.........cause we ROCK MAN LOL.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

^ I'm not convinced that TFC has more resources to spend on player development than DUFC. Also, it's always going to be easier to get players to move to a team like Dundee than a team like TFC, Dundee is probably going to be in Europe next year! I think people under rate how hard it is to find players willing to come to the MLS.

I agree that bringing in player from lower Euro leagues is a good idea (kind of what they're doing with Saric and Kayizzi). As much as anything TFC needs bodies, Mo has to try and stop going for the blockbuster moves and makes some little ones that pan out. If not in terms of players in lower Euro league, maybe in terms of some players from the CSL (Lammie, Hurtis) or out of contract Canadians like Dave Simpson.

BTW - Ontario Arab, do you wear a DUFC shirt to TFC games? I've seen a few people doing so, just wondering if it was you?