ya beat me to that one!Originally Posted by Ageroo
The greatest finisher in modern times will be our #1
ya beat me to that one!The greatest finisher in modern times will be our #1
How did we forget the Weedman??
Not to scare anybody but on the first ever SBI podcast Earl Cochrane was described as our point-man for the MLS draft.
cockring was giving interviews and stuff too...
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
This is key right here. While some might debate one of these guys could be a core guy, you cannot have that much money tied up in that many players who will not be the core of the team. Not with the cap where it is anyway.
Not going to lie, but i could care less how he does it or how anyone at TFC do anything. They just need to fucking win and be competitive.
I don't care who they lied to, swindled, made cry in the locker room in front of their teammates...I don't care about the back stories as long as they are winning.
Jeff Cunningham is coming back?The greatest finisher in modern times will be our #1
We all agree the team belongs to the league and is actually franchised to Bogers, so why is that farfetched??? that the parent entity wouldnt be trying to protect its asset and maintain the integrity of its brand.
Its like If you were running a Macdonalds to a substandard level for several years. Do you not think eventually the parent entity wouldnt step in to protect the integrity of the brand.
This isn't a mcdonalds though, and they don't have less than two dozen franchise owners who are among the heaviest hitters in business in North America. Not to mention those franchise owners are the sole shareholders of the company.
Just take a peak around the league at how dysfunctional some groups are. Their problems might not be in the same direction as ours, but they are every bit as bad if not worse. The league isn't going to step in and tell Chivas their new plan is a disaster, tell bob kraft that he should invest more in his team, or tell DC United to get their stadium situation sorted out some time in the next 50 years. There's a large degree of autonomy.
Looking at how the new MLSE board is changing directions, it's pretty obvious where the change directive came from. I don't doubt that MLS head office probably pointed MLSE in the direction of Kevin Payne but the willingness to change came internally.
I still hold to the belief that Bell/Rogers will put all of their efforts into getting winning teams and ending the shitshows that have been the centerpeice of the Toronto sports scene. They have one intention, sell cable and sports TV subscriptions. The only way to do that is with a stable of winning franchises.
If you have people making media statements about one of your franchise like "Worse team in the world" especially when your still trying to build your brand(MLS), and it hasnt made the playoffs ever in a parity league with the worse record of losses in MLS history.
I think thats a concern to the parent entity.
I think the conversation went like this "let us help or risk losing the franchises because this ballywoo can`t continue", and Bogers not knowing anything about the sport or league anyway said "sure! why not", its a win win situation for us.
I know there are other franchises that were`nt doing so well, but they werent nearly as dysfunctional as us.
But I digress!.
+1 this
I'd love to know how much say the MLS has in running the franchises. With stories coming out of TFC that the Melberg Deal was thwarted by the MLS; Talks of Don Garber "Stepping in" to give "direction" to a wayward ship on several occasions (hiring of Mo, Klinnsmen, Payne). That wrapped with the fact that teams are now being told they must have SSS to even considered having a future with the league; Teams like LA and NYRB getting special permissions to bend the rules by the league, players that come into the league are owned by the league, not the teams.
I mean I'm sure the day to day is run by the team, but the overall flow and standard that each team must conform to seems to be controlled by MLS. Just like a McDonalds, there's a certain menu of players and salary that every team must serve up - hence the whole notion of parity (is that the correct term?)
Natural that people start speculating given the private nature of the league’s rules, but little of this is proven, some of it is really off the wall, and there isn’t anything there doesn’t have an alternate explanation.
I leave plenty of the room for the front office being involved, but without the idea that they are some over-arching helicopter parent who micro-manages everything against the will of the people who actually provide the money for them to operate.
With Larry Tanenbaum on the MLS Executive Committee, I'm skeptical the league is going to do anything that the MLSE Board has an issue with. I know the Mellberg incident may be a counterexample but so much of that is fuzzy, hard to say where the vetoes came from. I think the most direct intervention in team operations recently wasn't at TFC but rather at Columbus, to deal with their tiny season ticket sales base and shaky revenues, and this was done with the approval of Clark Hunt.
He's a great player, I like him, but the contract extension was stupid (thanks mariner). If he wants to leave, let him go, sign some mutual consent shit, he'll probably won't play with his heart anyway.
Like.
“We changed the entire league’s opinion of the viability of soccer in North America. And then we blew it because we chickened out." —Tim Leiweke
Just to play devils advocate....
Reporter asks Kevin Payne: "What do you have to say about the rumours that Eric Hassli is asking for a trade?"
Kevin Payne responds: "Eric Hassli is under contract for 2013... We’ll decide where Eric Hassli plays this year. Not Eric Hassli."
Does this mean Eric Hassli asked for a trade?
Simple answer.....
No.
I see where you are coming from though. Ives Galarcep has his ear to the ground with tonnes of great sources in MLS and with TFC, but that doesn't mean that any of this is 100% until Eric Hassli confirms it publicly.
I'm just a guy sitting at his keyboard, and until Eric tweets or facebooks something insinuating or corroborating some of this, it's all just heresay really... as far as I'm concerned.
REMEMBER.... Eric hasn't said or started anything regarding this as far as the public is concerned.
He hasn't signed any cheques.... if you will.
Last edited by Alonso; 01-16-2013 at 11:35 PM.
Yes but as far as other horrid decisions that the man has made such as the Nathan Sturgis trade for effectively one of Jalil Anibaba, CJ Sapong, and Will Bruin, he has no excuses since he was making the call by himself.
To me he comes off as a "yes man" in the worst sense of the term.
That's been part of my argument ever since Bogers was announced as buying MLSE. I don't think it ends at selling you cable packages though... having Toronto teams in the playoffs means they should expect better TV ratings, which in turn drives up advertising rates. Hell, even being in playoff contention late in the season results in better ratings, so there are potentially millions in added TV revenue alone. I think you're on the right track though - where the teachers were happy to have their steady stream of money flowing in, Bogers has a lot more to gain by putting successful teams on the pitch/ice/court.
Not to mention that Garber in no uncertain terms said... "I've been a party to some of the changes that they're going to make, that they hopefully will be able to announce shortly that we are hopeful will get them back on track."
Source: http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/...fc_bold_moves/
The very next day Payne was hired.
What do you think when the GOVERNOR of the league says he has been a party to the changes coming up for TFC? ... which means... that they were part of his (MLS's) direct involvement?
I take him at face value. He couldn't make it more clear. And Garber is a far cry from the MLSE hog wash that we have to put up with as far as being transparent to the fans.
Last edited by Alonso; 01-17-2013 at 12:05 AM.
Good find.
Actually, if you look at the history of MLS, the FO is much more heavily involved than in most major sports. Remember, legally MLS is a corporation, and each franchise is legally a subsidiary, with MLS holding a 51% controlling interest. The Commissioner has the powers of a CEO, and can tell every team exactly what to do. MLS owns all of the team brands, the players, the TV rights, the ticket rights. The Commissioner can over-rule any team decision, any signing, etc.
While the previous Commissioner, Doug Logan would sometimes over-use his powers to merely assign particular players to particular teams for various strategic reasons, Garber has shied away from this in recent years and only uses the veto power in his office, with objective, mostly neutral, and clearly defined although arcane rules deciding what teams get what players, etc. Garber prefers to have the franchises operate as mostly independent clubs rather than mere subsidiaries like Logan did. To think he isn't involved in the absolutely most important decisions, however, like who is the President of a team is to misunderstand the nature of MLS, especially when the value of one of their key brands is being eroded by stupidity.
That being said, I'm sure the new owners of ML$E were fully involved in the process as well. They have big plans for their stable of teams, and that involves winning teams, and playoffs (necessary to fill media content). They will do whatever is necessary, including firing some of the "old boys" in order to turn things around. They are not content like Teachers' to just collect the revenue from condo sales and the like.
Last edited by Oldtimer; 01-17-2013 at 08:32 AM.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
^ Hmm, when you put it that way, perhaps the Board at MLSE (not including Anselmi or anyone associated with TFC, hence their evident confusion at the KP presser) asked MLS to help clean up the mess that was TFC, and thus our pain was transformed into Payne.
Not sure who called who (ie was this initiated by Bogers or MLS?), but I think this is clearly what happened.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
Exactly. Anselmi, Mariner, etc. had no idea until it was a done deal. That seemed quite clear at the presser.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
IVES is saying some big salary unwanted boys may be on the move today..hmmm.
What did Eirc Hassli SAY and to WHO?
Bye-bye Hasli?
If TFC can get a first-round draft pick for him, and not have to eat his salary, I'll be happy.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
It will take some wizardry or divine intervention (garber) to not have to eat that salary or at least a good chunk of it.
I dont understand why hassli would want out when the project is finally starting to look up.
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