I think this O'Dea deal may have to finalized before we get a group of players coming in... I think there may be allocation money involved in the sale, which may go into figuring out how they can get all these players in salary-wise
I look back at the first few pages of this thread and I see that so much has changed....and also so little.
Yeah that is the shitty part. I was under the impression that the chips would fall right when the window opened. The only thing I hope for is that Payne realizes the situation is pretty much dire here (Lieweke too) and that instead of popping out a player here and then a player there, his plan is to acquire all the pieces and then make some major splash announcement. Basically for the PR purposes and all. I am surprised that they wouldn't want to tie some signing announcement in to promote the Roma match. However, that was our old style of management where they would have ran out and signed anyone (the wrong ones) just to trot out some names to make a big Roma sales pitch.
Depends on how we would play him. To me he's more of an AM than an outright striker. So I imagine Laba and maybe a new guy in midfield, Forlan right in front of those 2, and then a striker up front. Forlan would FIX our problem as we've never really had a skilled attacking midfielder on our team.
This may sound trivial, but one thing I noticed yesterday was there was no "go-to" guy on the field yesterday. No one to feed the ball to and let them create opportunities or havoc and draw defenders. The amount of time I saw 5-6 TFC players lined up beside with the Chivas defenders and the ball being thrown out wide to be crossed back in was ridiculous. That was our attacking play - no one moving off of the defenders, no one trying to create space - just waiting for the cross.
It was as if they hadn't realized Chivas was going to put more men on the backline then we would put forward. Forlan may be the guy we want to get the ball to whenever we can, to make something out of nothing, or at least act as that threat and make room. Throw in another attacking oriented player with a similar threat and we might get more creative.
.....and so was I. You don't think that the game was on in pubs or sports bars being the only thing on at that time? I live a short walk away from a St. Louis and a crabby joes. At half I took the dog for a walk and saw both places had it on......and neither of them ever put TFC ON.
I get your point ensco but I still feel that more people were watching (granted by accident) than most would think and those who noticed were laughing I'm sure.
Good point:
John Molinaro @JohnMolinaro1m
9 of 11 starters for #TFC last night were brought in by Payne. Ecks and Morgan only holders. KP & RN can't blame previous regime forever.
If this is how the transfer window is going to play out I wish they just left Silva and O'dea on the team. With a consistent lineup for a couple games it actually looked like they were starting to play alright. Now they just play like they're all depressed. Like me. Ugh. Why can't I keep myself from watching?
I don't see it, honestly. Nelsen is playing who he can, not who he wants to, and we've shipped a bunch of guys that would have started under other circumstances. I think after this transfer window, Molinaro's right - no more excuses, because this is your team and guys who YOU hired. But right now, Nelsen's playing his second-stringers. Think he gets a free pass for another couple months from me.
No new players will be in for Saturday as per John Molinaro.
I don't understand this line of thinking.
So who are Payne and Nelsen building around?
Osorio
Laba
Bendik
Caldwell??
Boss??
I mean really. If none of guys like Convey or Russell or Braun are part of the future then how many people do they plan on going out and getting? 10-12?
That's ridiculous. Guys....what you see is going to be a part of what you get....aside from a couple of big names and maybe 1 or 2 other additions. I don't see them adding more than 4 or 5 guys. I just hope they're the right ones.
I'm not even thinking of rendering a judgement on the new regime, at least until the first game of 2014 season. I'm quite willing to give up this year (it's over) and let the FO make sure they get the right guys at the right price, rather than the wrong guys at the wrong price, which has been our history up until now.
Patience is a virtue (and since I don't have any others, this is a good one to start with)
I refuse to be okay with this season being over (even though I know it is) until Payne and Nelsen do the same.
As long as they keep throwing out shit about being good, and competitive and in the playoff picture I will hold their feet to the fire. When they shut up about it, so will I.
Last edited by v00d00daddy; 07-18-2013 at 01:09 PM.
Yeah I understand that. I stopped listening to them. It's all marketing bs. They're not going to say what they know to be the truth... "hey this team's full of untalented crap, and we're going to dump it and eventually bring in better. But it won't happen overnight and this team is going to continue to stink. So see you at the game for an overpriced beer." But oh how refreshing that would be.
You're exactly right with those 5 names. Everybody else will be slowly moved out during the off season and when contracts expire.
Whats ridiculous is people who think TFC can make something out of nothing over night.
Could they have done better so far in terms of results? Perhaps... But Payne was straight forward in the beginning of the year when he said that THIS YEAR he wants to be competitive in every game (which they have, other than afew), and next year he wants to be close to/in the playoffs.
If the team has no money to bring in valuable players, how do you expect them to do it? Please, do share...
Last edited by ensco; 07-18-2013 at 01:25 PM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
I think it's taken them this long to unload the bad contracts and give themselves some wiggle room and flexibility. They are maneuvering things into place to build what they want, but they basically started in a negative, not neutral, position. I am not pleased about things, but I wrote this season off before it ever started because I knew a rebuild would first involve a teardown and it would be painful to watch. So far, I think we are on the right track. The space is being made and, while many of the players that are here were brought in by KP and RN, they are still not their "top guys". It's a lot easier to get role players and depth guys than it is to line up your big guys. Now that they've made themselves some room under the cap and on the roster, I expect them to start getting their guys. But it may not be until the offseason, I don't know. Anyway, either way, I'm not freaking out about this season. I committed to giving this new regime a fair shake and I continue to hold myself to that. Half a season is not a fair shake for a total rebuild.
Toronto FC baby...best team everrrrrrrrrr -Jozy
You realize that they don't have to get all 10-12 players they want right now in this one window right? They said patience and no matter what Nelsen may say; we aren't making the playoffs and anyone with any sense would know it. He has to say that for player morale and for the fans. If he came out and said the season was tanked and there's nothing to see here, how you do you think the players would react? They'd shit the bed like last year under Mariner and everyone would be calling out Nelsen for being inexperienced and saying the wrong stuff.
Bottom line that every single person should know by now; remaking the entire squad into a decent, cost savvy MLS squad will take more than this window. This is the one to fill the major gaps (hopefully) and then the winter can be for getting out of contract MLSers to fill in the extra pieces so next year starts with a reasonable base. This year is shit. I knew it would be shit and I am not surprised by any of it. Even yesterday. It was shit but when your forwards are Robert "I SHALL NOT PASS" Earnshaw and Jeremy "He Who Bloweth All Sitters" Brockie then you have to expect a good level of ineptitude.
A lot of Payne's credibility though is going to go out the window if they don't at least make a few of their big signings during this summer. Everything they've said for the last few months have always been prefaced by a reference to this transfer window. I fully expect they'll still be building the squad into 2014, but they really can't stand pat now. If so, what the heck have they been doing the last 4 months? I didn't expect them to have all their ducks in row by now, but you'd think some pieces would be ready to slot in now.
I don't disagree that it's hard for them to bring in quality players because of being cash strapped by the previous regime.
But that doesn't excuse the fact that Payne:
-hired a player...not a coach
-signed Earnshaw for the whole year
-has trimmed the roster without adding anything of significance besides Caldwell
-is still talking about the playoffs
-has done nothing with Stefan Frei. Essentially made him valueless because he or his coach insist on playing Bendik in every single game. Despite the fact that the season is lost.
-traded Silva for money and left behind a bunch of plugs
New players will most certainly help.....but, based on last nights performance, it's going to take more than Forlan and an Urruti type player to make this team competitive. Let alone a playoff contender.
We're poor in every part of the field. Even the "strength" in goal is a mirage. We are weak everywhere. Up front, on the wings, in the middle of the park and the back line.