He is better in the middle and would be a good CM in a 4-5-1, again with a decent playmaker. Not sure about him as a forward without a decent playmaker as he will just get out muscled. He may eventually become a decent side midfielder but he seems to lose all vision when he's out wide.Originally Posted by notthesun
We probably become a decent team after next year's summer window. This team is still a working progress.
I predict Ecks isn't coming back after this season unless he takes big pay cut which I highly doubt he will do.
Just not the Reds night ? They've probably had 10 nights out of 150. Joke.
This team lacks an Oduro and a Hiquin.We have no speed on the outside or someone big and strong on the ball.They said Lambe was quick and Rey,But they didn`t beat anyone tonite.Osario was a disappearing act.We need a leader in mid who is going to dictate the play.Our defence tonite and last game is back to where it was the last few years,shit.We have along ways to go yet.Urretti is not going to win any balls in the air.Every year new players same standard
He should be delighted getting $250 a week to play football. He's a very average hoof-it merchant.
Sorry but Ecks, Lambe,Convey,Henry,Morgan,Brockie,Hall are not players that will make this team a playoff team. A game like tonight's show's us how far back this team still is. There still is a shitload of changes to make, it's still pretty ugly out there.
alot more cleanup required before any hope of building for the future.........Henry is a thug out there i gave up on him weeks ago.
We have had decent halves of football this season. Some of our best play in years. But, without a feared playmaker, somebody that teams have to take into account, they can key on others (they keyed on Convey and Osorio tonight), and just sit in defence and await the crosses that are not going to get to Earnshaw etc.
And until the whole defence trusts their LB, a player like ODouro is going to bend the back 4 out of shape.
Our side sucked tonight. That is all I can say.
TORONTO FC, 2017 MLS CHAMPIONS!!! (Still the greatest in league history!)
Perhaps not the right thread for this observation. But every game I see long stretches where Fran O'Leary is wispering in Nelson's ear. Away from the other coaching staff. I've never seen a coaching relationship quite like it. Nelson is captivated by what Fran has to say. Nelson says little. Fran speaks for a long stretch. It's as though Nelson needs coaching on his coaching. Perhaps, O'Leary sees/observes things that Nelson does not. But I see it every game. And not once and a while during a game - but for long stretches (4-8 minute at a time). Watching the US feed tonight really highlighted it.....again. It's a wee bit strange.
"Failure simply isn't an option at this stage. TFC pushed its chips to the middle of the table when it splurged on Bradley and Defoe and reinforced its bet by making savvy acquisitions elsewhere. This collection of players is capable of delivering on the promises made during the close season. There are no more excuses available for TFC. Only success will continue the process of atoning for the past and establishing a higher standard for the future." FOX Sports
Zero attacking quality. If we at least had a strong attacking mid and another really good striker our poor defending wouldn't be so constantly exposed. We just have no clue what to do going forward.
We don't have a single defender that could be described as strong on the ball. High pressure and we will hoof, defenders can't make decisive passes.
Pretty sure even under low pressure we hoof. Our mid is non existent so it's a mixture of inability to make the pass and absolutely no play in the midfield. After Convey's coming out party against Columbus, I think he's officially went back in. It's basically like playing a man down with him on the field
Henry can be good, he runs hot and cold, still young enough to become a great player.
Rest +1
Laba had his worst game I have seen him play, I think that right now he is the linchpin so everything falls apart if he isn't doing well.
We are just going to have nights light tonight when we have such a young team. We still do lack some quality in areas of the field though.
Agree Henry can be excellent but also can have poor nights. He's going to get more consistant with age, like all CB's do. By the time he's 25 he's going to be an excellent defender.
I don't know why but this loss hurts the most so far this season. It's like everything you could of been hopeful about was non existent.
It was nice seeing some level of competence during the 4 previous games. Must have been an awful game.
TFC just needs to keep going forward, I am actually happy to see we havent called for Nelsens head, so we can actually slowly build a core, it just is going to take some time to get established and we need to keep the path we have started; and us fans will be rewarded sooner than later
You referring to this game or to the past 7 years?
This was one of the worst performance I've seen by the team this year, I don't even recall seeing them having a shot on goal.
wow... i spent my Saturday night watching that.... that was just awful. Urrutti good luck bro...
Hey remember that one year we almost made the playoffs and then crapped the bed against the worst team that year?
Lambe made some nice moves shortly after coming on, to create some space for a good scoring chance, only to decide it would be better to cross to the far touchline.
I interpret that as lack of confidence in front of goal, and for that you get sent down to the reserves while I try and find someone to take you off my hands.
Then this wholly futile raid on Bermuda will finally be over.
I think one of the reasons you hear from fewer of us older guys is that we're at a bit of a loss for words sometimes these days; yes, they're fixing some of the staff problems of the past.
But I have to wonder, honestly, if picking a coach who is new and learning on the job didn't make it twice as hard.
Look we can talk all we want about strong efforts or weak players, but if a team is tactically under-prepared it won't matter. We have elementally incorrect tactical issues that never seem to be addressed.
* The most important is our off-the-ball movement. The biggest reasons why it always seems like we're playing against compact teams and have no space to operate is that our players off the ball do NOTHING to break the opposing team's shape up, such as dragging defenders out of their zones or positions, so that other players can use that space. If you can't spread a defence, or overload it to one side, your man on the ball always has to beat two or more players, because there's always someone close to support his defender. When I see zero effort to move off the ball unconventionally, or out of lanes, that tells me it's not being taught. NO ONE moves off the ball on our team. We're rigid.
* We are not teaching young players to consistently attack the ball. Both Doneil Henry and Ashtone Morgan continue to make the fundamental mistake that was drummed out of any school kid when I was a young lad across the pond, which is taking an intercept position at the ball's apex destination, instead starting from behind that spot and accelerating to attack the ball. Instead, our guys get position, then try to win the ball when it gets there. This is basic, basic defending 101. Our coach is a defender. I simply refuses to believe attacking the ball is being taught, as it rarely happens unless it's Mattias Laba or Stephen Caldwell.
* When the ball is wide in the final third, one of the midfielders has to be pinching in. We are so concerned about losing defensive shape that it's rare for that extra body to get there untilt he ball is delivered. But the encroaching midfielder's job isn't just to attack; it's also to create havoc and space for the strikers. You can't do that if your ten yards shy of the edge of the box when crosses are delivered.
*We play the fullback overlap far too often. Today, twice our fullbacks began to overlap before we were even out of our defensive third; on one occasion, it so suprised Bobby Convey that he misplayed his pass and had to drop back to fill Morgan's role.
* By placing the entire attacking burden on the two strikers and having them basically play "posts" (one cuts near post across the penalty marker, the other goes far post in expectation of crosses to those spots) we don't have a striker ever holding up the ball and giving midfielders time to get into position. One of the reasons why 433 variants are favored is that they allow a pivot of the attack to a new position very quickly. Our rigidity means that's impossible, which makes unbalancing the field to one side very difficult.
I just get a general sense that our time is spent on scenarios and setting up basic triangle support play; it just seems wholly insufficent, and basic problems aren't being addressed.
Still, early days I guess....
I like what you say but Earnshaw is now pulling a Lambe and along with Brockie are invisible. All are flashes in the pan....which is why they are still here I guess? Crosses to Eanshaw uh why?.....Are they going to bounce through someones legs?......Not sure we even have a offensive vision /plan.
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that absolutely flabbergasted me........I'm close to actually asking Nelson what Lambe does that makes him so special.........prob not,....as an aside what was Caldwell doing backing up watching Higuain 's lovely shot? Acting like a second goalie?...Why give that man time to even set up?.......
ALL HELL'S BROKEN LOOSEhttp://gfycat.com/SharpKindArrowana
The frustrating thing about crosses to Earnshaw is that Earnshaw makes the near post run every single time, and yet we never deliver a hard low cross. We always lob it over his head to the back post, I don't understand it. That one headed goal he scored against D.C. is going to be his only headed goal of the year, he won't be scoring with his head. We need to start drilling low near post crosses because he's getting into position for them every chance he gets.
I guess all the of positives from the last few weeks should just be thrown out the window. Christ guys, this is a young team growing week by week. We've seen some definitive improvement all season, especially in areas where we are typically terrible. Improvement isn't necessarily seen week-by-week, but I think it's safe to say the team on the field is markedly improved from the squad that kicked off the season. Let's take a step back from one week and see where we're at when the season is done.
true enough!... although when I've seen a low cross it is poorly timed or intercepted by Brockie (sigh),......we need individual responsibility on the team and players sat, if there isn't results.........oh ya our bench ARE our starters...... does our coach have to be a magican ?.....or simply everyone on the same page. Early in the season I had second thoughts on where our offensive strategy would come from.....still do. WE need offensive help and not Mr. Leary.........he's a waste, respectfully.
ALL HELL'S BROKEN LOOSEhttp://gfycat.com/SharpKindArrowana
At least we can all agree this was another sharp game by Bendik. He played very well in goal I thought.
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