Leiweke started the Argos talk and continues to comment.Originally Posted by TFC07
I was under the assumption Fran O'Leary was the assistant, who actually has his badges, to help guide Nelsen. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Leiweke started the Argos talk and continues to comment.
I was under the assumption Fran O'Leary was the assistant, who actually has his badges, to help guide Nelsen. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Obviously putting a decent team on the field is the primary goal currently, but I hope TFC / MLSE lobbies municipal and provincial government for some decent transportation options. My choice not to renew was made while sitting in a traffic jam on each trip from KW to Toronto this year. Missing the first half of the season opener after leaving 2 1/2 hours to get to the game was a bit disheartening. I don't think Toronto / Ontario is grasping the lost revenue from the number of people saying "screw it, not going to bother trying to get there" Hopefully there will be enough people in the downtown core to support the team.
I think we need to face up to some facts.
1) Wishing that Leiweke would "stand up to the Argos" is dreaming. The CFL is important to TFC's owners. They are a major sports property for TSN, and could be for Rogers. They make big money off the TV rights, and are Canadian content to boot. It is not in Bell's (or Rogers) interest to let the CFL die. Which will happen if the Argos don't solve their stadium problems. So MLSE will be inclined to help the Argos (and may well eventually buy them).
2) Leiweke is the actual GM of this team. The newly named GM has absolutely no talent identification abilities, and the Theo Epstein/Red Sox comparison that Leiweke peddled to the media is ridiculous - MLB teams have massive scouting and other talent ID infrastructure that doesn't exist in MLS. Love him, or hate him, or not sure, Leiweke is the GM.
3) Nelsen has to be gone. He is no one's guy, but more importantly he behaved abominably towards Payne, by either (i) putting out information, or (ii) allowing public comments by columnists to stand, about how he disagreed with Payne on players etc. He doesn't have the stature to do that, and frankly, it's shameful. Question is when, that's all, Cathal Kelly was right on this. Leiweke couldn't do it all at once.
Last edited by ensco; 10-04-2013 at 12:39 PM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
Yup on both counts I think.
http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/co...iticism-of-TFC
Has anyone read this? I am feeling pretty distraught
I did read it but it is a Rollins article which makes me a little apprehensive about the validity of the comments i.e. when were they made?
I will say that since Payne was fired he has been level headed which makes me believe some of the article or at least take it with a smaller grain of salt.
I know what you're talking about, it was that online platform that provided teams with scouting resources. I believe it was Y-scout or something like that. Everyone jumped the gun with that one. There are two major platforms that teams use, TFC and the other half of MLS just happened to use that other platform along with a similar number of international clubs. They are pretty similar in what they offer.
Listen guys. Its pretty clear that the argos ARE coming. What Lieweke is doing is essentially making it look like he cares about us first, when in reality, he doesnt. When he joined mlse he said he was going to make them worth double within 7 years. The argos will be at bmo for 2015/6. Mark my words. We all just need to "get used to it".
There are a lot of things I don't like about Rollins, but there is nothing in that piece I can find fault with.
He doesn't make up his sources as far as I can tell.
phil pretty much hit the nail on the head. so i'll hit it point by point.
frei going is going to suck, but when you look at it, it's always been this clubs curse. whenever anyone brings it up on the TFC facebook or elsewhere, i always invoke the TFC curse: we always have TWO great keepers. sutton and edwards, frei and kocic, frei and bendik. it's not our fault if one of them gets hurt and the backup (whose is obviously being paid less) has to step up and fill in. we're extremely, extremely lucky to have backups who have the ability to perform like starters. having said that, i called it two seasons ago, we should've let frei go when his trade value was at it's peak (when he was still facing the most shots in the league and improving at x2 the rate other keepers in the league were). having said that, maybe due to the coaching and lineup changes, it's better that we didn't. now it's just another contract dump.
danny k, that one just hurts because he had such promise. the dude was a beast. again, not the ideal way to end a career.
the argos talk, i've said it before and i'll say it again, if they're purchased, they'll become NFL. they're going to be owned by the two media giants in canada, NFL teams are run and funded by media coverage and revenue. to think that these two behemoths would take over and want to have a football team playing in the CFL doesn't make any sense. i can see it happening, i've heard rumbles of it happening, and i think it will eventually.
ryan being coach, still on the fence. same with the new GM. although i was pleasantly surprised that we didn't have people who asked for a coach with MLS experience immediately ask for brennan to take over coaching. it showed me that a lot of our supporters were more knowledgable than i give them credit for.
the DP talk is actually refreshing for once, and i'm glad that we've held off. in previous years we would've gone out and grabbed any big name we possibly could've to appease the fans and sell tickets. now that we're actually holding off and waiting for the right pieces to fall into place, you'd think that it shows the organization has matured at least somewhat.
it's going to be an interesting year in 2014.
Its a pretty simple thing - want a roof? Tale the Argos.
I find it funny that in the first meeting I had with him, he did ask what was the one thing we want at the stadium and I said 'roof'. He laughed and said 'not going to happen'. It all is changing pretty fast. Duanes article kind of scares me too.
Road Trips: July 7 2007 Chicago, July 22nd 2007 Columbus, August 11 2007 NY, October 13 2007 LA, March 29 2008 Columbus, May 24th 2008 DC, May 26 2008 Montreal, June 28th 2008 NE, March 7-11-14 2009 Charleston, March 28 2009 Columbus, April 10 2010 New England, May 12 2010 Montreal, April 7 2012 Montreal, March 16 2013 Montreal , June 3 2014 Montreal, March 14 2015 Columbus
Twitter: @RPBPhil
I do wonder what the "long-time insider" who is complaining that "this isn't a professional environment" has been doing all these years. No doubt, other than anonymously complaining about the lack of professional environment to a blogger, he's the one professional guy in the organization.
Last edited by Canary10; 10-04-2013 at 01:13 PM.
Doesn't that fly completely in the opposite direction of what Leiweke was saying in the press less than a week ago...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...ticle14602558/But what we’ve done to you and your passion and your abuse, they ought to write a book about it. Because it’s the most disrespect I’ve seen to a fanbase in a long time and we’re going to change that.
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/To...556/story.html
I can't see how rearranging our soccer-specific-stadium to accommodate a CFL team is anything but disrespectful to the fanbase.
There must be very serious talk about the Argos coming for TL to bring it up in the first place. Why would he say something to upset the fans unless it was a very real possibility?
Thats my point. We are being told - no spin.
Certainly feels like spin to me.
If the Argos come in then I really need to review my seasons ticket purchase.
Road Trips: July 7 2007 Chicago, July 22nd 2007 Columbus, August 11 2007 NY, October 13 2007 LA, March 29 2008 Columbus, May 24th 2008 DC, May 26 2008 Montreal, June 28th 2008 NE, March 7-11-14 2009 Charleston, March 28 2009 Columbus, April 10 2010 New England, May 12 2010 Montreal, April 7 2012 Montreal, March 16 2013 Montreal , June 3 2014 Montreal, March 14 2015 Columbus
Twitter: @RPBPhil
Barring a dramatic turn of events, Nelsen is likely nothing more than a caretaker at this point.
With regard to Argos at BMO they clearly have a rendering of what the stadium would look like if they are taking it to the board next month.
This is something where they should have some fan input as to if they have "given" us enough to soften the blow of having to share our home.
Also what is the time frame for this? will it leave us without a stadium for a season and forced to play at the dome?
NCAA division 2 coach isn't quality experience. I was hoping a veteran manager who has manage professional clubs in the past.
Nelsen doesn't strike me as a good tactician, but more a man management type of manager.
Construction would start before next season possibly and would be ongoing throughout 2014. TL says they are coordinating a way for us to remain at BMO during the process.
basically it would be completed for the 2015 season.
When have you ever got what you hoped for with this club...other than its existence? Goes for me too. I don't know these men personally and won't guess to their true level of knowledge. I said months ago that I would give them three full transfer windows. Nelsen has two left.
Right now Canadian content is really important. Bell and Rogers are fighting like mad to keep US companies out and all they can hold up as a reason for that is Canadian content, local news and the CFL, they don't have much else that gets any ratings.
TL has said no to a season in the dome.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
I have no fucking idea what's next. There is almost nothing about this club I identify with anymore.
The only thing I do identify with is the fellow supporters and maybe a couple players. Maybe because we've all been through the same shit. But as for the team - the club?? Nothing stands out for me. They have no identity. I ask anyone to tell me what TFC stands for in any fashion. How they treat supporters? Playing style? Players? Represent the city? I don't think they have any idea of who they want to be.
For the first time I'm not seeing anything from this club that tells me I should be investing my time or money.
Depending on the amount of renewals, they might be able to do a temporary move to the parts of the stadium they are not working on. Basically shut down the east stand, relocate them for a few months. Then when it's safe, move them back and relocate another stand. Not ideal, but better than playing at Lamport or another temporary field (Skydome? ugh...). If they got an ideal start to the schedule, they could play the first few games at the Dome while they did the major work.
But then again, I don't know anything about, construction, permits and public safety.
This is not true. Leiweke is too far up the chain to bother with being the GM of this team. What TL has opted for is a more Euro style arrangement with Nelson being the manager whose vision will shape the team. The GM will help with the cap and trades within the league, etc. It's like what LAG has with Arena and Klein or RSL with Kreis and Lagerway. There was a good article on CSN I think that pointed out that at TFC we're used to the GM being the face of the team like Mo and Payne were. But now with the Bez hiring the GM is taking a back seat like in the rest of league.
The only roster related job Leiweke has is (along with Nelson and Bez) talking to DPs and convincing them to sign here. This is Nelson's team now. And in light of that Rollins article I'm more than a little worried. I's crucial to put the right staff around Nelson. That starts with hiring an assistant with experience managing professional players (NCAA D3 isn't going to cut it).
^I just don't believe any of that. I don't think Leiweke will take the back seat that ownership/execs take in the rest of this league, and I for sure don't think he is committed to Nelsen. I don't give a rat's ass what Leiweke says about Nelsen. Nelsen is not his guy and has proven that he is a backstabber.
Truth is, the GM position is somewhat vacant, given Leiweke's limited time and knowledge base? Who in god's name is doing talent evaluation here?
Last edited by ensco; 10-04-2013 at 03:52 PM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
You guys make it hard to be a
On a more serious note, getting rid of Laba because he was a Payne signing would be a bad idea recruitment wise. Any decent striker knows he needs service and how that service gets to him; they know they need a good decent passing DM and a good decent passing AM. They are not going to come here just to sit up top and wait for the odd hoofball from Doniel Henry.
Get rid of Laba and we have to go out and get somebody to fill that spot.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 10-04-2013 at 04:26 PM.
This is the question everyone is asking right now.
Maybe they feel they can rely on MLS central scouting like a lot of teams do? Tend to think that's incredibly flawed.
It wouldn't surprise me if it was all true. Considering Nelsen's lack of experience, the fact that until Leiweke got here a lot of the long time TFC people were still around probably doing all the shit they do. Lack of communication has seemingly been a constant that has spanned different regimes at TFC. I don't know how you create a true team culture without keeping an open dialogue with your players & addressing whatever concerns they might have.
Lets face the music here. If they were doing all the right things off of the pitch, they wouldn't be constantly bottoming out every year with no end in sight. Think about all the things we know about the ridiculousness that has gone on with this club & realize there is probably a bunch of crap that goes on everyday that we don't know....yet.
On Sunday, I was watching the highlights on TV and the panned the camera to where Liewickie was sitting with you guessed it, Barry MacLean. This pencil neck geek is the biggest snake oil salesman player agent in North America. Yes he is Mo's best friend and for the first 4 years, the majority of signings (domestic and international) came through Barry's agency. For the last 3 years, MacLean has not been present at BMO until last weekend. If he has the ear of Liewickie we are truly fucked!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
