The Michael Bradley thread

[Hala Hrvatska]

[bit of a long reflection post as a long time observer] - It will be interesting to assess BB/BM's decisions after the next couple transfer windows, assuming they don't go anywhere because of status quo, and whether they keep maintaining this course. For me, the concerning thing isn't just that MB4 plays all the time- it's how the club chose to let his position on the field, and the contingency/succession plans for that position evolve to become a complete elephant/unspoken issue around the club where media are off limits to the topic, and optically there's nothing through player movement actions from BB/BM that indicate they have that succession plan in place for the #6 spot. (Based on his play, I don't think Alonso is gonna be ball winner or b2b. Seems more playmaker who wants to sit deep then hungry dueler)

Not only is there nobody in the roster that has the growth potential or passable MLS grade ball winning/passing lane sweeping and athletiscm qualities that can platoon with MB4... there's not even someone like a collen warner/cheap mls journeyman who can act as insurance or depth if he goes down or is just a absolute liability out there. You get the sense that it isn't even in their scouting requirements go and find someone as a youth project that can be that heir despite MB4 being 35 now. The midfield pieces picked up in Alonso + Servania look to challenge Kay + Oso - not MB4's position.

While he's out there on the field, MB4 clearly elects to monitor or budget his pace/stamina while picking and chosing when to get into athletic/defensive duties- so he doesn't get subbed off and can jog around the field for the entire 90, which is about par the course for guys towards the end of their time as starting 11. imo, in a DM/halfback #6 role, the player should be going flat out to their potential for the full 90, and if they can't reach the end of the game then have squad depth that can help support that. It's simply too important of a role on the field in MLS to have players budget their stamina and jog around the park, while consistantly having to weigh the cost/benefit of burning stamina vs. the impact of the defensive/offensive play evolving. And gets worse when one misses the mark on deciding whether to burn that stamina, leading to an opponent walking into our zone and getting a goal because there's space left wide open infront of the CB's.

I'll be interested if they continue to be this headstrong and dismissive towards the issue, and how long they think they can keep clearing the runway for MB4 to hold his position without having to fight for it. Do they honestly think when it comes to team dynamics that it's a good thing to have optically? Your captain, top top pro & steward to the club who should be leading by example for all players and youth by fighting for his own spot each and every week- never has to worry about looking behind his shoulder for a hungry player to take his place because when one does come around, management ensure they are a non factor. There's absolutely nothing positive with this look, as a professional club with professional ambitious athletes. It also erodes his leadership capital the longer this goes on.

*I'll edit this, since after giving it another read feels like it might be filled with a bit of hyperbole. We definitely have depth in midfield with mak/oso/servania/mb4/alonso, but i'm just not seeing those other guys trump mike over his spot in the current situation

Great post. Well said, top to bottom.

[Hala Hrvatska]

Of course there are also late bloomers. Look at Alistair Johnston. 20 seems a bit young to give up on a guy especially if there seems to be natural ability there.

Defintely, and he has made a very nice career for himself now...played in a WC...and now at Celtic.

Priso, may or may not have been the guy, but he looked very good to me and with constant playing time, who knows how he'd have turned out.

[Richard]

The dudes here going after Molinaro, who's more than a decade into covering this team despite an actively hostile approach from the team to any real reporting, are missing the boat a little. It's okay if not every journalist agrees with every take you have. Doesn't make them an idiot, doesn't make you wrong. You're biting the hand that feeds you. If we had actual journalism around the team, there would be multiple points of view and a more well rounded representation. But you know, Toronto's a backwater with no real international heritage so why would it have footy journalism...

I like Molinaro. I just hoped that we would get more hard hitting stuff since he became an independent subscription based reporter.

[Ultra & Proud]

Priso, may or may not have been the guy, but he looked very good to me and with constant playing time, who knows how he'd have turned out.

Don't need to wonder. Watch him on a more shitty Rapids side.

[Section 223]

[bit of a long reflection post as a long time observer] - It will be interesting to assess BB/BM's decisions after the next couple transfer windows, assuming they don't go anywhere because of status quo, and whether they keep maintaining this course. For me, the concerning thing isn't just that MB4 plays all the time- it's how the club chose to let his position on the field, and the contingency/succession plans for that position evolve to become a complete elephant/unspoken issue around the club where media are off limits to the topic, and optically there's nothing through player movement actions from BB/BM that indicate they have that succession plan in place for the #6 spot. (Based on his play, I don't think Alonso is gonna be ball winner or b2b. Seems more playmaker who wants to sit deep then hungry dueler)

Not only is there nobody in the roster that has the growth potential or passable MLS grade ball winning/passing lane sweeping and athletiscm qualities that can platoon with MB4... there's not even someone like a collen warner/cheap mls journeyman who can act as insurance or depth if he goes down or is just a absolute liability out there. You get the sense that it isn't even in their scouting requirements go and find someone as a youth project that can be that heir despite MB4 being 35 now. The midfield pieces picked up in Alonso + Servania look to challenge Kay + Oso - not MB4's position.

While he's out there on the field, MB4 clearly elects to monitor or budget his pace/stamina while picking and chosing when to get into athletic/defensive duties- so he doesn't get subbed off and can jog around the field for the entire 90, which is about par the course for guys towards the end of their time as starting 11. imo, in a DM/halfback #6 role, the player should be going flat out to their potential for the full 90, and if they can't reach the end of the game then have squad depth that can help support that. It's simply too important of a role on the field in MLS to have players budget their stamina and jog around the park, while consistantly having to weigh the cost/benefit of burning stamina vs. the impact of the defensive/offensive play evolving. And gets worse when one misses the mark on deciding whether to burn that stamina, leading to an opponent walking into our zone and getting a goal because there's space left wide open infront of the CB's.

I'll be interested if they continue to be this headstrong and dismissive towards the issue, and how long they think they can keep clearing the runway for MB4 to hold his position without having to fight for it. Do they honestly think when it comes to team dynamics that it's a good thing to have optically? Your captain, top top pro & steward to the club who should be leading by example for all players and youth by fighting for his own spot each and every week- never has to worry about looking behind his shoulder for a hungry player to take his place because when one does come around, management ensure they are a non factor. There's absolutely nothing positive with this look, as a professional club with professional ambitious athletes. It also erodes his leadership capital the longer this goes on.

*I'll edit this, since after giving it another read feels like it might be filled with a bit of hyperbole. We definitely have depth in midfield with mak/oso/servania/mb4/alonso, but i'm just not seeing those other guys trump mike over his spot in the current situation

This is one of the best posts I have read on this site, accurately describes what Michael Bradley is doing on the field, I read something similar on another post awhile back which kinda went like this”Michael Bradley is the good friend you invite to help you move but when helping you lift the piano with the others he’s grunting and gritting his teeth but you know he’s not doing any real lifting, just came to your house to drink the beer and enjoy the bbq”

[MDH]

Although Molinaro is not literally on MLSE payroll his bread and butter is TFC, it is so predictable that John is not going to bad mouth Michael or Bob, I would be willing to bet a large amount that we will never see anything written by any of those few journalists in the TFC pressers. Molinaro had a chance to step up and possibly attract more subscribers, but same old garbage from our TFC lackeys. Such a refreshing piece done by TSN . It’s what I see and judging by the board what many see in Michaels dismal play

Yes the former Premier League player with nothing to lose spoke up. The guy whos put in work for years and years, and got nothing but less money for it, and had dudes refusing to pay him because he isn't as vitriolic as the fan base? I'm more than happy to disagree with you on this one. Molinaro is a journalist, he understands human relationships sure, but he does good work. Fuck tsn even if one time in history one super rich dude brought up something everyone has known for years just as the channel has no power anymore.

[dmacd]

This is one of the best posts I have read on this site, accurately describes what Michael Bradley is doing on the field, I read something similar on another post awhile back which kinda went like this”Michael Bradley is the good friend you invite to help you move but when helping you lift the piano with the others he’s grunting and gritting his teeth but you know he’s not doing any real lifting, just came to your house to drink the beer and enjoy the bbq”

“Bradley is a lazy freeloader” is not the point the original poster was going for.

As usual, you and Hala never miss an opportunity for a less-clever-than-you-think cheap shot. Don’t worry - as long as you guys keep writing “love your posts” to each other, you can keep spewing toxic anger under the “some people like my posts” guise.

[barticusz]

https://www.tfcrepublic.ca/tfc-mls-michael-bob-bradley/

Everything's hunky dory, John Molinaro insists.

I appreciate his approach, to balance the viewpoint. But this is facile, naive reporting "Hey, colleagues of the boss's son: what do you make of this dynamic? Oh, it's great? Perfect. Now we know."

Jesus H.

He writes a column slagging TSN for balance, and then proceeds to do exactly the same thing.

Here's a suggestion: talk to FORMER players and see what they say. Do it off the record first, to get them comfortable being frank, then see if there's anything they'll let you put on the record. Even if you get nothing quoted out of them, see if they'll do it on background or unattributed, so that you still have sourced material to ask the club about when you....

Ah fuck it. Too old and did this for too long to get annoyed about it anymore. But I'll tell you that in my brief period teaching at Mount Royal nearly twenty years ago, I had students with no experience who would've done better with this.

Suffice to say, you're not going to get an accurate or valuable story on this one by just being direct and asking one side questions. If you're covering a scandal with a paper trail and multiple witnesses, that works. If you're covering a story where NOBODY is going to actually want to talk to you, it won't. Ever.

That doesn't mean that if he'd DONE all that legwork, it wouldn't turn out much the same. But it would have the value of proper vetting, and sources with far less to lose in being honest, and even potentially reasons for wanting to talk.

Fair points on the loss of possession etc. I don't think most us have denied his upside. That's all somewhat irrelevant to the points they were making on TSN. If you buy a car, and its engine bursts into flame on the drive home, arguing "but it gets good mileage!" isn't really winning any debate points.

Or, the majority of the room don't actually have a problem and realize that MB is still contributing to the team. This whole conversation is fascinating and feels like I'm watching a typical office drama situation unfolding. You're always going to have those that will scream out nepotism any time they have an opportunity. That does not mean that everyone feels the same way. How often in your careers have you seen situations like this where you have a few that cry foul constantly but never step up and want to do more, while the rest of the group is content with how things are going? In addition you will always have those employees who are at the tail end of their career and are making more than the new hires, yet the new hires feel that they should instantly be getting as much money or exposure to challenging files. At the end of the day if you want MB out, someone has to step it up. Our youth has not been able to replace him regardless of what conspiracy of nepotism is shouted out.

I will now speculate as much as everyone else. Based on the interviews I've watched over the years that MB has given, this guy bleeds more TFC red than anyone else. If he saw another kid was stepping up and taking over his role or pushing for his minutes I believe he would do everything possible to support that player's growth even at his own expense. In addition to that I totally expect him be super competitive and working his tail off for this team, so that it forces our youth to rise up and elevate their games.

Just because JDG thinks there's some kind of turmoil in the locker room doesn't mean that there is. What is more likely the case is that there are a few bad apples, who felt that they should be given everything on a platter as opposed to working for their time. Further to that point, I've only seen really complementary feedback on BB from the likes of JMR, Nelson etc.

[Section 223]

Yes the former Premier League player with nothing to lose spoke up. The guy whos put in work for years and years, and got nothing but less money for it, and had dudes refusing to pay him because he isn't as vitriolic as the fan base? I'm more than happy to disagree with you on this one. Molinaro is a journalist, he understands human relationships sure, but he does good work. Fuck tsn even if one time in history one super rich dude brought up something everyone has known for years just as the channel has no power anymore.

Tough honest and especially brave journalism has uncovered scandals and corruption on world issues as long as time, now TFC in the big picture is absolutely unimportant, but if Molinaro wants do attract customers for his service he might want to be a little more like Kilbane, strong journos that have the balls to call out the Bradley’s is something that is sorely missed in the TFC fandom

[Section 223]

“Bradley is a lazy freeloader” is not the point the original poster was going for.

As usual, you and Hala never miss an opportunity for a less-clever-than-you-think cheap shot. Don’t worry - as long as you guys keep writing “love your posts” to each other, you can keep spewing toxic anger under the “some people like my posts” guise.

No I actually do believe that the post is calling Bradley lazy and at the 1.6 million Michael is making maybe not freeloading but stealing Money from MLSE would be a better description

[OgtheDim]

Yeh, there is no indication there is a problem in the room.

None

We've seen it in the past

There is none, right now.

As per the usual, win a game, the troubles go away.

[ensco]

I think Molinaro is a serious, veteran reporter, who understands how to source a story or not.

He chose not to pursue this story. He also chose to go after Kilbane and JDG by citing what players say when asked.

He knows that is lame. He knows exactly what jloome outlined on previous page. He did all of what jloome suggested is real journalism in going after Mo in 2009, when the team put out a story that Dichio wasn’t available because of injury, when the truth was otherwise.

I could only speculate as to why Molinaro made these choices, but I would say I believe there is more to Molinaro's story than meets the eye.

[jloome]

I think Molinaro is a serious, veteran reporter, who understands how to source a story or not.

He chose not to pursue this story. He also chose to go after Kilbane and JDG by citing what players say when asked.

He knows that is lame. He knows exactly what jloome outlined on previous page. He did all of what jloome suggested is real journalism in going after Mo in 2009, when the team put out a story that Dichio wasn’t available because of injury, when the truth was otherwise.

I could only speculate as to why Molinaro made these choices, but I would say I believe there is more to Molinaro's story than meets the eye.

I imagine it's a calculated decision. He may have decided there was nothing to indicate any issues, so why take it further than official comment.

My only concern with it has nothing to do with the Michael Bradley debate; I don't like writers framing a story as "conclusive" or "not a story" when they clearly haven't reached that through due diligence, that's all.

That doesn't mean I'm unaware he may just be playing beat percentages, just that it was lame because it specifically fell short of the minimum he'd need to actually confirm that story one way or the other.

[MikeForbes]

Molinaro, like most other reporters covering a beat, are scared of being critical and getting frozen out. I do feel bad for him, if he loses his credentials to cover TFC, he loses his readership and those who pay for his content. It is safer for him to just paint the team and Bradley's in a positive light.

[Oldtimer]

Bradley lazy? Of all the things I read on here I never thought I'd see that here.

He's not lazy, he's just old. You'll understand in a couple of decades.

[Joe Kool]

Bradley lazy? Of all the things I read on here I never thought I'd see that here.

He's not lazy, he's just old. You'll understand in a couple of decades.

This 100%. Your body wants to…you just can’t at the same level anymore. Bradley is not lazy. Just lost a step.

[James17930]

I like our midfield options aside from MB now - Kaye, Oso, Servania, Coello. That's a good core to build around.

I would like to see Michael retire at the end of this season and step into a coaching roll.

[ensco]

In the spirit of fairness… can we all agree that MB has somehow found a way to be extremely dangerous in the box on corners?

This started last year… it's impressive.

Where the hell did that come from? How many player develop a new weapon like that in year 17 of their career?

[ag futbol]

In the spirit of fairness… can we all agree that MB has somehow found a way to be extremely dangerous in the box on corners?

This started last year… it's impressive.

Where the hell did that come from? How many player develop a new weapon like that in year 17 of their career?

I think other teams maybe overlook him a bit because he gets targeted whenever we are defending corners.

Probably one of those things there experience and speed of thought is the most important factor that is allowing him to get that little bit of space.

[Mr. Inbetween]

Obviously, a giddiness continues to shadow Michele. And that is more than fair and fine. He remains the fulcrum of TFC. Indeed, ‘Fate whispers to the warrior… a storm is coming. And the warrior whispers back… I am the storm’.

[portu]

I like Molinaro. I just hoped that we would get more hard hitting stuff since he became an independent subscription based reporter.

Agreed. It’s felt really soft at times.

[Mr. Inbetween]

Possibly capturing ‘the moment’ Michele started the preliminary work on his coaching badges?

Check out this tweet at [URL]https://twitter.com/KalmanMagyar/status/1647428115042377731[/URL]

[Mr. Inbetween]

Michael off to London for hamstring surgery so he is probably done…

As U&P suggests from BB Deathwatch Thread… Career might actually be over?

From what I have read, ‘taking or waiting’ more than a month to deal with such a matter may have made the situation worse.

Check out this tweet at [URL]https://twitter.com/JohnMolinaro/status/1656740977460015106[/URL]

Check out this tweet at [URL]https://twitter.com/e_schilders/status/1639547344554283008[/URL]

http://www.ernestschilders.com/

https://aidyourhamstring.com/hamstri...bilitation.php

[613reppingTFC]

As U&P suggests from BB Deathwatch Thread… Career might actually be over?

From what I have read, ‘taking or waiting’ more than a month to deal with such a matter may have made the situation worse.

This is also not the first time they waited or misdiagnosed MB recently. His injury during the 2019 finals didn't get fully addressed until the pre-season of 2020. After we already signed him without knowing he would still need to undergo surgery.

[Kamp Berg]

This is also not the first time they waited or misdiagnosed MB recently. His injury during the 2019 finals didn't get fully addressed until the pre-season of 2020. After we already signed him without knowing he would still need to undergo surgery.

Crazy really, especially considering no one knows how a patient will respond to surgery, especially as they age.

[ag futbol]

This is also not the first time they waited or misdiagnosed MB recently. His injury during the 2019 finals didn't get fully addressed until the pre-season of 2020. After we already signed him without knowing he would still need to undergo surgery.

That’s pretty gross negligence when you think about it. We sign a guy to a major contract and don’t give him a physical?

[ensco]

^I remember Jozy went public with his general displeasure at how this episode was handled by TFC, but then decided not to spill the details.

[spe18]

This is also not the first time they waited or misdiagnosed MB recently. His injury during the 2019 finals didn't get fully addressed until the pre-season of 2020. After we already signed him without knowing he would still need to undergo surgery.

That’s pretty gross negligence when you think about it. We sign a guy to a major contract and don’t give him a physical?

^I remember Jozy went public with his general displeasure at how this episode was handled by TFC, but then decided not to spill the details.

And this would've been in the Greg Vanney/Tim B. era.

[spe18]

And this would've been in the Greg Vanney/Tim B. era.

Or actually, the transition from Tim B. to Ali Curtis?

[FiveThreeTwo]

Don't think MB4 is done, he wouldn't bother going through with this process if he thought he was winding down this year. Look at Zlatan 40 years old and needing to be out 8 months for a knee injury and being shut down for a season and treating it like it's just a bit of time away from the game lol. Age is but a number to folks with that mindset and their brains still feel like they are in their mid 20s while their bodies are desperately trying to keep up with regeneration/conditioning lol. MB4 is exactly the type of guy Pep and Totti reference when they'd say things like, nobody else can tell you when it's time to hang em up but yourself - when you wake up one morning, or have a moment after a game where your brains youthfulness and body's need for more time to recoup come to an intersection as one to tell yourself that this can't go on, and the passion for daily conditioning and prepareness to stay competitive losses its luster. MB4 probably sees himself like an Atiba