Even if we don't make the playoffs how the team finishes can have a real impact on the mood around the club.
2018 we were out of it early but won a couple games at the end of the year when we got some players back (and jansson on loan) and they kept the momentum into the beginning of the next year.
A few wins can do wonders for morale.
For the support too. Something owed there.Originally Posted by leedsandTFC
Yeah, although these players should be more self aware already. I think it’s something that has to change well before they get to the first team.
I get too much of a “I made it, next stop Europe!” vibe from some of these academy players. Somebody has to tell them they aren’t even proven professionals yet.
I've been to 4 games with my daughters in law this year and tfc gave earned exactly 0 points and scored 0 goals.
Last year 17 players made their TFC debuts, now some came and went pretty quickly like Carlos Solcedo, a handful were TFC II players on short term deals and we had the trio of Italians arrive in July. In comparison when take Ibarra takes the pitch he will be the 18th to have made their TFC debut in 2023. Now this is inflated with a number fo short term signings and having to rely on our third string GK for a stretch of matches, but there is not denying this TFC roster is in flux and it will probably see some more before things get better.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
You guys have a bunch of happy speculations on how Ibarra, or anybetter player in this situation, might inspire, or otherwise “rub off” on our players.
Here's my speculation: a guy who talked openly to the media about wanting to be “anywhere but Toronto”, but still gets minutes, will be seen as just another management pet project, and will “rub off” on - nobody.
Our mistakes have generally come from not understanding some basic rules around how team sports works. Having players to whom the rules don’t apply. This is just another one.
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
The most basic rule is that Ibarra wants to be moved to Europe. If he intends to have that happen then he has no choice but to be the best version of himself while here. Doing that and improving us will increase his stock. Coming here, being a pout, half assing everything shows that he probably won't have what it takes to go Europe and succeed unless he gets to go exactly where he wants to go and lots of bigger teams (mainly English) are reluctant to deal with players from SA with those traits because there is a history of failure.
The most basic thing is understanding that we are getting a player whose prospects of a move to Europe diminish significantly if he fails to perform for us.
The athletic reporter commented after that those comments were made in the heat of the moment and he's since liked a comment on Twitter about how he's going to enjoy toronto and needs to give his all for his career prospects.
Also you'd be hard pressed to find any players that want to join this team right now. In fact I would question the homesty of any player who looks at the state of the club right now and is enthusiastic in joining...
Last edited by leedsandTFC; 07-10-2023 at 02:23 PM.
I think this is a legitimate risk, more so than blocking other players' development. Him and Bernardeschi stewing off in a corner.
If he ch8ns bernardeschi it's a win imo
I can guarantee you that if we aren't signing players that don't want to join then we're not signing anyone.
The club has been profiled multiple times as a disaster in the past few months.
Sometimes gotta take what you can get.
I also feel some of his comments were just due to his disbelief of how he could be moved without his consent. I feel that's something that the majority of (if not all) non-North American players probably get super confused by. For a North American player, getting traded sucks but it's something fairly normal from growing up watching NHL/NBA/MLB/NFL/CFL. For a European/South American, such transactions are unheard of. He signed with Atlanta then all of a sudden, he's not with Atlanta. Shocking for someone for who the concept of a trade is completely foreign
And to be fair, it is *insane* this is allowed. Absolutely insane.
Imagine playing in Europe for a team in contention for a champions league spot and then you wake up one day and you're told "You're now playing for a team in the relegation zone. Nice knowing you, pack your things". That's what happened here. Of course he'd be pissed off, he probably barely even realized this was a possibility. I'd be fuming. Throw in the fact that said relegation fodder team has the public appearance of being a complete and utter shit show behind the scenes and yeah, you'll see reactions like that
Yeah that's true. Hopefully he looks at it as an opportunity.
But that sort of speaks to the larger issue doesn't it? We're buying building materials for a house with no blue print.
I can guarantee you that if we just gave up on the year like some want to do then next year will be a wash already.
We desperately need someone in this position and have all year (arguably last few years). At least that is recognized. It's July in a season that ends in October. We can't just throw away that much of a season.
I wouldn't want to just give up on it and roll with all kids again but I also would be pretty disappointed if after the window shuts in August we haven't had anymore outgoing players and still have our buyout sitting there doing nothing while Diomande is out there somewhere sitting around doing nothing.
For sure. We still need a striker. With that though and no Bob tactics I think we could surprise.
What do you mean by "give up"? Like not add players, think more about evaluating roster than winning the next thing in front of us? To me, until some underlying issues are dealt with we are just going to lurch from crisis to crisis. Unfortunately, with the dynamics right now being what they are, there is a lot of incentive for Manning and Hernandes to do things that are short run productive but long run detrimental. If we keep this up, it's just going to be more dead weight for the next people to clear out.
wasn't a reference to anyone on here, some people on twitter thinking we should just play the kids.
imo getting some results between now and the end of the season is pretty important, as is seeing how our current players perform with a natural CDM.
Thats fair, then why didnt Bill fleece Atlanta with some serious GAM. He is completely lost with no plan, other than a smile... Fire Manning!
That’s fair. I share your opinion on this front. If we had a group of promising players that would be one thing but this just seems to be a case of suggesting we do something for the sake of it.
I still think a silver lining out of this is that eliminates the obstacles for other players on the team, and they can play their natural roles and be properly assessed on what they bring. Are we even paying any salary out of this (dunno how loans work in mls)? By freeing up Coello, Servania, kaye, osorio, thompson - they can begin properly utilizing those guys in the midfield, next coach or even terry. Then we can just backfill that #6 role this offseason when there's more time to re-organize the team cap. It's a hard truth, but absolutely none of those guys mentioned have MLS level ball winning defensive abilities that can sit in front of the CBs, so we have to move forward with that role.
Heck, if the Italians get sold or they are gonna sit out - maybe we can experiment with some other 4 mid setups with Dunfield to further evaluate- a 4-4-2 Diamond for instance with Ibarra in the 6, Servania/Kaye/Coello in the shuttler/box/ box to box 8 roles, and Oso sitting up top diamond. Or a Pivot 4-2-3-1 with Ibarra with Kaye/Coello and servania/osorio in the mids and advanced spot. Either way they can mark out this role on their roster while everyone else plays their effective roles and then we can just back fill it in the offseason if were smart about it - no biggie.
My thinking too.
If there is a need for a culture change, start with a guy who works his butt off & will continue to do so in order to look better in the eyes of Europe.
The reason I disagree with this is 2fold - Coello & having a non-DLPM #6 for the first time since 2013.
To me, this is a move to give Coello somebody he can learn from and for our team to move away from the "everything has to come from the CB's through a DM - the amount MB's existance has torqued this team's tactics is just mind blowing.
This is both a tactical & a training move.
So Manning said wed have a new manager in by game 5? Were coming up on that soon... Do we stay the course, or have Toronto FC found someone ?
Aime Mabika is someone id really want to keep long term. Hes a huge force in the back end, has a steady mind and doesnt make the rushed plays.. His contract ends in December.
Manning is desperately hoping Dunfield gets atleast a point so he can just give him the job instead of actually doing a proper search.
Remember Alen Stevanovic? Yeah this is what that is.
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