"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
with his pedigree it should be a no brainer he will excel here, but football doesn't always work out that way as we know.
I'd say the only thing he will have to get used to is the pace of the game, you won't get the time affored to you on the ball you do in serie a, but a player with his skillset will adjust to that pretty quickly.
Not that I am comparing him to Gianfranco Zola but I recall when he first came to PL with Chelsea, many people myself included at the time said he was too small, the pace of PL would be too quick, too physical. He ended being one of the best players ever to grace it, he adjusted to the game very quickly, I can Giovinco making a similiar impact.
That was sort of my point though. Too bad that he went through what must have been a pretty humiliating experience because of an ill-advised publicity stunt dreamed up by MLSE. Too bad he didn't have the kind of welcoming party Gio had. In any event, I'm sure Gio already somewhat feels at home which can only be a good thing.
Well that was certainly something else!
I sat there today and watched all this on twitter etc and just smiled at the potential.
I get the feeling that something just snapped into place locally that is going to eventually change how this game is followed here.
Maybe not this season, and certainly not for a cold Wednesday night in May. But, there is something palpably there. An understanding between the Euro and the local and that there is a place for the local in those who follow the Euro.
A lot of ifs still have to follow to make this work:
If he stays healthy. (come on, all of us are thinking it - first game on that turf in BC - just like we thought first game last season on that turf in Seattle)
If the team is competitive early on.
If he stays interested in the project.
If there is some measure of success this season.
If TFC's marketing team don't mess it all up.
If they don't raise ticket prices next season too much.
BUT...but.....this signing has the potential to take TFC support into an area where no other MLS team has gone.
We'll see. But, that was VERY different from the Kaka fest and anything else we've seen in MLS so far.
Wow indeed.
"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
Interesting way of putting it. Whatever the merits of this signing, I see what you mean.
I am old enough to remember going to an event at the Eaton Centre for Bettega in the early 80s (Giovinco is nothing compared to what Bobby-Gol was, for you kids out there). It was pandemonium.
If TFC could ever actually reach/touch the Italian football fan and his/her identity with this sport, it would put this thing on another level. Very tall order though.
"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
FWIW MLSE sent at least 1 bus full of employees to welcome him at the airport. So the crowd was a little inflated.
Looked to me like there was 600+ people and could imagine if this was on a weekend, it could have easily been 1000+.
The day the Reds get a crowd that rivals the 1992-93 Jays, is the day in my mind they will have finally arrived. Despite my passion of the Reds, the impression that those heros of yesteryear left on me will last a life time. To this day I have never seen something before or since take hold of this city like that. On the note I am really excited to see how this goes after the start of last year and the excitement it brought. I am ready for a ride that finds it's way into November, as I think we all are.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
Woodbridge must have been deserted for a few hours. Great turnout.
The FO mob were probably there to offer on-the-spot discounts for season's seats.
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
Shouldn't the propaganda outlet know how to pronounce his name? Seems to say Gee-oh the first time then Joe later.
It's one of the lead stories on the MLS website and gaining traction.
Thank you Armen.
I believe Giovinco will contribute but will he deserve all the recognition he has received at the end of the year, time will tell, but at least we didnt only improve our DPs
Turin? It might snow occasionally, but it's subtropical.
Look at the current 14-day forecast: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Tu...emonte/IT.aspx
The highs for the next few days are 6, 10, 10, 14, 13 ... okay you get the picture. And the lows are -1, 2, 2, 4, 2, 4, ...
Compare to Toronto where the highs coming up are -1, -5, -7, -7, -6, -11, -17 ... and the lows are -7, -7, -10, -13, -13, -20, and -24.
Sure, it can get cold in Turin. But nothing like here, and it doesn't stay cold. Maybe if you climb a mountain ... but you don't live up on the mountain.
Perhaps I'm getting jaded with time, but I'm not that thrilled by either Altidore - whose performance for years has been poor - or Giovinco. With Defoe, there was no question about whether he could perform, only if he wanted to ... and while he wanted to he was great. The issue however was whether he wanted to be here or not.
For these 2 new players, we're not even sure if they are up to it. Altidore hasn't been able to score, and Giovinco hasn't been getting enough playing time. Let's see where they are at in 6 months ... but I fear we are being given a lot of kool-aid ... and I have no faith in Varney.
Last edited by nfitz; 02-06-2015 at 11:12 AM.