If Tigre didnt put a 3.5million DP price tag on him we probably could have. Hes a good TAM player but definitely not DP worthy.
Yes sounds like we are waiting till the relegation reality sinks in.
Time for a TAM CB - Gary Cahill is going to be out of contract and isn't fitting into Chelsea's plans.
Our defences and goalkeeping situation is shit. Ciman doesn't cut it...he's slow and he's lost it. Bono seems stoned all the time. We need a destroyer CB or CDM.
At this rate we'll have to score 4-5 a game just to draw or win..
You’re spot on but tell vanney that he’s blind when it comes to who is playing well or on a streak , if it doesn’t fit into his ‘ technical schemes’ he’s a technophobe but not that great ( or maybe doesn’t rate it highly) on whose ‘ready’ to play . That’s difficult of course but the great mgrs understood it . EG Westberg played well enough to start yesterday but no Vanney goes with his mistake ridden Bono . So why should a player perform , when it’s no guarantee that he’ll start again . Competition makes a team perform better .
ALL HELL'S BROKEN LOOSEhttp://gfycat.com/SharpKindArrowana
Defences across the east are shite. Maybe ride it out for the year. You score 3, we score 4....
Maybe instead if a TAM winger, we use Ayo in that role. And we give Hamilton a shot over Delgado.
And sign the best TAM CB we can find.
Getting a TAM CB would be proof of the FO's mistakes for me. Re-signing Moor and bringing on Ciman should have been the solution. How many 'top' CBs do we need when we technically have 3 already?
I never saw Ciman as a long-term solution. I'm not sure TFC did either. Ciman was a replacement & upgrade for Hernandez; experienced guy who can fill some gaps, step in for injuries or when somebody needs a break; also if we want to play 3 at the back. I believe they also got him pretty cheap, since Ciman had strong personal reasons to be here. (We shall see once the salary list comes out.)
Defense in 2018 was shite; we lost our better "young" CB (Hagglund); and Moor & Mavinga both proved to be at risk for injuries. Moor because of age and general wear & tear; Mavinga because he puts lots of strain on his body with his extreme feats. (He was limping after that amazing kamikaze slide tackle on Friday.)
TFC made it clear that they wanted to improve their defense, and especially that they wanted more quality options for rotation, to preempt over-use and injury. A TAM CB has at least been mentioned in interviews. Maybe they wanted to see how 2019 starts: after Moor's first injuries, and TFC defense leaking goals like a bucket w/o a bottom, hopefully the situation is clear. There are just fewer options, and tougher negotiations, outside of the primary international transfer windows. Perhaps they're hoping for more players to become available as seasons peter out around the world, and before the MLS window closes in May.
Most of this business should have been finished by end of January...
Realistically, how many games can we expect to get out of Moor? 20-24? We need a 1A backline leader to deputize this season, with an eye on next year. Seems doable if they can offload the nephew's salary. Let Ciman and Mavinga rotate.
Ok, here's my backline solution (somewhat inspired by seeing Schweinsteiger shutdown Jozy a few weeks back).
Shift Bradley back to CB. Yes, I know it was a disaster last year, but he was exposed in that injury wrecked atmosphere. Bradley can pair with Moor, Ciman, Zavaletta. Time to think about a new role for Michael Bradley. Of course this means playing with a back four, with Mavinga or Morrow on the left, Auro Jr. or Laryea on the right.
This shift would mean playing time for Liam Fraser in the holding midfield role. Sitting on the bench game after game can't be enough. Would rather give him time in the role with a veteran crew in behind him. We know that a winger is one TAM signing possibility, so my suggestion probably means a 4-1-4-1 formation with a healthy Jozy as the single striker.
The Bradley shift back would take the pressure off TFC finding a defender, give young Fraser playing time and still have a full attack...
I'm getting a bit more confidence in Ciman & starting to appreciate how good his passing is - the CB position is one of the most finicky roles of them all. I've seen it time and time again that a decent player takes a whole season to really settle into it this position. Developing partnerships, reading your team mates etc. is hardest and most crucial for a CB. Any other position can rely on some individual brilliance to stand out. Mavinga's rashness has been a worry - but I think he will settle down with some cool heads around him.
The DM spots are not 100% yet... Bradley not in peak form...Delgado there are some questions about..they could be the problem for the defence.
Goalkeeping is the biggest concern right now.. 2-3 of these games would have been a lot more comfortable without goalkeeping errors. Bono seems to have really lost his mojo. I swear that on penalty kicks he waits till the ball is kicked then dives in the opposite direction. It's not like he dives the wrong way 50% of the time. His distribution is shocking...his very first kick on Friday night was to boot the ball into touch...un-pressured. It really is time to give Westburg a chance & if he doesn't take it and/or Bono doesn't wake up...then we need to be signing a #1.
When does this transfer window end exactly ?
Vanney has been giving Bono a chance to get his mojo back, but somethings not working. We obviously don't see what's going on in practice, but it looks like giving Westberg a run would be a good idea.
We'll know what the FO expects from Ciman when we see what he's making.
But I think they see the group as 1. Moor 2. Mavinga 3. Ciman. That's a strong CB group. When Moor is injured that becomes 1. Mavinga 2. Ciman 3. Zavaleta. That's a very average group.
I don't think the issue is that Ciman hasn't been good enough, he's an excellent third CB, it's that Moor is injured.
If everyone is fit 1. Moor 2. Mavinga 3. Ciman 4. TAM CB would be an absurd outlay on CBs in this league, when most of the time only two of them will play anyways. I can't believe the FO is irrational enough to make that kind of move.
Issues more pressing than CB include two wingers, a DM and a rightback. Maybe even a back-up striker if you don't believe in Hamilton/Akinola.
Also Terrence Boyd flop confirmed yet?
Speaking of CBs, anyone know anything about Julian Dunn? Is he ready to get any minutes?