He is as bad as you think - actually he's probably worse than you think.
I've been trying to wrack my brain to try and figure out his appeal, outside of nepotism, and that's all I could come up with.
CB's must be really hard to come by
He is as bad as you think - actually he's probably worse than you think.
I've been trying to wrack my brain to try and figure out his appeal, outside of nepotism, and that's all I could come up with.
CB's must be really hard to come by
Last edited by jabbronies; 02-12-2020 at 10:33 AM.
Again - Zavs was very good for most of 2017 - we all liked him then in a back 3 with Moor & Mavinga.
He got a guaranteed contract (blame Bez who gave out a lot of them over that winter)
His form since then has been bad.
In our current system, he is not in the 18.
He is really only around now because he has a guaranteed contract.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
Cincy has brought in 2 experienced CB's - Zavs is, at best, a backup in this league.
His wage is too much for what he brings. Nobody is going to pay that. He's basically untradeable (that happens a lot more in this league then people realise- Hagglund is the same at Cinci right now)
Oh, and I remember Hagglund struggling through 2017.
We are stuck with him.
If one of either Nashville or Miami, or any lower MLS team, gets into injury trouble with their CBs all of a sudden Zavs has value in the league again (especially if its between transfer windows, because MLS trades can go through despite if I remember correctly)
I disagree. He was only okay during 2017. The reason he was alright was because he was shielded by a defensive minded Beitashour on one side and Moor on the other in essentially a 5 man back line. With that much cover he was acceptable. In a 4 man back line or a 3 man backline with a RB like Auro (and VDW last year) who get up into the attack, then he has no hope and never did. Has has consistently shown that he has no sense of positioning since he started playing CB here. Almost every match he was being yelled at and had to be pointed to the proper position by various other defenders.
Ever since his arrival I've repeatedly stated how important Drew Moor was to this club. Losing him in 2018 was a large reason why we had such an abysmal season.
His leadership and man management made TFC a championship calibre team with both Hagglund and Zavaleta in the lineup.That alone should tell you how great of a CB he was while in Toronto.
He was terrible for them last year. I can’t see how they can trot him back out again this year.
Like I said, I was calling him bad back when we were a juggernaut in 2017. Like was said above, he was sheltered by one of the best back lines in MLS history, but I could see in the moments where he had to fend for himself, that he was a weak link.
I specifically remember the game in Montreal in the playoffs, Piatti took every opportunity to run at him, and he looked like a pylon. He’s clumsy, not a good passer at all, slow, and below average marker in the box.
Question... because he’s on a guaranteed contract, does that mean we can’t use our one buyout on him?
We can but his number will apparently still count against the cap.
In that sense I see the point in not buying him out unless we need his roster spot at some point. We only have 2 left and I would like to see someone else signed before the season starts (CB/FC combo or forward) and there's also a chance we may need some players in the summer so we may need a roster spot.
Last edited by Ultra & Proud; 02-12-2020 at 02:14 PM.
FWIW he's always stepped up in big games for us over the years. He was clearly the weakest part of our back 3 in 2017 but he was still serviceable and in playoff and CCL games I think he's always played pretty well (*ducks*)
If this is the last year of his contract, he must know how make-or-break this year is. I don't necessarily expect him to look like a $300k player but hopefully he at least gets back to solid backup CB level and we can sign him on a lower salary next year (because let's face it, even if it's not conscious, I don't think he stays here as long as he has without the Vanney connection, and if there's a way to keep him here TFC will)
Are you sure? I thought you can have one buyout per year that will no longer count against the cap. That's what we often said in previous years when we wanted to dump someone -- and the buyout was used by TFC most years.. Perhaps we were always wrong. Or perhaps the rules have changed. No idea.
I especially liked the straight red card he got the last game he actually played for us, in a completely unnecessary play, helped us immensely!
I think for most teams he could be a depth player that comes out for the Canadian Championship or the US Open Cup, but at $300k I'll take the cash over him 10 times out of 10.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
Will be interesting to see if Ifunanyachi Achara is moving closer to earning a first team contract. The Reds first round draft pick has scored in the last two pre-season games including today vs. LAFC. I know he will count as an international but with two sports open their is an opening for him. From what I gather he slipped due to injury but it seems he is back in form.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
Kloke has an interview with Manning out today (as always, paywall)
https://theathletic.com/1607485/2020...he-many-risks/
This tidbit
Lots of good things in that article - the Athletic is the best soccer journalism in North America - Kloke is doing double duty with the Leafs & TFC but when he gets stuff, he gets it.Manning also said the club had discussions with a globally-known player to potentially sign as a DP, but the player wanted to wait until his contract ran out in the summer and was unwilling to sign a pre-contract, so TFC walked away.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 02-14-2020 at 12:24 PM.
Anyone who can should read this article.
This confirms something that has become increasingly obvious. We gotta stop talking about Curtis. Ali is not Bez or Bobby Webster. Ali is part of the setup but this is Manning’s show.
We can close the Curtis thread.
Manning is the GM.
Last edited by ensco; 02-14-2020 at 12:33 PM.
"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
When ever I see Bobby Webster with that wide smile, all that comes to my mind for me is him thinking, pinch me now, think I am dreaming, how the heck did I end up here. Have no idea how he is perceived in league circles, did not see his name bounced around for other jobs after the championship?
Is Ali really anymore a part of the setup than Bez was? I get the GM role can mean a whole bunch of different things.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
The people who want to give Curtis credit for everything that's happened under his watch aren't paying attention to how the team actually operates.
Manning is a bit of a micro-manager and is very aware of what Curtis and Vanney do. In reality, a lot of decisions are made jointly by the three of them.
Curtis is probably more in charge of signing academy kids moving to the first team, Manning does not seem to concern himself with that, although obviously Vanney has huge input on those decisions.
Last edited by Oldtimer; 02-14-2020 at 01:36 PM.