Toronto FC boss Winter decides to change culture with locker room no-go

[backbeat]

A little unfair don't you think? Reporters here were just asking for the league's rules to be applied fairly to every team - including Toronto. If TFC (or any other club) doesn't like the rule then they should work to change it.

no it's not unfair, actually i agree - Winter was not saying they wouldn't have access - JM didn't even give it a chance to see how it might act out instead he made sure to file a formal complaint with the league.

not impressed but i guess he got what he wanted and forced Winter's hand from protecting his players sanctum....what a proud day for the media and free speech....too bad the Toronto media can't ask the clear cut questions when they have the opportunity. maybe if they did we might have understood the DeRo situation a long time ago.....

[mdc 77]

no it's not unfair, actually i agree - Winter was not saying they wouldn't have access - JM didn't even give it a chance to see how it might act out instead he made sure to file a formal complaint with the league.

not impressed but i guess he got what he wanted and forced Winter's hand from protecting his players sanctum....what a proud day for the media and free speech....too bad the Toronto media can't ask the clear cut questions when they have the opportunity. maybe if they did we might have understood the DeRo situation a long time ago.....

I don't really understand this point of view. Its simple, its an MLS rule...media must be allowed in. No grey area there.

I may agree with Winter but doesn't change the fact that it is a rule, no need to debate this.

[CretanBull]

no it's not unfair, actually i agree - Winter was not saying they wouldn't have access - JM didn't even give it a chance to see how it might act out instead he made sure to file a formal complaint with the league.

not impressed but i guess he got what he wanted and forced Winter's hand from protecting his players sanctum....what a proud day for the media and free speech....too bad the Toronto media can't ask the clear cut questions when they have the opportunity. maybe if they did we might have understood the DeRo situation a long time ago.....

Winter's decision was a violation of league rules. Should he also be allowed to give our player steroids?

[nascarguy]

I 100% agree with winter the league rules suck.

[kaos197O]

My congratulations to John Molinaro. Your pointless, groundless complaint got the result you wanted; possibly to the detriment to the club (as per Winter).

Looking forward to your articles, I'm sure the post-game sound bites that you worked so hard to get will be quality time in and time out and not just a one-off thing (i.e. DeRo cheque signing, like you keep mentioning over and over). I'm sure your presence in the locker room as a nuisance is well worth the quality articles these post-game soundbites will provide.

A pointless, groundless complaint does not get results if it is indeed pointless and groundless.

Detriment to the club? Too funny man! Thanks for the laugh.

[Auzzy]

Actually, the team doesn't practice on Wednesdays - traditionally it's always been the players' day off.

JM

Good point. I got confused based on this article: http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2011/04...-train-tuesday
and thought there would be one more training session before heading to San Jose. (Kept checking today.) We shall see how things go from here. Hopefully we won't end up with the league-mandated minimum media availability; with generally less cooperative interviewees; and/or with more things released only via their in-house media. Although I almost expect it. Despite some struggles with the language compared with TFC's previous coaches, up to now I felt we quite often got some useful info out of Winter & Co.

[denime]

Winter's decision was a violation of league rules. Should he also be allowed to give our player steroids?

really, you compare this with steroids

[backbeat]

I don't really understand this point of view. Its simple, its an MLS rule...media must be allowed in. No grey area there.

I may agree with Winter but doesn't change the fact that it is a rule, no need to debate this.

i understand that the media must be allowed access - i just think winter was protecting a sanctum for his players but still allowing media access within 15 minutes - to me it was no big deal - i understand he was 'stretching/breaking' the rules - why our media had to jump all over it immediately and not 'see it out' first is beyond me.

i say this because on the whole i find they ask inane questions that don't get to the core of issues when they have the opportunity - but this??? oh WOW a really big issue, must file a formal complaint.

[denime]

Good point. I got confused based on this article: http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2011/04...-train-tuesday
and thought there would be one more training session before heading to San Jose. (Kept checking today.) We shall see how things go from here. Hopefully we won't end up with the league-mandated minimum media availability; with generally less cooperative interviewees; and/or with more things released only via their in-house media. Although I almost expect it. Despite some struggles with the language compared with TFC's previous coaches, up to now I felt we quite often got some useful info out of Winter & Co.

Actually I do hope it will end up just like that.If coach thinks this will help his team,then by all means,bear minimum.

[Auzzy]

^ You're just hoping for that so you'll have less work posting the news in the morning.


Anyways, I agree that what coach thinks is good for the team, is generally a good idea -- if possible. Just up to now, they didn't have a problem with providing all that extra media & obviously didn't find it to be detrimental. Basically my comment was a bit of an underhanded swipe....

[denime]

I don't really understand this point of view. Its simple, its an MLS rule...media must be allowed in. No grey area there.

I may agree with Winter but doesn't change the fact that it is a rule, no need to debate this.

6.11.2 Post-Game Media Access.
A Head Coach may keep the locker room closed to the media for the purpose of a post-Game Team meeting for no more than TEN (10) minutes from the end of the more than TEN (10) minutes from the end of the Game (determined by the Referee's whistle) of Teams will remain on site for a minimum of FORTY (45) minutes after the conclusion of the Game for interview purposes. Violations of this policy may result in fines to the offending party.

So if Winter opens locker room 10 minutes after and tells players to go to the gym,now what?

[denime]

^ You're just hoping for that so you'll have less work posting the news in the morning.


Anyways, I agree that what coach thinks is good for the team, is generally a good idea -- if possible. Just up to now, they didn't have a problem with providing all that extra media & obviously didn't find it to be detrimental. Basically my comment was a bit of an underhanded swipe....

And that's why we are North Hollywood FC.

Winter wants to stop all that circus around the team so boys can concantare on their job,but apparently bush league like the soap operas and circus surrounding this team.

[CretanBull]

really, you compare this with steroids

If we were allowed to ignore some rules then I'd be in favour of ignoring the salary cap rule and see us bring in a team of All-Stars, or maybe ignore the rule that limits us to 11 men on the pitch, maybe Winter thinks it would help our club if he could make 6 substitutions per game?

Of course these are absurd examples, but the league has rules that each team has to follow - we don't get to pick and chose which rules we follow.

If Winter was DeRo people would be up in arms "He signed a contract! He knew what the league rules were when he signed the contract! If he didn't he was naive, and that's his fault! No one is bigger than the league! You can't just ignore league rules because you don't want to follow them!"

[Ossington Mental Youth]

6.11.2 Post-Game Media Access.
A Head Coach may keep the locker room closed to the media for the purpose of a post-Game Team meeting for no more than TEN (10) minutes from the end of the more than TEN (10) minutes from the end of the Game (determined by the Referee's whistle) of Teams will remain on site for a minimum of FORTY (45) minutes after the conclusion of the Game for interview purposes. Violations of this policy may result in fines to the offending party.

So if Winter opens locker room 10 minutes after and tells players to go to the gym,now what?

yeah this is what ive been thinking

[backbeat]

If we were allowed to ignore some rules then I'd be in favour of ignoring the salary cap rule and see us bring in a team of All-Stars, or maybe ignore the rule that limits us to 11 men on the pitch, maybe Winter thinks it would help our club if he could make 6 substitutions per game?

Of course these are absurd examples, but the league has rules that each team has to follow - we don't get to pick and chose which rules we follow.

If Winter was DeRo people would be up in arms "He signed a contract! He knew what the league rules were when he signed the contract! If he didn't he was naive, and that's his fault! No one is bigger than the league! You can't just ignore league rules because you don't want to follow them!"

this is over the top

none the less i understand the league had to step in only because our media forced their hand by filing a formal complaint. otherwise i don't think anything would have happened.

i blame our media for not holding back and seeing what might have occurred, what kind of access they actually had to the players going forward.

no instead they had to make a big f'n deal out of it...they must be proud they finally broke some news!!

[boozilla]

no instead they had to make a big f'n deal out of it...

Agreed. Bitching on fan boards & sending a formal complaint to MLS?
Maybe the media culture needs a change.

[spark]

none the less i understand the league had to step in only because our media forced their hand by filing a formal complaint. otherwise i don't think anything would have happened.

I seriously doubt that. If nobody here said anything you can bet at some point another team would have found out and gone to Garber asking why we get to bend the rules and they don't. The league has to stamp that kind of stuff out because you can't have 18 teams all tweaking the rules to suit their individual preferences.

[backbeat]

I seriously doubt that. If nobody here said anything you can bet at some point another team would have found out and gone to Garber asking why we get to bend the rules and they don't. The league has to stamp that kind of stuff out because you can't have 18 teams all tweaking the rules to suit their individual preferences.

i doubt it

if the media had access to the players and there were no issues but it wasn't in the dressing room - i really don't think anyone would have cared.

my point is why did our media make such a big issue of it before waiting to see the result?

as i've observed before, they ask the most inane questions when true supporters are looking for a lot more insight - i still have yet to hear a reporter ask about Bouchiba - let alone a direct question to DeRo about his contract offers or DP status or to TFC as to whether they tried to get DP status but were refused by MLS etc. etc. etc.....

they don't probe at all but THIS??? they go all out for it....bullshit...

[CretanBull]

I don't know why you think that the league would have ignored one of its teams breaking league policy...

[backbeat]

I don't know why you think that the league would have ignored one of its teams breaking league policy...

i think that because i believe that if our media had not drawn attention to it by filing a formal complaint the league office might have waited to see if it was a big deal or not gaged by whether the media had adequate access to the players or not.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

I wonder if this is a cunning Mourinho-esque stratagem on the part of Winter to deflect criticism away from the players and brutal recent performance?

[ilikemusic]

Media in the dressing room is stupid. We all know this.

The problem here is that this is just another in a long list of examples that exposes an organization operating by the seat of it's pants, and consistently failing to make decisions with any kind of foresight.

Whether you think Molinaro and the other ink stained wretches deserve to be in the locker room, or whether they even need to be in there at all, it isn't really relevant. In North America, the sports press does their job a particular way, and they will write stories if a team attempts to change that.

As it is, regardless of your stance on locker room access, or whiny reporters, this entire issue could have been avoided if this fucking club would have just called up MLS and said "hey, were thinking of altering the specifics of our media relations operations in order to help foster a more professional organizational culture and we have some proposals we would like to have a discussion with you about".

Instead, Winter and whoever else made this decsion just said "Fuck em! Lets do it! We'll see if Garber's got the stones to step in.".

Its typical TFC business though.

[CretanBull]

i think that because i believe that if our media had not drawn attention to it by filing a formal complaint the league office might have waited to see if it was a big deal or not gaged by whether the media had adequate access to the players or not.

I think that's extremely wishfull thinking to be honest. Nothing in Garber's remarks had any hint of that, he was emphatic in stressing the importance of the media's access to locker rooms in North America's sports culture, and further pointed out the "rule are rules" - teams don't get to pick and chose which ones they follow. The odds that they'd be willing to look the other way seem like slim to none to me.

[Whoop]

I wonder if this is a cunning Mourinho-esque stratagem on the part of Winter to deflect criticism away from the players and brutal recent performance?

I think Winter used this for deflection for a while.

Saw deVos' tongue in cheek tweet about "no issue with media access in Vancouver".

[CretanBull]

I think Winter used this for deflection for a while.

Saw deVos' tongue in cheek tweet about "no issue with media access in Vancouver".

If he's that smart (and he could be!) then we've got a very, very good manager on our hands.

[Whoop]

It's a tactic used by other coaches, and sometimes players (remember Mark Recchi?).

I mean the DeRo story is still a pretty big story that won't go away but for the time being not all 100% of the attention is on the DeRo trade, or some subpar performances of some players. So some ink has been spilled covering this "locker room ban" which really wasn't a locker room ban, just more of a change of venue.

It's not like media was banned from talking to players.

I mean just imagine the shit storm if it was a total locker room ban? But that would be a way bigger issue/fight.

[CretanBull]

^Its definitely possible, and (for the most part) people sided with the team and rallied behind Winter. If it was a tactic then he's extremely wise for a young coach.

[Whoop]

But like someone mentioned... he can't go to that well too often.

[CretanBull]

But like someone mentioned... he can't go to that well too often.

Sir Alex has been doing it for 25 years and people keep falling for it!

[Fort York Redcoat]

I wonder if this is a cunning Mourinho-esque stratagem on the part of Winter to deflect criticism away from the players and brutal recent performance?

It's twofold.

It restricts or delays the criticism but now Winter has drawn a line in the sand that gives the entire team an "Us vs The rest of the league" mentality. There may be a difference between the league and the other teams in the league but the mentality works for the team either way to give that underdog work ethic a chance to flourish.