Winterlicious.

The world's worst kept secret was confirmed on Thursday afternoon, with TFC announcing the arrival of Aron Winter, Paul Mariner and Bob de Klerk as their new management team.  Click here for details, interviews and such like.

Alright, that’s a little harsh as there was still a lot of clarification required on who exactly would be doing what, and what would happen to the current staff.  That all ended up as follows, Aron Winter as Technical Director, the overall man in charge as well as first team Head Coach with Bob de Klerk assisting him in both areas. Paul Mariner will be the Director of Player Development, overseeing scouting, trades and all that sort of thing, as well as “acting as a bridge between Aron and MLS” which to me sounds like a lot of saying “No Aron, you can’t do that here” or “No Aron, that’s not going to work here” or "Yes Aron, we are going to have to fly all over the continent on a regular basis."

Earl Cochrane gets “promoted” to Director of Team and Player Operations, while Stuart Neely will be the Academy Director.  Jim Brennan, Nick Dasovic, Danny Dichio and Jason Bent will all remain with the club, though their roles weren’t specified.  Leo Percovich wasn’t mentioned so is presumably on his way out. I met him a couple of times and he’s a really nice guy, so I genuinely wish him all the best in the future.

So what does all this mean?  Well firstly it means they haven’t gone for the cheap, more of the same option that merely bringing in Paul Mariner to work with Earl Cochrane would have been, so that’s a good sign. Secondly it means they really seem to have made a commitment to a long term vision of what the club stands for, what style of football it will play and how they’re going to get there, all that stuff Jürgen Klinsmann was talking about back in November.

With a re-affirmation of their commitment to building new academy facilities as soon as a location is finalised, there was much talk of TFC becoming less reliant on drafts to stock its roster, on being able to develop its own players, coming up through the academy playing the same style so as to eventually fit comfortably into the first team. Winter made it obvious that while it won’t be an exact copy of the “total football” that Ajax is known for, that style will certainly be loosely based on it, with a 4-3-3 formation as the starting point.

Looking at it long term, this seems like a really really positive day, one that should have great benefits for both TFC and Canada years down the line.  Who knows how long they’ll stick around, but hopefully Winter and de Klerk can get the ball rolling and develop things so that not only the players, but also the coaching staff at all levels will become comfortable with Toronto FC style football, and be able to continue it long after they’ve gone, ideally poached by a bigger club impressed by their achievements here.

Unfortunately, those hoped for great benefits of the academy system will probably take 5-10 years to really be felt at first team level, the short term is a lot more of a question mark.  Winter is untested as a coach at first team level, and the style of football he wants to play will probably not come easily or quickly to your average MLS player.  Many times in the press conference and various interviews it was stressed that this is going to require patience, so it's probably best not to expect too much in the way of results in 2011.  It will be interesting to see which players are brought in once the January transfer window opens, TFC obviously have a lot of places to fill, and are going to have to bring in players who can play this style as well as be able to handle the more physical play in MLS. This is where Paul Mariner should really be earning his money, using his MLS experience and know-how to help TFC field a competitive side for the next few seasons, so as to give Winter and de Klerk enough time to be able to do what they're really here for, which is the long term side of things. 

The next 2 or 3 seasons will probably be interesting, entertaining and frustrating in equal measures,  but hopefully supporters and management will be able to give the new regime time to really see their plans come to fruition.  Management certainly talked a good game in that respect yesterday, and it does seem like they're genuinely trying to build something that can give TFC lasting and long term success, let's hope it works.

Insert generic Winter pun here.

While there's been no official announcement yet, word has very much got out, if a little unspecifically, about a very interesting development in TFC's search for a management team.  According to reports, former Dutch international and current Ajax (the Amsterdam one, not the GTA one) assistant coach Aron Winter has agreed to a 3 year contract, and will be bringing fellow Dutchman Bob De Klerk with him.

Throughout the day there's been varying different reports, guesses and assumptions about exactly what role these two will fill, as well as Paul Mariner who it was thought might now be left out, but was later reported as very much still part of the plan, as either a coach, or as Technical Director.  By the end of the day a consensus seemed to be forming that Mariner would be the GM/Technical Director, with Winter and De Klerk as Coach and assistant respectively, though some suggested Mariner and Winter were going to somehow split the Technical Director and Coach roles, though I'm really not sure how that would work.

Whether that is correct, and what's going to happen to Earl Cochrane, Jimmy Brennan, Nick Dasovic and the rest of the coaching staff will eventually be revealed whenever the official press conference happens, and going by history with TFC, that probably won't be for another few days.  I'll wait until then before reading too much into all this, but it does seem positive, and proof that there was a point to Jürgen Klinsmann's time here.  If the bringing in of Winter and De Klerk from Ajax is a sign of the philosophy that Klinsmann has decided on for TFC, then it should at the very least be more entertaining than we've seen so far in the last 4 years, and if patiently stuck with, could mean great things for the academy, and thus TFC's and Canada's future.

With the caveat that they are all relatively inexperienced, with Mariner's failed managerial spell at Plymouth Argyle the only non-assistant experience between them, this seems like a really good combination and a very strong managerial team.  Winter and De Klerk will bring the Ajax style, which will hopefully flow down to the academy as well as help the first team, Mariner has the MLS experience as well as recently refreshed contacts within the English game, and Cochrane, Brennan and the rest of the holdovers from last year bring knowledge of MLS as well as the Canadian scene, and the talents, quirks and egos of the current squad.

Patience could be the key here, as one of the main planks of Ajax's success over the years has been the flow of players from their famed academy, talented and schooled from an early age in the Ajax way of playing, and it's obviously going to take a lot of time for that sort of effect to hit the first team.  Hopefully the MLS experience brought by Mariner will be enough to build a competent and competitive team in the short term, as I'm not sure the stretched too thin patience of TFC fans will be able to tolerate too long of a learning curve.  In that respect,one of management's best moves is the price freeze of season tickets for 2012.  I always thought of that not really as an apology for what happened last season, but as a pre-emptive bargaining chip in case the rebuild isn't an instant success.  If that is actually the case it would represent an admirable change from what's happened so far, with 5 coaches in 4 years.

Hopefully supporters will also give the new regime time, and the mood on the messageboards seemed to be one of cautious optimism and approval, which is a good sign.  This could be the start of something really good for the future, let's hope it works well enough in the present for that future to be given a chance.

They actually were going to go with Earl?

One good thing to come out of the whole sorry Dwayne De Rosario at Celtic affair is that it helped the club move away from what would have been a depressingly underwhelming decision.  According to Canadian Soccer News, up until yesterday, the club were ready to go with Paul Mariner as coach/manager, with Earl Cochrane kept in place above him in a more administrative/president of soccer type role.  But now, there's a new name that is suddenly being considered, so the process is once again on hold, with a decision expected "by mid-January at the latest".

Now maybe it is actually the case that a new option has suddenly become available, and it's just a coincidence that the decision was changed after the De Ro fiasco, but the source quoted did say it suspected it was a reason for them to be looking elsewhere, though they still expected Cochrane to get the GM job when all is said and done.

My own impression is that TFC were hoping to quietly announce it while people weren't paying attention, or were hoping that supporters anger had dissipated after a relatively quiet period so would have been more ready to accept this lacklustre appointment from within.  But now supporters are back in angry mode, so management have gone back to the "big name to appease the supporters" plan, or are at least pretending to until the furore dies down in a couple of weeks.

Though nothing surprises me with TFC, and though over the last few months I've shifted from laughing at suggestions Cochrane would end up with the job, to actually worrying that he might, to feeling resigned to the fact that he'd get it, I still can't really believe that it's going to happen.

Let's once again remind ourselves of what was promised to all TFC fans in an email sent out after October's townhall meetings and posted on their website.

With change comes the opportunity to make important decisions about our future. We're working hard to assemble a management team that is second to none in Major League Soccer. We are looking for leadership that will establish the vision for this team and create a winning culture so that Toronto FC will consistently compete for a championship.

Second to none.  Is there anyone out there that thinks Earl Cochrane is second to none among MLS executives?  Is anyone impressed with his handling of the De Ro situation, allowing things to get to this stage, then being less than forthcoming with the media about what had actually happened?

Paul Mariner isn't a terrible option, given the limiting fact that TFC is probably the most dysfunctional club in what is still a minor league.  He has MLS experience from his time as an assistant at New England, and though his first head coaching job at Plymouth Argyle led to relegation from the Championship, that was a very poisoned chalice due to problems at Plymouth at the time, so it would be very harsh to judge him on that.  But again, second to none.  Is there anyone out there who'd rather have Mariner than Bruce Arena, or Sigi Schmid or other successful coaches currently in MLS?

The other big question is what happened to Jürgen Klinsmann.  Given all his experience and contacts in Europe, is Earl Cochrane really the best option he and SoccerSolutions could come up with?  Really?  The "second to none" guy was under our noses the whole time?  I really hope he's earned his consulting money elsewhere, perhaps with recommendations about the academy, because that is thoroughly disappointing.

Of course I should wait until it's official before getting too depressed about it, and who knows, maybe Earl Cochrane and Paul Mariner would do an excellent job.  I'll freely admit I would have been unimpressed with the coaching resumes of Jason kreis and Gary Smith before they won the last 2 MLS cups, so whoever is appointed should get some time to prove themselves.  However TFC is skating on some very thin ice, and a Cochrane/Mariner combo would make it thinner. 

If given a big name and sold a grand vision, supporters would be more forgiving of any early struggles while a foundation for future success was laid.  But with an unspectacular appointment, the results would need to come fast to avoid disappointment.  I'm sure MLSE doesn't really care too much what bloggers or the supporter's forums say, but anger and protests among the committed would translate to apathy among the casual, and that's what they need to be afraid of.  There were a lot of empty seats throughout last year, if that trend continues, well there are plenty of sports teams who can tell them how hard it is to get Toronto fans to come back once they've gone.

So, no coach by christmas then.

"So this is christmas, and what have you done?"  Well, that's a good question John Lennon, and as far as TFC's concerned, the answer is depressingly little.  Jürgen Klinsmann's talk of appointing a coach by Christmas is clearly not going to happen, so the milestones will keep on coming.  It's now been:

- 101 days since Mo and Preki were fired, with Earl Cochrane and Nick Dasovic's "interim" reigns started.
- 94 days since 2011 season ticket renewal emails were sent out, with all the price increases and extra games that fans would surely lap up.
- 87 days since we lost against San Jose and it became clear the firings weren't going to motivate a run for the playoffs.  That game also saw De Ro's cheque signing gesture, anything happened with his contract negotiation yet?  Didn't think so.
- 84 days since we were knocked out of the Concacaf Champions League, a crowd of 10,581 for a huge game in the only competition we still had a chance in exposed Tom Anselmi's bullish "supply and demand" talk as laughable.
- 72 days since the "royal screw up" was admitted to and the apologies and townhall meetings started.
- 69 days since the supporter protests reached their apex at the last home game of the season.
- 63 days since a further apology email was sent out with news of the free home opener and a price freeze for 2012, as well as a promise that We're working hard to assemble a management team that is second to none in Major League Soccer. We are looking for leadership that will establish the vision for this team and create a winning culture so that Toronto FC will consistently compete for a championship.
- 62 days since the 2010 regular season ended.
- 51 days since Jürgen Klinsmann and SoccerSolutions were officially announced as helping out, fully 50 days after the Mo/Preki firing.
- 41 days since Klinsmann attended a press conference to explain his role, only another 10 days gone by, what's the hurry.

And then....nothing.  The odd rumour floating about, the Sportsnet interview when the "new coach by Christmas" line was thrown out, an occasional tweeted tease from Paul Beirne about managerial candidates, and that's it.  Though Tom Anselmi does basically tell us "It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid" in this article

In the meantime, many players have been released, the expansion draft and re-entry draft have come and gone, all under the control of Earl Cochrane, and all we've got to show for it is Nathan Sturgis for a first round pick, and a third round pick for Nane Joseph.

The appointments of this "second to none" management team are crucial for the long term future of Toronto FC, and maybe the fact it's taking so long is a good sign, but it just seems like the club is drifting along and my optimism that it will work out well is diminishing by the day.  When should supporters hope to have appointments made?  In time for the NCAA Superdraft?  In time for the pre season trip to Turkey to check out European based triallists?  I'd like to think we'd have someone in place soon in order to be able to have a full and settled squad for the start of  the season for once, but that's looking less and less likely.

"So here it is merry Christmas, everybody's having fun.  Look to the future now, it's only just begun"  Wise and unavoidable (in Britain at least) Christmas words from Noddy Holder and Slade.  I wish I could look to the future Noddy, I wish I could, but 101 days and counting and it still hasn't bloody begun yet.

All we are saaaaaaay-iing...

Things have been quiet recently with, aside from Canada's women racking up yet another tournament win, and Sepp Blatter switching from trying to get MLS to conform to a winter schedule to openly musing about switching the World Cup to conform to the MLS schedule, not much really going on.  The snow and cold has brought football to a standstill in England, and there's only so many times you can despair about nothing happening with TFC's GM/Coach search before you give up and/or readers start rebelling in the comments section.

There were a couple of interesting tidbits over the last few days, firstly Earl Cochrane saying  “I absolutely have the ability to make decisions, but I do not think making those decisions in a vacuum is the best thing to do.” which to me is an encouraging sign that there's going to be someone else coming in to be the guy who makes the big calls.  Also Nick Garcia musing about the problems with TFC last year "I think it boils down to communication. There were not enough veteran guys on the field guiding and leading the team." as well as embracing his inner grumpy old man, complaining about the young players being too into Twitter and text messaging.

But that was about it, so it was a welcome relief today when the minor news of the 2011 season First Kick games was annnounced, with Toronto opening their season on March 19th at Vancouver, before having their home opener on March 26th against Portland.

I'm not a huge fan of either of those games.  The Whitecaps game, it could be a great roadtrip for TFC fans, and a great opportunity to show off their traveling support, but it seems like a bit of a waste for Vancouver.  The home opener, their first ever game in MLS was always going to be a big event with plenty of media coverage across Canada, and now they're going to have to partially share that attention with Toronto.  It would have made much more sense to have them play a different team and then have the first all Canadian MLS game as another high profile game later on.  As for the Portland game, March 26th?  At BMO Field?  That's going to be cold, and potentially snowy, I guess MLSE is really going to make the season ticket holders work for their free home opener announced back in October.

The other obvious angle to this is that we start off with 2 games against the expansion clubs, which should be a gentle start and at least 4 points, but could be a very embarrassing banana skin if TFC once again goes into the season under prepared and without a full squad.  Hopefully this will serve as added motivation to speed up the new management search, the latest rumours mentioned Paul Mariner, former assistant to Steve Nicol at new England, and coming off a failed coaching job in a very tough situation at Plymouth Argyle, which is a bit underwhelming and quite the step down from other names mentioned like Roberto Donadoni, Franco Baresi and Carlos Quieroz. 

Jürgen Klinsmann previously mentioned a new coach may be in place by Christmas, which is coming up very quickly.  While that's not really that important of a milestone, let's hope at least someone is in place by the time the January transfer window comes around.  I'm happy that Earl has done plenty of work and has some people lined up, and equally happy that he's going to wait for the final decisions, trades/signings etc to be made, but with a very under-manned roster right now, I'd rather not wait too long.  All we are saying?  Give us a coach!

All I want for Christmas is a full time GM.

So here we are, almost 3 months since the firing of Mo Johnston and Preki, and over a month since über-consultant Jürgen Klinsmann was announced, and after a lot of cuts by Earl Cochrane, we've reached another of the off-season milestone's that can prove helpful in restocking the roster, the re-entry draft.

For the full details of how the two stages work click here, but basically this Wednesday allows team to choose from these players, agreeing to pay the option on their contract, or for those players with no option, making what's known as a bona fide offer, ie something similar to what they're currently earning, which the player can choose to accept or not.  Anyone not drafted at all moves on to the second stage next week, where players and clubs can negotiate for whatever price they want.  Even if an agreement isn't reached, the club would still have the MLS rights to that drafted player in the future.

Toronto FC's Nick Garcia isn't one of these players by mistake, it's full of players like him, decent players who have earned their contracts in previous years, but whose skills have diminished to the point where they're not worth the salary cap hit those contracts promise them.  Most of them could be useful players at a lower cost, so I imagine Wednesday will be quiet and next weeks second stage will see most of the action.  However there are players out there who could make a difference for a team that's looking to rebuild, and has a lot of recently created cap space.

So what might TFC, who pick 6th overall do?  Juan Pablo Angel, whose option would call for a designated player spot is the biggest name available, and along with Guillermo Barros Schelotto would provide the biggest offensive spark, if only short term for a club that desperately needs it.  I really can't see Schelotto happening, but Angel is an intriguing prospect, still a very good goalscorer, but no longer worthy of being a designated player, especially if Dwayne De Rosario gets the upgrade he wants and takes up our 2nd of 3 DP slots.  Defensively, the biggest names are Jimmy Conrad, Frankie Hejduk and Gino Padula, though all are getting on in years and very unlikely to go in the first round.  A more affordable option would be the signing of Dema Kovalenko, a defensive midfielder who could provide some depth in midfield and allow Nathan Sturgis to be shuffled back to occupy one of the problem full back spots.

All those decisions to be made Wednesday could give a good indication of just how interim Earl Cochrane really is.  If there is a higher profile, more experienced GM on the way, then more than likely TFC will pass on the higher contracts on offer tomorrow and wait until next week, thus maintaining the salary cap space and DP slots for the new guy to fill as he wishes on players from outside the league.  If he goes out and makes a splash, picking up Angel as a solution to our striking woes, or one of the other higher priced players, then it's very likely that the powers that be will have decided that of all the names suggested to them or headhunted for them by Klinsmann and SoccerSolutions, they think the Cochrane and Jimmy Brennan combo is the best way to go.  I really want to believe that that's not the case so I'm hoping for a quiet day from TFC, but the more time goes by, the more imminent the removal of the interim tag seems.  It would be nice if the situation gets resolved soon so all the other decisions involved in building the squad, from De Ro's contract to potential new signings can be made with the assurance that it's all part of a longer term plan.  Ticken Tocken Jürgen, Ticken Tocken.

EDIT:  This really isn't worth it's own post, but TFC didn't pick anyone up, and only 2 players were picked up all round.  Next Wednesday should be a bit more active.

No new philosophy, no new GM, but TFC keep on moving.

Fears that TFC's 2 month long wait just to appoint a consultant to help them find their direction in life and a new GM would paralyse the club and leave us falling behind in building next year's team are proving very unfounded as the moves just keep on coming.  After Wednesday's loss of O'Brian White to expansion and release of 5 players, and with official confirmation of the Bas Ent signing rumour still pending, a trade was announced on Thursday, Toronto sending their first round pick (8th overall) in the 2011 superdraft to Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for Nathan Sturgis, who they had just picked up in the expansion draft from Seattle.

Sturgis, 23, has been in MLS for 4 seasons now, and has passed through the expansion draft twice, as that was how Seattle originally picked him up.  He formed a partnership with Osvaldo Alonso in Seattle's midfield that helped Seattle to a great second half of the season, and if he could replicate that with Julian De Guzman for the Reds, then this could end up being a very good deal.   He can also play at full back, which is definitely a problem position for TFC, so at a salary of $70,000, it seems like a good pick up. 

Is the price too high, our first round pick?  We probably won't really know the answer to that for a few years when we can see how deep this years draft actually turned out to be.  But considering that of the 7 players taken in the expansion draft and subsequently traded, 2 of them, Sanna Nyassi and Alan Gordon were for international player spots, 3 of them, Anthony Wallace, Alejandro Moreno and O'Brian White were for allocation money, and Real Salt Lake gave up only a 2nd round pick, 22nd overall for El Salvador international midfielder Arturo Alvarez, a first round pick does seem to be a bit much.

Overall though I'm reasonably happy with the trade, Sturgis should be a useful player right away for TFC, as opposed to the crapshoot of the draft, but again, much like all the changes made on Wednesday, it's the person making the trade, and what that means going forward that worries me.  Fair enough, the Reds are in too much of a mess to be able to stand around and do nothing, and a first round pick is definitely no guarantee of anything, but surely it's the sort of asset that any potential new GM would like to have, to use as he sees fit.  The fact that as well as getting rid of last years disappointments, Interim GM Earl Cochrane is now starting the rebuild is a bit alarming to me and suggests further that when all is said and done, the interim will disappear and he'll be the one chosen to implement whatever plan and new philosophy Jürgen Klinsmann identifies for the club.  I still can't quite believe that this is what will end up happening, but for those who are ok with it and suggesting Earl's a decent, honest guy, and a smart man who deserves a chance, let me ask a couple of hypothtical questions.

If he had the exact same experience as he has now, but with a different club, and was now available on the free market, would anyone be suggesting TFC should go out and snap him up?  No. If Toronto were to release Earl for whatever reason, do you think any other MLS club would be beating down his door to ask him to be their GM?  No.  So why is he good enough for TFC?  Inertia, and 'he's already here so he might as well keep going' can't be good enough reasons to make a full time appointment.

Tell me how am I supposed to live without you?

Darth Vader takes the Raivas Hscanovics news badly!

Alright, so the off season is well and truly under way, starting with an all action expansion draft.  Vancouver picked their ten players and then promptly traded 4 of them away, for international player spots and allocation money, which given how American players are no longer considered internationals for the Canadian clubs, suggests they've got something up their sleeve that's better than MLS castoffs.  Portland also traded away two of their picks for allocation money and a 2011 superdraft pick, one of which was Anthony Wallace, the Colorado full back, who they sold back to the Rapids, in a pre-arranged deal that also allowed Colorado to put Wells Thompson back into their protected list, and thus maintain the core of their cup winning side.  Colorado also picked up Seattle winger Sanna Nyassi via Vancouver, which when combined with Omar Cummings and Macoumba Kandji gives them three very fast and tricky players to work around Conor Casey, in what could be a very exciting attack next year.

There was only one TFC player taken and the big surprise for Reds fans was that O'Brian White was that man, picked by Vancouver and later traded to Seattle for allocation money.  What exactly was Seattle thinking?

“O’Brian is a forward with good pace and size” head coach Sigi Schmid said.  “He adds another option for us in our desire to be a club that scores goals.”

Owner/GM Adrian Hanauer said.  “O’Brian had a tremendous college career and he adds depth and competition at the forward position.  He can strike from distance with both feet and is a player that can be impact on our roster.”

Can be impact?  I presume that's just a transcription error, but if not, well there's your answer TFC fans, they were drunk.  Part of me wants to be fatalistic and say that White is now bound to become another player who does well after leaving and will score an important goal against TFC at least once next year, but I really can't figure out how that could possibly happen. 

After those formalities were out of the way, teams were free to start releasing their unwanted players, and TFC jumped into that with a lot of enthusiasm for a club that is still waiting to find out what it's philosophy and direction are.  Gabe Gala, Raivas Hscanovics, Maxim Usanov, Martin Saric and Mista were all let go, and all passed through the waiver draft to become full free agents available to any MLS club who might want them. 

Saric had moments where he looked useful, but hopefully we won't be playing more than one defensive midfielder next year, so he'd definitely be behind De Guzman and Sanyang for that role and therefore not worth keeping around.  Usanov also had his moments last year, but at over $100,000 was taking up way too much cap space for a player of his sporadic talents.  Hscanovics and Mista?  Don't care at all about either of them, and Gabe Gala?  Well it's a shame to see a young local kid who's been with the club since 2007 go, but he never really looked like breaking into the first team at all, at least he'll always have Real Madrid. 

So some quick and necessary thinning of last year's pitiful herd, with a few more decisions to come soon, Interim Gm Earl Cochrane confirming in a media conference call that they have 7 or 8 players whose options would need to be renewed or not by November 30th.  He also stated quite firmly that Dwayne de Rosario will be with TFC next season, and with reports saying that Bas Ent has already signed a deal with the club, it seems that they aren't letting the lack of a permanent management team get in the way of the decision making.

While in a way that's a good thing, it's also a bit disconcerting.  At the time of his press conference, Jürgen Klinsmann's remark that "maybe the right guys are already here" drew a snort of derision from me, but I was cynically resigned to the fact that Earl and Jimmy Brennan would probably be forced on to the new guy as assistants.  Now, with them so decisively starting the remodelling of the squad, that thought is growing into the fear that this is it, that 'EarlandJimmy' is our braintrust going forward, that Jürgen has come in and just told them what a great job they're doing and to carry on.  I hope I'm wrong, I wouldn't argue with any of the decisions made today, and won't be shedding any tears for the departed, but lettting players go is the easy part, rebuilding will hopefully be the responsibility of someone else.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Now the MLS Cup final is over, the off season got quickly under way with the release of the protected and unprotected lists that Vancouver and Portland get to sift through and pick from in the expansion draft.

A lot of teams seemed to take the view that those 2 teams wouldn't pick up the higher priced players, meaning some big names were left unprotected.  Designated players Freddie Ljungberg, Nery Castillo, Geovanni, Juan Pablo Angel, and Blaise Nkufo all joined TFC's Mista and Julian De Guzman in the available pile, meaning there's some interesting choices to be made when the draft happens on Wednesday.  I have no idea how much authority Interim Gm Earl Cochrane and Assistant Jim Brennan have to be making decisions before Jürgen Klinsmann figures out what type of club TFC's going to be, but I could definitely get behind some kind of sign and trade deal to bring Nkufo to town, or even Collins John, also left exposed by Chicago, who would be a bit of a risk, but with a lot of potential. 

As for who's on TFC's list, here it is in full.
Chad Barrett
Julian De Guzman
Gabe Gala
Nick Garcia
Raivas Hscanovics
Fuad Ibrahim
Milos Kocic
Mista
Joseph Nane
Amadou Sanyang
Martin Saric
Maxim Usanov
O'Brian White

Obviously the big name there is Julian De Guzman, though I imagine no other MLS club would want to be paying him that much money, hell, even hometown TFC probably don't want to pay him that much any more.  Chad Barrett is the biggest name with a chance of going, especially with his family ties to the West Coast.  On the one hand I hope it doesn't happen, I really like Chad Barrett, even in 2009 he was one of my favourite players, and after increasing his scoring rate this year, he's become a very valuable member of the squad.  On the other hand though, he is probably paid too much, and for the money he's set to earn, we should be able to find a player of equal or greater value, whether at striker or a different position.

I'd say the player most likely to be picked up is Amadou Sanyang, relatively cheap, young and athletic with the physicality needed for MLS, even if his passsing skills certainly have room for development.  Martin Saric and Milos Kocic would also be possibilities, but I really can't see any of the other players being considered by anyone else.

This is of course just the first step in what should be a very interesting off season for TFC, or at least could be if and when we get around to appointing a new management team, or even just annointing the current one with the permanent role.  It will be interesting to see which of these players who don't get drafted and which of those on the protected list will stay with the club, or are quietly shuffled off to the glue factory or move on to greener pastures.  Here's who I'd like to see stay from the current roster.

Goalkeeper
Frei.  A no-brainer really, unless a trade to Europe happens, he's the obvious first choice goalie.
Conway.  A competent back up and apparently a great guy to have in the dressing room.
Kocic.  A promising young kid who should get plenty of time in the reserve league, or on loan to the CSL again to develop further, one for the future.
Defence. 
Cann.  Team MVP ahead of De Rosario is maybe a bit much, but he had a great year, and will hopefully get the raise he deserves and stay.  Would make a great captain, though I can't see De Ro taking that well.
Attakora.  Reportedly turned down contract extensions over the past year so may be looking to explore his options overseas, but hopefully can be persuaded to stay.
Harden.  Competent back up for Cann and Attakora.
Henry.  Having the reserve league back is huge for youngsters such as him, hopefully he'll play a lot there with occasional first team appearances here and there, and be ready to step into the starting line up a year or two down the line.
Gargan.  A solid if unspectacular minimum wage player who can cover a bunch of positions and is popular with the fans. Well worth keeping.
Gomez.  Back in 2009 he showed promise before missing all of last year, deserves a chance to show what he can do.
Morgan.  Bring him up form the academy, then like Henry, let him play in the reserve league and develop further, with the occasional first team appearance.

Midfield
De Guzman.  Probably untradeable with his contract anyway, he deserves to stay around.  Should a DM be a DP?  Not really, but De Guzman should play his natural game, he looked at his worst last year when trying to be too ambitious with his passing, as if he was trying too hard to prove he could be a playmaker.  As a defensive player, and someone to make himself available for a pass and transition the ball from defence to midfield, he's not bad at all.
De Rosario.  Obviously depends on how his contract talks go, can be too selfish at times, but you can't  argue with 15 goals.
Sanyang.  Needs to improve his passing, but could grow to be a very good destructive DM in this league.
Peterson.  I'd hope he's not our first choice winger next year, but showed enough under Dasovic to be a good back up or second winger depending on our formation.  Ideally we can keep him for less money than last year to play that role.
Lindsay.  Showed great promise last year, hopefully can keep it going and establish himself ahead of Peterson in the pecking order, if he struggles, the reseve league is there to give him the necessary playing time.
Labrocca.  Another decent back up, who I'd hope won't be part of the starting line up, but can come in and do a job when asked.
Forwards.
Barrett.  Ideally he'd be getting less money, but proved he can be a valuable player, an injury free season would be nice as well.
Santos.  Showed some good skill either side of his summer injury.  Ideally one of Barrett and he would be up front alongside some as yet unknown star striker with the other as backup.

A lot of that list is strictly back up quality, if more than Frei, Cann, Attakora, De Guzman, De Rosario and either one of Barrett and Santos are part of our regular starting line-up next year, we'll be in trouble.  We could do with increasing the starting quality at every position except goal and Centre back.  I'd say our most pressing needs are at both full back positions, a good winger (Nyassi from Seattle is on the unprotected list, I'd dangle a draft pick at someone to pick him up) and a top class forward.  It would be a bonus if any of the academy kids or recent graduates can step up right away to be starters, but I really hope we're not counting on that. 

As for the rest, Garcia, Hscanovics, Usanov, Gala, Nane, Saric, White, Ibrahim and especially Mista, hopefully we'll be saying goodbye and good luck to them.

Klinsmann-agement Theory

I've made my disappointment obvious that Jürgen Klinsmann is only here on a short term consultancy basis, but I'm open to other opinions.  So for the first time on Cruel Geography, I've hired a consultant to give a Stein half full viewpoint, so here's frequent commenter Roz to explain why it's actually a good thing.

When Klinsmann was introduced to the media on Thursday, there seemed to be a bit of a collective groan amongst TFC supporters.  There was no talk of grand visions and sweeping changes to the organization, but more of a vague corporate speak referring to team identity and styles of play.   But for the first time in awhile, I actually felt hopeful. ‘Der konsültant’ may just be what TFC needs. 

For the past four years, it seems like everyone at TFC has been doing their jobs (or not doing them) with very little focus on the big picture.  When things were going well there was back slapping, hand shaking, enthusiastic singing from supporters and victorious goal celebrations.  And when things weren’t going well (which was definitely more often) there was finger pointing, firings, hirings, trades, green supporters and stupid ‘cheque-writing’ goal celebrations -  all of which makes for fascinating daytime TV, but not a good football club.  And if Klinsmann were to just step in and ‘blow things’ up, as some people were hoping for, it’s likely that it would only add to the drama.  Because before any new sweeping changes are put in place the whole organization needs to take a step back and remind themselves of why they are here and what they want to do.  And that’s what Klinsmann, not the flashy former footballer, but the serious management consultant, is here to do. 

What TFC needs is a mission and vision.  It needs values and guiding principles (and if it currently has all these, well I think it’s safe to say they need a serious revamp).  And hopefully as I write this and you read this, Klinsmann has Anselmi and company locked up in the boardroom brainstorming , visioning, ‘blue skying’ and ‘thinking outside the box’.  All mind numbing exercises for anyone that has ever participated in them, but with outcomes that really do help guide the day to day operations of an organization.  Once an overall philosophy is in place, the next step is for Klinsmann to help TFC figure out the best management structure to implement it.  Do they need a Director of Soccer and a General Manager?  How many coaches?  A sports psychologist?  A yoga instructor perhaps?  And here’s where hopefully Klinsmann can use his connections to help TFC identify management and coaches who will work well within the new TFC structure and philosophy.  These managers and coaches will then work together to identify a style of play that is in line with the organization’s vision, and then find and train players that embody the TFC mentality.   The people in these positions may be new to the organization, or maybe they are here already, it all depends on the vision, mission and values.  That’s why Klinsmann, or anyone, can’t just come in and clean house without going through this admittedly tedious process.  Because what if they were to get rid of someone who doesn’t seem to ‘fit’ with the current organization, but would thrive within the new one?

Now, I know a bit of a sore point is the inclusion of Anselmi and company in the development of a new organizational philosophy.  I mean, why doesn’t Klinsmann just come right out and tell us what it should be, he’s the expert right?  Well, not really.  Klinsmann has been in Toronto for all of a few weeks now.  He knows nothing about the inner workings of MLSE, TFC history, demands of supporter’s groups, etc.  To get a true picture of what TFC is all about, he needs to hear from Anselmi and Bierne.  He also needs to hear from current management, coaches and players.  To get a well-rounded picture, I would argue that he also needs to sit down with the supporters.  And only when he talks with all of the stakeholders, all of the experts, can Klinsmann help us define what it means to be TFC.  Good management theorists would also point out that including all stakeholders in discussions on organizational philosophy increases the chances of buy-in and satisfaction.  All of which increase the chances that changes will actually be implemented, as well as maintained and effective.

So, the reality is that what’s happening right now at TFC isn’t dazzling and it isn’t dramatic.  It’s actually tedious and a little bit boring.  But it is good management, and it just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to this club.

Der Konsültant's in town, uh-oh!

Thursday saw Jürgen Klinsmann introduced to the media in Toronto for the first time along with his SoccerSolutions colleague Warren Mersereau, to explain what their role is going to be and finally give some details of what we can look forward to. Turns out it’s not a lot really, he basically crushed any lingering hopes that Tom Anselmi had been underplaying his involvement when he talked about it last week. He’s certainly not going to be taking on any kind of GM or coach job himself, and confirmed that his consultancy is going to be a short one, ending before next season starts, ie before he’s even seen his new team play one competitive game.

What sort of power would he have in the short time he’d be here? Would it be the sort of omnipotence that Gerry Dobson described a couple of weeks back?

It's unclear exactly what his title will be, but make no mistake, the reality is Klinsmann will be in total command. He'll run everything from the top, right on down to the academy....the fact is he'll make all the decisions that matter. Everything else, Klinsmann will leave in the hands of the man (or men) he hires to run the day-to-day stuff. At this point, that's unclear as well. Klinsmann may well appoint a single overseer below him to act as general manager and head coach.

Not so much. Here’s Gerry sheepish comments after the press conference.

Those of us who thought Klinsmann was coming in here to roll up his sleeves, take charge, make changes and turn Toronto FC on its' head were wrong. He's here only to make suggestions.

Suggestions, recommendations and a point in the right direction is all that Klinsmann will be bringing, and then the big decisions, the hiring of whatever coaching/management structure they decide is best, and running the team from there, will once again be in the hands of Anselmi and co.  A point made clear by Klinsmann with a chuckle and the sort of "good luck buddy" smirk that reminded me of the "now we just need to make sure TFC makes the playoffs, right Mo? ha-ha" comments aimed at then GM Mo Johnston during the press conference to announce the 2010 MLS Cup final was coming to Toronto.

What are SoccerSolutions' processes to arrive at these suggestions?  Well apparently it's all about getting a feel for the city and supporters, figuring out what sort of team and style of play they want, talking with the players and staff already at the club and finding out how they work and what they're looking for, then coming up with a few suitable candidates who fit into that mould and will theoretically be able to build that sort of team.  Anselmi said in an interview that he's already talked with Klinsmann and told him about the style of hockey we like here, which might just be the most depressing sentence I've ever written.  Seriously?  Now we're going to try and emulate the Leafs?

Trying to look on the bright side, it's better that he's here even for an advisory role for a short period than for nothing at all, and his contacts and reputation will hopefully ensure us a higher class of applicants for the full time jobs.  Also developing an identity and plan that all future decisions will be filtered through is a very good idea, the Mo Johnston era never gave the impression of any clear long term plan being followed.  Starting right from scratch again, looking at every aspect of the organisation and coming up with a plan that will go right down to the academy teams is very necessary at this time, and to have Klinsmann involved right at the beginning to set us in the right direction can only be a good thing.

Basically, 2 months down the line from firing Mo and Preki, we've hired a consultant, one with a great footballing reputation and contacts, absolutely, but just a consultant, nothing more.  Any recommendation can only be as good as those that are implementing it, and that's going to be the same old people, so forgive me if I don't really see much different here at all.

Don't tell him about Rob Ford.

Damn work!  I must have been busy when TFC made their Jürgen Klinsmann announcement, as I missed the press conference and hoopla that surely accompanied the news that such a well known and respected football personality was joining up with a club desperate for some good news to sell season tickets and fill BMO field for the MLS cup.  They wouldn't have just released some publicity gold like that casually on their website would they?  Oh!

Alright, that's a little unfair, Tom Anselmi did an interview with The Fan 590 which gave a few more details than had been previously reported last Friday, and this article on sportsnet suggests he'll be formally introduced a couple of weeks from now, presumably as part of the pre MLS cup festivities, so I guess we'll get the full details and press conference at that time.

So what did we find out?  Well, fears that it might be SoccerSolutions and not actually Klinsmann himself were dismissed by Anselmi, but disappointingly, his contract runs only until "some time in the spring".   What is he here to do?

"It's more than just helping us hire a new manager, a new leader," said Anselmi. "It's looking at helping us organize or reorganize the whole front office, everything from vision for the club, what do we stand for, what's the style of play that we want to adopt for the rest of our lives to the people that we need to be able to deliver on that: players, coaching staff, the like."

 Though he hasn't made any public statements since being hired, in earlier interviews Klinsmann has elaborated a little on that

...I think every country has its own style and every environment, every MLS team should have its own identity based on their neighbourhood, based on their environment, the people that grow up in that neighbourhood, what they stand for ...

Who knows exactly what he'll decide represents Toronto, hopefully he hasn't heard about our latest election results.

The talk about potentially reorganizing the front office and the management and coaching staff would be encouraging if it weren't for the impression that's been given repeatedly over the last few weeks that the front office doesn't really think there's much wrong with the status quo.  Whether it's comments about Preki being fired mainly due to a gut feeling that he didn't really fit in with the organisation and the way they like to work, or Anselmi's oft-stated belief that we were only a few tweaks away from competing until Mo and Preki unnecessarily blew up last year's squad, or the repeated assurances that Earl Cochrane, Jimmy Brennan and Nick Dasovic are a big part of the club's future, and that Klinsmann will be working closely with Cochrane and Brennan, there's nothing to suggest that management thinks much needs changing at all.  This despite the lack of success that TFC has had since it's inception, and that all of their teams have had under MLSE's leadership.

It will be interesting to see exactly what recommendations and appointments are made, and just how much things change. I really shouldn't criticise too much before any of that happens, but given that he's just a consultant and apparently without long term involvement, my initial excitement at Klinsmann's involvement is definitely fading.  Anselmi said that this was in no way just about getting a big name on board, I hope he's right, but I really don't see Klinsmann being able to affect much change in such a short time in an organisation that seems so determined it's already doing most things right, especially when he's likely going to be leaving behind 2 or 3 new guys surrounded by Tom, Paul, Earl, Jimmy, Nick and all the rest of the staff who've given us such profoundly mediocre results so far.

Waiting for Jürgen.

We're now at day 4 since the rumours of Jürgen Klinsmann coming to Toronto were first published, and still there's no official announcement or press conference confirming the appointment and detailing exactly what his role will be.  So what's a blogger to do in the absence of information other than comment on other rumours, this time of coaching candidates as divulged by Sportsnet's Gerry Dobson in this article. 

Some very eye catching, if flawed names there.  Starting with Roberto Donadoni, former Italy coach, with a few coaching jobs of varying success in Serie A.  Carlos Quieroz, former Real Madrid and Portugal coach, though not with much success there, his reputation still mainly resting on his work as assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.  Franco Baresi was a magnificent cerebral defender for AC Milan and Italy, but hasn't had coaching experience beyond the youth sides at Milan.  I'm not all that confident any of them would be the answer for TFC, but they would certainly get people's attention, which is probably the point at this stage of season ticket selling season.  Iain Dowie is also somewhat incongrously mentioned, he's not really a big name that would be well known to those fans that don't follow British football, and even to those that do, his lacklustre record and unsightly style don't exactly impress. 

Whether any of these names end up in Toronto is anyone's guess, but it's at least a good sign that MLSE is prepared to spend the money to get a high profile coach, and it's not the only impressive action they've taken recently.  The 2010 relocation event for TFC season ticket holders started today, and the most interesting information to come out so far is that seats in section 112, 113 and 127, ie where the main supporters groups gather, are being treated differently and not given out to just anyone.  Though details of exactly how it will work haven't been made public, the obvious implication is that unrenewed tickets will instead be assigned one way or another with help and input from the supporters group in those sections. 

Having previously dismissed as impractical the idea of the supporters groups getting more control over their sections, this is another promising sign that the front office is ready to work more closely with the supporters groups to nurture the atmosphere that they bring and that has been marketed so enthusiastically.  Free home opener, 2012 price freeze, giving supporter's groups more control over their sections, rumours of big names coming in, it's been an impressive couple of weeks from Anselmi and Co.  However, the big names are still rumours at this stage, it's been 4 days and we're still waiting for Jürgen.

Edit:  Tweeted by Paul Beirne just after 11:00:  Finally announcing Jürgen today. Yes, we're on a first name basis. Hüge day for TFC... Looking forwards! 

Excellent

Klinsmann!

While apologies and ticket price relief are nice and certainly welcome, what TFC did to improve the on the pitch performance and results was always by far the most important factor for me in deciding if the new responsive touchy feely, dedicated to winning, front office was on the right track.  I want them to follow their corporate cousins the Raptors and Leafs and give us our Colangelo/Burke.  Well, Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail reports today that TFC are about to announce Jurgen Klinsmann as a consultant.  Jurgen Klinsmann!  who was coaching Germany at the World Cup a mere 4 years ago and since then has coached Bayern Munich and been linked by the media to positions at Chelsea, Liverpool and the U.S national team.  And now he's at TFC?  Well done MLSE, that's an ambitious appointment, I'm pleasantly surprised.

There's no official announcement to say exactly what his role will be, but Brunt reports "The former German national team player and coach will be given a free hand to rebuild an organization that has failed to make the playoffs during each of its four seasons of existence.....Though Klinsmann will not take on the role of general manager or coach himself, he will be asked to make a recommendation as to Johnston’s replacement.
Klinsmann and his company will look at the club’s infrastructure, at its academy and scouting system, will suggest a playing style, and then find someone to accomplish the goals they set out."

So, a consultant to chart a new course and start the process of how to get there, and then presumably he'd be kept on the payroll as a consultant for whichever full time front end people he hires to be able to discuss issues with.  There are many questions and blanks to be filled in, hopefully whenever it's officially announced, but I for one feel quite good about this.  I'm happy he's not coming here full time as a coach, a lot of people suggested that his assistant Joachim Low was the tactical brains behind Germany's semi-final run in 2006, his stint at Bayern Munich wasn't exactly a raging success, and I can't help but feel we'd have another Ruud Gullit at LA Galaxy situation on our hands.  As a "Director of soccer" or whatever title he may end up with though, to provide an overall philosophy for the management and coaching team he hires to implement, and to act as a figurehead to inspire the players and hopefully attract a better class of player than TFC is used to, well, I'll certainly take that, any extra football IQ between the day to day football operations people and the board can only be a good thing.

What can we expect? Well according to wikipedia, his staff at Bayern Munich included two assistant coaches (one of which, Martin Vasquez, just got fired as Chivas USA's head coach) a goalkeeping coach, 4 fitness coaches and a psychologist, and his methods were considered quite unorthodox which is part of the reason he left Bayern before the end of his first season.  Presumably his ideas of a future staff came up in his interview so if he's been given free rein to do that sort of thing here, well that would be another impressive committment from MLSE.

I'll have to wait for further details of exactly what his role is, whether he or other people at his company, Soccer Solutions, will be directly involved, and of course who ends up being hired to the more hands on positions before I get too excited, but this definitely seems like another step in the right direction.