To paraphrase Preki during his first TFC press conference - "he didn't blow smoke up anyone's...
butt". Forgive Toronto supporters for smiling at that idea as we've been having our butts smoke
blown (oh grow up) for three years plus. Most of that smoke has been blown by the other man at the
press conference table today but in one of his main off-season duties, Mo Johnston succeeded.
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The media reports are heating up that Mo Johnston, fresh of his Scottish Football Hall of Fame
induction (insert joke here), will announce the signing of Preki (
scientific name: Predrag
Radosavljevic) as TFC's new manager. Sources are saying that negotiations are well under way
and that an official announcement could come as early as Thursday.
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Yesterday, Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario was named into this year's MLS Starting XI. It
is the dynamic Scarborough native's fourth time on the year end honours and the third club he has
done it with. Most notably, his appearance is the first for any TFC player.
While De Rosario is enough of a fan favourite, mostly from being local, it is fair to say that his
star has yet to rise to high enough levels in Toronto.
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A surprising bit of rumour is making the rounds in the Sunday morning papers that could possibly
have some legs. Reports are linking the recently departed Chivas USA manager Preki to the vacancy
on the Toronto FC bench.
The merit that this rumour has is that Preki, or Predrag Radosavljevic for our Serbian readers, was
a long time teammate of Mo Johnston's at KC Wizards.
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While we are no big fan of the playoff structure in MLS, it seems to be a necessary evil in a North
American league for now. The 2009 MLS Playoffs have actually been quite good though with 3 out of
the 4 teams who remain being deserving. Sometimes however, there are off the field occurrences
which can be just as interesting.
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Make no mistake - Mo Johnston needs to make more than a few good player acquisitions this winter in
order to improve TFC. However, the decision that will have the deepest impact on The Reds will be
who Johnston hires to manage the team. There are high expectations from the supporters but betting
on a big name may not be smart.
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One of the more quiet acquisitions that MLSE made this summer was a controlling stake in the
football specialty channel GolTV. The purchase may be the first step towards making a TFC TV
channel but of course that means MLSE will need to create a full line-up of programming. As with
any network, not all of the shows can be big hits - such as.
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It seemed astonishing when Mo Johnston recently claimed to be shocked by the level of criticism
that he was receiving after TFC's recent failure. Was the wily Glaswegian watching the same team
the supporters were? Why the shock on Mo's part?
It should be no surprise however when you look at the acceptance of mediocrity that comes from
places higher in the organization.
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"Can I get back to you in five years?"One thing has become crystal clear over the last few days of post-season naval gazing at BMO Field.
It doesn't matter, who the head coach is, it doesn't matter how the star player feels, it doesn't
matter what the supporters want - Mo Johnston (Yes, the Scottish Hall of Famer!
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That is some quality toad. Nice hole too.Well, that's it then. 2009 is done and dusted with Toronto FC having nothing but a big wad of
mediocrity to show for it. But have no fear brave TFC supporters - Mo Johnston is working
feverishly to make everything better!
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So Mo Johnston's big state of the
no-union address was to remove the "interim" tag from
head coach Chris Cummins title. He also removed the word "head" and "coach" from the affable
Englishman's job description as well.
Yes, the ever-humble Johnston dispatched yet another manager from the TFC bench with Cummins being
the convenient excuse for the mediocrity which Mo has taken nearly four years to build.
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"Sing when you're winning" - RSL = 40ptsAfter having to swallow a 5-0 debacle in New York, one thing was clear - any team other than
Toronto FC had to make the playoffs tonight. There was that brief moment where it was still
possible that the Reds, that unbalanced, built-on-the cheap by Mo Johnston squad could still make
the playoffs despite the club's horrifying display and completely mediocre season.
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It's a Saturday night, and I didn't want to watch the damn game at a pub on an f'ing delay for
whatever reason MLSE had in mind. And technically, should "f'ing" begin with an "an" instead of an
"a", because if you say it, it's more like 'effing'... semantics.
We've got a damn rain delay. Sure, there's thunder and lightning, but big deal.
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NEW YORK RED BULLS VS. TORONTO FC
Giants Stadium - Saturday, 7:30PM EST
TV: GOL-TV - RADIO: The Fan 590
In the wacky world of North American soccer football there are very few historical sites. While we
will stop short of comparing East Rutherford, New Jersey's Giants Stadium to the likes of the San
Siro, Nou Camp or Wembley, you have to admit it has played a large concrete role in the continent's
footy story.
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Just because you
can do something, doesn't necessarily make it the best option. As Toronto
FC head into their last gasp attempt at making this year's playoffs, that conundrum does indeed
rise. The enigma that is this season's Reds are quite frankly lucky to even have the chance to
qualify for the post-season but that is the reality of MLS parity.
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