The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – CF Montréal 2 – 0 Toronto FC
Ugh. Nuff said.
THE GOOD
I’m officially on holiday for a week – couldn’t come quickly enough… We’re going to see changes because we have to… No fights at Stade Saputo.
THE BAD
A frayed fanbase. We are better than internecine fighting… I still don’t understand the lack of (extra, or any) security at both grounds for a derby match. Are you new? This reeks of cost-cutting and then blame-throwing. There is an onus to provide for a safe space from ALL parties. Transgressions have been made, but don’t make it into a whole bunch of people in glass houses throwing megaphones, be better. Set the standard…
Mark-Anthony Kaye on the megaphone throwing incident: "[The fans] feel our disappointment just as much as we do. We have to respect them for that, but I think there's always a level of respect that they need to show in terms of their disappointment."#TFCLive pic.twitter.com/kF3dmPkdf9
— Michael Singh (@MichaelSingh94) May 14, 2023
THE UGLY
I don’t even know what to say anymore. No fight. No tactics. No identity. No logic. Anti-reality. Have you ever seen a player tossed off, only to return 45 minutes later, still fully dressed, for the handbags at the end? Yeah, me neither, because it’s absolute insanity. JMR can expect some kind of suspension on top of the standard one, amidst a major injury crisis, when it’s supposed to be all hands on deck. I cannot anymore. I raise my hand. I don’t understand. No ellipses. Make it make sense.
I don't know if I like this team…like a side from one or two players, the main personalities are generally hard to get behind. I know they are mostly good people, but I don't get the sense the fanbase is very connected to this team. That feeds into down vibes. #TFCLive
— Mike Newell (@FootballSaves) May 14, 2023
For a person I disagree with alot I agree with u on almost everything this time around (but I got to be in the office Monday morning so no vacation for me dammit lol). I personally don’t even like flares being never mind mega phones being tossed. Security failed, but I am not one to blame the person making 16 an hour, these are organizational mistakes. Anyhow to the game I’ll do it your way:
The good Kaye looked ok at center back and we didn’t give up that many chances in the first half.
The bad: horrid second yellow by JMR and like what is he doing coming back, the 3 strikers it makes no sense our mid back line are getting killed we have a number of injuries so what does this moron do clap back at insigne when he is almost begging for him to change things up, which leads to my next point, we are gassed we have a ton of injuries bob waits till the 76th minute to make a change and bring on a guy who should retire but he did well for bob 4 years ago and hasn’t done anything in 4 years so have at it diomande the pylon.
The ugly: at this point MLSE for them not have fired bob at the very least and perhaps even manning is a huge slap in the face of the fan base. I can’t imagine this shit show being allowed at any reputable club any where in the world (even most non-reputable ones for that matter)
Enjoy your holiday I’ll be back here Wed night after the nyrb game hopefully with less steam coming out of my ears.
Agree about Kaye. Probably our best outfield player for the whole game. Johnson was good as well. Laryea was good in the first half and then he wasn’t.
I haven’t seen anyone comment on the first goal but it looked like that was also JMRs fault. He seemed to converge in the box with two other TFC players and left the Montreal player who scored, unmarked. At least from the tv angles that seemed to be his man. Then the stupid second yellow minutes later. Wow unbelievable.
We’re trying to turn Italian sports cars into MLS players and it won’t work.
They don’t have the supporting pieces to play the short-pass, possession-based Bob Bradley offence. He refuses to coach them to do simple things like put balls into dangerous areas and have other attackers crash the box.
Instead, we play this ridiculous “penetration” offensive set, where they encircle the opposing zone and try to use quick movement to open up a through ball or low cross.
It’s so predictable, and a solid low block that doesn’t move has nothing to fear from it. AS it uses zero width, because he doesn’t believe aerial crosses are efficient, they never have to move out of position to cover us.
And we cycle the ball so slowly and tentatively, even if we could move a defender out of position, he can recover before we take advantage.
This team is too mixed and unbalanced to play a precision possession offence. WE need to play direct: put the ball into dangerous areas near the goal as often and as quickly as possible.
The Italians are technically excellent; they will serve up dangerous balls and still contribute back post goals and long shots from cutting in. But we will at least create some mayhem and second-chance goals in the box.
What good is signing a guy like CJ Sapong, a muscular target man of inconsistent finishing ability, if we don’t use him as a target man?
GOTFC! You miss the obvious, talking tactics is worthless when we have no players midfielders/defenders that can move the ball up the field and get the ball to our dangerous players in the opponents area, it is currently a club that plays with the majority of players that would not move the needle in the CPSL, until this changes look for the losses to continue.
You guys are both correct. Franklin isn’t good enough diomande either is kozy Thompson for this level and JMR well he isn’t being played in position that he can excell at. Now we can argue which is worse bob the sporting director/GM or coach. My answer to that is horrendous to both.
As someone else said, JMR messed up on first goal, and then careless to get a weak second yellow.
Maybe the Italians need to stop being Italian and be TFCers?
So, JMR out, Laryea may get some DISCO discipline too. Frig.
The lack of response to MTL tactical change at start of 2nd half is why it is time. We have no MF, no depth, not seeing a way to the playoffs. No 3 on Wednesday surely will be it, right?
Yeah. I totally forgot to dunk on JMR beyond the insane last bit – which honestly takes the cake because it is so completely batshit that it breaks reality. How the hell was he still fully dressed? Who didn’t stop him? I’ve watched a lot of soccer and I’ve never, ever, seen that and can safely say I probably never will again because it is unfathomly stupid.
But yeah. He’s not 100% at fault for first goal but certainly in the mix and that “attack” where he crashed into his own teammate was pretty yikes. Easily his worst game with the club.
Not to defend JMR on that first goal, but if you rewind a stitch, it’s Insigne strong touch essentially giving the ball away, and I have watched him ease up and back away on every single 1 V 1 battle for the ball as of late, likely to prevent injury? But it’s been a few matches observing that.
My heart sank at the top of the match when Bernardeschi ran the ball all the way across to Insigne’s side of the pitch only to launch it out nowhere near him out of play. That too has become an epidemic.
🙁
One more item to add to the ugly is Insigne and his I am untouchable attitude. I see a player acting like he is above everyone, can see he does not give the effort required and it appears he has lost interest.
I can see why Napoli let him go and why Napoli is better without him. In fact, TFC looked a little better without him, when he came off.
Completely agree. The formation and performances have been better without Insigne. Mainly because Bernie got more of the ball in better positions. Not our 18 yard box as at present.
The issue is the players Bob is recruiting are not on Insignes wave length. Jayden Nelson with his touch and pace was a great fit last year. The only person that couldn’t see that was Bob!
When he plays Everything goes through Insigne. He tends to want to beat 4 guys then score a wonder goal from a tight angle rather than pass to someone else in better position. Not sure if that’s because he doesn’t believe they have the quality to score. If he was still playing in Italy I don’t think that would fly.
Nelson was a terrible fit last year with insigne (not to say anything is better now) nelson can’t shoot can’t overlap and frustrated the hell out of insigne there is a reason nelson only played 16 minutes fpr rosenberg hes just not good enough end of story.the problem is insigne and berna should be playing together up top in a 4 4 2 that way berna and him can connect easier then pinging balls across the pitch or trying to squeeze a ball into horrid first touch sapong. Berna and insigne should be the ones who get the ball played into up top in a more central position. And let our midfield run off them which would also add an extra man to the midfield so we can break down attacks quicker
I certainly don’t understand why he’s wearing the captain’s armband. I think Laryea would be a better candidate in the absence of Bradley and Osorio. And THAT is something I couldn’t have imagined saying a year or two ago.
Another HORRIFIC, unwatchable performance. I feel I can’t watch much more of this. Bob is lost and he has to go yesterday. Under his tenure some great players have gone like Poz and Nelson. The replacements are not optimal. We desperately need a quality centre forward, we have needed this for years. Under Bob We have. Brought in a succession of forwards, none with any kind of form and then continue to play a system where nothing goes through the centre forward. What’s the point ?. Jiminez looked great until our new DPs arrived then we stopped giving any service. Not sure how we can win games without a decent forward who we play through. Insigne and Bernie are not strikers. There is so much pressure in them to be the scorers as we don’t have anyone else. Bernie had been magnificent during Insignes absence but since his return he has been a shadow of himself.
The DPs and the team have clearly given up on Bob. The half empty stadium at recent games say it all. Im a season ticket holder but won’t be back to BMO until we have a watchable team playing for the jersey. One For All And All for One died under Bob Bradley. Taxi Required
“but I think there’s always a level of respect that they need to show in terms of their disappointment.”
Professional athletes are absolutely deluded. I’ve never seen a more entitled & privileged group of people in my life.
Imagine paying for a season ticket that cost as much if not more than one for a top European club, paying $10 for a slice of pizza, paying $20 for a flat pint of beer and having some dickhead whose getting 700k in guaranteed compensation tell “you have to heckle respectfully” lmaoo give me a break dude.
Bob es handicap
Just a few thoughts…
Sad and disappointing re JMR. He was getting some critical minutes and was badly needed. A good showing and we’re having different conversations about the team’s depth. Chance blown!
Insigne and Berna are isolated and MLS defenders are generally having no trouble neutralizing them. MLS may not be a top 5 league but gone are the days when most Europeans can come in and dominate in the way Giovinco did in 2015 – 17. In fact, during 2018 he spent alot of time flailing around on the pitch. Insigne had JMR open several times on Wednesday night and didn’t give him a second look. The Italians need to be coached and integrated into a tactical plan like anyone else. If they can’t adapt, things should go the way of the Defoe or even Frings/Koevermans phases. That’s on Bob.
As for Bob, I thought he might be given the season, perhaps no shorter than the June transfer window. A start similar to Aaron Winter’s second year would probably be enough to spell his end. It’s been close to that but he had some clean sheets, earlier decent defensive performances and is still inside a playoff chance. Failing to build sufficient depth in the off-season and now with no real identity set, I see him as really on the bubble. Tactically, he has out-coached no one. Sometimes I wonder if he’s even watching..seems pretty disconnected.
This team needs to be able to survive without Bradley and even Oso. MAK looked good, probably the only positive, especially compared with his earlier showings. But he’s only one. Hard to find any others..they’re not here yet.