Daily Soccer Fix: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook
New Blog: Along The Olentangy for Ohio State Fans!

Mo Johnston: the poison or the cure at Toronto FC?

I'm not a smart man.  I mean, for years and years, I thought all those VCRs were supposed to blink "12:00."  Who knew?

So maybe this is hardly a surprise, but I just don't get it when it comes to Toronto FC. My little brain just can't get around how matters are being managed at a club with such amazing potential.

Toronto dismissed interim manager Chris Cummins on Tuesday.  Good move? Probably. But my issues are with the bigger picture, about whether anybody could succeed in what looks like a difficult situation.

Initially, back in the spring, the team seemed to rally around this young man and his rather sparse resume. But a few months of watching the team concede late goals, watching it juggle formations, watching a side that didn't seem to have a plan offensively, seeing Nick Garcia continue to start at center back when he was clearly overmatched and, finally, seeing the team totally unravel in the biggest game in club history, well, clearly Cummins wasn’t the guy.

Or was he? Here's why it's hard to know: because I think there's someone else involved with soccer in Canada's most cosmopolitan city that shares plenty of culpability here.  

"Paging Mo Johnston. Mr. Johnston, please report to the nearest Red Patch Boy and explain yourself. Stat!"

Star-divide

Mo Johnston has always been nice to me personally. (Once he even politely explained how something I had written was unfair. Then, like a real gentleman, having made his point, he talked to me about the team and took it all in stride.) He's a fun fellow to be around, and that affable disposition probably has something to do with this Teflon coating he seems to wear.

Because let me tell you, Toronto FC's plan when it comes to personnel is all over the place. And every goofy, willy-nilly and half-baked decision through the years is covered with Johnston's fingerprints.

By my count, 65 players over three years have worn the Toronto shirt. Sixty-five! What, are they handing out professional player passes up there with your 10th punch of a Starbucks card?

Seriously, what says "We're just wingin' it around here!" like having 65 players roll through the door in just three seasons?

Look, starting a team from scratch isn't easy. I understand that. But make a plan and then have the confidence to stick with it.

Beyond the personnel issues, there's just something screwy with the bunch at BMO. I mean, how bad are things when manager John Carver just up and resigns out of the blue? He did so in April, when the team was a respectable 2-2-2. So in comes Cummins, who didn't seem to have the requisite league experience … but, what the heck, let's roll with it and see what happens!

Well, here's what happened, he left with some very interesting things to say. Such as: "They (his family) came out with me when I first came out and unfortunately there was things promised me that I didn’t get at the end of it." That's what he told the Globe and Mail in this piece.

Hmmm. Interesting. What else?

Well, there's this from a piece in The Star, where Cummins talks about his relationship with Johnston:  "I think relationships are always going to be up and down and it's the same with all my staff ... I'm not going to come out here and badmouth people. Did I get support at times? Yes. Did I get it at other times? Probably not. ... I did the best I could have done with the group of players I was given."

Oh, do go on ...

"I think it's a good dressing room. but there were bad apples there. … I went to ( Johnston) with certain concerns ... There's some great players on this team - Amado Guevara, people like that, that I have utmost respect for - but unfortunately, if you let one or two in who are not good characters. Maybe I shouldn't have let them disrupt it as much as they did."

That was from The Star as well.

Here is one of my notes from Toronto's Oct. 10 match against San Jose: If this team can't find anybody better than Chad Barrett to start in such an important match, then maybe they don't deserve to be in the playoffs.

This is a note from the team's next match, against Real Salt Lake:  Again, way too many long balls out of the back! … Why pay Julian de Guzman if you're just going to knock it past him?

I know that not everybody shares my view, but I believe de Guzman will be a great performer in the league with better players around him.

But will the organization get better players? Amado Guevara, Dwayne De Rosario, Sam Cronin and Stefan Frei are terrific building blocks.

Is Johnston the man who can build around them?

I know I have my doubts.

0 recs  |  Comment 0 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

SB Nation's soccer blog is heavy on the domestic game -- flavored with a dash the global greatness
Start posting on Daily Soccer Fix »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

Connect_with_facebook

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

Prosser_small
No more draws in the World Cup
61g1kk9uxel
A very early look at possible 2014 starters for the US
Aerial_20view_20of_20slough_20trading_20estate_20a_small
If I Ran The Vancouver Whitecaps
Yosef_small
Keeping Bob
Tiger_eats_chicken_small
A humdrum World Cup Final
Tor_201_small
World Cup Controversy
Mostdiggity_small
Do Americans Really Hate Soccer?
Tor_201_small
What I Hope to see; Spain v. Netherlands
Small
Bah! Brazil lost b/c they were dressed like France!
Soccer_ball_small
Coaching Options for USMNT

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

SBNation.com Recent Stories

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 12:  Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany controls the ball during the Germany training session ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa match against Australia at Moses Mabhida on June 12, 2010 in Durban, South Africa.  (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) +1 updates

Euro 2012 Qualifying, Preview: The Journey To Poland-Ukraine Starts In Earnest Tomorrow

CARSON CA - AUGUST 28: Jimmy Conrad #12 of the Kansas City Wizards volleys a pass to teammate Shavar Thomas #6 under pressure from Landon Donovan #10 of the Los Angeles Galaxy in the second half of their MLS match at The Home Depot Center on August 28 2010 in Carson California. The Wizards defeated the Galaxy 2-0. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

SBNhanced Power Rankings: Major League Soccer, Week 22

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 24:  Head coach Bob Bradley of USA looks on as his team warms up during training session on June 24, 2010 in Pretoria, South Africa. United States will play their second round World Cup match against Ghana on Saturday, June 26, 2010, at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa.  (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

United States Soccer And Bob Bradley: New Challenges, New Contract, Same Coach

More from SBNation.com >


Managers

Daily_soccer_fix_crest_small Steve Davis