www.thestar.com/sports/tfc/2014/08/31/toronto_fc_fires_coach_ryan_nelsen_staff.htmlToronto FC fires coaches, Jermain Defoe might go
TFC fields Premier League offer for England star, decision could come Monday. Ryan Nelsen and staff axed day after criticism of GM. TFC Academy’s Greg Vanney takes over.
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Toronto FC fired head coach Ryan Nelsen Sunday.
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Toronto FC fired head coach Ryan Nelsen Sunday.
By: Doug Smith Sports Reporter, Published on Sun Aug 31 2014
The prized jewel in the Bloody Big Deal that was to remake Toronto FC, the man to turn it from a Major League Soccer laughingstock into a perennial contender, the former England international who was to revitalize the moribund franchise, could be gone as early as Monday afternoon.
In another seismic shift for a franchise that has known no significant success in its history, Toronto FC fired its head coach and his entire staff Sunday, then made it apparent that Jermain Defoe may be on his way out of town as well.
Defoe, the internationally renowned striker who was central to a $100-million spending spree that breathed life into a franchise that had lost its lustre, could be moved to a European side by the 5 p.m. Monday transfer deadline.
“I want to confirm that we’re in talks,” TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said Sunday after firing head coach Ryan Nelsen and all of his assistants. “We have a relationship with Jermain, too. We’re speaking with him and we’ll make a decision. No decision has been made. We’ll discuss it over the next 24 hours.”
The arrival of Defoe and American international Michael Bradley was trumpeted as the greatest coup — and most expensive transaction — in TFC history.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke spearheaded the recruiting process along with Bezbatchenko, spending more than $100 million in transfer fees and salary on the two players who would eventually be named to the MLS all-star team.
Defoe, for the most part, has not disappointed. A gifted striker, he leads TFC in scoring with 11 goals but has been sidelined off and on all season with a nagging injury. He is currently out with a groin injury — team officials said last week he might be unable to play until the end of September — but that isn’t expected to have an impact on any move.
Bezbatchenko downplayed suggestions that Defoe has demanded a transfer, but it was clear that serious discussions to hasten the player’s exit are under way.
“I don’t think he necessarily does, but this is for everyone: If you’re not 100 per cent committed (to) what we’re doing, then we have to sit down and talk and figure out what’s the best plan of action,” the general manager said.
“We like to sit down and talk to people. There’s always an ability to mutually change contracts and do things. You have a conversation and you make sure your goals are aligned, and if they’re not then you discuss options from there.”
The Canadian Press, citing sources, reported that Queens Park Rangers of the English Premier League could be a landing spot for Defoe,
while Sportsnet reports QPR has offered $11 million.Bezbatchenko said Bradley remains committed to TFC, despite the late-season upheaval.
“Any time you make a decision I think it might take some time for some players, but Michael is on board,” the GM said. “I’ve spoken to him. The guys are positive because we’re in a great position.
‘There’s not really a whole lot of time to sort of dwell on this. It’s about being committed to a plan and a purpose and a vision, and we have 10 games to do that.”
If Defoe winds up staying, he will return to a new coach with TFC elevating assistant general manager and TFC academy director Greg Vanney to Nelsen’s job.
Vanney, an MLS head coach for the first time, takes over a team with legitimate playoff hopes: TFC is tied for third in the MLS Eastern Conference and holds its fate in its own hands. With a 9-9-6 record with 10 games to go in the regular season, more than enough points are available for the Reds to earn the first playoff berth in their seven-year history.
Bezbatchenko and Nelsen had been at very public odds in the coach’s final 48 hours on the job. Friday, the GM addressed beat writers who cover the team and suggested more could have been achieved with the existing roster, putting a sense of urgency on Saturday’s home game with the New England Revolution.
TFC fell flat on its face in a desultory affair, pummeled 3-0, and Nelsen scolded his boss after the game, suggesting that any discussions like the one Bezbatchenko had with reporters should be dealt with ‘in-house” while taking a very public shot at his 32-year-old superior, plucked from the league office by Leiweke last April to run the team.
“I won this league, played in it for four years, been in the Premier League for 10 years, been in a World Cup, Olympics, played in some pretty high-pressure games. One thing I do know is this was not one of them,” Nelsen said after the game.
Bezbatchenko denied Sunday that Nelsen’s outburst hastened the coach’s departure. The GM said he’d been mulling a coaching change for “about two weeks” and Saturday was just another nail in the coffin.
“The team obviously not only did not play well but we really didn't show up,” Leiweke told The Canadian Press Sunday, “and people pay good money to come see these games."
Nelsen’s body is just another carcass on a mountain of ex-coaches who have failed to deliver anything close to a playoff appearance — or any kind of winning season — in the pockmarked history of the franchise. Vanney becomes the ninth coach — two were interim — in the eight years the franchise has existed.
“I am very sensitive to the fact that we’ve gone through a number of coaching changes,” the GM said. “I want to emphasize that point, but you can’t let history dictate what I feel is the appropriate decision to make. You have to evaluate your options, take in all the information and you have to make a decision for yourself. I can’t use the past and dwell on the past.”
The 40-year-old Vanney vowed the biggest change under his tenure would be immediately clear.
“I think we need to change the energy, be more aggressive, be potentially less careful about making mistakes and looking to be more aggressive.
“Over the last several games, we’ve looked energy-less. I think our team is at its best when we’re out and we’re sprinting and we’re running and we’re getting after other teams.”