I just came across this and thought I would share it with everyone: http://www.thenorthendelite.com/ind...d=28:curva-nee-blog&catid=4:nee-blog&Itemid=7 It's rather nice I must say.
That's good stuff. I think Dichio could actually contribute a lot to the team right now, especially if we continue to cross the ball right into the heart of the other team's defense. Maybe his lack of pace limits his ability to get involved, but I would say that Dichio could cause more problems with 20 touches in a game than Gerba or Barrett could with 40. He just has an intangible quality about him. I still wonder what could've been had that shot off the post against PRI had gone in... or maybe had we given Dichio more playing time...
yup...really nice and agree with what they say about DD. he is more than just the first TFC player to score for the club...his style of play, attitude and the way he willingly gives back to the community exemplifies everything that T.O. sports fans look for in a player. the only thing I don't necessarily agree with is the insinuation that his not being on the road trip was a management directive. didn't busbyboy74 (who apparently has connections close to DD) mention in that BS "released" thread that DD had a lower back problem? perhaps that's why he wasn't on the trip. don't think sitting on a plane for 5+ hours would do any good for one's lower back.
As someone with chronic lower back pain I assure you that is true. Unlike the rumours started by the attention seekers around here.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2009/08/24/sp-torontofc-dichio-injury.html http://twitter.com/JohnMolinaro too old to fly? i think some of you guys need to open your eyes a touch. thanks
That's funny, neither of those links points to a press release stating that Dichio was released last week. Perhaps it is you who needs to open your eyes.
well apparantly i'm not the only one who suspects that things are not so peaches and cream in dichio land am i? here's another one. http://my.thescore.com/footyblog/archive/2009/08/25/24077.aspx dichio is back at training after discovering the FO did not process the papers to the league after he was told he'd be getting released on thursday. he is now sidelined to the press box indefinitely. look it all i did was report what i was specifically DIRECTED to report by someone a lot closer to dichio than a family friend. so take it as you will. that said, what was somebody saying a few days ago that there's no smoke? well clearly now there is.
TFC's handling of this is nothing short of shameful. Here is a guy who is as close to legend as it gets around here and he's being treated like this?! We know that he doesn't have the legs he used to have, but whenever he's been brought on this year, he's made an impact in that short amount of time, which is more you can say for others who have had plenty more minutes than DD. It's not like he was playing poorly and as a result is being benched in favour of more effective players. Danny should be guaranteed a position with the club when he decides to hang up the boots, but now this unprofessionalism on MO's/Ownership's part is really leaving a bad taste in our collective mouth. For God's sake, do what's right for once you idiotic pricks!!!
It's a PR disaster! That is undeniable. I'm guessing that if DD is keeping quiet, it is to preserve his post-playing career relationship with the club. We all have to work afterall. B
I was under thre impression that Danny has already signed on as the technical director for the Thornhill Soccer Club for next year. Plus whatever duties he may get from Toronto FC, presumably with their academy teams.
If Danny dichio is released prior to the end of this season I will not renew my seasons tickets. This is a lousy organization that does not deserve our support. Why does this have to be the norm for Toronto pro sports clubs?
Ya agreed. Keeping that lower back static for any length of time makes for great unpleasantness. Fortunately TFC has a masseuse on staff but just the same ...............
Yes, re Thornhill but the financial matters are private. We've no idea if he is going to make a living wage from that. ... and we are assuming he will continue working with TFC but certainly there has been no mention of his from TFC. Hopefully it happens but my point was that if Danny was to start being very critical of CC or Mo about the current situation, it would hurt his future relationwhip with the club. Heck, as far as we really know, everything may be fine behind the scenes. So far, all we've got is a little of hyperbole and hypothesis. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. This is a real soap opera!
While the financial terms from Thornhill may not be known, it should be enough to live on. Many clubs have a full time technical head. I'd suspect that Danny would still offer the evening sessions he did through the winter last year. You are right, though, no confirmation of his role has been made by the team, although I believe he did a coaching certification course in Florida last January, presumably at TFC's request. I believe another player went as well.
'Veteran striker Danny Dichio, who stayed home last week, might miss this trip as well. "At the stage that Danny's at, the last thing he needs is a five-hour plane ride and two hours sitting in the airport," Cummins said of Dichio, who turns 35 in October and has said he's retiring at the end of the season. "He's fit and if he's called upon he'll play, but just speaking to him it's not a great thing for him and his body at the moment."' http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/686510 From the Toronto Star today.
Jimmy perhaps? Well, if I'm a player nearing the end of the line and want to get into coaching, I seek to further myself without being asked by my club. That's the catch, we have absolutely no clear idea of whether or not TFC has any future plans for Danny. A lot of assumptions have been made by supporters and most figure it would be a natural but I really wonder about this.
I think "we" and the Media are blowing this out of proportion. It's just rumour and inuendo at this point. As someone who suffers from lower back pain, airplane trips are not fun. No point in ruining Dichio's life with a few games left. Fact is, Dichio is not integral to the team's plans as he once was. Best to keep him fit for the remaining home games and, let's not forget, possible playoff games. Down the stretch with a couple of "must win" games remaining, Dichio might be crucial. I think this actually makes sense.
Dichio is in his 30s, he is not a senior citizen. Flying first class for five hours won't hurt his back unless he is having a spasm. If that were the case he would not be practicing or playing at all and be listed as injured. I hope this is all bull shit, but again, if he is being squeezed out early than I am out of here: this soccer is not good enough to hold my interest on its own, one needs to have some favorite players on the squad to make it worthwhile, and with dichio following Edu and ROB out the door in an unprofessional manner would be enough to make me a Seattle or chicago supporter.
I hope all this talk about dichio is bs because i am really not liking this team very much these days, the way they have been mailing it in for important games. Vitti , dero and Attakora are the lone bright spots right now, everybody else is expendable, except for dichio who is a class act and does not deserve to be treated poorly by this gaggle of ducks running mlse.
Why do you care? You said back in June that you wouldn't waste another minute on TFC this season, and you'd given away all your tickets for the season. So it's not like you'd ever be seeing Dichio play again one way or another.
You are correct, my decision was based on disappointment that has only grown worse. When a boring, losing, mediocre soccer team, playing in a muddling, semi-pro league like MLS cannot (or may not) treat one of the few good players on the club with a little respect and dignity, then it does become a waste of time. Soccer is a great game, I do not want to spoil my love of this sport by supporting and watching such crap. It is not me who has to change, it is the team: will you still be an avid supporter if they continue to slide this season and into the next and MO is still demonstrating to all how incompetent he truly is?
It's as though you were expecting a Premiership level club form the beginning. Were you not aware of the level of MLS football when TFC was first announced? It's the best available league in this part of the world. Nobody is under the illusion that TFC and MLS were or would be top flight material. For TFC fans it's about having something local to support. MLS may not be top flight, but it is better than England League 2, and I'll tell you this: fans of those clubs have no qualms about supporting their local club with passion, despite the fact that there are Premiership clubs a stone's throw away (whcih they also enjoy). If you don't like it, then fine, nobody's making you support TFC. Some of us however are able to appreciate it for what it is.
Minor league hockey leagues in toronto appear more professional than mls and mlse. I have supported a serie b team in italy for years (pescara). My favorite euro team is milan, not man u or liverpool, even though they are much better (for now). The level of play is not the problem, it is the level of professionalism or should i say lack of, that bothers me. MLS is subpar in many ways because of lack of support from US teams, ergo lack of fan interest and lack of money, tv coverage, gambling etc, all the things which makes pro sports in the US popular. In chicago, the only fans of soccer are the huge number of mexican migrants; just watch them at soldier field or elsewhere when the Mexican team shows up. The point i am making is that fans of the game will watch soccer no matter what the 'level/calibre as long as it entertains them. We are not supporters first, and fans of soccer second. I was happy that tfc came along because it meant soccer. It had nothing to do with joining a boy scout supporters club like red patch boys. They are fans of themselves and supporters no matter what. but tfc is a new team, it has NO tradition. it has to make a tradition worth supporting. this means: one: building a good team, two: treating fans with respect. three, treating its pro players with respect. So far, TFC aka mlse has not met basic criteria for this, and for that reason it is hard to support this team. When the best player is threatening to leave after half a season simply because of the crap carpet they play on, on has to wonder. All the excuses about the city owning the stadium is a joke: mlse is rich enough to buy every team in mls if it wanted to. it can afford a new stadium or it can afford to offer the city enough of a financial incentive to put in grass. but like everything else, it is second rate, semi professional in all its soccer aspirations and ambitions. I forsee the team suffering in years to come unless there are changes. Five years from now bmo will be half empty most games as regular fans of soccer like myself have been pissed off over and over again.
It takes more than three years to build a tradition. It takes more than a decade. It takes a very long time to build a tradition of success, especially in a league like MLS where there is more central control of the clubs and how far they can go to build a dynasty (which is nigh next to impossible). As for grass, well they're working on it. The turf was a mistake, but they recognise the mistake and are working to correct it, rather than denying it and trying to say that turf is just as good. And yes, the city owning it does have something to do with it. Yes MLSE has deep pockets, but they are in fact a business, not a charity. So is every other club on the planet. They took a big risk in setting up TFC in the first place, something almost nobody else wanted to touch. How do they not treat the fans with respect? How do they not treat their pro players with respect? Results so far could have been better, but they're hardly a disaster. Third year in and we're in the race to make the playoffs, with a host of good young talent to build on for the future. What more can one expect? If the whinging fans with personal vendettas against management and supporters clubs don't want to stick around, then that's their perrogative. Please don't let the door hit you on your way out.