It's not really about the move. Whether firing Aron Winter and promoting Paul Mariner is the right move for TFC is a question that only time will answer, and it's a question very few people in Toronto are much interested in thinking about today.
Today, is a day for cynicism. Seven head coaches in just six years. Seven men that have each been presented as a new hope, the one that will lead TFC to the promised land. Six disappointing ends. You can forgive fans for not believing the hype of number seven.
What is wrong with TFC? The question was directed to Tom Anselmi – the man who makes the hiring calls – during the press conference. He had no answer. No one does, but only one man has the power that Anselmi has. Only one man is also in charge of terrible basketball and hockey teams as well. This is not a space that tends to blame MLSE for the team's problems, but it's hard to ignore the commonality.
At the press conference, Mariner said MLSE gives the club "everything they need to be successful" in MLS. He's not wrong. MLSE has never been cheap. Incompetent on the other hand...
Regardless, it hardly matters. Anselmi isn't going anywhere and MLSE isn't changing anytime soon. You can't fire the owner and all that. So, you might as well try to evaluate what it is that they have done.
Was it right to fire Winter? I don't see how you can argue against it. The man had only found seven wins in 44 league games. That's insanely abysmal. It's especially bad in MLS, a league that is designed to encourage parity.
It's impossible to argue for him to stay and at the same time appear sane. It's not a knee jerk decision. The man was allowed to lose nine straight games. It wasn't working. It wasn't going to work. If Winter should have been fired is only half the question of course. The other half of that question is whether Mariner is the right choice. Had they made the hire instead of Winter 18 months ago it seems likely that most would have applauded it – a well respected assistant that has contacts in Europe and North America, he's long been seen as the next guy in line for a MLS job. There will be some out there that would have rather seen his former boss at New England, Steve Nicol, get the call, but the truth is Mariner is a logical, safe choice.
This is Toronto, however, where any and all fan goodwill has been lost. Mariner will be granted next to no rope by the fans. The fans are sick of waiting for success. Right or wrong choice, Mariner had better be ready to deliver because no one wants to see an eighth manager in seven years.