Guest Can. in UK Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Latest rumour from a terribly unreliable source: "Former QPR midfielder Marc Bircham is keen on a move to LA Galaxy." (Daily Star) Why not TO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Can. in UK Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 There is a big difference between "Bircham interested in LA" and "LA interested in Bircham", too. We'll see... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbailey62 Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Can. in UK There is a big difference between "Bircham interested in LA" and "LA interested in Bircham", too. We'll see... I'd love to see him in TFC red! db Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobiiiiiiiilio Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I know for a fact....yes Bircham is interested in going and living the life in LA and playing football at the same time....but LA are not interested in him...his injuries have become way to big of a risk....he had back surgery recently......but here's the kicker...he's in town and trained with TFC today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 If Yallop had any interest in Bircham he'd have called him for Canada more than once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraSuperMegaMo Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Can anyone confirm that Bircham trained with TFC on Friday? Does anyone know if he will be at the game today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Mobiiiiiiiilio I know for a fact....yes Bircham is interested in going and living the life in LA and playing football at the same time....but LA are not interested in him...his injuries have become way to big of a risk....he had back surgery recently......but here's the kicker...he's in town and trained with TFC today! What? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Yallop has always been good at giving Canadian players a shot at MLS. let see Dero,Onstad,Serioux,Jasic I think there is one more and now if Bircham well that is enough to make more than 1/2 a team. who knows may be he was told by the CSA to refrain from selecting Bircham from the national team,just give him a token invitation once to show everybody that the Holger era is over and then dont even think about inviting him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 You think the CSA meddled that much with player selection? I hope not, that would be scary. We had Serioux so didn't use Bircham. I rate them both, it would be interesting to see Bircham in MLS. The league needs more bite and interesting characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Just who at the CSA would be interested in that kind of meddling anyway and to what end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 quote:Originally posted by sj Yallop has always been good at giving Canadian players a shot at MLS. let see Dero,Onstad,Serioux,Jasic I think there is one more That one more is Harmse, who played last night against Venezuela. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juby Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 he gave KOA a trial to show him off a bit and give him a bit of mens league experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Can. in UK Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 From TSN: "Former Canadian international midfielder Marc Bircham took in the game. Out of contract at Queen's Park Rangers in England, he is pondering a move to the MLS with Toronto." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 quote:Originally posted by sj Yallop has always been good at giving Canadian players a shot at MLS. let see Dero,Onstad,Serioux,Jasic I think there is one more and now if Bircham well that is enough to make more than 1/2 a team. who knows may be he was told by the CSA to refrain from selecting Bircham from the national team,just give him a token invitation once to show everybody that the Holger era is over and then dont even think about inviting him again. You can't be serious in proposing that. If that was true (and I don't in any way believe it was) then Yallop was an even crappier coach than I have thought for accepting such interference with his selections. I will admit that despite his very poor performance as Canadian National team coach he has given a decent number of Canadians a shot in the MLS. Yet I have to agree completely with YNWA that if he liked Bircham he would have called him for subsequent WCQ games other than the Belize series. I personally think that he and several other strong personalities were not called to WCQ as Yallop did not like having strong willed players on the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 We had enough depth elsewhere in midfield. Yallop liked Serioux more in the destroyer role, can't think of any other reason. Guys like Stalteri and DeVos strike me as being pretty strong willed. Yallop used Brennan for the Austria game as well, Brennan was Bircham's partner in crime wasn't he? Doubt Bircham just pissed him off and that was the end of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Soju We had enough depth elsewhere in midfield. Yallop liked Serioux more in the destroyer role, can't think of any other reason. Guys like Stalteri and DeVos strike me as being pretty strong willed. Yallop used Brennan for the Austria game as well, Brennan was Bircham's partner in crime wasn't he? Doubt Bircham just pissed him off and that was the end of it. Ha. Bet that's exactly it. To be fair Bircham has had trouble with club and country managers before Frankie. It's just that he wasn't the only senior professional footballer who got dropped for a next generation of footballers who Frankie brought to international play too early. And worse, the possisions he didn't turn over to generation-next, spots where you'd have a stronger debate for trying the quality of some of the younger guys, where the ones filled by the Old Boys. I don't know. This grounds been covered before and I'm still not convinced Yallop wasn't in over his head. Trying to apply his club management technique to the international arena with predictable results. Don't have a problem with a manager promoting and grooming the younger crop but WCQ isn't the place for it, but if it has to be it had better be measured. Serioux for Bircham was a mistake but Simpson for Brennan was a bigger one. (Loosing Stalteri was huge in my estimations to but that story is too complicated to guess at. Maybe Diesel just blew a gasket because he was frustrated at that niggly injury which was haunting him. Maybe there was more to it. Don't know). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georg Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Toronto FC bring Bircham in for trial By Mark Polishuk / MLSnet.com Staff Link TORONTO -- A familiar face to Canadian soccer fans has been present at Toronto FC's training the last few days. The haircut, however, is different. Marc Bircham's current conservative brown locks are a far cry from the dyed white streak that used to adorn the center of his head, while the rest of his hair was colored either blue or red, depending on his club. "I changed it when my brother got married," said Bircham. "I was best man, and his wife said, 'For pictures, would you get it back to normal for a little bit?' "It felt nice being normal again." he added with a laugh. "I could go around to the shops again and not be recognized. No away fans got wound up when they saw me." Bircham's change of hair style is symbolic of the change taking place in his soccer career. With his contract with England's Queens Park Rangers expired, the 29-year-old is currently deciding on his next step. Bircham arrived in Toronto last Friday to train with Toronto FC for the week at the invitation of coach Mo Johnston. Bircham's arrival at BMO Field was the latest step in a courtship between the defensive midfielder and the MLS club that has gone on since late 2006. "Mo contacted me around Christmas, and asked if I would fancy playing for Toronto," Bircham said. "Once my contract with QPR was up, it was the end of the season and it was brought up again. So my agent contacted Mo, Mo contacted me back and asked me over for a week to see what it was like." Bircham said he has enjoyed training with the team, particularly friends Jim Brennan and Danny Dichio, the latter of whom Bircham has known since he was 11 years old. Attending Toronto FC's 2-1 win against Colorado last Saturday was also a good introduction for the Englishman to the Toronto MLS experience. "The atmosphere was like an English game," Bircham said. "I was really impressed with it. You come to Toronto where there are so many European ex-pats ... it's a mixture of the Italian supporters, the Croatian supporters, the English supporters, and so on." Bircham is something of an international hybrid himself. Though born in Brent, England, he is a Canadian national. His paternal grandfather was born in Winnipeg as his great-grandparents made their way across Canada working as builders. He was originally called to play for Wales in 1999, as his grandfather was thought to have been registered there once the family returned to the United Kingdom. This situation was noted by the English newspapers, which attracted the attention of the Canadian team's then-general manager, Les Wilson. Bircham was invited to play for Canada, and has recorded 17 caps in his international career. Bircham holds a unique international distinction, as he is considered to be the first player to have scored a goal for his country without ever having actually set foot on that nation's soil. In his first game for Canada, Bircham scored the tying goal in a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland in Belfast on April 27, 1999. The midfielder is an 11-year veteran of English soccer, playing six years for Millwall and the last five seasons with Queens Park Rangers. Leaving QPR was a blow for Bircham, as he had followed the team since childhood. His tenacious play (not to mention his choice of hair color in QPR blue-and-white) made him a fan favorite with the West London club. "It'll always been my second love, after my family," Bircham said. "QPR will always be close to my heart. But I didn't get on well with the chairman, so that was a big issue. Ian Holloway, the manger who I got on with, left. They tried to sell me last summer and I didn't want to go yet. From then on, I made the decision that I'd play the year left on my contract and then I was going to leave." Bircham's 2006-07 was cut short due to hamstring injuries and back surgery in February. He said he is at full health again, and ready to contribute to a new club. Johnston no doubt hopes that club will be TFC. The summer transfer window opens on June 15, and the coach has hinted that Toronto will be making a few moves to bolster the roster. "We have an opportunity to pick up certain things if we utilize it properly," Johnston said. "There's a lot of names being thrown at me. "[bircham] has done OK in training," he added. "I'd like to see him in a game. ... You can certainly see he can play. We'll be talking to him today, tomorrow and Wednesday and we'll see what happens." Bircham said he is returning to England at the end of the week to visit a few more clubs, and then he will discuss his career options with his family. Wherever Bircham ends up, however, it is clear that Toronto's burgeoning reputation as a passionate soccer city has made an impact on him. "I've been speaking to people in town and they've been waiting for it for ages," he said. "This is their club and they have something to represent, and they're loving it." Who knows -- perhaps Bircham will soon be coloring his hair Toronto FC red. Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I hope they get him. Young clubs need the kind of passion he brings. Dichio and Bircham could also make Toronto the most hated club in MLS, which is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Obviously he's a great guy with a great story. That photo of him having a beer with the supporters in Kingston is priceless. But I question where he will play. I don't see him taking out Edu or Robinson. Perhaps he'll replace Boyens. Obviously Mo doesn't mind a little experiment and I believe Bircham has played CB at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marktci Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 quote:Originally posted by youllneverwalkalone Obviously he's a great guy with a great story. That photo of him having a beer with the supporters in Kingston is priceless. But I question where he will play. I don't see him taking out Edu or Robinson. Perhaps he'll replace Boyens. Obviously Mo doesn't mind a little experiment and I believe Bircham has played CB at times. I think, if Mo is to properly manage expectations, he should let him know that he'd be our utility guy. Spot starts for injuries or for players on international duty, and the first guy off the bench in midfield. He'd be some solid depth. As much as I liked seeing Gala get some playing time, we shouldn't be having to bring in a 17 year-old, no matter how thin we are. Other than O'Brien, we've been pretty lucky with injuries to this point. If Bircham can accept that he might now be a regular starter but would still be a significant part, then I think it'd be a great fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Realistically he probably should accept it. I think if he had an offer in London, in the CCC, or even for Millwall, he would have taken it. It's not like he's really coming home. Although I'll gladly accept him as one of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 quote:Originally posted by youllneverwalkalone Realistically he probably should accept it. I think if he had an offer in London, in the CCC, or even for Millwall, he would have taken it. It's not like he's really coming home. Although I'll gladly accept him as one of us. Would he count as an international player for roster purposes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 quote:Originally posted by jonovision Would he count as an international player for roster purposes? My guess is no. He's a Canadian International. Regardless, TFC does have a spot for such a player. I was kind of hoping Mo would get a decent centre back with that slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 there was a report in a different paper that quoted Mo as saying that Bircham is enjoying his time training with TFC but it does not appear that there is a roster spot for him because he would not replace Mo Edu or Robinson in the Central MF position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juby Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 we should sign him and trade him for serioux! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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