VIDEO: Jim Brennan Speaks Out

[djcuse]

Courtesy of Sportsnet....

http://www.sportsnet.ca/video/popup/soccer/20081007_SOC_Jim_Brennan_1_on_1

[CanadianSoccerFan]

wow

[Cheeta]

Whoah...Pow!! Zing!!

JB certainly comes off better on air than he does in print in this instance but it's not unusual for subtle nuances to get lost in the translation that way.

To my eye this is not sour grapes. This is a calculated and intentionally timed gesture where JB knows full well he's slitting his own throat. The roster has been out for a few days now. He's counted to ten, had a few sleeps and now has taken an effort to make some of his feelings known publicly. It's an active effort to attract the spot light and if his diving onto a grenade is needed to do that he seems willing take take the hit. Clearly he knows he'll not be called back to the MNT even if Mitch is replaced tomorrow morning but is resigned to that fate.

About the only thing that's clear is that JB is 100% convinced the WCQ is critically handicapped because of Dale Mitchel and there is lots more going on in the locker room than anyone has let on to this point. Whatever normal CSA incompetency complaints the players might have that isn't explanation enough for this. There is something juicy going on.

Not to dwell on it but do players who're actively in the pool normally get a call if they're rotated out of the squad? Or is that maybe a courtesy that's afforded MLS players because of the FIFA date conflict? As he seems to indicate that he was snubbed by not getting a call he might not be too far from the mark in that suspicion under those circumstances.

[N-A]

Thanks for posting that Video it certainly was a good listen. It's just goes to show what goes on behind the scenes that we dont realise. Good Luck to JB whatever happens in the future at the CSA and with CMNT will!.

[Sam]

Still feel the same as I did earlier. He says what needed to be said, just at the wrong time...

[SF]

That was something else.

I suspect he didn't do this without a few other veteran players having been informed of his intention to speak.

He is one of our longest serving players and, to date, has never done anything like this with regard to Canada or his club footy.

[Grizzly]

To me two word come to mind: SABOTAGE and TRAITOR. FU-CK YOU JB! MAY YOU NEVER EVER AGAIN WEAR THE SHIRT I PUT ON AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK!

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by Grizzly

To me two word come to mind: SABOTAGE and TRAITOR. FU-CK YOU JB! MAY YOU NEVER EVER AGAIN WEAR THE SHIRT I PUT ON AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK!

You're losing it Grizz! You should be grateful that somebody is speaking out.

Sabotage!? Be rational.

db

[Grizzly]

quote:Originally posted by dbailey62

You're losing it Grizz! You should be grateful that somebody is speaking out.

Sabotage!? Be rational.

db

We are not out of WCQ. Until we are anyone that does anything to harm our chances will face the full wrath/scorn of Grizzly! I am grateful only to those who give 100% to the team when they are on the field, the bench or sitting at home waiting for their next call to give 100%. JB is not in that category.

[superbrad]

What is bugging me is whats not said. What the hell is happening in that dressing room? What happened specifically to JB? I'm sure it'll come out after its over.

[squizz1402635577]

Dobson: Jim, you had an announcement to make today. Tell us what that is.

Brennan: Yeah, at the moment I'm stepping down from the men's Canadian national team and retiring for the time being. This is just for the World Cup qualifying under Dale Mitchell. This is not saying that I won't come back if a new manager stepped into place. I sat down with my wife, my family, the coaching staff of Toronto FC and spoke to friends as well, and I just felt that was the right thing to do at the moment. I wasn't happy with it, I wasn't getting on with a few of the people on the staff, I don't see eye to eye with them. Obviously there's a couple that I do - with Stephen Hart and Nicky Dasovic, yeah, I get on well, 100% with them and I respect what they're trying to do with Canada. But for the most part, yeah, there's a lot of people not happy with the national team, and that's including players that are playing there now, and I'm sure you'll hear a lot more from other players when this campaign's over.

Dobson: What are the issues with the coaching, as far as you're concerned?

Brennan: There's a lot, and I don't want to go into full detail with it. Like I said, when the campaign's over, I think you're going to hear an awful lot about what the coaching was like and how it was organized. There was quite a bit going on behind the scenes... but like I said, I'm sure you'll hear everything about it soon.

Dobson: Do you feel that you haven't been given the respect you think you deserve, being around for so many years?

Brennan: Yeah, to a certain point. When I look at it, I think, I've been with this Canadian national team since I was 15 years old. I love playing for my country. Every time I put that jersey on, it's a great feeling, it's an honour to represent Canada. We've achieved quite a bit, winning the Gold Cup, and I've played almost 50 caps for Canada. It was the last chance to qualify for a World Cup for myself, and I wanted to be a part of that. It's disappointing the way it's turned out. I wish it could have been better, but it's not, and I hope the guys do it, for themselves. I know a lot of them are disappointed in the way things are going and are handled at the moment, tactical decisions. But for myself, yeah, I'm disappointed I think even with the last one, I wasn't selected, but that doesn't bother me. I think, if I'm not selected, fair enough, you make your own decisions as a coach. But even a phone call would be nice, in saying, "you're not coming in." I've been around the national team for a very long time. And that just goes to show the respect that they have.

Dobson: So the only way you found out you weren't part of the team was that your name wasn't on the list?

Brennan: I think, yeah, that's how I found out. In fact, I found out through another player that I wasn't involved, so we all kinda had a little chuckle at that and thought, "how can that happen?" sort of thing, where senior players aren't even getting notified and they don't even have the decency to pick up the phone and call you?

Dobson: So to be clear, you're not closing the door completely? You would be back under the right circumstances, if called?

Brennan: Under the right circumstances, for sure, because like I said before, I love playing for Canada. I can't keep doing this under this manager at the moment, but if changes do happen, and another manager comes in and asks me to come play, yeah, for sure, 110% I'd come back and play with Canada in a heartbeat.

Dobson: Are you prepared for whatever criticism there might be directed towards you, given the timing of this, that you weren't called, that it might seem like sour grapes and the campaign is in disarray anyway?

Brennan: People can say what they want. The thing is, every time I put on a TFC jersey or a national team jersey, I'll give it my all. I'm disappointed, obviously. You want to play as many games as you can, but even if you're not selected, and it was a different manager, and he was a player's manager and he spoke to me, I wouldn't mind sitting on the bench for Canada, to be a part of the squad and help the rest of the guys. That's fair enough, I don't mind that. The way certain players get handled, the way they're treated, I think it's terrible. They can say whatever they want about it, but I know, my family knows, the players around me know and the coaching staff know, we've all talked about it, they know what's happening. So I'm comfortable with that, and whatever they want to say, that's on their own terms, fair enough.

[Guest Ed]

Hey Grizzly, note that JB said:

"But for myself, yeah, I'm disappointed I think even with the last one (2004 WCQ round - Ed's note), I wasn't selected, but that doesn't bother me. "

Why would he say that if he was pouting over lack of guaranteed minutes under Yallop?

[Big Daddy K]

quote:Originally posted by Grizzly

To me two word come to mind: SABOTAGE and TRAITOR. FU-CK YOU JB! MAY YOU NEVER EVER AGAIN WEAR THE SHIRT I PUT ON AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK!

Give it a rest already. He wasn't a star striker walking out on the eve of a World Cup final, he was a reserve defender who spoke his mind when the team has almost no hope of qualifying. He said what he said, he's been left off the squad. End of story.

[squid2]

2 surprises here:

1st) That Brennan was the first player to go public.

2nd) His timing.

I was thinking that all hell would break loose after the Edmonton match.

I hope the players take this as the much needed and overdue wake-up call.

There's still an opportunity!

And I'll add this if we're mathematically out after the Edmonton match, Mitchell and Montagliani ought to make themselves scarce!

fwiw, Montagliani's portfolio with the CSA, as VP, is the whole National Team program.

edit: for clarity's sake.

The players have to take responsibility for their collective underachivement during this campaign so far.

As much as I hate to admit it, this isn't all a DM or CSA failure.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

He is still totally wrong to speak out now, he is effectively sabotaging team moral and taking a shot at DM because he does not get paid by the CSA. He would not saying anything of the sort, even if he believed it, about TFC, because he would be thinking about his pocketbook.

So it is bad timing, it is not entirely honest, it is totally unfair to his teammates, who he pretends to speak for, citing guys who cannot speak out now to back his arguments (though they now have the onus to come out and either say yes, Jimmy was right, there was this or that DM tactical error, or shut up, making everyone wonder if Jim was speaking for them or for just himself). It is also egotistical, since team managers do not spend all day calling players telling them they are not being called up, the same as club coaches do not make excuses to the 14 guys on the roster who are not starting on any given day.

He might expect it, but we know the CSA has poor communication standards, and DM is not overly articulate with players (and not a saint in handling them either), and he knows that too. So he should not even be making a big deal about it. Par for the course, no big deal, you were not called. And how many other deserving players, at least 6-8 I'd say.

If you want to make effective criticism, make it effectively. Not this way, where it is easy to break its value down and deflate it. So not even as a positive critical take on the situation is it at all helpful.

[loyola]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

He is still totally wrong to speak out now, he is effectively sabotaging team moral and taking a shot at DM because he does not get paid by the CSA. He would not saying anything of the sort, even if he believed it, about TFC, because he would be thinking about his pocketbook.

So it is bad timing, it is not entirely honest, it is totally unfair to his teammates, who he pretends to speak for, citing guys who cannot speak out now to back his arguments (though they now have the onus to come out and either say yes, Jimmy was right, there was this or that DM tactical error, or shut up, making everyone wonder if Jim was speaking for them or for just himself). It is also egotistical, since team managers do not spend all day calling players telling them they are not being called up, the same as club coaches do not make excuses to the 14 guys on the roster who are not starting on any given day.

He might expect it, but we know the CSA has poor communication standards, and DM is not overly articulate with players (and not a saint in handling them either), and he knows that too. So he should not even be making a big deal about it. Par for the course, no big deal, you were not called. And how many other deserving players, at least 6-8 I'd say.

If you want to make effective criticism, make it effectively. Not this way, where it is easy to break its value down and deflate it. So not even as a positive critical take on the situation is it at all helpful.

Agree with this post but the part in bold is something I alluded too in the other thread. Brennan is playing for some very bad coaches and manager at TFC (who seemed to be worse at interacting with players than DM) and doesn't say a word about it, I wonder why...

[jimmynow]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

he is effectively sabotaging team moral

that assumes team moral isn't already bad

given what I've seen from the players, and the rumblings in the past, i seriously doubt Jimmy B could be a CAUSE of bad morale.. no, he's a reflection of it.

[jimmynow]

quote:Originally posted by loyola

who seemed to be worse at interacting with players than DM

what evidence do you have of this?

John Carver seems to be a players' manager. I don't hear anyone badmouthing him. Even when he criticized Cunningham, Cunningham basically came out and agreed with the criticism. Marco Velez said he has great one-on-one relationships with the players.

[loyola]

quote:Originally posted by jimmynow

what evidence do you have of this?

John Carver seems to be a players' manager. I don't hear anyone badmouthing him. Even when he criticized Cunningham, Cunningham basically came out and agreed with the criticism. Marco Velez said he has great one-on-one relationships with the players.

Hemming, Lombardo and I disagree with Cunningham (look at what he's doing right now...I think Carver did a poor job with him).

It's not managing your top 8 players that is difficult, it's managing the rest.

[The Beaver]

I appreciate his coming forward, but I indeed question the timing. Mind you, if not now, when DOES he come forward? Afer the campaign is done and dead? Maybe he should have waited and then come forward with all the other apparently disgruntled players.

Now, who on this team is unhappy with Mitchell? Let's guess: Stalteri, DeRo, McKenna...anybody else.

Interesting to hear the respect he has for Nick and Stephen.

This story ain't dead yet. As soon as we are mathematically eliminated--I hope that does not happen, mind you--then we'll see who comes forward. My guess: DeRo and Larry first, then maybe others.

[loyola]

My guess is that JDG is unhappy with Mitchell.

[CanadasBest]

quote:Originally posted by loyola

My guess is that JDG is unhappy with Mitchell.

For once I agree with you.

On a side note... Who picks the team captain? Is it the players or the coach?

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by loyola

It's not managing your top 8 players that is difficult, it's managing the rest.

I see where you are coming from, but if you're not effectively managing your top 8 players, then you are toast. I realize that it's hard to keep everyone happy but trying to please fringe squad players should be lower on the priority list than getting the best out of your most important players, your team leaders.

[loyola]

quote:Originally posted by BearcatSA

I see where you are coming from, but if you're not effectively managing your top 8 players, then you are toast. I realize that it's hard to keep everyone happy but trying to please fringe squad players should be lower on the priority list than getting the best out of your most important players, your team leaders.

It depends of what situation your in. With a club team it's pretty easy to deal with your top players but the rest are the one that are tough to keep happy. With a NT, you need to be effective with your best players and if you have enough depth you should do all right with the rest.

Anyways, I haven't been impress with Carver at all.

[Gian-Luca]

quote:Originally posted by jimmynow

that assumes team moral isn't already bad

given what I've seen from the players, and the rumblings in the past, i seriously doubt Jimmy B could be a CAUSE of bad morale..

Yeah, but that doesn't justify making it worse, or if it helps to prevent the team turn the morale around. Although I suppose the fact that he won't be there to bicker with Mitchell might actually help morale at this point.