johnmolinaro Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 GOT A QUESTION? ASK AWAY! http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifaworldcup/features/story/2009/12/08/spf-devos-blog.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbrad Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 quote:Originally posted by johnmolinaro GOT A QUESTION? ASK AWAY! http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifaworldcup/features/story/2009/12/08/spf-devos-blog.html 11:48 CBCSports.ca - John: Hello folks. John Molinaro here, senior writer for CBCSports.ca Friday December 11, 2009 11:48 CBCSports.ca - John 11:48 CBCSports.ca - John: At noon ET, CBC Sports soccer commentator Jason de Vos will enter the chat room where he will answer your questions during a special live chat. Friday December 11, 2009 11:48 CBCSports.ca - John 11:48 CBCSports.ca - John: There's a lot going on right now in the beautiful game, including the recent World Cup draw and a full slate of UEFA Champions League matches, so if you have a question for Jason, fire away! Friday December 11, 2009 11:48 CBCSports.ca - John 11:57 CBCSports.ca - John: Jay will join us in a few minutes so keep those questions coming. I will post as many as I can. Friday December 11, 2009 11:57 CBCSports.ca - John 11:57 Jason deVos: Hello everyone! Glad you could join us. Let's get going, John - we'll get through as many of your questions as the hour permits! Friday December 11, 2009 11:57 Jason deVos 11:58 CBCSports.ca - John: OK, Mr. De Vos is now here. so let's go! Friday December 11, 2009 11:58 CBCSports.ca - John 11:58 [Comment From lorenzolorenzo: ] Is there a risk of a players strike in MLS? Friday December 11, 2009 11:58 lorenzo 11:59 Jason deVos: Yes, there is. I don't think it is what the players want, but there is a threat all the same. The key issue for me is the lack of guaranteed contracts. MLS is the only league in the world that doesn't have this, and it means the players are living day to day, regardless of how much money they are making. Friday December 11, 2009 11:59 Jason deVos 11:59 [Comment From smile_soccer smile_soccer: ] And don't forget about all the hoopla between USL and the TOA! Friday December 11, 2009 11:59 smile_soccer 11:59 CBCSports.ca - John: yeah, what do you make of that, J? Friday December 11, 2009 11:59 CBCSports.ca - John 12:00 Jason deVos: The USL/TOA/NASL should be MLS Division 2. There should be some sort of affiliation between an MLS team and one of the teams in the new 2nd division. MLS squads are too small to be able to cope with injuries/international call-ups, so it is only logical for them to have farm teams, like the NHL/AHL. Friday December 11, 2009 12:00 Jason deVos 12:00 [Comment From Chuck Chuck: ] Just a comment on how well you represent the sport of soccer and your well written articles. Keep up the great work! Friday December 11, 2009 12:00 Chuck 12:01 CBCSports.ca - John: wow. care to comment, J? Friday December 11, 2009 12:01 CBCSports.ca - John 12:01 Jason deVos: Thanks! I do my best... Friday December 11, 2009 12:01 Jason deVos 12:01 [Comment From lorenzo lorenzo: ] Soccer is a beautiful game, but there is a dark side that is cheating handballs and dirty tackles. The one referee has an immmense responsibility in big games. Why does FIFA refuse to allow video review in aid of the referee? Friday December 11, 2009 12:01 lorenzo 12:02 Jason deVos: I think FIFA will eventually find a way to incorporate video replays into soccer. The Thierry Henry incident has again highlighted the need for it. Don't try to tell me that soccer is the only sport where players cheat to gain an advantage. What about the diving that is coming into the NHL? Players are always trying to draw penalties to gain an advantage. Friday December 11, 2009 12:02 Jason deVos 12:03 [Comment From Mike Mike: ] On the new CSA board governance structure - how did they ever get the provincial associations / presidents to go along with this? Friday December 11, 2009 12:03 Mike 12:04 Jason deVos: Believe it or not, but there are people within the CSA who know what their problems are. Until now, they have been powerless to make changes, because all of the power in Canada rests with the provinces. The OSA is the major player because of their superior numbers. I like Guy Bradbury, the OSA CEO, though. He's a straight talker who is willing to listen to other's ideas - something we need more of in Canadian soccer. Friday December 11, 2009 12:04 Jason deVos 12:04 [Comment From Hugo Hugo: ] What do you make of Jermaine Jones? Should he be in the USA squad for the World Cup despite never playing for the US? Friday December 11, 2009 12:04 Hugo 12:05 Jason deVos: He would be an asset for the USA - if he ever gets fit! He has a terrible injury record, so they will be hoping that he can string a few games together before the World Cup so that he might be considered. Friday December 11, 2009 12:05 Jason deVos 12:05 [Comment From Peter Peter: ] Is anything official being done to stop the argos from moving into BMO Field? I know MLSE can't really say anything, but I was hoping the CSA was doing more than just comment and getting in the Ex board's and city council's face... Friday December 11, 2009 12:05 Peter 12:07 Jason deVos: There is nothing that can be done, officially speaking. MLSE doesn't want it to happen, and neither does the CSA, because it will ruin the grass field. There is plenty of lobbying going on behind closed doors, and I can't see it happening because they would have to alter the dimensions of the CSL field to fit it into BMO. The field size is one of the factors that sets CFL football apart from the NFL. Friday December 11, 2009 12:07 Jason deVos 12:07 [Comment From Ian McClurg- Ian McClurg-: ] Jason, how do we change the culture in this country so there is an emphasis on technical skills development versus playing games Friday December 11, 2009 12:07 Ian McClurg- 12:09 Jason deVos: We have to restructure our player development system. The emphasis in Canada is on club soccer, and that has to change. We have to make the clubs see that they are not developing talented players and we need to switch to a more developmental system, where the emphasis is on training and skill development, as opposed to winning games and tournaments. I hope to have some more info on that for you in the next week or so, after I speak with Sylvie Beliveau, who is heading our Long Term Player Development project. Friday December 11, 2009 12:09 Jason deVos 12:09 [Comment From Brad Brad: ] Being a former player I'd like to know your "players opinion" of the full time endorsement of Stephen Hart as NT coach? Friday December 11, 2009 12:09 Brad 12:12 Jason deVos: I have never played for Stephen, so I can't really speak about his training methods. Having said that, I like him. He is knowledgeable, passionate, and he understands the challenges faced in Concacaf. Some people believe we need a high profile European or South American, but I'm not entirely convinced by that. I played for Holger Osieck, who had an excellent tactical knowledge of the game, but he alienated many of the players to the point where they didn't want to play for Canada anymore. The management of the players is often overlooked. Friday December 11, 2009 12:12 Jason deVos 12:12 [Comment From JJ JJ: ] Is TFC big enough for Robbo and JDG....Amada and Dero? Friday December 11, 2009 12:12 JJ 12:14 Jason deVos: No. I expect that one or two of those names won't be pulling on a TFC jersey next season. If it was me, I would move Amado because he might be attractive to a team that lacks a creative midfielder, and he isn't going to be part of your long-term plans. Robbo, as good a friend as he is, is someone else who might be made available to other teams - just don't tell him I said that!!!! Friday December 11, 2009 12:14 Jason deVos 12:14 [Comment From Tardelli Tardelli: ] Jason, realistically, will Canada have a shot at qualifying for the next WC....do you agree that we need more exhibiton games in order to gauge out talent....and also who do you beleive is the dark horse in this summers WC Friday December 11, 2009 12:14 Tardelli 12:16 Jason deVos: We need more talent. It's as simple as that. I always believed as a player that we should have been qualifying, but with the benefit of perspective I am able to see that we were always underequipped because we don't have enough talented players. We'll work our socks off and bleed for the jersey, but there isn't really anyone in our team, apart from maybe DeGuzman and Klukowski, who you would pick over an American, Mexican or Honduran player, is there? Friday December 11, 2009 12:16 Jason deVos 12:16 [Comment From smile_soccer smile_soccer: ] Is there any talk of having a fourth team participate for the Voyageurs Cup? Perhaps some kind of qualifying round between regional champs., say Victoria United vs. Toronto Croatia? I would love to see the Voyageurs Cup get a fourth team in! Friday December 11, 2009 12:16 smile_soccer 12:17 Jason deVos: I wouldn't mind seeing a fourth team compete. What if the winner of the previous year's amateur national championship was invited to participate? That would certainly make the three pro teams nervous, wouldn't it? Friday December 11, 2009 12:17 Jason deVos 12:17 [Comment From Tuscan Tuscan: ] Are you optimistic the Men's National Team will actually manage to play ~30 games before 2014 qualifying? That's a lot of $$ for the CSA to throw towards only one program. Friday December 11, 2009 12:17 Tuscan 12:19 Jason deVos: No. I would love to say yes, because that is what they need, but I'm not sure where the money is going to come from to put it together. The CSA said that the men's team would play 2 games later on in 2010, but we should be aiming to play 5 or 6 games per year. There are real challenges in making that happen, though, so I'd be surprised if that many games occur. Friday December 11, 2009 12:19 Jason deVos 12:19 [Comment From JJ JJ: ] Do you think Liverpool's Lukas or Ryan Babel could be another DP for Toronto FC at this time? Friday December 11, 2009 12:19 JJ 12:21 Jason deVos: Waste of money. Having said that, I think TFC have paid 2-3 times what they should have for DeGuzman, but that's another story. Signing a DP is always a gamble, because it upsets the balance in the dressing room. Does anyone think that DeGuzman is worth 7 or 8 times what DeRosario is worth to TFC? Julian is an excellent player, but TFC aren't getting value for money there. Friday December 11, 2009 12:21 Jason deVos 12:21 [Comment From Brad Brad: ] Yesterday the Olympic Torch highlighted the issue of Federal funding for sport. Being that soccer is the most participated sport in Canada - how can the dysfunctional CSA seek more funding for the Womens and Mens national teams? Friday December 11, 2009 12:21 Brad 12:23 Jason deVos: Canadian athletes are underfunded across the board, yet we are expected to compete on level footing with the rest of the world. Australia is a good example to use, because they face many of the same geographic challenges that we do, albeit with a much nicer climate! But they have a different mentality to sport. They see it as a part of their culture, and they back their athletes to the hilt, which is why they are so successful in many sports. Friday December 11, 2009 12:23 Jason deVos 12:23 [Comment From James James: ] Do you think the reports that Henry might come to North America are credible? Friday December 11, 2009 12:23 James 12:24 Jason deVos: Yes, I could see him landing in New York. If I were in Mo Johnston's shoes, I'd be looking into getting a second DP slot to take Juan Pablo Angel off NY's hands. At 1.5 million a year, Angel is a steal. Friday December 11, 2009 12:24 Jason deVos 12:24 [Comment From Tardelli Tardelli: ] I believe with the inclusion of Vancouver and possibly Montreal in the MLS...CBC should launch Soccer Night In Canada.....you two would be great hosts, just keep Ron Maclean out of it.... Friday December 11, 2009 12:24 Tardelli 12:25 CBCSports.ca - John: great idea! Friday December 11, 2009 12:25 CBCSports.ca - John 12:25 CBCSports.ca - John: you up for it, J? Friday December 11, 2009 12:25 CBCSports.ca - John 12:26 Jason deVos: We are really excited at CBC about Vancouver and (eventually?) Montreal joining MLS. We'd have to call it Captain's Corner, though - not Coach's Corner - and John would get to wear the funky suits! Friday December 11, 2009 12:26 Jason deVos 12:26 [Comment From Hugo Hugo: ] Who is the best keeper to play for the USA? Meola? Friedel? Keller? Howard? What do you think? Friday December 11, 2009 12:26 Hugo 12:27 Jason deVos: I've always liked Kasey Keller, myself. I've played against him and he is not only a superb keeper, he is also a very classy individual. Friedel is someone else I have a lot of time for. Neither of them were big-headed, despite having the right to be. Both were very down to earth guys. Friday December 11, 2009 12:27 Jason deVos 12:27 [Comment From Hugo Hugo: ] How do you think Landon Donovan will fit in at Everton? As an American Everton fan, its great that 2 of the USA's biggest stars will be playing at the same club! Friday December 11, 2009 12:27 Hugo 12:29 Jason deVos: I don't think Donovan has the mentality to succeed in Europe. He is too soft. If you've read 'The Beckham Experiment', you'll know what I mean. He is typical of many American players who have been molly-coddled through the US system. Many of them struggle in Europe because it is survival of the fittest. Having said that, I think now is the best time for him to go, as he is more mature now and playing his best football. If he doesn't make it now, he never will. Friday December 11, 2009 12:29 Jason deVos 12:30 [Comment From Brad Brad: ] Who is the next rising talent for Canadian soccer? Friday December 11, 2009 12:30 Brad 12:31 Jason deVos: I still want to see more of David Edgar. Centre back is our weakest position, which was highlighted in qualifying. It's odd, because it has usually been where we had the most depth. (probably because we spend more time defending than attacking!) David Hoilett is someone else I would like to see, and I know that Stephen Hart will be speaking with both of them to get them involved in the program. Friday December 11, 2009 12:31 Jason deVos 12:31 CBCSports.ca - John: J, what did you make of Jacob Lensky's decision to play for the Czech Republic? How big of a loss is this for Canada? Friday December 11, 2009 12:31 CBCSports.ca - John 12:32 Jason deVos: Good riddance. I can't write what I would have said to him if I was still playing, but suffice it to say that if he didn't want to wear the jersey, I wouldn't have let him in the dressing room anyway! Friday December 11, 2009 12:32 Jason deVos 12:33 [Comment From crazyboutfutsal crazyboutfutsal: ] Jason, I really enjoyed your series of articles on the state of the game (or sadly the lack thereof) here in Canada. Re skill development, I haven't seen/read anything about how we could employ futsal to accelerate skill development during the indoor season, while the rest of the world is (once again) light years ahead of us. Any thoughts? Friday December 11, 2009 12:33 crazyboutfutsal 12:34 Jason deVos: I love futsal! It's a great game, and I used to play in the winter before I became so involved in the NTC when I was younger. I am still talking with a number of parties about restructuring player development in Canada, and I think there is a place for futsal. It improves your ball control immmensely, which is something that we can always work to get better at. Friday December 11, 2009 12:34 Jason deVos 12:34 [Comment From Tuscan Tuscan: ] Could you explain what you know so far of the proposed changes to the CSA's governance structure? I know it is somewhat based off of what Australia has done, and they're in the World Cup now... Friday December 11, 2009 12:34 Tuscan 12:38 Jason deVos: The key factor is that the board of directors for the CSA needs to be completely independent. By that I mean that no one on the board will be permitted to also be on the board of any provincial association, which is currently the situation. The current board is completely conflicted because they all have their own provincial agendas, whether they will admit it or not. There will also be elected AND appointed members on the board, which opens the door for someone like John Catliff or Randy Ragan or Craig Forrest to serve as a representative of the Alumni. This is crucially important for the future of the game, because at present there in terms of professional soccer knowledge on the board of directors, there is little to none. Friday December 11, 2009 12:38 Jason deVos 12:38 [Comment From Walter Walter: ] Do you think you could start for TFC's backline.....please Friday December 11, 2009 12:38 Walter 12:38 CBCSports.ca - John: I keep telling him he needs to come out of retirement and anchor Toronto's defence. How about it, J? Friday December 11, 2009 12:38 CBCSports.ca - John 12:40 Jason deVos: I haven't played a competitive game since May 5th, 2008 - when Ipswich beat Hull 1-0 to end our season. I ended on a high and I'm going to leave it at that. I've taken up running, though, so I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue fitness-wise, but I don't want to taint the wonderful memories I have of the game. Friday December 11, 2009 12:40 Jason deVos 12:40 [Comment From G G: ] What do you think of Michael Owen's England chances? Can England afford not to include him in their 23? Friday December 11, 2009 12:40 G 12:42 Jason deVos: I would take Rooney, Defoe and Heskey for sure. Beyond that, Crouch has as good a chance as anyone. Darren Bent is unlikely to go given how his last outing went, which is a shame because I like Benty (we were teammates at Ipswich). Owen could be good for England off the bench, and Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't make many mistakes in the transfer market, so he still has value. I wouldn't rely on him as a go-to guy though, because he isn't the threat that he used to be, despite his hat-trick the other day. Friday December 11, 2009 12:42 Jason deVos 12:42 [Comment From Walter Walter: ] Do you really think the african nations in the World cup are better than the mid level european ones ie. Denmark/Serbia Friday December 11, 2009 12:42 Walter 12:44 Jason deVos: I'm not convinced that they are. It will be interesting to see how big a factor being on African soil will be. The European's shouldn't be troubled by it, as there is no time change to deal with, and the climate will be quite cool during the World Cup. I worry about the discipline of the African teams. They are great going forward, but they can at times lack the discipline to drag themselves back into games when they get behind. Friday December 11, 2009 12:44 Jason deVos 12:44 [Comment From Tuscan Tuscan: ] What do you think of TFC's striker situation going into 2010? Are they in ok shape or are Mo and Preki going to have to break the bank to give them a shot next season? Friday December 11, 2009 12:44 Tuscan 12:47 Jason deVos: I think they are in terrible shape. I like O'Brian White, and I think he has a great deal of potential. Chad Barrett is not a goal scorer and can't be relied upon to get double digits, let alone be the 20-goal man that TFC needs. Ali Gerba needs to lose about 20 pounds in the offseason to get himself into top shape, at which point he could be a real threat. Pablo Vitti is not a goal scorer, either, so they definitely need someone who is a real handful up front. Again, I would move heaven and earth to get Angel in from New York. Friday December 11, 2009 12:47 Jason deVos 12:47 [Comment From francis francis: ] Do you see any players in the past who have turned their back on Canada, coming back ?? (eg: Jonathan de Guzman) Friday December 11, 2009 12:47 francis 12:50 Jason deVos: Who knows? The one thing that I have noticed over recent years is that there isn't the same pride in the jersey that there used to be. When I was first getting into the WC team, I had guys like Randy Samuel, Colin Miller, Frank Yallop and Mark Watson ahead of me who literally bled red and white. Criticize them all you want technically, but they would walk over hot coals in their bare feet to play for Canada. I don't see that same level of commitment in young players today. They all want to know how it will affect their club career in Europe before they pull on the jersey. Perhaps it is a sign of the times, and maybe I'm just being nostalgic, but I wish there was a little more commitment from the younger players. Friday December 11, 2009 12:50 Jason deVos 12:50 [Comment From Guest Guest: ] Do you think it would be a good idea to have a deal in place like the Irish have, where one wealthy businessman either fully pays for, or helps pay the salary of a highly respected international coach? (Even though the 'interim' tag was removed from Hart's title. Friday December 11, 2009 12:50 Guest 12:52 Jason deVos: That idea was floated by Paul James the other day in the G&M. It's an interesting idea, and if you know of any businessmen out there who would be willing to sign the cheque, I'm sure the CSA wouldn't turn them down! I'm just not convinced that bringing in an expensive coach would have the desired outcome for us. We have to be a bit more forward-thinking and put the development plans in place for 10-12 year old kids now so that we can reap the benefits of that in 10-15 years time. Friday December 11, 2009 12:52 Jason deVos 12:52 [Comment From Lord Bob Lord Bob: ] Jason, you mentioned David Edgar earlier in the chat. Well, his father is English and so he is of course eligible for the English national team. He certainly isn't good enough for them yet, but since we didn't see him at a friendly or the Gold Cup, anything to worry about there? Friday December 11, 2009 12:52 Lord Bob 12:55 Jason deVos: From what I've seen of him, I don't think we're in danger of losing him to England. There are far too many players ahead of him in the queue over there. That being said, I think he can be an asset to us. He can be the leader at the back, and along with the likes of Klukowski and possibly Attakora, we would start to look much more solid defensively. But he and Attakora both need to start getting some international experience under their belts, because qualifying starts in a little over 2 years! Friday December 11, 2009 12:55 Jason deVos 12:55 CBCSports.ca - John: The hour is almost up, so we'll take a few more questions before signing off. Friday December 11, 2009 12:55 CBCSports.ca - John 12:55 [Comment From Tuscan Tuscan: ] Do you see the NASL actually being sanctioned by the USSF? Why is the CSA so unwilling to do anything the USSF won't? Why are we suddenly so dependent on the USSF? Friday December 11, 2009 12:55 Tuscan 12:57 Jason deVos: The CSA will wait until the USSF makes their decision and go by that. What will be interesting is if the USSF doesn't sanction the NASL - what does the CSA do then? Will the American teams be allowed to compete in a CSA sanctioned league that has been vetoed by the USSF? The whole thing is a big mess. Nike should have sold the USL to the TOA and let them control their own destiny. The group that currently owns the USL is taking unprofessionalism to new lows. Friday December 11, 2009 12:57 Jason deVos 12:57 [Comment From TimD TimD: ] I'm trying to finalize my fantasy premier league team for this weekend's games: Gerrard or Fabregas? Friday December 11, 2009 12:57 TimD 12:57 Jason deVos: Gerrard. Scores more goals. Friday December 11, 2009 12:57 Jason deVos 12:58 [Comment From Walter Walter: ] Out of all the players you have played with or against who do you admire? Friday December 11, 2009 12:58 Walter 1:00 Jason deVos: Nick Colgan. You probaly don't even know who he is! He was the backup keeper at Ipswich - great guy - but just a fantastic pro. I was always the first one in to training at Ipswich in the morning, and Nick was always the second. When he came in to the dressing room, I used to say to him, "Good morning, Nick. How goes it?" He would reply, "Living the dream, Jas. Living the dream." To which I would ask, "Can you believe they actually pay us to do this?" We had that same conversation every morning for an entire season! We both realized how lucky we were to be professional footballers, and it usually isn't until the end of your career that you come to that realization. Friday December 11, 2009 1:00 Jason deVos 1:01 CBCSports.ca - John: That's it. We gotta go. Thanks for stopping by. If we didn't get to your question, don't fret because we'll do this again very soon. Any final thoughts, Jason? Friday December 11, 2009 1:01 CBCSports.ca - John 1:02 Jason deVos: Thanks everyone for joining in today! Let's do it again soon. Stay tuned to cbcsports.ca for more updates on Canadian soccer and all the news coming out of the World Cup. Keep the faith - we'll get there one day! Friday December 11, 2009 1:02 Jason deVos 1:02 CBCSports.ca - John: Bye for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Loved JDV's comment on Lensky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhat Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Great comments from a professional who bled red and white. Too bad we can't transfer that kind of pride and loyalty to some talented players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_yk Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ivan Loved JDV's comment on Lensky. Me too! Also loved what he had to say about Donovan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuscan Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 A little concerning that he isn't optimistic about the proposed plan of playing a large number of games before qualifiers. We've all been skeptical about this one, and hearing his skepticism has broken a bit of my optimism. Well... hopefully the two home games won't be the only ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 quote: 12:16 Jason deVos: We need more talent. It's as simple as that. I always believed as a player that we should have been qualifying, but with the benefit of perspective I am able to see that we were always underequipped because we don't have enough talented players. We'll work our socks off and bleed for the jersey, but there isn't really anyone in our team, apart from maybe DeGuzman and Klukowski, who you would pick over an American, Mexican or Honduran player, is there? Friday December 11, 2009 12:16 Jason deVos Along with his "bled red and white" this was the other comment which drives the point home like a stake into sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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