Ali Gerba speaks out!

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

This rush to judgment on Preki comes after four games, jamieNDG, two of which were played with an incomplete roster and ignores his track record at Chivas. :confused: The team substantially underachieved last season amid rumours of deep dressing room divisions and many of the core players were clearly past their prime. A new coach was always likely to want to make major changes given that backdrop and success in the aftermath of that was never likely to be instantaneous.

[Gian-Luca]

Paul James apparently saw a different interview than I did.

[jpg75]

The number of: We need to get this player, We need to get rid of this player-threads is ridiculous and it dominates the RPB boards. I know they read the forums as they have Paul B posting on it. Somebody is listening to us.

We got JDG when we didn't need him, we got Gerba when we didn't need him. As I said on the RPB forums, I get the feeling that MLSE is letting us run the club half the time...

And that isn't to say we're not supportive...but the people want players in and out constantly, it causes problems than not.

Are you saying MLSE got Julian De Guzman because the supporters wanted him?

[jpg75]

He's definitely right about the sense of entitlement that often seems to surround the CMNT.

I think that's pretty obvious. You just look at the revolt over Holgers handling of the team, all the excuse making over the last couple failed campaigns, the speaking out in the media before we've even been eliminated...the nucleus of this generation of players (1977-1981) are a bunch of spoiled brats.

[loyola]

KJ does a poor job in this interview. Why not ask Gerba about his reputations, specially out of Scandinavia where we've heard coaches weren't happy with his fitness. Why not ask about the reasons why he can't stick with a club for more than a season?

It's a bit ironic that his main complain about Preki is the fact they were running too much and doing no tactic. I'm not sure Ali is a reference in "tactics"....

[Cheeta]

You often see players jumping out of wall in Euro leagues like JDG did??? Coming from a former La Liga player I thought it was a poor play by Jules. But I agree that PJ use of this example is a bit over the top but I guess PJ he's right about the sense of entitlement among some Canadians players.

As for Ali, I suspect PJ has been there with him.

LOL. Probably 150 professional matches plaid in Europe this past weekend and I think you'd have to do some serious YouTubing to find a worse antic from a blocking wall. THAT was something wasn't it? Man, when The Guz turns 40 and someone puts on a birthday roast for him you just know that play well be shown in slow motion, over and over and over again along with any other embarrassing photos or clips that are to be found. It is just that bad.

Wasn't cowardice though. I'll take strong issue with that. Ricktor Scale brain cramp and clumsy execution for sure but don't label The Guz a coward for a big, fat, lapse in judgment.

P.S. Not to divert things too much from Ali G's interview but I'm still puzzled what de Guzman was doing in that wall in the 1st place? The free kick coming from where it was with a right footed delivery obviously on the way why the Hell was he on the weak end of the wall in the 1st place? Geezus, move your short punk-ass out to the right bookend and stay there!

[tmcmurph]

Julian jumped because he was the shortest player in the wall. He was trying to make himself larger. He jumped to the side instead of straight up which was unfortunate and cost a goal. To call him a coward is ignorant at best.

[Gian-Luca]

Yeah, I saw somebody do something for Lazio against Roma in Serie A on the same day Julian did it for TFC - only I think in in the Lazio game, it may have actually been out of cowardice rather than trying to make the wall "taller".

[Guest Ed]

James has always been a condescending prick when it comes to our players, going back to 2000/2001 when he was recruiting our U20's. Somewhat ironic that he would come out with the 'entitlement' opinion, when he has shown repeatedly that the players aren't worth sh1t in his eyes. There might be a middle road here, but he won't be taking it.

[loyola]

Julian jumped because he was the shortest player in the wall. He was trying to make himself larger. He jumped to the side instead of straight up which was unfortunate and cost a goal. To call him a coward is ignorant at best.

It looked coward because because while jumping he turned instead of facing the shot. If you want to make yourself bigger on a wall, you stay in position and jump up, that's pretty simple and basic.

I'm not sure if it was coward or not, I doubt it was, but I can see why someone would call it that way. My problem with PJ is that he used an isolated incident to make his point.

As for the Lazio wall, I haven't seen it so I can't comment. But watching pro soccer all the time, I've rarely seen a similar example of someone who breaks the wall like that. I've seen wall jumping and ball going under, players charging when they were supposed to remain in position (JDG wasn't charging), but rarely seen such a bad move.

For those who ask why he was in the wall let's not forget the position of the free kick, it could as well been played as a cross and you need some tall people in the box to defend that as well.

[Seb of Mtl]

ali gerba said he would be open to playing in montreal!

[Grizzly]

James has always been a condescending prick when it comes to our players, going back to 2000/2001 when he was recruiting our U20's. Somewhat ironic that he would come out with the 'entitlement' opinion, when he has shown repeatedly that the players aren't worth sh1t in his eyes. There might be a middle road here, but he won't be taking it.

Yes. I don't disagree with him that some of our players may have a sense of entitlement but it is also hard to bear coming from a poor, unsuccessful former coach who seems to have a very big sense of entitlement himself as well as a big chip on his shoulder. Personally, I didn't get any sense of entitlement from Gerba in this interview and one can say all one wants about why he might have certain opinions but everything he says seems to correspond to exactly what seems to be happening at TFC for anyone observing the club for the last 4 years. As far as an earlier comment to Gerba not being a tactician, he may not be but then he is not the coach either so it is not his responsibility. Gerba plays a certain style and needs a certain type of service and he doesn't have to be a genius to see that the coach and management are not playing tactical formations that play to his strengths or those of his teammates.

[loyola]

Grizz, my remark about Ali not being a refence for tactic was more a shot at him for his play on the field where he's really a poacher and doesn't offer you much in term of runs, positioning on the field, etc. He doesn't appear to me to be a player with a high soccer IQ.

[TheKottonmouthed1555362307]

LOL. Probably 150 professional matches plaid in Europe this past weekend and I think you'd have to do some serious YouTubing to find a worse antic from a blocking wall. THAT was something wasn't it? Man, when The Guz turns 40 and someone puts on a birthday roast for him you just know that play well be shown in slow motion, over and over and over again along with any other embarrassing photos or clips that are to be found. It is just that bad.

Wasn't cowardice though. I'll take strong issue with that. Ricktor Scale brain cramp and clumsy execution for sure but don't label The Guz a coward for a big, fat, lapse in judgment.

P.S. Not to divert things too much from Ali G's interview but I'm still puzzled what de Guzman was doing in that wall in the 1st place? The free kick coming from where it was with a right footed delivery obviously on the way why the Hell was he on the weak end of the wall in the 1st place? Geezus, move your short punk-ass out to the right bookend and stay there!

no it wasn't cowardness it was non communication, If everyone jumps it would of been fine and the wall would of stopped that shot. Yet, he was the only one who jumped, while everyone else stayed still. It seemed they weren't on the same page as to what the wall was supposed to do.

The real failure of that wall is noone was interlocked at the arms, if Saric and whoever was on JDG other side was entwined at the arms JDG wouldn't of been able to jump or when he was about to he would of been held stationary by the others.

[loyola]

no it wasn't cowardness it was non communication, If everyone jumps it would of been fine and the wall would of stopped that shot. Yet, he was the only one who jumped, while everyone else stayed still. It seemed they weren't on the same page as to what the wall was supposed to do.

The real failure of that wall is noone was interlocked at the arms, if Saric and whoever was on JDG other side was entwined at the arms JDG wouldn't of been able to jump or when he was about to he would of been held stationary by the others.

Guys, Canadian players do make mistake. Stop trying to find an excuse.

It's ok if everyone jump in the wall, I agree, but you jump as a unit and not 2 meters on your left while exposing your back. If Garcia, Velez or Andy Welsh would've done that I doubt anyone would've defended them but since it's Julian he is getting all kind of excuses.

[TheKottonmouthed1555362307]

Guys, Canadian players do make mistake. Stop trying to find an excuse.

It's ok if everyone jump in the wall, I agree, but you jump as a unit and not 2 meters on your left while exposing your back. If Garcia, Velez or Andy Welsh would've done that I doubt anyone would've defended them but since it's Julian he is getting all kind of excuses.

I'm not making an excuse, I just have a hard time believing it was a panicky coward move from JDG. At least from what I saw of him in his Depor days I would of never tagged him as a guy to do that for that reason. I have to think their was a miscommunication.

[Trillium]

James has always been a condescending prick when it comes to our players, going back to 2000/2001 when he was recruiting our U20's. Somewhat ironic that he would come out with the 'entitlement' opinion, when he has shown repeatedly that the players aren't worth sh1t in his eyes. There might be a middle road here, but he won't be taking it.

When ever Paul James writes I always Google him and up comes his history of turning Crown Witness with full immunity from any charges being laid .. in the Singapore bribery scandal.

I guess now when I google I should type in Paul James ... condescending prick ?

[Gian-Luca]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/mls/torontofc/article/797662--gerba-rips-tfc-s-preki-johnston

From the article:

"When Ali Gerba was told by new Toronto FC coach Preki Radosavljevic at a pre-season tournament in South Carolina that he wasn’t fitting into the team’s plans, the Canadian international striker vowed to keep working hard and prove the bench boss wrong.

But just a few hours later, after dinner with some teammates and while getting ready to call it a night, Gerba was stunned to get an email from one of the club’s travelling staff that Preki wanted him on the next plane out of town, which meant a 5 a.m. wake-up call.

“He (Preki) didn’t even tell me to my face,” Gerba said of his abrupt departure from the club last month. “That was the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever seen done to a player.”"

I think if Alli Gerba has a sense of entitlement, it is that he's entitled not to be treated in a such a classless way. This has nothing to do with the fact that he's a Canadian and has played with the Canadian national team, nor does it have anything to do with DeGuzman's mistake of jumping in the wall.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Only Ali Gerba's version of events is provided in this article. Seems to me that it's quite possible that Preki actually was telling him to his face in the conversation described why he was about to fly back to Toronto.

[Grizzly]

Only Ali Gerba's version of events is provided in this article. Seems to me that it's quite possible that Preki actually was telling him to his face in the conversation described why he was about to fly back to Toronto.

Yet Gerba's version of what happened seems to correspond exactly to how Serioux and Robinson were treated.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

A new head coach was appointed who didn't want Gerba, Serioux and Robinson so they moved on to other clubs. That is part and parcel of the professional game. Gerba should know that by now given he has changed clubs 14 times in the space of a decade.

There is no need to give every player who leaves the press conference treatment that Dichio and Brennan got in large measure because they were retiring as players and moving over to the management side of things at TFC and little reason to listen to the whinings of a player who has been cut by a team because he didn't make the grade but is unable to accept that explanation for emotional reasons and instead blames it all on the coach.

Anybody who has been involved in the game at a competitive level will know how rare it is to hear a player say they didn't make it onto a team because they weren't good enough. All you ever tend to hear is a long sob story about what an idiot the coach was. Hopefully Ali Gerba isn't going to linger like a bad smell in the way Rohan Ricketts did last season and the usual blog and podcast suspects won't give him a platform to peddle any more of his drivel if he tries to.

[youllneverwalkalone]

Somewhat random thought, but as our talent pool grows through MLS and perhaps other NASL clubs, people like Preki are good for Canada supporters in the long run. I'm not saying Ali wasn't poorly treated, but most competitive soccer nations are just that, competitive. We only have selection headaches because of the players who don't want to play for us. Wouldn't it be nice to see the day when the gaffer has full respect in the room and the players are committed to the cause without any significant drop in performance? We forget that Holger was able to bring through some key young players after some of the veterans were on the outs: Hutch, Hume, Tam, etc. Preki's not our national team coach, but he may be doing us a favour by weeding out some players.

[loyola]

J. Molinaro has spoken to Preki and DeRo about the Gerba interview, an article will follow later today.....

[tmcmurph]

TFC reply is now online

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2010/04/21/sp-ali-gerba.html

"Johnston explained that the coaching staff felt it was necessary for Gerba to return to Toronto because he was under-performing in the Reds' pre-season campaign."

And I'm sure that Garcia just played brilliantly in pre-season saving all his blunders for when it counts. Pure favoritism BS from where I'm sitting.

[TheKottonmouthed1555362307]

TFC reply is now online

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2010/04/21/sp-ali-gerba.html

"Johnston explained that the coaching staff felt it was necessary for Gerba to return to Toronto because he was under-performing in the Reds' pre-season campaign."

And I'm sure that Garcia just played brilliantly in pre-season saving all his blunders for when it counts. Pure favoritism BS from where I'm sitting.

I'd like to here the New Assistant GM's reaction as well, What does Jim Brennan have to say about Gerba's interview. As maybe he can shed a light on the situation form the point of view of someone who ended his career prematurely because of the pre-season.