Domestic Broadcast BLOW (and Forrest is dead effing wrong). RANT ALERT!

[Cheeta]

Part #1

Are we that effing stupid in this country? I ask the question in all seriousness because for the life of me I can't understand it.

On the one hand hand we've got Roger's putting up some serious coin to position themselves as Canada's soccer/football network when all the while on the other hand they en-power some RETARD in a production trailer to handle the CONCACRAP Champions League match from BMO Field tonight.

I'm getting sick of it.

Are the fu'ks over at Rogers so THICK that they can't get their wee, little minds to accept the fact that in footie you've got to be very, very, careful about breaking away from the on-field action to show replays, or close up shots of coaches standing on sidelines, or writhing Mexicans doing nothing but writhing, because the on-field play IS STILL FU'KING GOING ON.

Here's an idea for the board room Big Heads over at Roger's. I'll write it as an open letter to our corporate friends over there in Toronto;

Dear Roger's

Before you put yet ANOTHER dumb arse in charge of production of a domestic football match, CONCACRAP, MLS, V's Cup, what-effing-ever, could you make them watch any BBC, ITV, or SkySports football coverage from, oh I don't know, lets say THE LAST 20 YEARS so they can get a smidgent of a clue about how to go about doing the job IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER?

Do you think you can do that? Because I'm convinced you really, really, need to.

Yours in footie

Cheeta Bench

Part 2#

You know, I love him but sometimes Craig makes me cringe. Because he sometimes says dumb ****.

Admittedly, maybe I'm being harsh. He had a career as a 'keeper after all. They're just not normal people them. But what can you expect? They spend a lifetime standing isolated and all alone on a tiny bit of grass even though it's occupied by 23 other human beings. They've got to be wired juuuust a little differently than then rest of us.

But....the ref got the Mares sending off 100% right. And as diplomatic as his partner The Dobson was being about it afterward, he also knows it.

Yeah, Eckersley came in late, fair enough, but any outfield player who's played this game in any competitive fashion knows Mares defended himself intentionally and recklessly with his spikes. And not by any accident. He knew exactly what he was doing.

No, no, no. Sure as **** he saw Eckersley coming in Hell bent for bear and decided the man could find the spikes on his boots for the effort. As sure as a player challenging for a header expects his opponent to find his elbow or forearm as he goes flailing into a high challenge the ref (to Craig's and the Mexican's surprise) recognized it exactly for what it was. An intentionally violent act and responded appropriately. Red card.

So Craig me boy, in this instance you're dead wrong.

If the ref got one call right on what wasn't his best night, that one was it.

Rant out.

[CanadianSoccerFan]

I was thinking the same thing with Forrest. Even after he saw numerous replays he still didn't get it.

[Free kick]

This is one of the very very rare chances that i got to watch a home game on TV. So i am probably in a bad position to offer thoughts since i dont get to see many domestic club games on Sportsnet that are called by Dobson and Forrest. None the less here it goes:

In the past, I have found myself complaining a lot about points similar to your part 1. Especially the silly and pointless isolation shots of coaches or players during the action. They do have a tendancy for that kind of crap and it probably happened again tonight. Although i cannot recall one in particular that annoyed me more. This problem used to be much worst. Regarding Forrest, I have noticed this in the past, i think that he may have certain hidden bias against TFC. Its most evident when you watch a TFC versus Whitecaps game.

As for point number 2. You are right about the studs up. Still, i think that the outcome of that was very harsh. Both players were going for a fifty fifty ball that was just lost by a guy in a green shirt. They went feet first at it and I dont think that he intended to go in studs up because he was following through on a ball that he was in possesion of and he did end up with studs up none the less. But, i dont think he intended to do so because its not like Eckersly was in possession. I thougt that eckersley was lucky to get off scott free for a poorly timed, rash challenge.

Other stuff. This was one of those rare occasions where i have seen the club that i support get what, i would admit, were a couple of very key favourable calls. Dont know why the **** Aron Winter likes aron maund so much. He should have gotten called for that very stupid push at the back of that mexican player in the box. That was a pk for sure if that was an away game. But, no one can blame the refs for this final result.

Weird, because TFC played one of its best games and JDG was a beast out there. They should have buried a few and played well enough to do so. Kouvermans should have buried that sitter, instead he hoofed it. Ryan Johnson was unlucky on that well constructed play by JDG that the keeper got his finger tips on. That handball by the Mexican in the box may have been ball to hand but a lot of times we have seen it called.

[Gian-Luca]

They have been a couple of negative nancys on the home teams recently (be it TFC or Canada). I was somewhat appalled when I got home from the game and re-watched the broadcast how much they missed in terms of the dirty play by Santos (though the cameraman missed it as well) as they never commented on it, and its amazing that they think that Santos was hard done by with the officiating, I think 18,000 people who were closer to the field would disagree with them on that. That little prick Quintero was playing dirty the whole night constantly jabbing and nicking at Morgan which is what led to the blow up brawl at the end, though it was also preceded by a sequence where Morgan shoved another Mexican away from Plata on a run down the near-side (to the camera) of the field whereby the Mexican player had elbowed, punched, kicked and then visciously kicked (but missed) Plata - the linesman put up his flag to indicate a foul but the suspiciously-named Ricardo Salazar (are we going to get an American ref called Jacques Trudeau in the second leg to make up for that) just waived play on. Got to like the way Morgan doesn't take any b.s. and sticks up for his teammate. Also got to like that even the training staff & security guards got into it with the Mexican team and they had to be restrained by the TFC players instead!

I'm not sure that the Mexican player on the Eckersley play should have been sent off, but I'm also sure that at least two others should have instead, including the earlier prick I mentioned above and Quintero. Each team had a 100% penalty not called early in the 2nd half and the yellow on Koevermans for taking a free kick when he thought he was allowed to do so is just ridiculous (the fact that his other yellow was for being kicked in the thigh by Josh Saunders makes this the most unjust suspension I've seen in a long time). I don't know what the hell game Salazar was watching and I think that Gomez got away with a handball on the Santos goal on top of that.

But excellent performance for the most part by TFC. Deserved the win and a shame we didn't get it. A 1000% improvement over the home opener last Saturday.

[Ivanovski94]

Will Johnson tweeted that he didn't believe it was a red, just a hard challenge.

[jonovision]

Maybe it's just me but I really thought Julian de Guzman had a terrific game. A combination, I think, of Frings' absence, forcing him to become the team's leader, and playing with Dunfield who doesn't know how to make a forward pass, which required JDG to play a bit more creatively.

[jonovision]

On the red card play both players probably should have been sent off. But previous posters are right. Even if it's on the follow-through of a challenge you won, if your studs are chest high, that's a problem.

I'd also like to see a few more replays of Gomez' goal, because it seemed pretty clear at live action speed that he was well offside and handled the ball.

[smartlikefox]

On the red card play both players probably should have been sent off. But previous posters are right. Even if it's on the follow-through of a challenge you won, if your studs are chest high, that's a problem.

I'd also like to see a few more replays of Gomez' goal, because it seemed pretty clear at live action speed that he was well offside and handled the ball.

It was close.. I think it was Harden who was playing way to far back and not up with the rest of the guys and may have put him onside. Gomez definitely handles the ball cleanly off of his chest.. didn't look like a hand ball at all to me.

[Gian-Luca]

On the red card play both players probably should have been sent off. But previous posters are right. Even if it's on the follow-through of a challenge you won, if your studs are chest high, that's a problem.

I'd also like to see a few more replays of Gomez' goal, because it seemed pretty clear at live action speed that he was well offside and handled the ball.

I did my digital frame-by-frame pause on my recording when I got home. He was on-side, however, he also clearly handled the ball on the pass and so it still shouldn't have counted. I honestly wonder if the officials got the word that they blew it and that's why they didn't give them a PK for the obvious shove from behind by Maund (who's just an absolute liability out there) in the 2nd half. Or maybe given that there were two other Santos handballs not called (one of which was in the box & should have been a pk) these Refs just don't call that and/or are generally incompetent.

[ThiKu]

Santos played as Santos does. There was no surprise there. My surprise was also at Forrests disbelief in the calls....

The red was a clear red. Studs up, and he put them in a forward kicking motion too. Maybe Eck should have had one too? He sure went in with studs, but at least they were facing the grass.

As for the player who swung wildly and kicked, and the player let play carry on. He played a smart advantage. Why that player didn't get a booking afterward I'll never know though!

Quintero....he's obviously a punk. Wanting to fight after the red knowing his CCL season is pretty much done....he's also thinking "we kicked Seattle's ass, we'll do the same to TO in Mexico so if I fight it's no biggy now. I gotta prove I'm a big man." You can be sure he drives a large truck too.

Toronto is in for one hell of a testy environment next week and I can't wait to see how they manage!

[alberta white]

@ Cheeta, RE Forrest, don't cha know by now that goalies are wired diffrently.

Whereas others jump out of the way of projectiles hurtling towards them, we choose to hurl ourselves in front of them.

For us, its a choice of either playing in goal or joining the President's security detail as "the dude who takes the bullet"

Your sincerly ,

the Self appointed head of the "Mad as a box of frogs brigade" otherwise known as the goalkeepers union.

[elmateo]

Forrest has always tried too hard to be 'impartial' in his mind. Leads him to say things against Canadian teams out of fear the way he is seeing the match is biased, and corrects it with verbal crap.

[McGuire]

When the ref was going to show red, I thought it was Eck who was gonna get it. Didn't think either player derserved it, it looked to me a 50/50 challenge. With that said, I have zero sympathy for the Mexicans for the way the ref made soft calls against them last nite. How many times have we seen referees, particularly latin referees, go out of their way to aid the Mexican/Central American team & screw over the gringos. It was nice to see for once the shoe on the other foot. A lot of soft calls against Santos & TFC were let off the hook on more than a few occasions

[BearcatSA]

I don't listen to the commentary but last night I did and I didn't enjoy it.

I have always been a fan of the single commentator in the booth, simply doing pbp. Since the introduction of colour commentators in England I feel that too often that are trying to justify their pay by making too many (thoughtless and/or needless) comments and when their initial decision or opinion is proven wrong by replay they keep putting the spin on their perspective.

Mind you, I've heard some really over the top calls by single pbp guys in controversial situations:

[dstyles11]

agree with this. i couldn't figure it out either. 2 footed + studs up is a sending off everywhere in the world.

[Free kick]

How many times have we seen referees, particularly latin referees, go out of their way to aid the Mexican/Central American team & screw over the gringos. It was nice to see for once the shoe on the other foot. A lot of soft calls against Santos & TFC were let off the hook on more than a few occasions.

Yes. This part should not be lost. look no further than the games that TFC has played in Panama over the past two years to see and example of the gringos getting the gears from the Ref.

[loyola]

Maybe it's just me but I really thought Julian de Guzman had a terrific game. A combination, I think, of Frings' absence, forcing him to become the team's leader, and playing with Dunfield who doesn't know how to make a forward pass, which required JDG to play a bit more creatively.

I didn't see the whole game so I can't assess on his play overall but wasn't the goalscorer the player who JDG was supposed to cover?

[MM2]

An option on the call would have been a foul against Eckersley, caution for reckless play and a dismissal to the Santos player for Violent Conduct.

[Gian-Luca]

I didn't see the whole game so I can't assess on his play overall but wasn't the goalscorer the player who JDG was supposed to cover?

No, De Guzman was tasked with marking Santos' main creative midfielder out of the game, which he largely did. The player who scored was Hercules Gomez, a striker who played up top, and he was Harden's man on the play (and for the whole game for the most part. De Guzman happened to be the only player even close shutting him down because Harden let him run in behind him from an on-side position.

Gomez incidentally has accused TFC of having started the fight and has basically threatened violence on the team on behalf of his team's fans:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/ccl/news/article/2012/03/29/ccl-gomez-issues-warning-laments-postgame-dust

[Heathen]

Eckersley was pulling out of the tackle he's almost side-on at the end, definite sending off as previously said anyone who's played the game knows the Mexican knew exactly what he was doing. Forrest seems to have these type of brain spasms every so often.

[Cheeta]

It was close.. I think it was Harden who was playing way to far back and not up with the rest of the guys and may have put him onside. Gomez definitely handles the ball cleanly off of his chest.. didn't look like a hand ball at all to me.

Without watching it again I thought that play was brilliant. Perfectly spun pass, perfectly weighted, for a perfectly timed run. Keeper might have played it differently given the pace and angle of the play, but then again, maybe not. A split second judgement with no real right or wrong answer, just one of those "lesser of two evils" decisions.

If you told me you'd bet TFC would hold Santos Laguna's "A" Team to a single goal without Frings Wednesday AM I'd have taken that bet without consulting the odds and be poorer today because of it.

Gawd, Toronto are in it tough now but you know what? They've got Santos rattled. Still think they'll be dead meat in Mexico but Santos' got a real eye opener the other night and I don't think they liked what they saw. Not one bit.