There is more to this story. RT @rwhittall: So Garber basically admitted to blocking the Mellberg move at Toronto FC espnfc.com/blog/_/name/so…
— Jason deVos (@jasondevos) March 6, 2013
Don Garber in July 2012:
Let’s put Mellberg aside. The league hasn’t nixed that, Toronto has decided that economically it didn’t make sense for them, and at the end of the day it was a decision that they felt was in their best interest.
Don Garber in March 2013:
Our view on Mellberg was that it was just not a decision that would be smart for TFC, or smart for the league as a whole. We are hesitant to ever say no but are really strong in assuring that we work with our clubs to have them make good decisions.
Now before we get into WHAT THIS MEANS, I should state that I still stand by my column last year which excoriated Cathal Kelly for his article on Toronto FC under Paul Mariner. I agree with 11.ca’s take at the time that whatever happened to the deal, it was very poorly conceived. Clubs cannot simply act as if they’re in England without the weird vagaries of single-entity. Toronto FC’s so-called “shock” considering the factors at play was disingenuous at best.
However, Don Garber clearly said one thing in July 2012, and another thing in March 2013. Mellberg is history, but this isn’t effective damage control, nor will it fill already skeptical fans with much faith that the league will operate transparently in these deals.
You left out the best part of Garber’s quote!
As a TFC supporter, I am glad the league saved the team for making another stupid decision. What would a 35 y/o CB do for TFC when they are so far from being a competing team? Mellberg should be a final piece to push a team to a championship, not a foundation to build around.
Agreed, to me this looks like the rather large straw that broke the camel’s back.
They probably thought we were stupid to try for O’dea, Eckersley, Plata as well on their wages but they pushed them through.
Think the last TFC FO struggled with basic math and what fits under a salary cap.
Are you kidding Melberg at 35 was and still is a better player than O’dea! TFC just seems to build around management positions. Instead of getting actual good players, that can make simple passes.
TFC is a joke!
The lack of transparency and honesty from the league is concerning for sure. As for the Mellberg deal as an idea, I wasn’t a big fan of it. I never really thought you could just plop in one CB and then everything would be OK. Defense is more about how the team works together than it is about a single guy. Attacking can be done with a sufficiently good, single player, but that isn’t the case on defense. Get some solidly good defenders (O’Dea, Califf, maybe Agbossoumonde?) and a coach that can get the team organized defensively (maybe Nelsen?) and then you can keep the games within reach. Then you can spend the big DP money on guys that can change a game by grabbing a goal or two (Koevermans, and maybe Urruti?).
Apparently Mellburg already had a deal lined up with another MLS team, and TFC blew that up by offering him TRIPLE the amount. Totally out of whack, and likely a combination of cluelessness & desperation. So they screwed the other team & the league. Puts this all into perspective, dunnit? And I believe there may be even more to the story — i.e., TFC probably asking for other favours at the same time.
Where did you get this info? Is there a link you can share with us?
Sure, on the radio show TSN FC, Luke Wileman & Jason deVos. Link here: http://iphone.tsn.ca/tsnpodcasts/TSNFC-Mar6.mp3
Relevant info starts about 27:30 in.