Depending on your perspective Kevin Payne is either wasting no time to make himself at home in Toronto, or he’s getting a crash course in the occasionally Shakespearian drama that surrounds the club.
RDS reported today that Jessie Marsch was offered the head coaching position of TFC. CSN followed that report up by confirming that there were talks and that the discussion was about Paul Mariner’s job, not to be his assistant.
However, both Payne and, not surprisingly, Mariner denied the report. Payne was clear. He called it “an absolute fabrication.”
Many fans, meanwhile, are busy preparing their “in Marsch We Trust” banners for the home opener.
Welcome to Toronto, Mr. Payne. And, welcome to your first problem.
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Is Payne introducing himself to the Toronto support by bald face lying to them (by saying that he’s not talking to Marsch when he is), and going behind the back of Mariner to hire someone while Mariner is working towards 2013 in good faith (some will suggest that’s karma for Mariner and, if the suggestions that he undermined Aron Winter are true then fine, it is, but it’s not clear why anyone should feel good about it happening again – two wrongs not making a right and all that)? Or, has TFC burned so many bridges over the years that there are people in the Canadian and MLS community that are planting bad stories in an effort to undermine the change in leadership?
Both possibilities are plausible.
The M.O. of TFC (not to be mistaken for the Mo of Toronto, who is long gone, but who has a “legacy” that just won’t go away) is to ignore problems like this. They rarely address things like this head on. It hasn’t worked out well for them.
So, Payne has a choice today. He can either face the story head on, or he can retreat to the secretive and counterproductive position MLSE always goes to. It’s a private company, so it has every right to do so. No one is denying MLSE’s right to do the wrong thing.
Or, he can demonstrate that things are now different in the world of TFC – that the All for One stuff is no longer rhetoric and instead represents a new social contract between club and fan.
Simply denying the story that is being told is not enough. Payne needs to do more.
If he really is talking to Marsch then he needs to be upfront about it. If that means firing Mariner now then so be it. This space has been clear in the position that stability is needed now and adding a new coach this late in pre-season planning is not anywhere close to ideal. However, if Payne has no confidence in Mariner then it’s better it’s dealt with now. Do not let it fester and rot. This organization has allowed far too much fester and rot. Even if Marsch isn’t coming, Mariner should be released if Payne has gone so far as to offer a contract to another coach.
However, if Payne does not have a desire to get rid of Mariner before the start of the season then he needs to come out and bluntly state so in black and white terms. Since many people continue to read between lines that may or may not be there, the vote of confidence has to be absolute and without room for interpretation.
He needs to say “Paul Mariner will be the coach of TFC when the 2013 season starts. Full stop.”
Anything less than that will only lead to more speculation and a continued sense of dysfunction.