Looking Ahead

So, in order to try and pretend that the Gulls-Rhinos rivalry is still a relevant one, and not the footballing equivalent of an estranged and soon to be divorced couple I went above and beyond for gameday, deciding to use it as the framing device for my very first player interview, with a very important Gull, Stephen Deroux. I truthfully think that today we’ll see a change group of Gulls, ones that are able to terrorize defenses, and play competently. Hopefully I’m not wrong because there not many teams better to give confidence than a fellow team that is struggling with mediocre results, as well as a home game against a longtime rivalry. So let’s get on to the very first D&G Interview(whoooo!):

D&G: So Stephen I’m real glad you were able to take some time out of your day to answer a few of my questions. It’s a real pleasure to hear from you, as I find it kind of strange we don’t hear more from you in the media. Either way, let’s get to it.

How did it feel last year to win the cup in Montreal?

DeRoux: It felt really good, it was my first championship in my career.

D&G: With the recent MLS announcement, Montreal has been given the OK to play in the league come 2012. Is there a lot of excitement in the dressing room about the announcement and do you hope to still be a part of the team in 2012?

DeRoux: Yeah, I would love to be a part of the squad when we go to the MLS. The club and all the players are really excited.

D&G: You turned quite a lot of heads in the recent friendly against AC Milan, how did it feel to not only step on the field with them, but also do so well?

DeRoux: Playing against AC Milan brought out the best in me, I think for a person to reach their full potential, they have to be put to the tests. It was a dream come true.

D&G: You yourself have been having a pretty good year, what do you think about the club’s performance so far?

DeRoux: I think we’re in a good position to finish first in our division, and first in the league also.

D&G: What do you think the main difference is between last year’s club and this year’s edition? Is the loss of Joey Gjertsen significant to the team?

DeRoux: The team is the same as a whole, except it’s a couple of different players have to play the same role for us.

D&G: Can you tell me how the team feels about their good play on the field, except when it comes to finishing?

DeRoux: As a team, we need to get better in all aspects of our game.

D&G: Is there a sense of pressure in the locker room to try and repeat last season’s success? IF SO, do you think that pressure is what’s causing the teams lack of finishing?

DeRoux: Pressure is something we can deal with because last year we were under a lot of pressure and came out on top, so that’s not it.

D&G: Has there been any sort of change in the way the club are approaching set pieces such as corners and free kicks?

DeRoux: We just have to be a lot more aggressive when it comes to our set pieces.

D&G: Do you think that the club might have turned around after the 2-1 win in Tampa?

DeRoux: Yeah, the win gave us some  more momentum and motivation to play our next game against Rochester.

D&G: I actually met you, briefly, at the Bell Centre when the Canadiens honoured the impact’s cup win. How do you feel about hockey and the city of Montreal?

DeRoux: This is a hockey city but soccer is on the rise and now that the Impact are going to the MLS, which is a great thing for soccer in Montreal. I love playing here.

D&G: A quick search of you online turns up results from girls talking about how much they, let’s say, admire you. Do you feel like Montreal is a great place to play professionally, and how do you feel about all the women out there who follow and support you?

DeRoux: I love playing in the city of Montreal. We’re ranked with some of the top fanbases in MLS and I appreciate all support I get from the city and from them.

D&G: What has been your favourite moment this season, and what was the most disappointing?

DeRoux: Playing against AC Milan was definitely my favourite moment by far while losing to Minnesota was my most disappointing.

D&G: Do you have anything to say to the Ultras, or Impact fans in general?

DeRoux: I love you guys, a lot of our success is because of you guys and thanks for all the continuous support.

D&G: Thanks for your time and good luck to you in the season and against Rochester!

DeRoux: Thanks!

—
Hopefully today we’ll be witness to some of the momentum and confidence that Stephen mentioned, and today is the turnaround we’ve all been waiting for.

So… Looks like it’s rant day.

Following hot on the heels of the temporarily handicapped Steven Beauregard, I’ve decided to try and follow his example and make “Friendly” Wednesday the annual holiday for Impact bloggers to bitch about the state of affairs in Montréal.

First of all, this man is spot on. I have never heard so many casual nonfans(I prefer to call them plagistes) talk about the Impact before. At work, hearing old Italian men saying “Oh, so are you guys going to see Milan? They’re playing the Impact.” “Who’s the Impact?”. I have basically overheard versions of that conversation about 50 times since the friendly was announced with variations being “oh, the Impact, they’re gonna get destroyed, brrrrroooooooooooooooo” and “we should go to the game and fight the AC Milan fans. Montréal Hooligans!!!” instead of “Who’s the Impact?”.

Basically, the attitude of the majority of people in this town is that of a typical North American, sports fan or otherwise. If it isn’t the best, it’s the worst. The entitlement of North Americans is amazing, anything other than top flight, is destined to fail, with some exceptions. The NFL is the best gridiron league in the world (not much competition, really), the NBA is (allegedly) the best Basketball league in the world, the NHL is the best as well( excluding a few bottom feeder NHL teams and top European sides). All this has cultured north Americans to grow up thinking that the only thing that warrants, nay, deserves their time, is the elite leagues and players, nothing less, excluding Canada’s religious obsession with hockey which allows the minor leagues to have relative success in some areas.

All this entitlement will be on display today versus ACM, as many fans will graciously give us a portion of their valuable time and descend upon the Big Nest to see their city “their (great great great grandfather’s) city” play a game. The ultimate insult is that they think that it would be a much better idea to spend 40+ dollars to sit and watch a meaningless friendly, rather than 10-20$ to see us win a cup, play a hated rival or just generally support their city.

The only suitable response is to bide our time, laugh it off(while a part of my soul dies in the process) and wait for MLS. When those same “forza milan brrrrrrrrroooooooooooo” people jump on the impact because they’re the latest Gull on the beach, we get our revenge.

Aime ta Ville

Supporte ton Club

No update is better than this update…

About the recent Gulls-Caramilks game.

And I mean it in a sense that writing no update, would be better than writing this one. Sunday was a day of disappointment unlike others in recent history. It wasn’t the muted disappointment we felt in the V cup, where we tried and failed, due mostly to discipline problems against les Clowns, and refereeing controversy against the Caps.

It was a whole new sensation, of a defensive team making  many defensive errors during the run of play. That, coupled with the league’s worst offense and a terrible(aka: Afternoon) crowd made for a day of complete disappointment for all of the Gulls dedicated fans. Cedric Joqueviel, seemingly long past his great first year with us, committed two defensive errors that resulted in both of the Caramilk goals. The breakdown at the 90th minute definitively sunk the hopes for IMFC but in the eyes of attentive fans throughout Saputo, it was over after the first goal of the 20th, as there was no signs of a comeback, instead, it was the same listless performance in the final third, where the number of opportunities in relation to time of possession was greatly imbalanced. What chances the Gulls managed to have were harmless, save for a nice David Testo volley that hit the wrong side of the post and went out of bounds.

The fact that the Impact could not beat a ginger with disco sideburns was seemingly not lost on the club brass, as word has it that the Canadian goalscoring phenom(take it with a grain of salt) and former Gull, Ali Gerba(Zherba) is now training with them once again, as well as Philippe “            “(represents his invisibility) Billy’s old teammate from Brest, Cédric Fabien.

Now, saying you’re pursuing Canada’s best goalscorer is like saying you want Mauritius’ best hockey player, especially considering Ali is constantly plagued by criticisms of laziness, fatness, and radness. He shows flashes of brilliance with the national side, but when it comes to the club side, he plays the role of the resident love-hate player; amazing potential with some negative quality that usually takes away from his stay.

Hopefully, if he finally comes home to roost with his fellow Gulls, Marc Dos Santos makes sure that he maximizes potential because the last thing the club needs is yet another waste of space up front, like “Old Man Eddie” Sebrango, Peter “Insert nickname here” Byers and Roberto “Tyson” Brown.

Because even MIAMI FC(MIAMI!!!) has scored more goals than ours. Next up is the “anticipated” friendly against AC Milan, Wednesday, at the Big Nest.