John Carver is the manager of Toronto FC and that is where the relationship begins and ends.
Sounds simple; but the point is Carver will never speak of his time in Toronto the way he waxes poetic over his first-love, Newcastle United.
"It's killing me watching it. I have friends there. It is affecting the work force. People in the factories are not working so hard. Production has gone down and it is affecting the whole city, it is their lives over there."
These were the words of a clearly distressed Carver back in September when supporters took to the streets in protest of club owner Mike Ashley.
"We (referring to Newcastle United) are a strange bunch; and if people come into our little circle and it's not right … we let them know."
Notice the use of 'we' and not 'them' or ‘you’. It is a subject personal pronoun, not an object, and it provides what the answer will be when projected next Newcastle manager Alan Shearer comes calling for Carver and fitness guru Paul Winsper.
The hard part is accepting the truth that Carver is not to be blamed for following his heart. Sports is business. Everything is business. Whatever the chosen vocation in life there exists something more appealing. Despite the fact TFC supporters charmed Carver when they (not we) unfurled a huge sign reading "In Carver We Trust" during a 3-1 home loss to Chivas USA, the first-year coach would seem to have aspirations to ply his trade back in England. At the time nobody knew that fun-loving sign might end up being a million-dollar message to MLSE.
The question for TFC in its third season is much different in the wake of the latest news. It is also has delicate PR implications. Supporters love Carver and what he achieved in only one season, but seniority goes to the two-year longing for a designated player.
Suddenly Mo Johnston's winter to-do list just got a whole lot more complicated.
