UNO News Net: TFC fires head coach Ryan Nelsen; names Greg Vanney as replacement; DISCUSSING OFFER FOR DEFOE

(The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

Just one day after making comments critical of his general manager following a 3-0 home loss to the New England Revolution, Ryan Nelsen has been fired as head coach of Toronto FC.

Nelsen ripped Reds general manager Tim Bezbatchenko after the GM said the recent run of results "hasn't been good enough."

"It affected the guys," said Nelsen. "What we do at Toronto FC is we keep it in-house — everything we do, we keep inside the four walls. And the players, coaching staff, everything, stays within the four walls."
The Reds have 33 points (9-9-6) from 24 games this season which puts them in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and in line for their first playoff appearance in franchise

history.
Nelsen took over at TFC at the start of 2013 and went 15-26-17 in just over a season and a half in charge.

Toronto FC has shaken up its coaching ranks, dismissing Ryan Nelsen as head coach and naming TFC Academy Director Greg Vanney as his replacement. Watch the news conference LIVE NOW on TSN.ca.
General manager Tim Bezbatchenko has stated that Vanney will be the head coach moving forward and that the move does not come with an "interim" tag.
Reports have also surfaced that the team may be on the verge of moving star striker Jermain Defoe back to the Barclays Premier League. Bezbatchenko also commented on those rumours, noting that a player of Defoe's stature would always be in demand to top-flight clubs.
"We have received an offer [for Defoe] and we have discussed it internally," Bezbatchenko said. "We are in talks. We are speaking with him, but no decision has been made."
Defoe - who has missed four of the club's last five games is currently not with the club and is receiving treatment for his injured groin.
Vanney was hired

in December, 2013 after serving as part of the Los Angeles Galaxy's Academy staff.
“Greg is a visionary when it comes to player development

. He shares our Club's passion for innovation and is an educator of both players and coaches," Bezbatchenko said upon hiring Vanney in December. "We are pleased to welcome him to Toronto FC,” said Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko.
Vanney is looking for a homegrown solution to the club's long-term success.
"I believe in the Canadian player," he said Sunday. "I believe they are integral to our team."
Nelsen was critical of Bezbatchenko following his team's 3-0 loss to the New England Revolution on Saturday.
Bezbatchenko publicly stressed

the importance of the game prior to kick-off, a move that irked Nelsen.
In post-game comments Nelsen - himself a former New Zealand international - went off on his GM.
"I've won this league, played in it for four years, been in the (English) Premier League for 10 years, played in a World Cup, Olympics. I've played in some pretty hot pressure games," he said. "One thing that I do know is this was not one of them."
"It affected the guys," he said of the comments. "What we do at Toronto FC is we keep it in-house - everything we do, we keep inside the four walls. And the players, coaching staff, everything, stays within the four walls."
As to the timing of the move, Bezbatchenko said it had everything to do with the remaining games on the calendar and not with Nelsen's comments.
"We have 10 games remaining, so that's 30 points that are out there had we waited any longer," Bezbatchenko said at the news conference.
The 36-year-old Nelsen was named head coach on Jan. 8, 2013 despite still being an active player for the English Premier League's Queens Park Rangers. He would leave QPR three weeks later to take up his duties with Toronto FC.
He guided Toronto FC to one of their worst seasons on record in 2013, the team finishing with a 6-17-11 record.
The team has turned things around in 2014, though, in large part to the additions of high-profile internationals Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley.
Toronto FC currently sits tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference with 33 points through 24 games (9-9-6), on-pace for their first ever MLS Cup Playoffs berth.
Toronto FC has had eight different head coaches over its seven-plus seasons in Major League Soccer. Nelsen's 58 games as coach are the second-most in club history behind Aron Winter's 64 between 2011 and 2012.

LIVE: Toronto FC News Conference

Watch live coverage of Toronto FC's news conference as general manager Tim Bezbatchenko is expected to announce the firing of head coach Ryan Nelsen.

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