"Don't Believe The Hype" - Four years of TFC "star" signings

Robert: "Ne croyez pas le battage publicitaire!"

Often in the world of supporting Toronto FC, criticism arises from some fans that others (this site included) shouldn't get "down" on certain players. It just happens at clubs, where a certain player or players becomes the goat on the terraces when things go south on the field. For a club like TFC, who go south more often than geese, this can happen quickly.
　
Some of the criticism is misplaced or unfair, often the result of uneducated sectors of the crowd, while at other times it's justified by a player's ineptitude. While both circumstances exist in Toronto, there is a deeper source of this fan fury that is the result of the ownership's behaviour. If there is one thing that ML$E are great at (because it’s not winning trophies) - it's marketing the heck out of a mediocre product and making it sound great.
　
Unfortunately for some of their on-field (or court or ice) employees, this "turd polishing" can end up biting the player in the rear. Somewhere in the Bay Street marketing department, there is someone who realizes that you can't sell the acquisitions of Wade Belak, Aki Berg, Jamario Moon or Rasho Nesterovic as "talents" so their image is massaged until fans expect them to be "stars". When their naturally inferior talents eventually rise to the surface, the fans take it out on the player in question and start a cycle of negativity.
　
Sadly, ML$E's policy of buying cheap and marketing hard has not stopped with TFC. Now perhaps things are about to change with the apparently imminent arrival of Jurgen Klinsmann to fix all things Red, but lest we forget the owner’s history as snake oil salesmen - it can always return. With that we look at some of the club's biggest overhyped acquisitions over the years including how they were sold to fans and the reality of who they actually were.
　
LAURENT ROBERT
ML$E HYPE: French International star winger famous for his dazzling free kicks and ex-Newcastle United and PSG superstar
THE REALITY: Robert had bounced around four clubs including Levante and Derby County since 2006 only managing 3 goals in that time before sulking out of each club under a dark cloud
IN RED: 17 surly matches with TFC with 1 free kick goal before miserably whining his way out of town
　
OLIVER TEBILY
ML$E HYPE: An established and versatile defensive force with international experience coming off six strong seasons with Birmingham City
THE REALITY: An injury prone and broken player who hadn't made a first team appearance with Brum since 2006 and suffered from crushing homesickness
IN RED: After waiting on Tebily for months to heal from injury, the Cote D'Ivoir defender played in 4 matches with TFC before deciding he wanted to go home to his family - hasn't played pro football since
　
ROHAN RICKETTS
ML$E HYPE: An exciting England U-21 star who played for giants Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and will cure TFC's winger problem
THE REALITY: A classic "should've been" star -hyped since a young age and doted upon by names like Glenn Hoddle. The naturally gifted Ricketts bought into his own hype and burned bridges with the many clubs he had short stays with since being cut from Spurs in 2005
IN RED: Did what he did at all former clubs - started very well and used his affable personality to win fans over before eventually infuriating them with his increasingly mediocre work ethic before burning bridges on the way out
　
COLLIN SAMUEL
ML$E HYPE: A big strong Trinidadian striker with Gold Cup experience and years spent with top Scottish clubs
THE REALITY: A very big striker who never met a pie he didn't like. Had spent the previous five years spilt between Scottish "powers" Falkirk and Dundee United where he managed a paltry 26 goals in 148 appearances
IN RED: May or may not be responsible for the "Great Chip Butty Famine" of 2007. The portly forward was always a step too slow in MLS and his 3 goals in 19 appearances proved as much
　
PABLO VITTI
ML$E HYPE: A young rising star in Argentina coming to Toronto on loan from Independiente as he rockets to international fame
THE REALITY: A fringe youth player at Independiente who Mo Johnston signed on the strength of a friendly appearance. Had been on an unsuccessful loan in the Ukrainian 2nd Division before moving to The Reds
IN RED: Was always missing one component of a good game during 26 expensive appearances where he managed a disappointing 2 goals. However, has proven critics wrong in 2010 with 9 goals in 18 matches with new club Universidad San Martin
　
MARTIN SARIC
ML$E HYPE: An industrious Croatian-Argentine who has played across Europe and South America and will replace the reliable Carl Robinson
THE REALITY: The Croatian-Argentine Kevin Harmse who never played in a real top tier league. His career best year was spent in the Romanian 2nd Division and also bounced around the lower tiers of Croatia, Slovenia, Argentina and Israel
IN RED: 18 matches worth of referee-baiting challenges in 2010 but did score one nice goal against Cruz Azul in the CCL. Whether he returns in 2011 will depend on the quality of GM hired

MISTA
ML$E HYPE: The second Designated player in TFC history. The one-time Spanish International who scored 40 goals with Valencia and also played for big clubs like Deportivo La Coruna and Atletico Madrid and the answer to TFC's offensive woes
THE REALITY: An injury ravaged striker whose best years were half a decade ago but whose ego would never allow him to admit such a thing. Without a team interested in Spain, expected to come to MLS for an easy time in an inferior league
IN RED: Mo Johnston's final, and most expensive, player acquisition bust. A big payday (in MLS terms) to play in 9 matches without managing a single league goal. Sulked through the last two months of the season and fell to a long line of “mystery injuries” - at least helped push the dismissal of Mo Johnston through