TORONTO

Toronto FC’s latest debatable decision: Coaching by correspondence.

That is, until the club’s latest head coach retires from European football.

Confused yet?

So are the Reds, in a way.

“We’re not sure when he’ll join us,” club executive Kevin Payne told a packed BMO Field press room Tuesday minutes after introducing Ryan Nelsen as Toronto’s new head coach.

The Queens Park Rangers defender officially replaced Paul Mariner as Toronto’s eighth head coach in seven seasons, sending shockwaves around the league after it was learned TFC’s new bench boss might not join the team until well into the season.

“I’m under contract at QPR,” Nelsen said of potentially not being on Toronto’s sideline when the Reds start the season on March 2 in Vancouver.

“I’ve got some obligations at QPR that we’ve got to go through."

Currently occupying bottom spot in the English Premier League, the Hoops are hoping to stave off relegation with four months left in the season – something that threatens to keep Toronto’s new head coach out of the picture for the foreseeable future.

Although Payne couldn’t provide an exact date as to when his new manager will take up top spot on TFC’s sideline, Nelsen didn’t rule out seeing out the entire EPL season with QPR.

“Hopefully by then QPR are cruising on 45 points and there’s no need,” Nelsen half-joked. “That would be the perfect situation.”

After the Toronto Sun first confirmed Nelsen’s arrival Monday afternoon, many supporters welcomed the idea of a new head coach to displace Mariner, who struggled during long portions last season after assuming control following Aron Winter’s sacking.

But after learning of the bizarre terms of Nelsen’s agreement Tuesday morning, an MLS-first in many ways, optimism surrounding the coaching switch quickly changed to skepticism.

“It’s understandable,” Nelsen said after being informed of negative online reaction. “(Toronto fans) are passionate, they’re loyal and they want their teams to win. I’ve been a part of the same situation over in England. They pay money, support the team and they want the team to be successful. It will be my goal to hopefully provide that for them.”

Nelsen, who has amassed close to 200 Premier League matches during his time with Blackburn, Tottenham and Rangers, will be helped by Fran O’Leary, the club’s new assistant coach, until he’s ready to seize the reigns.

Team personnel including director of player and team operations Earl Cochrane, academy director Thomas Rongen and coaching staff Jim Brennan, Jason Bent and Stewart Kerr remain with the club.

Like Nelsen, O’Leary, an Irishman with more than two decades of collegiate coaching experience, enters his first managerial role with a professional club.

“Fran knows exactly how I want to play,” Nelsen said of his first assistant. “We’ve already gone over all the training sessions. Everything has been mapped out already. I know that when I turn my back Fran will be taking the lead. He’ll be running it very professionally with my DNA, my fingerprint.”

CRITICS ANSWERED

When asked to more or less justify Tuesday’s announcement, Payne walked reporters through an impressive resume of his past personnel moves to bolster his decision.

Toronto’s newly minted president and general manager reiterated he gave both Piotr Nowak and Ben Olsen, two previously successful MLS coaches, their first MLS jobs and that Nelsen will be no different.

“My feeling about Ryan is that he’s going to be leading this team for five years to come,” Payne said. “If I have to wait for a couple of months to start that process, I can afford to wait. I’d rather do that then make a decision I didn’t want to make for the short term.”

Problem is, TFC supporters have been waiting, and paying, for six long years to see a winner. While Payne and Nelsen should be given proper time (a full year) to mend deep-seeded damage, impatient supporters might not extend the courtesy.

“We have a large staff,” Payne said of stemming the tide until Nelsen joins full-time. “We spent a lot of time yesterday. Ryan will not be at the combine or the draft. There will be days, we hope, that Ryan will be able to engage with us in the interim while he remains a player at QPR.”

The Reds open preseason training camp on Jan. 19 – likely without their head coach – in Toronto. The Reds then travel to Orlando to begin a preseason slate of contests against fellow MLS sides before the season opens in March.