Not for the first time, a peaceful and blissful sleep — my first in several days — was disrupted by a ringing phone.

Before reaching over to pick it up, I quickly glanced over at the clock by the side of my bed. 3:15 a.m. What the hell? Who on earth is calling me at this ungodly hour?

“Yeah?”

“Hello John. It’s Aron Winter. How are you doing?”

While I’m somewhat surly, Winter is in a very chipper mood, and why shouldn’t he be? It’s 9:15 a.m. where he’s calling from in Amsterdam. He’s likely already had breakfast and read the morning paper, while I was still asleep. I guess he forgot about the six-hour time difference, but the former Toronto FC manager is anxious for me to catch him up on the current state of the franchise.

As I stumble to turn on the light, I proceed to tell him about the bright start to the season (the composed performance in the season-opening loss in Vancouver and the shocking win over Kansas City), followed by the 11-game winless run, and the influx of new players in the squad.

“I think it was always going to be hard for (new coach) Ryan Nelsen this season,” Winter said.

“He is an inexperienced coach, like I was when I came to Toronto, coming into a difficult situation where he had to fix a lot of things. Maybe this year will have to be written off because the club will not be able to do it very well.”

“Yes, maybe,” I concede, remembering his famously quaint “do it very well” phrase that he used so often during his time in Toronto.

One by one, Winter asks about former players he coached during his tenure as TFC manager. I tell him about Danny Koevermans’ injury and recent return to action, about Joao Plata being traded to Real Salt Lake, about Richard Eckersley’s injury woes after a strong start to the season, and about Terry Dunfield being released.

“They cut Terry? That’s too bad. He was a hard worker,” Winter offered.

I explain to him that the midfield has become pretty crowded and that there’s greater competition for spots, especially with the arrival of Matias Laba, Jonathan Osorio playing so well and Jeremy Hall being converted from a fullback into a defender.

He asks about Jason Bent and Jim Brennan, and I tell him how Nelsen has two new assistant coaches in Fran O’Leary and Duncan Oughton.

“Four assistant coaches? That’s a lot.”

We go through the rest of the squad before he asks about two players that are particularly important to him.

“What about Doneil and Ashtone?”

Defenders Doneil Henry and Ashtone Morgan were not Winter’s players per se, the pair of Canadian prospects having graduated from the youth academy to the senior team long before the Dutchman arrived in 2011 to take over the coaching reins.

But Winter was the first TFC manager to give them significant and consistent playing time, working them into the starting 11 as often as he could, paving the way for them to earn call-ups to the Canadian national team.

While Henry has established himself as a somewhat regular starter as of late under Nelsen, Morgan has been riding the bench, his poor form this season seeing him replaced on the left side of defence by central defender Darren O’Dea. Morgan has shown little of the promise that he displayed under Winter, and in fact, his game has regressed.

The news hits Winter very hard. He takes it personally. And while he understands that Morgan should be benched if he’s not performing on the field, he also wonders if the Canadian is getting the proper guidance, tutelage and mentorship from the coaching staff.

“I made mistakes when I was coaching in Toronto,” Winter conceded.

“But I took a real interest in the youth academy and the young players, because I felt it was my duty to help them develop as players because they are Canadian. I tried to help Ashtone and Doneil and the other Canadians on the team as much as I could. That’s something I’m very proud of.”

3:15 am. Sound asleep. Phone rings. "Hello John, it's Aron Winter." He just called to say hello, see how I was doing & chat a little #TFC. — John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro) June 24, 2013

Winter can hear the tiredness in my voice, so he’s anxious to allow me to get back to bed, but not before I ask him what he’s up to these days in his native Holland.

“I’m involved in some coaching and player development with young players here in my local community. I’m enjoying that for now, but soon I might get back into coaching full-time,” he explained.

“Really?”

“Yes, there are some professional opportunities that are coming up, so I’m going to look at them and decide what I want to do,” he answered.

“Do you miss Toronto?”

“Oh, of course, John. Of course,” he said.

“I have nothing bad to say about the organization or about my time there. I loved Toronto. It was the best city I have ever worked in. I only wish I could have given the fans much more, because they really deserved it.”

Before we wrap up our chat Winter asks a favour, wanting me to pass along his best wishes to his former players at TFC.

“Sure, Aron,” I promise.

An ocean and a six-hour time difference separate Aron Winter and Toronto FC. But it’s clear that this franchise still has a special place in his heart.