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Coaching

Jurgen Klinsmann: The Anti-Rick Perry (R-TX)

by Miriti Murungi

If you happened to miss the Republican Primary debate two nights ago, you’ll be forgiven, especially if you were watching the epic New England Revolution-Philadelphia Union 4-4 extravaganza.

One of the special moments during the GOP debate centered around a Governor Rick Perry (R -TX) sermon on his state’s death penalty proficiency and his own sensitivity.

When Gov. Perry was asked by NBC anchor Brian Williams to defend his state’s record of executing 234 inmates, and specifically whether he lost any sleep over the possibility of executing innocent people, Perry said: (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

Why We Should Ignore Arsene Wenger’s Presidential Slight of Hand

by Miriti Murungi

“We’re invading. I’ve weighed the pros and cons and there is no perfect answer. We have to send a signal to our enemies – and they do exist – that their conduct will not be tolerated and that there will be retaliation. That signal has to be sent. We also have to make our best attempt to influence who ends up filling the power vacuum once we succeed in removing the threat. And we will succeed. There will be casualties on both sides, even if we attempt to minimize the damage, but that is a small price to pay when our national security is at stake. And no, this has nothing to do with oil or any other type of natural resource.”

- some fictional president

Some might say that Barack Obama’s job as President of the United States is to run the country effectively, not to tell you the truth. Sometimes effectively running a country and straight-shooting work well in tandem, but that isn’t always the case. That’s not an Obama thing; it’s a president thing. And as much as our leaders’ unwillingness to be straight-forward all the time pains significant portions of the public, leaders often need to employ the slight of hand to effectively and efficiently lead in a world of competing interests. Of course, this isn’t the only model of leadership, but history tells us that it sure is a popular one. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

Grumpy Ol’ Harry Puts Foot In Mouth Prior To Arsenal Loss in Carling Cup

by The Chairman

Harry Redknapp

Perhaps next time Harry Rednapp decides to mouth-off before a big game, he will think twice. Prior to the Arsenal v. Tottenham Carling Cup tie, Redknapp had a go at his Arsenal counterpart by saying that he wouldn’t follow Arsene Wenger’s example of relying on reserve team players in the competition. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

The Myth of the Meaningless Friendly

by Miriti Murungi

A funny thing happens during international friendlies, particualrly when a team loses.

Invariably, cries that “this game doesn’t matter” eminate from supporters, conveying a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of international friendlies. In many ways, it’s self-delusion at its finest. It’s like a jaded boyfriend saying, “I didn’t like her anyway,” after a girlfriend breaks up with him. These are defense mechanisms signifying denial and/or hurt, which is why you rarely hear this refrain after an emphatic victory.

I won’t mince words. Friendlies matter. Sure, the final result is not the penultimate measure of mattering. However, player performances and how players combine certainly matter given the limited assessment opportunities on the international calender prior to the games that really count. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

The Federation Needs To Get This Bob Bradley Thing Right

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

From Soccernet:

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati and Bob Bradley met in Los Angeles on Thursday, but no decision was made regarding Bradley’s future as head coach of the U.S. national team, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

The source also indicated that the meeting was never intended to produce a decision regarding Bradley’s status, and instead was meant to be a debrief of the U.S. team’s performance at the World Cup, the second such meeting the two have had since the Americans were eliminated by Ghana in the second round.

No timetable has been set for when Bradley’s situation will be resolved.

Perpetual limbo.

Seemingly no one knows anything about the negotiations that are not taking place about the U.S. manager position.

We do know, however, that Bob Bradley is interested in opportunities in Europe. The only reason to reveal this tidbit is because Bradley is, well, interested in opportunities in Europe. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

One Style Does Not Fit All: Deconstructing A Universal Football Style

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

Africa has some of the best footballers in the world dominating some of the world’s best leagues. Yet African nations tend to struggle when their players come together for internationals. What gives? The easy answer to this conundrum almost always begins and ends with what has become a familiar refrain; African football lacks discipline. But if that’s the case, someone needs to explain why African teams have dominated for years at the youth level. Consistently beating the best footballing nations must require a certain level of organization and discipline even at the youth level, no? Surely the answer to this age old problem is more complex than discipline. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

Rafa May Soon Walk Alone

by The Chairman

Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez is either insane or trying really hard to get fired. After masterminding one of the worst collapses in form in recent memory, the Spaniard is requesting £60 million in additional funds for player acquisitions. Under normal circumstances, his assessment of the team’s needs would be warranted. However, there is nothing normal about Liverpool’s play this season. With every passing day, it seems that Rafa is looking to deflect blame for the team’s dismal performance. While there is plenty of blame to go around, much of the blame belongs to Rafa. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

Ivory Coast Provides Another Example of African Football’s Dependence Problem

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

So we’re still waiting on the announcement of the Ivory Coast job. Sven Goran Eriksson and Bernd Schuster are known to be on the shortlist. In the last couple of days, former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has sadly surfaced as an option, probably because of his wildly successful stints at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City. You already know how I feel about the African coaching selection process. But after this recent news of Mark Hughes’ inclusion on the shortlist for the Ivory Coast job, it is clear that someone is playing a practical joke. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

Nigeria Might As Well Hire Me Next: Systemic Problems in African Hiring

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

Nigeria has appointed Swede Lars Lagerback as their new national team coach on a five-month contract. I’m still trying to figure out why. I wrote an earlier piece about African nations’ perpetual need to hire foreigners to lead African teams. With the firing of Nigerian Shaibu Amodu, there’s only one remaining African coach poised to lead a side at Africa’s first World Cup, Algeria’s Rabah Saadane.

This isn’t about xenophobia. It is about understanding why African FAs always end up paying so much money to foreigners who, more often than not, end up turning in the same results as local coaches.

Over the past few decades, the Nigerian coaching job has been just about as stable as the Nigerian Presidency. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

Hiring foreign is not always the answer

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

Nigeria Coach

As it stands, there will only be two African head coaches at Africa’s first World Cup. The Nigeria Football Federation is standing by current Super Eagles coach, Shaibu Amodu, in the face of calls to hire a foreign coach. Taiwo Ogunjobi, Head of the NFF’s Technical Committee, has correctly noted that “[Taiwo] has one of the best records in qualifying. Even some of those that they are calling to replace him have not done better than him. So why should we reward them for their failure and punish him for his success?”

It is well documented that many local African coaches do not have experience in top level coaching environments outside of the continent. Algeria’s Rabah Saadane, the other African coach currently in charge of a World Cup side, is a perfect example. Saadane has a world of experience in African football. However, armed with almost exclusively continental experience, Saadane’s major challenge will be adapting to the multitude of global styles represented in the 32-team World Cup field. But as people focus on the lack of experience in the local, African coaching ranks, it is important to highlight that there are also countless foreign coaches who have accepted lucrative pay packages to lead developing nations who seldom bring a level of success commensurate with their pay. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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John _in_VA: Miriti, I loved your article. You are an excellent writer. Many US soccer fans wonder how a country as...
Mark Stevens: It’ would be prudent to note that the translation of “calcio e’ un...
Bob: An excellent, thoughful piece. As referenced, it is fair to both want increased Hispanic (and African American)...
Jen: Thank you so much for the answer. We are near Pittsburgh, and he does play on a travel team and cup team, which...
dreamingpixel: “Debussy – Claire de Lune”.. amazing work

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