BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

German to coach Azkals?

This story appears in the Friday December 31, 2010 edition of the Business Mirror.
I ADVISE YOU ALL TO READ IT CAREFULLY. I SAID NO SUCH THING ABOUT REPLACING ANYONE. GIVE IT TIME AND THIS WILL SORT ITSELF OUT.

German to coach Azkals?
by rick olivares

The Deutscher Futball-Bund, governing body of German football has sounded off to help the Philippine National Men’s Football Team and team manager Dan Stephen Palami will be flying over for a two-day meet this January for exploratory talks.

Aside from meeting with the DFB, Palami will be meeting with Fil-Germans Manuel Ott, Mark Drinkuth, Stephan Schrock, Will Gueridon (Itzehoe), and Patrick Reichelt (Energie Cottbus) to possibly suit up for the Azkals AFC Challenge Cup campaign that kicks off this coming February 9 in Bacolod City in a home and away series with Mongolia.

The word is that the DFB has also offered to the national team the services of head coach Hans Michael Weiss, the current U-17 coach of Rwanda as well as the technical director of the Rwanda Football Association. Weiss, the 45-year old native of Dannenfels, Germany has also worked with the Chinese Football Association, and the Kyoto Purple Sanga of the Japan Football League among many others. Weiss has also served an internship with Spanish giants Real Madrid, English football club Arsenal, Argentina’s River Plate, and the Bundesliga’s FC Kaiserslautern.

30 comments:

  1. Wha? sayang si Mcmenemy. I mean this German coach has good credentials and all, but doesn't simon deserve some credit?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shocked! Hope they will let McMenemy stay. I think he is doing a good job.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We respect it, if it's the management's decision to replace the coach. they know what's best for the team. this is just surprising. What about coach McMenemy?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I kinda feel bad for Mcmenemy. I hope he still gets to coach Azkals in the future. He helped them get to where they are now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. McMenemy deserves a lot of credit as a young international team coach and I believe he should stay. Appreciate the help from the Germans' DFB but it doesn't mean that we have to offload McMenemy at the moment. He's done a good job but we need also all the help that we can get locally and internationally.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i will miss coach simon Mcnememy...

    ReplyDelete
  7. What i understand from the article is that Simon isn't being replaced but Weiss will join the coaching staff. Hey, if it's gonna help our team let him join us.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ah that clears things up. :) it's definitely a good addition, hope their coaching philosophies don't clash.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Let's learn from the experts while retaining Simon as head coach.

    ReplyDelete
  10. the German coach is a good addition, it will make the Azkals stronger and united as a team, as long as coaching strategies don't clash.

    ReplyDelete
  11. take it easy. abang abang mode lang muna tayo.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Germans have done this before. They lent to us a German coach in the 80's whose name I believe was Bernard Zgoll for free who not only coached the national team but tried to develop a program for developing football players.

    San Miguel Beer under the Sorianos bankrolled the training of our athletes at that time and also sponsored Coke Go for
    Goal. Coke at that time, was under the SMB banner as well. However because of lack of public and govt. support, lack of commitment from PFF and the political instability of our country, he left.

    SMB is now under the Cojuangcos who unfortunately do not have the same commitment to football like the Sorianos did.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I hope they don't replace Simon Mcenemy though. He has not only achieved results on the pitch but has instilled passion and commitment on the players
    as demonstrated by our ability to make last minute goals.

    Without the proper motivational skills, even the best coaches cannot get the team to get past the letdown they experience after being a goal or two down. Our team tends to rally and push for the equalizing goal inspite of this initial setback. This is a reflection not only on our players but also of the coach as well.

    He has also very good communication skills with both the players and the press and is adept at answering questions at press conferences praising both teams and engendering support from fans on the opposing team, which you don't always get from a coach whose first language is not English.

    The team has demonstrated a lack of seriousness and concentration in the days prior to the match with too many distractions(shopping, etc.) being allowed, but this doesn't seem to affect their performances on the pitch on game day too much. His inexperience at this level reveals itself at such situations but overall he has done a good job.

    His management of players substitutions or lack thereof, I will attribute to our serious lack of depth so hopefully with more talent he can use this tool to positively affect the outcome of the game near the end.

    If the Germans however do lend us a coach again we should take advantage of this opportunity to add his experience to our coaching staff and to help develop our football program in general. We still have other progams as well for both men and women in the Under 17, Under 20 and Under 23 levels, so we will need all the help we can get.

    ReplyDelete
  14. no one will be replace so chill out people

    ReplyDelete
  15. From what I understand, the German coach might somehow assist the Phil. team in developing football. Tama po ba? Doesn't say anything about replacing Coach Simon. I'm excited to know the new team players for Azkals. At the same time, hoping that the winning players and coach in AFF Suzuki Cup will be maintained. :)

    Hoping for a wonderful for Phil. football in 2011! Sana tuloy-tuloy na ang improvements/developments na gagawin from the football association and the government!

    ReplyDelete
  16. PFSA do not think that the missing A-License of Mr. McMenemy can be solved until Feb. 9!
    AFC rules needs to have a higher licensed coach.

    ReplyDelete
  17. At this point, we will need all the help we can get.

    The Die Mannschaft might be able to provide stuff that we can adapt in the development of football in the country. I see nothing wrong with the German assistance.

    ReplyDelete
  18. a German co-coach would be great! Hope him and Simon works as one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. i don't think macca will be replaced at all, the team management is just preparing for the future. we need a deep bench not just for players but the coaching staff as well.

    the german football have always been good to us i hope they open up their training centers for our youth teams

    ReplyDelete
  20. Aris Caslib has the necessary certificate for coaching. He can take over as the head coach leaving Simon on the bench to call the shots as the assistant coach. Simon can sit for his higher certificates at a later time but continue the good job he has been doing since he came to the Philippines.

    ReplyDelete
  21. 2010 ended great for Philippine football. And I'm foreseeing a greater year coming. Unless our officials mess up again. First, a lot of Fil-foreigners (professional players) are interested in donning the Azkals colors. Stop making decisions that would prevent this from happening. Second, DO NOT replace McMenemy. Why fix something that isn't broken. Our Coach did a great job. We should give him what he deserves. Let him keep his job.

    ReplyDelete
  22. German Coach assisting our team sounds great but replacing Mcmenemy is another thing and hope they will renew his contract. Goodluck Team AZKALS !!!

    Good Heart equals Good Karma :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Kulang ata credentials ni Coach Simon, kaylangan niya ng A-licence kung di disqualified ang team sa AFC challenge cup.

    Pero may nasimulan si coach Simon dito sa pilipinas na napaka importante, ang grass roots program/youth development.

    http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/2010/1012/simonmcmenemyphilippineschildren201010_275x155.gif

    ReplyDelete
  24. I hope that Coach Simon will get his A-license and be able to work with the Azkals again, but for the meantime let's just hope that the new German coach will work well with our team and support him the way we have supported Mr. McMenemy.

    ReplyDelete
  25. sorry, 'di ko lang matiis
    It's just that I took a class in German and
    it's "fussball" and pronounced "foos-bahl" ...hehe

    Anyway, I think that they have made clear that they will keep McMenemy as head coach, or at least convince him to stay if he decides to leave (which he probably will not).

    At kung may license problem si McMenemy, magandang idea nga yung maging "puppet coach" si Caslib pero si McMenemy talaba yung in charge. (like the poster above said)

    'Yung Brazilian world cup coach na nag-aral sa Pilipinas, na nag-offer na maging technical director ang kawawa. Personally, I prefer the Brazilian guy. He seems more sincere to help the Azkals.

    But anyway, I hope that the German support will arrive in time for the February Azkals game.

    It's nice that the Azkals' achievements have made a mark beyond the ASEAN.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I think like he stated Simon would prefer to play for us. The only problem is even if we decide to keep him, the Vietnam national team can offer an insane amount of money to Simon and we might not be able to match. Hope this isn't so. Vietnam's federation has numerous corporate sponsors to depend upon. We have to be realistic folks. At least we have credible options if this comes to fruition.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Simon isnt qualified because his coaching license does not meet the AFC requirements. i dont think they booted him out of the team. it had to be done so that the team could play in the AFC.

    ReplyDelete
  28. What most people do not know is that Simon is an excellent motivator. He is also good in his mid-game and on-field adjustments but yes, that lack of a proper coaching license will hurt.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi would anyone know what time the game versus Mongolia will start? Am referring to the Feb 9 game. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  30. I saw in LinkedIn that he is considering offers from other countries. Are there measures from the football management that will help Simon retain his coaching position? Afterall, He is one of the reason why we are playing great lately. Don't you think he deserves some support?

    ReplyDelete