PFF-G

I’m not sure if you follow the FOOTBALL FORUMS here in the Philippines, but if you do, you may have noticed a number of topics related to Michael Weiss. Some people seem to think that he is not very well qualified to work with us here in the Philippines. Some have even been advocating to bring back Simon McMenemy to pick up where he left off.

While there are always differences of opinions, I have generally been a Michael Weiss supporter not necessarily for his on field results, but rather for the experience he brings for development and the longer term approach he is trying to bring to the development of the team and football in general here in the Philippines.

In this regard, I wanted to share with you a post I have found on one of the forums at www.azkals.com, regarding the debate about coach Simon and coach Michael. The full forum thread can be found at the conclusion of this blog post. In the meantime, I invite you to read the following from HRK1, who brings an unusual degree of transparency and visibility to the value that Michael Weiss brings to the development of football here in the Philippines. By the way, this is not meant to slag off Simon. I personally would thank him for the many contributions he has made to football here. However, I do believe the PFF has made a good decision in moving on with more experience, especially in the area of development of football for developing nations like ours.

QUOTE FROM HRK1:
Michael Weiss is a FIFA and UEFA sanctioned international coach with the qualificaitons to back it up (sport development, management, international relations). He was trained by UEFA, Bundesliga and FIFA to develop football in poor countries. His work with the Rwanda FA should be a shining example. Rwanda torn by civil war, Michael managed to re-construct the Rwandan FA (with no money of their own), with no proper elementary schooling system – he managed to promote education through football and start up a youth program for kids that comes from different tribes (and grow up together as one in a unified team).

The difference between Rwanda and PHI:
As an african country, football is second nature to Rwandans. So, to re-establish football in Rwanda is like bees to honey, dengue and mosquitos, litchon and Mang Tomas sauce. Whereas in PHI, Weiss knew that the pinoy people will have an indifferent attitude to football due to “american colonial mentalism” in PHI (ie basketball).

If Simon is still the Coach, do you think he will have the contacts, the links, the knowledge to recruit Guirado, Schrock, Moeller or even get Echardt Kautzun as youth development director for PHI (Kautzun, was also the PHI coach during the 1991 SEA Games – we got to the semis that time). Under Weiss, we sent U-13 team on a football tournament in Malaysia, the U-14 and 16 competed in the ASEAN Age Group Championships. And our U-18 and Malditas competed in the ASEAN womens competition.

Although those teams did not do well, they at least participated and gain the experience (for PHI it was the first time in a long time to compete in those tournaments)….McMenemy did not send other teams out…because he did not know how to manage different levels of youth teams, hence for 2010, PHI missed out on sending our youths to tournaments.

The one and MOST hated aspect of Mcmenemy that I always tell people is that playing 9-1-0 (vs Vietnam), is NOT how you progress football. To me that win vs Vietnam is a one off (one-in-a-million shot) and for PHI to evolve in football, we need to learn to play football properly and not do a 9-1-0.

NO TEAM does that !!

All football bandwagoners in PHI think Simon is the greatest thing…but listen to people with a better and deeper understanding of football development, Simon does not have what it takes to progress football in PHI. People should stop crucifying Weiss for every defeat…PHI is still minnows in football and we will be so in the next few years.

Evolving / progressing football in PHI will take years and most pinoys need to understand that they need to look a lot farther into the future than what they see now.
UNQUOTE FROM HRK1

The full forum thread can be found here:

http://www.azkals.com/topic/true-or-falsemy-answer-true?replies=7#post-5708