Sarawak FA needs a strict and respected coach to succeed
March 6, 2019
Sarawak FA is technically ‘head-less’ now.
The sudden removal of both Anai Igang as head coach, and David Usop as his assistant has left the team without a tactician to prepare the team for the coming match against PDRM FA
The fixture would be a Piala FA fixture, and PDRM is a Liga Premier side at the bottom of the league. However, the Piala FA is a knock out competition and what happens in the league may not translate to what happens in the cup competition.
In preparation for the match, the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) is expected to appoint a new head coach soon.
While rumours are going around about possible replacements, one needs to look back to the glorious days of Sarawak FA which were during the Alan Vest, Jalil Ramli and Robert Alberts era.
All three coaches brought silverware to Sarawak’s trophy cabinet and are highly rated by fans.
While both Alberts and Vest had to build a team from scratch, Jalil succeeded an already disciplined team when he took over from Vest. This however does not mean he is not equally talented as a head coach.
The local Sarawakian was already highly respected by the players as he was also the captain of the team during the last few seasons before he took over from Vest.
Looking deeper at the three coaches, there are two traits that make them successful with Sarawak FA.
The first trait has to do with respect.
While local Sarawakian Jalil was already respected when he took over the team hence making it easier for him to deal with the players, both Alberts and Vest didn’t have such privilege.
However, they were foreigners and were well backed by the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) management to deal with matters related to the team.
This allowed them to handle players better and build a team they preferred, hence earning the respect of the players.
The second quality all three coaches show is their strong emphasis on discipline. This is interrelated to ‘handling of players’ mentioned above.
Players needed to show discipline on and off the pitch before they could play, and this in turn ensured game plans were followed to the dot. Indiscipline was intolerable and punishments were done with support of the FAS management.
Their ability to instill discipline in the team allowed Sarawak to play as needed, hence making it easier for the three coaches to plan their match tactics with precision and success.
That said, if Sarawak wanted to hire a new coach, it is therefore key for the new head coach to have these two traits.
If the new head coach doesn’t have such traits, Sarawak may not be able to save itself from relegation to the Liga M3 regardless of how many times they change their head coach.
Also Read:
Did FAS act too soon by ‘resting’ Anai and Usop?
Sarawak FA needs a strong midfielder to shine
Growing injury list hitting Sarawak midfielders
This article is brought to us by our Sports Writers Club resident columnist – Cyril Dason.
