BALANCING ACT FOR McMENEMY

One country however, which has traditionally been less successful is the Philippines, a nation whose adoption of basketball as the national sport, marks it out from the rest of Asia. However, under the guidance of Englishman Simon McMenemy, the national team made it through an intensely tight qualification campaign and is gearing up towards the tournament which will be hosted by Indonesia and Vietnam.

Today we take a look at the job McMenemy faces and speak to the man himself about the challenges and rewards in promoting the profile and quality of football in The Philippines.

For those who have lived in, or spent long periods of time in Asia, the Philippines can seem a confusing and unexpected place. The predominantly Catholic country is a glorious mish-mash of cultural influences from nearby countries along with Spanish and American colonialism.

Vast, dispersed and diverse, the Philippines ranges from the white sanded, undisturbed, paradise islands of Palawan to the sprawling and stalling metropolis that is the capital city of Manila. It offers a joie de vivre in its people which is perhaps unrivalled in the world, but is also the host to ugly and often violent political disputes, particularly in the far south.

It feels like a South American country, which has somehow drifted off and woken up in Asia, unable to remember the night before.

Steve McMenemy’s appointment to the position of the Philippines national coach may seem one of chance, but this is a man with a broad and impressive background in football. Aged only 32, McMenemy has been involved in coaching for almost half his life.

His work extends to the USA, South East Asia, Scandinavia as well as involvement in the community schemes of clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal. During a conversation with some Filipino’s he had previously worked with, McMenemy mentioned that he was looking to take a step up in his career.

It was at this point that the vacant position at the summit of Filipino football was mentioned, and eventually (though without serious expectations of success), an application was made.

“I didn’t hear anything for about a period of about five weeks,”’ McMenemy recalled from the back of a taxi in Manila. “Then I heard from them, we finalized a few details and ten days later I landed in the Philippines.”

Articulate and thoughtful when speaking, McMenemy was quick to first highlight the advantages of choosing the Philippines as his destination when embarking in international football management for the first time.

“There is a strong American influence (where he has lived before) and everybody speaks English which has helped make this much easier. You can compare that to a friend of mine who is managing elsewhere in South East Asia and is simply unable to pronounce the names of several of his players, he has no option of communicating with them in training sessions, without the use of an interpreter,” he explained.

Although language has not proven to be a communicative barrier, McMenemy explains that there are some serious difficulties when it comes to training the squad: “We have some players who are based in Europe, players like Neil Etheridge at Fulham and the Younghusband twins who came through the Chelsea academy. These are top players, whereas the local players have never received any quality training, so I find myself teaching some of the players basic technique; it can make organizing a training sessions almost impossible.”

It is this disparity in not just ability, but exposure to high quality facilities and training which has highlighted a real problem endemic in Filipino football. A lack of success for the national team detracts sponsors from the game, and it is the sponsors’ money which will pay for the improved infrastructure needed to take the game to the next level.

To complicate matters, McMenemy also has to manage a balancing act by using European based players with their greater experience, not just for the immediate results of the team, but also for the improvement of the players based locally. If too many locals are used the results are likely to suffer and sponsorship will be hard to come by.

If too many foreign-based and second generation Filipinos are used, the team would be seen as less appealing to the Filipinos and so, again, sponsorship would be difficult to find. “It’s a vicious circle,” explained McMenemy. “We need sponsorship to improve the infrastructure in the country and bring success to the team. But we can’t get that sponsorship without some success first.”

Luckily for the Philippines, McMenemy has a broad knowledge of European football at all levels and by using contacts based there, can find any emerging talent which would be eligible to play for his team. However, he is adamant that any players based in Europe would be of a caliber sufficient to improve the squad and benefit the locally based players: “they have to be of a level which is high enough to help the team. They must be professional.”

So what about the future for the game in the Philippines, and more importantly how can the game in the Philippines escape from the self-fulfilling cycle of mediocrity it has found itself in. It’s clear McMenemy has been through this a thousand times in his own head, and it’s clear that this is a reason why he has taken the job, not for an extended holiday in the sun.

“The Philippines is a funny place and one where politics creeps into everything. But I don’t like or know politics, I know football. With increased press coverage, active recruitment and the establishment of a comprehensive scouting network, the game can slowly evolve, and hopefully I can be a part of that.”

McMenemy has a long way to go before football produces a star who is even in the same stratosphere as boxer/congressman Manny Pacquiao, but if McMemeny has his way, the sport will remain apolitical and focused purely on the game. This is exactly what Filipino football and the Filipino people need.

SOURCE: (By Paul Mulcahy,www.thesoccerlens.com)

AFF SUZUKI CUP 2010, FINAL ROUND FIXTURES

Group A – Jakarta, Indonesia (GELORA BUNG KARNO STADIUM, JAKARTA)

1 Dec Thailand vs Laos (1700hrs) / Indonesia vs Malaysia (1930hrs)

4 Dec Thailand vs Malaysia (1700hrs) / Laos vs Indonesia (1930hrs)

7 Dec Malaysia vs Laos (1930hrs at Jakabaring Stadium, Palembang) / Indonesia vs Thailand (1930hrs at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Hanoi)

Group B – Hanoi, Vietnam (MY DINH NATIONAL STADIUM, HANOI)

2 Dec Singapore vs Philippines (1700hrs) / Vietnam vs Myanmar (1930hrs)

5 Dec Singapore vs Myanmar (1700hrs) / Philippines vs Vietnam (1930hrs)

8 Dec Myanmar vs Philippines (1930hrs at Hien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh) / Vietnam vs Singapore (1930hrs at My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi)