A person-by-person look at this recent Azkals mess

These are my thoughts on the protagonists in this nasty war of words going on with the Azkals.

Stephan Schröck. I believe that Stephan doesn't really need the Azkals. He is comfortable in Germany, likely still earning a good wage to play football, even though he has dropped down a tier in going back to Greuther Furth. A pro footballer in Europe is a club player first and an international footballer (if at all) second. The clubs pay the regular wages. The international team, which in some countries only plays a few times a year, is about honor and glory.

Put yourself in Schröck's shoes. He plays for the Philippines because of a sincere love for his country. That I am absolutely sure of. But Azkals duty was always a side project for him, and a dangerous one since it puts him at risk of injury.

All went well with the Azkals for a time. But once he came across a coach that didn't suit him, perhaps the side project became a pesky inconvenience. One that he could very well do without. And so he has vowed never to play for coach Thomas Dooley again.

It could very well be a tactical thing. Anto Gonzales, a former Azkal and UP's coach, was at PFF on Thursday for another meeting. He pointed out that under coach Weiss, Schröck had a much freer role nearer the center of the park. But Dooley apparently has a more rigid system with Stephan out in the extremities of the 4-3-3 formation. The coach likes his chess pieces in their assigned squares on the table.

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So a disgruntled Schröck serves up bile in the German media after Maldives. His words reportedly don't translate into anything cheerful. In the greater scheme of things, it was probably not the best thing to do. But since Schröck can afford to sprinkle this bridge with kerosene and follow that up with a lit match, he carried on. Best result from his point of view is that Dooley eventually exits stage left and he can put the Azkals shirt back on. At worst, he never plays for the Philippines again, and that is fine now that he's back in Greuther, where he developed through the youth system.

Gonzales said that Schröck never displayed any hint of a bad attitude in previous camps. He even willingly helped the support staff carry gear during training. This fantastic attitude has been corroborated to me by several players and people close to the team. But players are not robots, and somewhere along the way Schröck reached his limit and all hell broke loose.

But Schröck cannot expect his words to lead a players' revolt. It just won't happen. Unlike him, most of the others on the team need the Azkals for both personal and professional reasons.

Thomas Dooley. The German-American has done some truly wonderful things for the Philippines since he signed on. The man is pleasant, approachable, chatty, and warm. And he knows his football. Dooley has played and won at the highest levels of the game, both internationally and at club level.

As a coach he is reportedly very disciplined, organized, and big on details. He loves calling classroom sessions for the Azkals and showing power point diagrams that show strategies and tactics.

On the pitch the team shows a great willingness to pass the ball, and at the end of the day, his runner-up finish at the Challenge Cup is a sterling achievement.

Dooley has also introduced new technology to the squad, signing up for a service that digitally tracks every player's move on the pitch.

I also appreciate his willingness to go with youth, despite the fact that he only has a one-year deal that could compel others to have a win-now-with-proven-veterans mindset. A passel of young Azkals have been blooded under his watch.

But Dooley is not an experienced coach, yet. Before he got the Philippines job he had one rough season in charge at Saarbrucken, a lower-league German club. From after that until the Philippines job, he appears to have only coached youth sides.

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Handling a national side is a brutal, stressful, difficult job. There are landmines everywhere. A varied skill set is required, and one of those skills is communication. Maybe this is where Dooley has something to learn.

Case in point: former national team assistant Diding Cabalida says that while he, Brax Bracamonte, and Roroy Piñero were assisting the Azkals a few months ago, they received a text message saying that training for that Sunday was canceled. And yet practice did push through in Ateneo, with the new assistant coaches, Bruno Baltazar and Jorge Kuriyama. I believe Leigh Manson of Global was also present. The three Pinoy mentors took that as a big hint and resigned soon after.

Cabalida says he was told by the Azkals staff that Dooley would talk to them next week. The head coach never called, texted, or emailed. I admit I have yet to ask Dooley for his side on this matter.

“Maybe the players (in this ruckus) have experienced what we experienced” said Cabalida, who had been with the national team for over a decade.

Perhaps Dooley is just unable to get across to some of his players and properly share his views and missions. Perhaps. I really can't say. I have not been privy to team functions.

And should he have shot back so strongly at Schröck? Three experienced coaches told me that Dooley should have been more careful and perhaps shown restraint, that answering back harshly did him no favors. That he could have taken a high road and the long view instead.

I believe though that Dooley is still the right man for the job. He has a system in place, has succeeded, and is tactically sound. But he needs to stay humble, open-minded, and continue learning and growing. I think he will do just that.

Dennis Cagara. Speaking of communication, I think there was a breakdown of just that between Dooley and Dennis. Both men agree that something like the following conversation happened in Maldives.

CAGARA: Will my leaving during the tournament early to play for my club affect my future with the Azkals?

DOOLEY: No, of course not.

And yet their relationship has now gone down the tubes, with Cagara calling Dooley dishonest and saying he won't play for him anymore. How did this happen?

In my opinion, this was a case of Cagara hearing what he wanted to hear and maybe Dooley not making himself clear enough. It's hard to fault just one of them.

Cagara believed that in hearing Dooley's response, it meant the left back would always be called up if fit. But there's a problem with that assumption.

Cagara has not realized that while his early exit may not affect his future with the team, other factors would. The factors are named Daisuke Sato, and Jeff Christiaens; both young, experienced, and proven left backs who both live in the Philippines and don't need flying in.

Dennis may have also assumed that his Maldives exit was the reason for not making the Peace Cup squad. But it's far from that. Not only does Dooley have options at Cagara's position, but the Peace Cup is a preparation for the Suzuki Cup, which does not take place on international dates. Cagara might not be available in November if he has a club by then. That's yet another factor for his omission.

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In fairness to Dennis, maybe Dooley didn't explain all of that well enough. Maybe. I really can't say for sure. Oh to go back in time and be a fly on the wall in Maldives last May.

For me, this rift is mostly miscommunication, and should be the easiest one to straighten out.

Dennis is a wonderful, amazing player. At 29 his international career still has legs. I hope he reconsiders and makes himself available to us soon.

Neil Etheridge. I really, honestly feel for Neil. His successes with the Azkals are the crown jewels of his career. At the club level there has been far too much sitting on the bench for Fulham. No doubt the constant riding of the pine grates at him. And now... it's happening with the Azkals too. In fact, he isn't even getting selected for the Peace Cup.

If we once again slip ourselves into the player's cleats, we can see how gut-wrenching it all is. He must feel that the rug is very much being pulled under him at both club and country.

What he needs to do is relax, step back, and keep calm. That includes refraining from making emotionally-charged social media statements regarding the Azkals now. They don't really help. He needs to focus on the work. On finding a club, keeping in shape, and playing well. He also needs to be patient. He can afford to be, since a keeper's career is often longer than that of an outfield player.

Etheridge is just 24. In goalkeeper terms, very young. Heck, Brad Friedel, the former USA number one, is still playing for Tottenham at the age of 43, nearly two decades Neil's senior. If one human year is seven dog years, then one human year is equivalent to maybe .8 goalkeeper years. Neil could have a decade and a half to go before he hangs up his gloves, as long as he stays fit.

Fortunately he has been wise enough to avoid saying he won't play for Dooley. The coach and him may not see eye-to-eye on everything, but there is plenty of time and space to fix this relationship. And I hope it happens.

Neil is a badass keeper with terrific reflexes, international size, and a superb presence in and outside the box. If he can't find a club to latch on to in Europe, maybe he can try Asia. Thailand, Indonesia, maybe even Korea or West Asia . These places could give him a decent wage and tough enough competition to keep him sharp. Asia also keeps him close to the Azkals.

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Will this all get resolved? Not soon. But who knows? The Younghusbands and the Azkals kissed and made up only a few weeks after that big brouhaha in 2012 when the brothers were removed from the Peace Cup roster.

Footballers go at each other with hard tackles and harsh words in battle, then at the final whistle shake hands. Maybe they can do it off the pitch as well.

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.