Simon McMenemy, architect of Azkals’ miracle run, to coach Loyola in the UFL

The coach that helped launch the Azkals revolution is back in the Philippines.

Simon McMenemy has been named head coach of the Loyola Meralco Sparks of the United Football League, replacing Vince Santos, who led the team to the 2013 Cup title but was unable to win the more prestigious UFL league titles in the past two years.

McMenemy is a 37-year-old born in Aberdeen, Scotland who moved to England at the age of four. He will take over the reins of a side that finished a distant second to Global in the 2014 league.

Going forward, McMenemy has lofty ambitions for the Sparks.

“My goal for Meralco is to win every competition we enter. I think we have a good squad. We still have a couple of players to add and to look at,” said the coach after Tuesday's training in Emperador, his first with the team.

“We want to build a legacy here. We want to build a dynasty of performance. We want to be the number one team, we want to be the benchmark that everyone tries to emulate. We're looking at all aspects of the club to try and make it bigger, better and more professional.”

Team Vice-Chairman Randy Roxas explained the hiring via text message.

"Vince Santos did a fantastic job in getting our club to where it is today. The league has grown more competitive and we needed to bring in someone that brings out the best in our players. Simon has proven himself as a good leader and motivator. He understands Philippine football and is familiar with most of our key players. Transitioning to a new coach is never easy for a club but we felt there was less of a risk here under coach Simon."

"Since his successful stint as head coach of the Azkals, coach Simon has honed his skills further having coached at competitive levels in the ASEAN region. We are confident that he can take the Sparks to the next level."

After guiding the Azkals in 2010 to the Suzuki Cup semifinals McMenemy's contract with the Philippines was not renewed despite a handsome record of three wins, five draws and two losses. It was reported that the reason was he didn't have the proper coaching license to manage a national team, a situation that has since been rectified. Michael Weiss took over and helmed the side for two years.

ALSO READ: Grading the teams in the 2014 PBA draft.

Ironically McMenemy's next coaching gig was in Vietnam, the country the Philippines famously downed 2-0 in Hanoi in the group stage of the ASEAN championship. After a year in Dong Tam Long An FC, McMenemy then coached Mitra Kukar in Indonesia and New Radiant in the Maldives.

McMenemy becomes the third Scottish-born coach in the UFL. Global's gaffer is Leigh Manson while the chief of second division Nomads is Alasdair Thomson.

The coach certainly notices the great strides the game has made in the Philippines in the past four years.

“It feels different. It's amazing. There's a football shop in BGC that sells boots. There are new artificial pitches. The difference is amazing and it's incredibly humbling to come back and see the effect of what we did. It's a great buzz to be here.”

“I'm glad football is on the up. There is massive interest I am humbled to say I had a small part to play in it. I'm thrilled.”

But McMenemy has little time to look back at past glories. The UFL resumes with a cup competition on September 20, and he has to work on whipping up a tough side.

ALSO READ: Shakey's V-League finals preview: the virtual coinflip.

Promising midfielder Paolo Bugas has gone to Global, and it seems that defenders PJ Fadrigalan and Alex Elnar are headed to newly-promoted Manila Jeepney, where ex-Sparks Ref Cuaresma and Jake Morallo are.

Meralco has picked up Eddie Mallari from Kaya, so he will help strengthen the defense. Loyola will have plenty of key holdovers like Phil and James Younghusband, Freddy Gonzalez, Simon Greatwich, Sam Bonney, Joaco Cañas and Baba Sampana in goal.

McMenemy will not say if there will be massive changes in Meralco's style of play, but he does have a good idea of how he wants his team to play.

“I believe a good coach looks at what he has, plays to his advantages and covers his weaknesses. I want to play a passing game but not necessarily “tiki-taka.” That means making good decisions at the right time, being dangerous and also being very difficult to break down.”

“We'll be working equally on defense and attack, how we move the ball forward, where we build attacks from. I can't tell you if it will be different from last year. It will be my way of playing and I hope the players can get their heads around it.”

At least one player is enthused about the new leadership.

“I heard good things about him from the old Azkals players,” says Gonzalez.

“Our training was really fast-paced, you work a lot without thinking you're working a lot. His philosophy is similar to what Meralco should really be playing. Passing the ball but it's incisive, direct, it's quick.”

'No possession for the sake of possession?' I ask.

“Exactly,” replies the striker.

ALSO READ: NU's Troy Rosario says resilience is their weapon.

“He's no-nonsense,” continues Gonzalez. “He tells you what he wants and tells you his rules. It's black-and-white, no gray areas.”
Loyola faces a daunting task of defeating clubs like Global and Ceres who are retooling in the off-season. When asked if he sees any parallels between this Loyola club and the miraculous Azkals of four years ago, this is his answer.

“I'm starting to. In terms of the bonds we are starting to build within the team. There's a good spirit already, and we have only started training today.”

“I'm confident. These are good players. We've got a spine (the line between goalie to center forward) of strength. If we can add just one or two more to supplement them then we are going to be very difficult to handle this year.”

McMenemy is upbeat about Meralco's title hopes but he is also obviously thrilled to back in the country.

“This sounds cheesy but I just miss the genuine warmth of the people. Everyone is so happy to see me back here, which again is very humbling. After the way things were left, when there were questions about why I left, whether I wasn't properly licensed, it's nice that people who understand football are welcoming me back.”

“I'm just thankful and honored that people want me here. It's nice to come back and experience that warmth. It's always difficult to come to a new country. But this doesn't feel like a new country. This kind of feels like my second home.”

And his parting line seems like a message to the rest of the UFL.

“It feels like I have unfinished business here.”

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.