“We have a soft spot for Coach Weiss” – Phil and James YH
When asked about his fondest memory with the newly dismissed Michael Weiss, Azkal James Younghusband recalls a day in Cambodia last year.
The team was playing a friendly in Phom Penh, and it was James' birthday. The Azkals winger woke up at 7:30 am to find the coach by the foot of his hotel bed.
“He came into my room and waited for me to wake up. He wanted to greet me first thing in the morning” remembers James with a smile.
Weiss' three-year reign with the Azkals was characterized with ups and downs in dealing with the Younghusbands. The coach even dropped them for the 2012 Peace Cup because they allegedly didn't prioritize the team enough. But on the day the German mentor's term officially ended, the brothers had kind words for Weiss.
“He told us we were like sons to him” said Phil. The younger Younghusband also said that the coach often invited asked the brothers to bring their younger sister Keri to Weiss' home so she could play with his young children.
“We had a soft spot for coach. We are sad to see him go” added Phil. “Maybe he has the right to feel hard done by (treated unfairly) but Football is a ruthless sport.”
James was surprised by the timing of the change, saying he expected Weiss to remain on the job until the AFC Challenge Cup final stage in Mary.
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“He (Weiss) got the best out of Phil and made me a fitter player” added the elder Younghusband. Weiss has a sports science degree and it showed in his training methodology, which always emphasized tip-top conditioning.
James credits Weiss with helping him improve his diet and lifestyle in general to make him a better player. Both players say that Weiss really had a tough job, with the usual tug-of-war between club and country even more pronounced here than in more-developed nations.
Although the working relationship was at times strained, there were light moments. Phil recalls one of Weiss' metaphors for how energetic a substitute must be when he comes into a game.
“He said the sub should 'eat the grass,' and I found that funny.” Apparently the term is used in German to show that a sub must be so full of fight running around the pitch that he, in a figurative sense, devours the grass on the pitch. Maybe in German it sounds better.
The brothers also appreciated Weiss' support for the players when they wanted to beg off from meet-and-greets with fans while they were tired from training.
Phil and James expect a period of adjustment going forward, but there will definitely be some benefits to having a new coach already.
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“I think it will create more competition for slots in the Azkals” said Phil. A lot of the players will want to prove themselves to the new coach.” James even thinks that former national players now abroad may want to come back and try out for the team now that a new man will be in charge.
While the identity of the next Azkals coach is not yet known, Phil did express what he hopes to see in the next boss.
“I want a new-school coach. Someone who is young, hungry, and knows Asian Football.”
“I would like to see someone who really goes into the details” chimed in James.
Phil even has a peg for who he would like to see with the whistle in subsequent training sessions: Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers, from Northern Ireland, is a 40-year old who took unheralded Swansea into the Barclays Premier League in England via promotion from the second-tier Championship. In 2012 he was hired by Liverpool and has done well, guiding the Reds to a fourth place standing as of the moment.
The Younghusbands are fans of Rodgers tactical philosophies, which they say includes playing the ball out from the defense instead of hoofing it downfield, pressing as a team, and plenty of movement away from the ball.
A shortlist of six possible candidates that could replace Weiss has reportedly been prepared.
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
