Limpag: It�s not the time to get rid of Weiss

By Mike T. Limpag

Fair Play

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

JUST two weeks after going into the Southeast Asian Games with so much promise, the Philippines Under 23 team crashed out with just one win in five matches, after that tough loss to Brunei.

And after that loss and the embarrassing exit, some are calling for coach Michael Weiss to be sacked.


Should he? No.

But I think it�s time for Dan Palami to look for another coach for the Under 23, and let Weiss worry about the senior team. Let�s have a full-time coach whose only worry is the Under 23 squad and its preparation since getting Weiss to handle the Under 23 team has not been a success.

And Dan has been challenged by the failure.

Did you know why he agreed to handle the senior team in the first place?

It was because of the Under 19 debacle, a team that got manhandled by China, Korea in the AFC Under 19 championships in 2009. A pitiful showing that had Dan thinking that if only a Philippine team would have an ideal preparation, it won�t get embarrassed.

That�s why in pre-Suzuki Cup 2010, the senior team, under Dan, had the best
preparation possible, one this year�s SEA Games team didn�t have.

And Dan has been challenged, again, by the failure.

�Tough loss, sorry about that. An insight though on U23 coach, I thought the experiment would be good, it seems to be working for Vietnam and some other countries,� Dan told me minutes after that 2-1 loss to Brunei.

And because he�s a businessman who�s used to doing his thing in his own timeframe, he
isn�t wasting another minute.

�But I take your suggestion, will get U21 team NOW and have a full-time coach and trainer for the team. Setting it up now even before we arrive at our hotel. Playing lots of games together is THE key to building A TEAM. I know better now.�

It�s been pointed out often in the past few days that what we have is an Under 21 team, one that is eligible for another SEAG.

This team�s preparation has been less than ideal, while the pressure on them has been enormous. It was a fact I pointed out to coach Weiss in September.

�What happens if they don�t deliver?� Coach Weiss told me. �You will all say �fire the
coach, FIRE THE COACH?��

I don�t think we should get rid of Coach Weiss, unless he fails badly with the senior team. But it�s time, though, for the management to rethink its Under 23 preparation.

As to team captain Matt Hartmann�s desertion of the team?

That�s another topic to tackle.

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)


Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 17, 2011.