Fair Play: Should we get rid of Coach Weiss?

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu)

THERE’S an interesting post in the Pinoy football page in facebook, and the poster wants to get rid of coach Weiss.

Fire him he said.

So, should we? Or more importantly, should the PFF team management get rid of Coach Weiss?

No.  But that doesn’t mean the sentiments should be ignored by the coach or the team management.

Coach Weiss is in a position no Philippine coach has ever been before and his every move—and non-move--is criticized by fans, which is a welcome change. (In PHL football setup, I pay more attention to fan and social media criticism, not traditional media criticism).

But should we fire him?

Because he’s tinkering with the lineup so much that if he could get away with it, he’d put in Neil Etheridge at midfield or Chieffy Caligdong at goal? 

There’s been lots of talks against Weiss’ penchant for fielding players off their positions or of his lack of sub—he won’t sub if his life depends on it—and I’ve had my fun poking here and there regarding that but I don’t think it’s worth getting fired.

Sometimes, experiments work and I present El Capitan Alexander Borromeo as Exhibit A. Here’s a guy who started as a goalkeeper in the national youth team, became a striker in the senior team and is now known as the best defender the Azkals fans have ever known.

I don’t like the way Coach Weiss keeps harping about lack of preparation, of saying he wants to expose the homegrown players only to deny them the opportunity, but is that reason enough to send him packing?

No.  But it’s reason enough to ask a lot of questions.

Come to think of it. What has the Philippine team achieved under him? We got to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, we got to the main draw of the Challenge Cup and these are things no Philippine team has done before.

Should we get rid of Weiss and get Coach Simon McMenemy back? Coach Simon’s contract wasn’t extended for a reason, and the players in the 2010 squad know that and I say that’s a step backward.

So, should we get rid of Coach Weiss? Hell no. With a tournament just around the corner? It’s suicide!

But that doesn’t mean that fans should stop criticizing his moves. I believe that in the absence of pundits and knowledgeable writers in traditional media, all these talks serve a “check-and-balance” function. It's the online equivalent of "Please explain in 24 hours..."

For the Challenge Cup and the Suzuki Cup, let’s stick with Coach Mike.

Fire him? I wouldn’t go that far.

Does that mean a contract extension is a cinch? Oh, I wouldn’t go that far, either.