ONE MAN DOWN IN REVERSE.
It seems that almost every week I am seeing some crazy coaching challenge.
Here is the list of strange ones so far this season:
Switching on field formations at half time to change things up.
Playing a man up and at half time playing a man down.
Red Cards & Keeping track of multiple yellow cards for players.
Water on game days
Late Players.
Struggling with clean uniforms and having 15 jeresys.
The Drinking season
Players not having boots (shoes) or having them break apart in the middle of game.
Game balls and practice balls that disappear,suck or break.
Lateness of players.
Many not coming to training.
Organizing transport.
Players refusing to go into games as a sub.
Players taking off the uniform on the bench before game is over preventing them from being put in the game.
Execs who don't really care.
The Manager has stopped informing players of game times, handling game day stuff
And the disappearing of players. (By this I mean, often times they just stop showing up, or are transferred or retire without telling any one.)
So now to add a new one that is a combination of all the above except clean and ready uniforms, todays game is supposed to be an easy one. And it is a holiday weekend, I have two mid fielders out because of cards. And 2 working over the weekend. So the midfielders that I put in the game wouldn't normally player much much less start. The defense & offense was pretty much the same except that one defender showed up without boots (he is young about 18 and lives in an ophranage) usually they are able to find some pregame time but not on this day. The last 4 players showed just before leaving to make us a full squad.
So we started the game with only 10 men. As he ran around trying to track down some boots. I called my Counterpart Dennis who has on a regular occasion saved the day with his knowledge, connections and will power. Oh, and we only had 11 players show up total. One player who basically refuses to be apart of the team was at the meeting place at game time but didn't come to the field (I had 2 palyers in the stands cause of cards as cheerleaders for the fans). So the team plays for the 1st 30 minutes of the game until Dennis gets some boots and at the sametime he drags the sitting out player to the game to be my only sub. I tell him to change into the uniform right away, (he is one of the players who has refused to get in uniform) and just before half one defensive player gets kicked in the knee and has to come out.
So I put the new player in the game not more than 10 minutes after his arrival.
Now since this team was terrible we were lucky that they didn't get any goals against us in 1st half and as soon as we became a full squad we scored. Off a great cross and a head ball goal.
Half time pep talk about playing smart no yellow cards, no stupid crap and since we were in 4-3-3 and attacking we kind of switched it slightly to 4-3-1-2.
And in the second half we allowed a silly goal and scored two more goals from crosses that were scored by head ball goals. And it was a Hat Trick for my star forward who now has 14 goals for the season. A Hat Trick with head ball goals. Again, another thing that I will probably never see in my life again as a coach.
So it was a great win 3-1. And we are moving up the log ladder.
And Game 3 of 4 this week (Ok, so game 2 was a rain out but we did play 12 minutes of it)
WOW.
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