I love it when my sister gives me simple gems like Amber Rubarth’s You Will Love This Song. Indeed I did. And you might too. When will Friendster Blogs allow embedding, I wonder.
I’m done with the newspapers, by the way. Typical headlines. I saw the word ‘revenge’ coming from a mile away, despite both clubs calling for a new perspective this year. But then again, I suppose its impossible to look at Athens and forget about Istanbul.
I know the football season is now well and truly over, which means I should really get started on getting my life back, at least until August, but I can’t resist. One more sports entry, I promise.
I was doing some free reading the other day when it struck me that there were parallels in the styles of coaches Herb Brooks and Bill Shankly.
Factually speaking, both manage completely different sports; the former was the head of the 1980 U.S Olympic ice hockey squad who beat all odds and went on to win the gold, and the latter took charge of Liverpool FC when they were at the bottom of the Second Division and turned them into Premier league winners, so the parallels drawn may just be a weak similarity in the sports world.
Be that as it may, these coaches are now hailed as legends, precisely because of the way they turned everything around with their respective teams which everyone else had written off.
It goes beyond tactical game plans; it boils down to the very belief and faith that they have in the team, and their drive to bring the players to new heights. To some, that drive may sometimes border on maniacal lunacy, but the results have shown that that very drive may just be the core of their victories on the rink/field.
Lets make things simple here. Example:
The U.S hockey team were trailing Sweden in the Olympics at half-time. Left-winger Rob McClanahan had just received a severe charley horse injury, and the doctor ruled him out for the rest of the match. Coach Brooks storms into the locker room, and confronts McClanahan, ordering to continue playing. It was ugly, and Miracle depicted the scene as going something like this:
Herb Brooks: What the hell is wrong with you? Put your gear on!
[pause]
Herb Brooks: I said put your gear on!
Rob McClanahan:
Doc told me I can’t play.
Herb Brooks: Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. You got a bad bruise. You know what, put your street clothes on because I got no time for quitters!(…) A bruise on the leg is a hell of a long way from the heart, candy ass.
Rob McClanahan: What’d you call me?
Herb Brooks: You heard me!
Rob McClanahan: You want me to play huh? Is that what you want?
Herb Brooks:
I want you to be a hockey player!
Rob McClanahan:I AM A HOCKEY PLAYER! YOU WANT ME TO PLAY ON ONE LEG? HUH? I’LL PLAY ON ONE LEG!
In reality, Coach Brooks had called him a cake-eater, which is a hugely derogatory term, especially for a player from Minnesota. It questioned his manhood, and is equivalent to ’sissy’, if put politely. Rob McClanahan was so furious he played on his injured leg, and the team managed a draw with the Swedes which was enough to put them through to the next round.
As for Coach Shankly, his attitude towards the team can be summed up in the most simplest of examples. Defender Tommy Smith had turned up for training with an injured knee. Shankly took one look at him, and promptly said:"Take that poof bandage off. And what do you mean about YOUR knee? It’s Liverpool’s knee!"
How far these managers go to push their players to overcome seemingly impassable boundaries and come out with all cylinders firing is a subjective question. On one hand, it may come off as a bullying attitude that sets aside human nature, but on the other hand, it might just be the recipe for coaching success.
So. Just exactly what attitude should one have towards transforming an underdog team to world class status?
That’s for you to decide.
Enough said here.
