Kick backs
NOBBY PILES
Unless there are unexpected problems, it looks like Peter Reid will be the next coach of the Thai national football team. Whether the former England and Everton star will have any more success in Thailand than the previous foreign coaches remains to be seen.
In the past couple of decades, Thailand has got through 10 foreign coaches - eight from Germany. one Brazilian and one Englishman. Nearly all of Reid's predecessors were either booted out or quit, suggesting Reid is not going to have an easy time of it. Brazil's unfortunate Carlos Roberto Carvalho even succeeded in getting sacked twice.
Still, Reid has been sacked plenty of times himself, so that should hardly bother him. As he said on a previous trip to Thailand: "They say you're not a real football manager until you get the sack."
By far the longest-serving coach was Peter Withe, the former England and Aston Villa striker. Withe survived nearly five years, from 1998-2002 and was in charge for 101 matches, winning 46, with 25 draws and 30 defeats - not a bad record in the circumstances. During his time, Thailand won the Asean Trophy twice and the King's Cup. Withe also took Thailand for the first time to the final qualifying round for the World Cup.
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| Can Peter Reid point Thailand in the right direction? |
His main achievement was to get the players to believe in themselves and not be overawed by foreign opposition.
Despite his relative success, Withe must have stepped on a few toes, because he was abruptly booted out after a couple of bad results. In one absurd incident, Withe was rebuked by a senior Thai official for wearing shorts on the touchline when the official felt he should be in a suit, not exactly ideal attire in the Bangkok heat.
Reid will probably run into the same problems as Withe. Language is always a difficult one to get around and Reid will need some helpful Thai assistant coaches to get his message across to the players. Reid is a forthright person and speaks his mind and may have some difficulties dealing with Thai sensibilities.
Another problem will be getting the team together for training with players based in Europe, Vietnam and Singapore.
Reid was a fine combative midfielder in his day and played 13 times for England including the memorable 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He played in the infamous "Hand of God" game when Diego Maradona scored two goals, and vigorously protested the first, to no avail.
But he had no complaints about Maradona's second goal which finished England off. Reid has the dubious honour of being one of the England players left in Maradona's wake as he went on his mesmerizing run. "It was a brilliant goal. I couldn't get near him," said Reid.
But of course it is his management capabilities that will be in the spotlight now.
Reid's most successful time in management was with Sunderland where he lasted seven years from 1995-2001, an achievement in itself. He became something of a folk hero as he took a team in disarray near the bottom of the old First Division up into the Premiership where they enjoyed two successive seasons in seventh place.
His efforts earned him Managers Manager of the Year award in 1996.
His final season was a disappointment, however. Although Sunderland escaped relegation, they were not much fun to watch with only 29 goals in the entire season. Perhaps the most valid criticism of Reid is that his teams rarely show much flair. Fans will put up with this if the team is winning, but not when the results go the wrong way.
At most of the teams he has managed Reid has come under fire from fans for a perceived "long ball" philosophy. This is something he will need to guard against in Thailand because the long ball does not suit Thailand's game. With Thai sides lacking height and a physical presence, the long ball plays into the hands of opposing defences. The Thai team has always been most effective with short passing.
Reid was once called by the legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, "the yard dog scrapper" and at Sunderland he certainly didn't go down without a fight. In the season he was fired he knew he was in for a rough time the moment a fan poured a can of lager over him after a poor performance in a pre-season match. Reid responded in typical fighting fashion: "No matter how much lager is thrown over me there's no way I'll be walking out."
He is someone who will not shirk responsibility. In the week he was fired by Manchester City he wrote in the club's programme notes: "We are not doing well. and that is down to me. The buck stops here."
Reid is certainly a character. For a start he's got a marvellous face. It is the face of someone who has been through everything, which he undoubtedly has. He has no pretensions either. Following a good display by a French goalkeeper in a match some years ago Reid commented: "Magnifico, or whatever they say in Paris."
In Sunderland AFC: The Official History. Reid is frequently referred to in almost reverent terms. It rightly calls him "the man that masterminded Sunderland's revival" in the late 1990s and concludes "the best, though, is surely still to come."
Unfortunately for Reid it didn't come at the Stadium of Light. But how about Rajamangala Stadium? Now wouldn't that be a story?
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