Resilience is key for coaches

By Mark Chaplin in Stockholm

Stockholm conference
This view was expressed by UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh at the end of the sixth UEFA Conference for National Team Coaches in Stockholm, which brought together the national coaches and technical directors of UEFA's 52 member associations for three days of talks on the state of the international game after this summer's UEFA EURO 2004™ finals in Portugal.

Tough job
"It's a tough job, everybody wants you to win every game," Roxburgh, a former Scotland coach, told his colleagues. "But the first thing you have to have as a national coach is a rebound mentality - because even the best will lose occasionally. It's crucial that you have the ability to bounce straight back up."

Coping with pressure
The UEFA technical director urged the coaches to show fortitude and character. "Being a national team coach is more difficult than it was in the past because of elements surrounding the job, such as player power, media pressure, public pressure. Unless you're prepared to cope with that pressure, you shouldn't be in the job. You have to understand it and deal with it."

Decisions and details
National team coaches, Roxburgh added, deal in important decisions and fine details. "When you're substituting somebody, do you go on and hug him when he's coming off?" he asked. "Some people think that's a good idea - but what happens if the player coming off is not happy and throws his jersey at you? Or is it safer to send the assistant coach on in such a situation? These small things also matter when you're handling the national team job."

EURO praise
Roxburgh emphasised that the coaches at EURO 2004™ had been instrumental in enhancing the reputation of national team football in a period when the advance of club football was leading many to say that the international game was in dangerous decline.

Raising the standard
"At a time when a lot of negative statements were being made about national team football, our colleagues at EURO did a fantastic job in raising the profile of the national teams," he said. "They raised the standard when it comes to coaching teams - the coaching quality at EURO was excellent.

Vital protection
"Here in Stockholm, we have underlined the importance of the national team game. We've also identified the special nature of national team football - it is completely different from club football," he continued. "It represents a country's football more and more, because the clubs now comprise multi-international groups [of players]. National team football is on the crest of a wave after EURO - and from UEFA's point of view, the protection of national teams is vital."