Graig Carbino writes an outstanding blog about ownership and management hastily firing a coach when the going gets touch. The New York Rangers (NHL) and Phoenix Suns (NBA) are the most recent culprits, but it can happen at the national team level as well.
Carbino writes "Bruce Arena’s tenure with the US program was as mixed bag as you get. He started out with people questioning whether the US could advance with a domestic coach. Winning calmed people down, and overseeing the high water mark for the modern history of the US National Team gave him all the credibility he should've needed."
"Instead, he ran into that standard coaching problem the minute the results turned. The 2006 Cup campaign didn’t quite go as planned and when the US team returned home without making it out of the opening round you just knew Arena was doomed."
I thought some of his most interesting points came in reference to the lack of professional playing experience of former US national team coach Bruce Arena, and current manager Bob Bradley.
"Neither Bradley nor his predecessor were standout players. Arena had more success in pro lacrosse than he did in the professional soccer scene of the mid-70's. One National Team cap and some time in the American Soccer League beats Bradley's complete lack of professional playing experience, but neither of them would point to their playing years as impressive.
This notion that you had to have been a superstar player to understand the game still baffles many. Look at Arena and Bradley as two simple examples of how this antiquated, shortsighted viewpoint lacks any credence."
This notion that you had to have been a superstar player to understand the game still baffles many. Look at Arena and Bradley as two simple examples of how this antiquated, shortsighted viewpoint lacks any credence."
When you look at the success of the US national team coaches, coupled with the success of Jose Mourinho (Inter Milan) and Rafa Benitez (Liverpool), it leads you to believe that practical experience as a coach or manager is a heck of a lot more important than playing experience.
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