Pim handles the pressure well

 
Slippery Jim Roar Rookie

By Slippery Jim, 8 Oct 2008 Slippery Jim is a Roar Rookie

Tagged:
 , , , , , , , , , ,

26 Have your say

Related coverage



Sports Highlights

Watch more sports news video



Coaches and their symbiotic relationships with the media often generate fireworks. Although speaking to the media is part of what professional coaches are paid to do and the media also need their precious sound bites from coaches to sell their wares, at times the mutual relationship seems fraught with drama.

Occasionally, well, let’s be honest – perhaps it’s more than occasionally – the coaches are the ones who fly off the rails.

Anyone who has read about or watched the recent verbal blast from new English Premier League coach Joe Kinnear would know.

52 swears in five minutes – even Gordon Ramsey would have blushed at some of what came out of Joe’s mouth during his undoubtedly cathartic spray at the expense of his local journos.

Even more shocking is the fact that he allowed them to print it.

One can’t help but think that Newcastle should now be able to pull themselves out of their mire by simply spending some of their well-laden swear jar pennies in the next transfer window. And perhaps even build a new stadium while they are at it.

Premier League coaches Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and others have all been fined for speaking out of turn.

Locally, John Kosmina also seems to enjoy a verbal stoush or two, and sometimes his stoushes have not been so much verbal, as Kevin Muscat can attest.

At other times it is the media who go off the deep end, such as when football analyst Craig Foster famously attacked Ange Postocoglou on SBS.

Not only did he ask the then under-20 national coach to resign off the cuff, and on national television, but he continually heckled the poor guy, speaking over the top of him.

Foster’s face all the while working furiously to come up with an expression that suited his Michael-Douglas in Falling-Down level of rage.

It was almost as if he imagined he was interviewing Osama Bin Laden’s evil twin rather than a well-intentioned, if underachieving. Aussie coach.

Speaking of Aussie coaches, in ‘Aussie’ Pim Verbeek, we have a more restrained individual. But while he certainly seems to keep his cards close to his chest, he doesn’t mind making waves.

In January this year, he caused much consternation when he said, outrageously, and with no provocation: “If you train for three weeks with Nuremberg or with Karlsruhe, I have to be very honest, I still think that’s better than playing A-League games.”

How very dare this upstart Johnny-come-lately Dutchman disrespect our brand new Aussie national competition so off-handedly. He might as well say he finds Vegemite vulgar, or enjoys kicking baby kangaroos, the journalists said, in not so many words.

It was interesting to see his style in an interview the other day in which he responded to Neil Warnock’s complaint about his comments about Nick Carle needing to leave the Championship to further his career.

In a response to a question about Australian footballer and darling of the footballing media Nick Carle, Verbeek said rather archly:

“I don’t want to speak about Nicky Carle anymore. Let’s start playing football first. How many games did he play the last months? Years? Let’s first show himself, his qualities, the last time he played well was here in the A-League. That’s two years ago. Let’s focus on Wednesday’s game, that’s more important.”

Then, directed at one journalist, “when was the last time you saw him play? That’s a good point, eh? [turns to another] When was the last time you saw him play live? Yeeeeeesss? No answer? Next question please.”

An astute comment that final one, since the last time I expressed the idea of watching Nick Carle’s overseas games – at the very least, via the web or Pay TV – to one of the football media’s loudest promoters of Nicky Carle’s abilities, he admitted that he didn’t actually follow that closely Nicky’s games overseas.

In fact, he was glad not to as he had better things to do on the weekends.

Seriously.

The Dutch Verbeek is typically blunt in his remarks, yet he certainly seems an astute handler of the media. And he gives as good as he gets.

In an interview last week with David Basheer and Craig Foster – who thankfully seemed almost at pains to be meek and mild towards Verbeek – he unapologetically spoke his mind and explained very clearly some of the reasons behind his selection decisions.

His laconic sense of humour also came through in the way he ended his interview.

When Basheer closed with the somewhat over-smarmy remark (all things considered, what with their criticism of both Verbeek and his assistant, Arnold) to the effect that “the whole of Australia is behind you,” Pim remarked ironically, “that’s a relief.”

Interestingly, from largely the same people who continue to complain about Graham Arnold’s supposed media silence after the Olympics, there has already been mutterings that perhaps Pim Verbeek would be best to also button it when it comes to speaking his mind to the press.

What right does the man have to his opinion – he’s only our national coach after all!

How dare he.

Get a daily football email

Our daily emails are only sent if there is content for the sport. You can subscribe to multiple daily emails; or get the daily Roar email with all our content in it.

We value privacy. More.