It’s unanimous: Couceiro must GO!

Please let someone read this and all the other negative sentiment and get this born loser out of the minds of our youth players! PLEASE!

Posted from  United States

Alleluia!!! He can’t leave fast enough for my liking.
As it is, we now have 2 championships he’s destroyed which we will never get back….

Posted from  Canada

More important than the championships are the experience the youth teams get. I’d rather see the team play well, show heart, show tactical acumen and lose rather than win the championship but lack the above.

I did see a some heart from the team when behind 2-0 to Mexico. Tactically, their offensive system is rigid and too dependent on players being able to dribble and fake around their opponents. The centre of defence has shown poor judgement and not enough concentration. They go out and play the same way against all the teams?

Yeah, the comments from U21 really do reflect poorly on the mental framework established by the coach, sheesh!

Lets hope these kids get on a club team with a real coach because they are being done a disservice with their time here. Perfect example is C.Ronaldo, his developement under Queiroz/Fergusson. On the flipside, look at Quaresma, I don’t think a coach has been able to bring him inline until Scolari, and Scolari needed to leave him off the World Cup team to do this.

Posted from  Canada

OGT - You said it. Having the right coach at this level is critical. It’s probably more important then having the perfect coach for the seniors. These are the formative years and situations like this will mark these kids for a while, forcing their next coach to clean up the mess.

Scolari had to spend far too much time correcting bad habits. His time could and should be spent on putting the final pieces in place to win championships, not correcting attitudes.

Posted from  United States

Good call guys (OGT & Luis). I hadn’t looked at it that way but you make sense.

From a development point of view they will not have learned anything, win or loose. We need to instill in them a “winning is more important than looking good” attitude.

Plus we really need a coach or coaching that gets them away from all the falling and whining. Hey sounds like the English system.

Posted from  Canada

Agree, with the above comments, which then brings us to, whom in Portugal would be considered a good coach, capable of leding the youth teams.
personally, if Paulo Bento left SCP, he may be an excellent option, former youth coach with Sporting and helped developed Nani, Djalo, Veluso and Moutinho and made them starters with SCP ahead of Players like Carlos Martins and Custodio. Even Scolari has praised Bento and the development he and SCP have done with players in the past. Outside of Bento, who would be considered for this position.
The one thing that Couceiro did do right was, maintain a very good relationship with the senior team, swaping players back and forth, allowing them to get valuable experience, talking about this also makes me thank God, that we have Scolari at the senior team, and also wonder who will replace him after Euro2008.

PT shopping list:

1 A strong natural striker

2 More motivating and qualified coaches

3 A natural left back. Antunes may solve this problem.

4 A league without cronyism

Posted from  United States

Yeah, I don’t know who would be best. I can only point fingers, not solve problems.

As for the shopping, list I was joking a while ago that Portugal should just hire a former Italian striker and make a school of strikers, ie. Luca Toni School of Strikers, similar to training of the Sporting Academie, but detentions for more than one touch on the ball in the box!

I also joked that while growing up, if you were above avg height you would be allowed to forgoe a boring classes like History or say Biology for an extra period of say, Maldini School of Central Defending.

Posted from  Canada

You may have been joking, but that’s exactly what they should do!

Posted from  United States

Good points gentlemen.

Now, any thought’s on tonights PT/Chili game?

I can tell you from personal observation that the Chileans are a very good team. They are very similar to the Mexicans. But if we play our game (no thanks to the coach) don’t make too many mistakes I think we can beat them. Even without Gama.

Posted from  Canada

I really don’t know Ceasar. The way the team played in the last two games doesn’t leave me feeling very confident. If they rally and play collectively, they can certainly beat Chile. It will probably be a close game and it may end up in extra time. The group stage didn’t go quite as planned, but now that they’re in the second round, it’s up to the lads to get the job done. They know they can’t count on the coach any more.

Posted from  United States

I know what you mean Luis. I just read an interview they had with our goaltender and he didn’t sound like a player who has total confidence in a win.
The coach (I’m useing the term loosely)said in the same interview, I think, that the players have recovered psychologically from the 2 losses but it doesn’t sound like it to me.
Gama is gone and they are spending too much time talking about it. It should be, he’s gone and we have more than enough talent to win, period.
But tonight we will know. The game will be late for us here. It’s going to air at 10:00pm my time. That mean the Toronto boys will be getting it at 11:00pm.
I hope they make it worth my effort to stay up.

Posted from  Canada

Ummm, CBC central Ontario is showing the game at 7:30EST. Argies are showing at 11pm EST (not live). I guess CBC uses different schedule out east?

As for game, yeah, they can win, but it doesn’t seem like the pieces are in the right places (confidence, chemistry, etc.) Chile are good organized side. Caesar, I think your spot on with attitudet they should have. Even the NT in the past was too reliant on Figo/Ronaldo to do something attitude. Scolari has been cracking that mindset, recall subbing Figo for Postiga at the Euro!

FORCA PORTUGAL U20

Posted from  Canada

WOW. worst Portugal game I have ever seen! Only player who played well was the keeper!

Zequinha is a headcase!

Only good can come from this is Madail apparently issued a warning that the youngsters have to learn to wear the shirt proud and learn how to go for win but be good losers too. Let’s hope this closes Couceiro’s NT coaching career!

Hi guys.
Just got back - guess where from… Couldn’t read it all, but the pic’s great.

The only thing mising is a huge boot on his ass… With some spikes and stuff…

Posted from  Netherlands