Chipolopolo Coach: The Best Candidate

The Football Association of Zambia is on the verge of announcing a new coach following the resignation of Wedson Nyirenda in May 2018. Nyirenda departed with a 48% Win rate and FAZ will be hoping their next appointment gets a better win rate during his tenure. What then should FAZ and their Panel of experts be looking for in the Man to lead Chipolopolo for the foreseeable future?

Here are some of the crucial pointers worth considering.

•Immediate and Long term Results

Chipolopolo have been consistently inconsistent lately and haven’t maximised on the potential possessed. The next coach must look to restore pride as soon as possible with an immediate bounce and follow that up with Long term Results.

Getting the balance right between establishing and settling in a new environment and securing results is tricky but someone out there must be able to do it. The desire for results is immediate and must be sustained if Zambia has to sit with the big boys at the table of African and World Football.

•Stability and Consistency

The ship has been rocking for a while with multiple selections whose motivation has been questionable at times. More call ups to the National side may be a good thing to enlarge selection pool but not at the expense of results. Their is need for a man that will differentiate call ups from crucial engagements to developmental engagements but even in doing so must be consistent enough.

National teams don’t camp for long enough especially for qualifier games and as such a consistent selection will help build and have a better national team.

Consistency in ideas will go a long way. The language spoken must be plain and simple yet assuring one thing in the end, results.

•Hunger

A trainer with hunger to succeed is another quality to be looked at. Not really a big name coach or unknown coach but one with a desire to make his name, restore pride in a team and aiming to conquer all that stands in his way. This hunger must also be channeled to the players and make them realise every match is an opportunity of a shot at greatness.

•All Embracing

Generations will come and go, classes will come and go but what is consistent is the need for a performing team. Those Graduating from under age teams must be fused in,those performing at clubs must join the fold,those that are consistent must tag along as the key word is output.

It is also important to know that no player is inferior nor greater than the team but that whenever an assembly is made, it is the best available players regardless of their age with a view of a team remaining consistent both in the short and long term.

•Motivator

A coach that will remind players they are as gifted as their considered ‘superior’ opponents if not even better. Some of the Zambian Players perform wonders at their club sides but appear dazed and lost at National assignments and require one to remind them it is still a game of football and they out to express themselves.

Players must be motivated to know that they are in the team on merit and that their ability expressed in the context of the team’s requirements will propel them to near immortal state.

The next man must get into the minds of the players and help them realise winning and losing starts from the mind not just in theory but make them realise it and live by it.

•Clear Ideas and Philosophy

The Chipolopolo job is a big Job and must be treated as such. The coach’s ideas must fit into the F.A’s strategic vision and plan. One man can show up with brilliant ideas but if they don’t match or speak at the level of our player’s gifting then they are not good enough.

Zambian player have these traits in abundance.. Pace,Skill,Intelligence and right physique.. The Chipolopolo coach must have a philosophy which utilises this innate abilities and not try to impose ideas that border on players change who they are entirely. These abilities should help a team be multi dimensional and that is the direction we should be moving in.

A few other qualities may pop up such as being firm and fair,Playing best players despite them erring and punishing them later but above everything else, results are paramount and if the next Chipolopolo coach will be ideal, only time will tell. Between now and then, may the Powers that be Move Zambia in the right direction and appointing the right coach will be a huge step.