Sparky’s Column

Gone but not forgotten

It was short, it was sometimes sweet and it was always entertaining. The reign of Maradona as Al Wasl coach is over and the little man will leave us with some big memories. I will always personally remember his first game in charge which took place on a training pitch at Al Wasl. Every conceivable vantage point was taken as El Diego took his place on the sidelines. He exhibited all the intensity of his playing days as he prowled the touchline barking instructions at his players. The only ones who could understand what he was saying were the Spanish speaking imports but the rest of the squad were left in no doubt by his gesticulations. In his time here he had brushes with the press, fans, players and opposition coaches, there was never a dull moment with the Argentinian in charge. He raised the profile of Al Wasl way beyond anything experienced by a club in the UAE. The hype surrounding him never did actually die down and the mark he made on the game will be remembered here for years to come. The only problem was that he failed to make a mark on the pitch which is how all coaches, including Maradona are judged.

It is one of the great joys of being a football fan when you lay your eyes on the fixture list for the first time. The date on everyone’s mind now is the 5th of August as the draw for the two main competitions of the season takes place. The first fixtures all fans look for is the derby match and the champions from the previous season. The exception will be the four clubs wondering if it will be them fulfilling the fixtures in the newly expanded league. Sharjah, Emirates, Al Shaab and Al Dhafra have the lottery of the play offs to contend with first to see if they will be part of the newly expanded Pro League.

The next couple of weeks will be the toughest for a professional footballer as the dreaded return to pre-season training gets underway. The long runs and sprints up hills seem to be the popular image but times have changed. The first few days of pre-season will be used to assess and test current fitness levels. Once that benchmark is established the players will gradually build up fitness levels with the emphasis being on injury prevention rather than punishing them. The new approach is welcomed by returning pros and means the fans get to see all the players on the pitch for the new season.