The Coach's Blog

Sorry folks...

2009-10-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

For those still logging in to check out my blog...

Unfortunately, I am just too busy to create another entry. When I do have time, I am often too tired and lazy to do anything. However, I plan to reignite this blog before I fly back home (November 30). I should have more time to note a few things down leading up to my departure. I will say this though - my 3 year Visa application has been put in and now it is just a matter of waiting. I'm really hoping it comes through!

I trust you all will keep your fingers crossed for me! Thanks!

Never have I jumped so high!

2009-08-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

So here is the thing. Even though I am probably the tallest guy in the world, I am extremely afraid of big bugs. Spiders, bees etc. You name it and I'll most likely shudder with fear. Therefore, it is maybe not the smartest thing to currently be working and living in America, where millions of gigantic bugs call it their home. The following is a little story of me acting like a big baby...

Just a few days ago, I arrived home after a long and tiresome coaching session. All I wanted to do was have some food and crawl into my bed. So, as I entered the house, I approached my bedroom door, opened it, switched the light on, and kicked my shoes off. As I was changing out of my coaching gear, I suddenly heard a whizzing sound. Straight away, I knew there was something with wings in my room and I don't like things with wings (notice the rhyming - how slick is that?). At first, I thought it would be one of those standard house flies we always get, which don't bother me one bit. However, I was completely wrong - big time.

The whizzing played again and I looked over to the window from where the dreaded sound was coming. I cautiously approached the window and gradually lifted the blinds. TERROR! RUN FOR YOU LIFE!

I think I must have jumped across the room in one step - I was that frightened. I had no idea what the thing was. All I know it was massive, had jumbo jet like wings, and looked extremely intimidating. Unbelievably, as I was composing myself, the thing took off and was heading towards me. Was I brave and heroic? No - I ran, exited my bedroom, and shut the door. When I was younger, when ever there was a spider in my bedroom, I would get my Dad to get rid of it. He would always do it in a peaceful and civilized manner by picking it up with his bare hands and putting it outside. Unfortunately, my Dad was not here to deal with this flying monster thing, which was buzzing around in my bedroom. Yes, it was so big that I could still here the buzzing, despite the door being closed.

Silence arrived and I thought it must be resting somewhere. So I carefully opened the door and found the beast lying on one of the window ledges. In a flash, I picked up a shoe and threw it. Done. The thing was dead. Finally I could go into my bed and sleep peacefully. I really wish I did not have such a fear because, like then, I killed something. It's not right really, is it? I don't know. It just feels a bit weird. Oh well, I'm sure I'll be coming up against more incredibly scary things in the future.

I'll be trying my best to try and get as many blogs down as possible because I do actually have a lot to say but due to my high school commitments and other things, I am very busy. So please keep logging on and checking the blog out.

A hot and busy week...

2009-08-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

I guess summer has finally arrived in New Jersey! I'm not a fan of extreme hot weather, especially if you are a soccer coach out on the field day in day out. So far this week, in the mornings I have been working at the Immaculata High School soccer preseason camp from 9-12. Thankfully, it is not as hot during those times but you still have the sun directing its rays onto you. I have also been on the field for the Middlesex camp we are conducting, which has been running from 4-8. So yeah, I have been extremely busy this week, which is why I have not been able to get on my blog and put something on. So apologies to anyone getting annoyed with me. Well, I don't really care - all I care about is feeling cool (and not hot!) again.

Every Tuesday now, I am coaching a U9 girls team based in Husk and I had my first session with them. It went well. Some of them have never played soccer before so I did a very basic session, concentrating on simple techniques. Some of the girls are hilarious - some of the things they say just make you laugh. For instance, I asked them to come into me so that I could talk to them about the little exercise we just did (I always do that - all the best coaches do it...it's a best coach thing). Suddenly, one of the girls spots a cat (it could have been a fox) in the distance and, naturally, all the girls' attention became focused on the animal.

With the quick-thinking brain I have, I quickly said to them to imagine I was the cat. So they brought their eyes to me and one of the girls came out with this comment, "You can't be a cat. You are all sweaty, hairy, and...and...and, disgusting". Yes, I will repeat that for you all...disgusting. That's nice to know, isn't it? Not only am I sweaty, hairy (I didn't shave that day, which is why that particular comment was made) but I am apparently disgusting. When the girl said that, I instantly burst out laughing as did the rest of the girls. It was brilliant. Apart from that though, I think they like me. I look forward to what the next comment will be next tuesday!

Oh yeah, I should probably mention this as it is car-related. Yes, further disaster. It came in the form of me locking myself out of the car. It happened two days ago after the Middlesex camp. My mind was in another place as I just came off the field after 4 hours in the baking sun. I was taking my cleets off (the American term for soccer boots) and rested my keys inside the open trunk. Once I had completed the shoe-changeover, I inexplicably shut the trunk. It hit me straight away as to what I had done. Luckily though, Francisco, who is the main man running things at the Middlesex camp, dashed home quickly to get some tools and, to my amazement, he performed a professional job of opening my car. All he used was a coat hanger and a stick. Fantastic.

More car disasters to follow shortly...

A fun day indeed!

2009-08-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Jersey United had it's first ever family fun day this past Sunday and it turned out to be a great success and a very enjoyable day for everyone. It took place at Falcon Field, which at some point in the near future will be the new home of Jersey United. Personally, I do not like it as twice I have been stung by wasps and wasp stings hurt quite a bit. Even though I am the tallest person in the world, I am a big baby when it comes to either spiders or big bees (ie. massive wasps that sting you!!). I really don't know why these wasps are stinging me - I wish they would tell me. Oh well.

Anyway, for me, the family fun day was great. The majority of the U10s team showed up, which I did not like at all as I find the kids quite annoying. No - it was nice to see them all again, not to mention the lovely parents as well! Towards the end of the day, we all got together and, rather embarrassingly, I received a lovely thank you card and some gift cards. If any of you are reading this, let me thank you once again - you really should not have but you did, so thanks! The gift cards will come in handy when I am pulled over again and have to pay a fine! I hope the police officer will accept it. Apparently, I will be receiving another gift in the post - so I am really looking forward to it. I have to admit though, I really hope it is one of those modern, up to date tire repair kits - let's hope, eh?

How hot was it yesterday by the way? I really did not appreciate it. Was sweating like there was no tomorrow - sorry, you probably did not need to know that piece of information. I blame my Dad for the genes of excessive sweating. I have to do a private one on one training session soon, which will mean more sweating and flies sticking to my face. However, I have bought some fly repellent spray, which will hopefully work. Yet, I know it won't work as things like that never do.

I think I am going to go to the gym now, before my private session. Need to burn some calories - too much burger king, you see? I think I should have some lunch first though - burger king maybe? Yeah, why not.

Who ate all the Pringles?

2009-08-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Now, as I am sure all of you have got the impression of, I am a huge fan of food - I literally cannot stop eating. If you ever bump into my Mum, just ask her about food bills. When I am not around, she is fairly content! However, when Christmas comes around, she always mentions the rise in the food bill. Anyway, apart from coaching on the field, you will usually find me in the Jersey United office. I always make sure I have little snacks on my desk - just to keep me going you know? Thankfully, the office has a refrigerator so I store some essentials in there as well. At times like these, I am extremely happy. However, in the office today, I was hurt - bad. Let me explain.

I like Pringles - you know, those nice tasting funny shaped chips (what a description!). At my desk, I have a little box opening by the bottom where certain things can be stored, as in little snacks. I was at the shop (Shoprite all the way man - only Americans will know what I mean when I say that - sorry Mum) and decided to purchase some Pizza flavor Pringles for one of my afternoon office snacks. Being the stupidly nice guy I am, I shared it around with everyone (it was pay day so the staff were all in!). I was smart though and ensured there was a sufficient amount left. So I naturally helped myself to a few and stored it in my little box by my desk. I then left and headed home - feeling happy as I knew I would be having more Pringles in the the following day.

Shock! I walk into the office the next day and my Pringles have vanished. It was afternoon as I spent the morning doing the inspection for my car (but now I need to go back as I apparently don't hold a valid drivers license - ahhhh!). So I was pretty hungry. There were four culprits in the office and I am going to name and shame them: Martin Brown, Danny Howard, Sean Davies (the annoying one) and James Morris. So I look around - casting the room for my Pringles. I walk over to the trash bin and there they are - my Pringles. I pick it up and notice straight away it is empty. I turn back to face the room and I noticed James Morris' face instantly - that face expression which pours of guilt.

Everything was confirmed as crumbs lay around the desk of James Morris. I questioned him and he denied it even though there was clear, hard evidence by his feet. Eventually he caved in and confessed. He then put the blame on me for leaving food in the office as it will most probably be eaten up by someone. I thought - yeah, silly me but I still squashed his head with my big foot. I've just remembered - I left some real nice looking sweets on my desk. I might as well say goodbye to them. You are probably thinking, "Why does he not get to the office early?". Well, I would but I have Kiddie Soccer in the morning and James Morris always arrives early - only to steal food. So yeah - there you have it. I'm okay now as I had a really nice Stir Fry for dinner - yummy...

Done and dusted

2009-07-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well. That is it. Summer Select done. Over and out. To be honest, I'm not that pleased about it because I absolutely loved it. I really did. But I am sure my players are all glad it is over as it means they don't have to attend my practices anymore - or see me! No, I'm sure they all enjoyed themselves and learned something. I must give all the credit to the players though for making my job enjoyable - each and every one of them was brilliant. Yes, we had a couple of really bad sessions but I expected that. Nothing in this world is plain sailing.

I'm sure some of you are wondering what the current state of my Ford Crown Victoria is. Well, thankfully, I got it back from the garage today. It needed all it's tires changed, which was comforting to have known! Now, I need to get it inspected and updated otherwise I will be receiving a $130 fine again. Providing that goes okay, I should not have any more problems unless I decide to drive erratically and cause a crash, which of course will never happen as I am the best driver ever. So yeah, I'm feeling quite good at the moment!

I should note that I was amazed to see nearly all my U10 players turn up for the optional practices this week. They have all bonded so well now as a team, which was evident to see on Monday and Thursday. Hopefully, we can bring the team back together for some indoor tournaments during the winter, which is what one of the parents suggested. However, if that was to go ahead, unless my three year visa application comes through, I'm not sure if I would be able to re-enter the US in time. At the moment, I am on a J1 and it expires in November, which is when I will be flying back home. But, not to worry, as the kids will excel without my guidance because they keep telling me how smelly I am and it apparently prevents them from performing well. And you think I am joking...

Now that Summer Select is over, I get to have a bit of a rest before I take charge of the Junior Varsity Boys Team at the Immaculata High School, which is something I am really looking forward to. Even though we have practice every day, which is going to be tough, we have lots of games and I love coaching games. So that will be my main job during the fall before I fly back home. I just hope I am granted this three year visa! Maybe I'll just walk to the immigration office, they'll see how tall I am, and that should be enough to grant me a three year visa. Maybe I should add an angry face or something - just to make it scarier you know?

So let me take this opportunity to thank all the players and wonderful parents for making this summer a fantastic experience for me. Hopefully I will see you guys next year!

Expected arrival: 18.00 Actual arrival: 21.00

2009-07-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

After an exhausting yet extremely exciting tournament weekend, I was looking forward to getting back home. After watching the Jersey United U11s Summer Select team win in the semi finals, I decided to call it a day and hit the road. I left at around 15.30 and was expected to get back home at around 18.00. It looked a simple journey - up Route 222 North and then all the way across Interstate 78 East into New Jersey. However, having experienced frightening events with my Crown Vic already, more was to come in the form of a burst tire. No, not running out of gas again but a burst tire. Now, part of this was my fault because when I took the car to have it's oil changed the day before traveling to the tournament, the guy said to me, "You gotta change your tires man". I thought, get this trip out of the way and get the car into the garage.

So I managed to get through Route 222 okay and just after crossing into New Jersey via 78, there I was, sailing at a nice steady speed in the fast lane, until I heard a sudden burst and an incredible scraping noise. I thought - oh oh. Hazard lights ON. Mirror checks DONE. Calmly pull over into the hard shoulder DONE WITH SEVERE PANIC. I put the car into park and stepped out of the vehicle. WHOOOOOOOOOSH! Probably the biggest truck I have ever seen whizzed past me and I almost got swept away. Thankfully, I did not. So I inspected the tire and it was done for. Dead. Kaputt (broken in German). So I walked over to the boot of the car and got out the jack and other necessary tools (oh yeah, and the spare tire!). In the middle of changing the tire, I received the fright of my life when three human beings walked up to me (it's not as if they were aliens or something!). Incredibly, one of the humans was a kid from my U10s team. Obviously, the other two were his parents. After quickly explaining what had happened, the father rolled up his sleeves and did the entire job for me. Not only that, but I got a free bottle of Lemon Gatorade from the mother. If that is not awesome, then I don't know what is. After everything was sorted, the family even made sure I made my exit okay by tagging along behind me. Now, I doubt the family would have been so helpful if the U10s did not win the tournament. No, I'm only joking. What a great gesture though. That is something I am so appreciative for - helpful and kind people. It's they way forward. If you are reading this, I thank you once again - the Gatorade was extremely refreshing!

That is not the end of the story though - there is more to it! I got to the exit okay and was about 10 minutes away from home. However, a recent thunderstorm hit the area and it was so severe that massive trees were uprooted and blocking roads. As things were going for me, all the possible avenues to my house were cut off. I could not get home! Ahhhhhh! So I started to feel a bit hungry and decided to go to this Chinese place. I had some delicious sweet and sour pork, sat in the car for a while, and drove off to see if the roads were cleared yet. Thankfully, they were and I arrived at my home three hours after my scheduled time of arrival. Good times. It's probably going to happen again, isn't it?

Let's not forget the U10s...

2009-07-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Ha! Thought I forgot to mention the U10s eh? How could I not? After all, they did win their first tournament over the weekend! Yes! Official U10s Lititz Summer Showcase Champions 2009! I am so, so pleased for them because they deserved some success. Yes, we have had it tough in previous tournaments, only because we were coming up against very strong teams. However, this time, every single player really upped a level and I knew they would at some point because they are all potentially very good soccer players. First game though, we lost 7-2. Yes, 7-2. The score at half time was 2-2 and we were playing very well against a good side. But, once we lost an early goal in the second half, the team simply collapsed. Naturally, I was disappointed but I understand their rash need to give up because let's not forget, they are only 10 years old and under - one kid I have is only 8! Therefore, they are bound to easily give up. They are just young players who are developing, which of course is my job as a coach - to develop them. So I told them all after the game that I understand why they collapsed but we all just need to be a bit more mentally strong. Things turned better when we won our next game 7-1 against a fairly weak team - that gave the players a lot of confidence and I was looking forward to the next day of the tournament.

So I was awake, bright and early, for the eight o'clock kick off. Man, I love kick off times such as that one (said with a very sarcastic tone). I knew if we were to win this match, we would progress to the final to face the team that beat us 7-2. So a lot was at stake and I made sure the players knew that. All I asked of them was to give me their best, which is all they can do really. We played a great game and won 3-0. Through to the final - YES! Even though I was extremely happy, I was fairly upset as well as I knew I would be missing most of the final due to my commitments with my U13s. It's just a bit frustrating when you train a team for over a month and you have to miss the biggest game of their lives! But, that is life I suppose.

Once I finished the game with my U13s, I jumped to my car in one step (I have ridiculously long legs) and most probably broke the speed limit to get to the last 15 minutes of the U10s final. I ran over to my assistant and asked him what the score was - he looked over to me with the most serious of faces (he is a serious guy) and said, "We're two nil up". At first, I thought my reaction would be of disbelief - but it was not. Something in me on the way to the game was telling me that we were going to do well because those players are clearly capable of playing very good soccer. So, instead of replying with something like really, all I said was good, turned away and started coaching the game. In the end, we won the match 3-0. The kids went crazy when the whistle was blown but I was very pleased with how they composed themselves and shook hands with the opponents. I wanted to take a step back and allow the kids to enjoy their moment as they deserved it but the parents pushed me into the photos and everything. Thanks for that by the way!

As I said, I've been training these kids for over a month and I have seen improvements session by session. I could already see from the first practice we had how capable each of them are. One of the main factors of soccer is confidence - you may have the ability but if confidence is lacking, you will not do well on the field. On Sunday, July 26 2009, those U10 players were brimming with confidence and I am just so pleased for them. I've really enjoyed my time with them. Yes, there have been rough patches but that is what learning is all about. Great kids, great parents, great everything. That's me over and out.

What a great weekend!

2009-07-27T08:57:00.001-07:00

Well, well, well. I'm just going to put it simply - my U10s became champions over the weekend, while my U13s performed absolutely brilliantly to reach the semi finals. Let's start with my U13s, shall we?

On the first day of the tournament in the Pennsylvanian town of Lititz, the U13s played their best soccer of the summer. We won the first game 3-1, a truly great performance. We played even better in the next game even though we drew the match 2-2. It really should have been 7-2 but it did not matter as we came top of our bracket - through to the semi finals. As I headed to my very nice motel, I was just thinking of how good our performances were today. I then thought to myself - this is what I want to see: progress and improvement. Yes, winning is good but, for me, it is only a bonus. As a soccer coach, I look for player development and I definitely noticed that during those first two games, which gave me great satisfaction.

So, semi final day arrived. I was actually very calm and composed, as I knew the players were going to give it their best shot. If they were going to do that, I knew we would have a great chance to progress to the final. The match kicked off and we looked very, very good. A bit nervous to start with but we eventually got into the swing of things. However, we received a real kick in the teeth when an unfortunate mistake in the defence allowed one of the opposition players to shoot them into the lead. We rallied though and unluckily hit the post towards the end of the first half. 1-0 down but still very much in it. I told the players to carry on with what they were doing as I was very pleased with how they were all playing. All we needed was a bit of luck. We started the second half and we really piled the pressure on the opposition. Chances went begging and I started to think this was not going to be our day. This thinking was further enhanced when the other team scored a very good long range shot. 2-0 down. Game over? No because soon after we got the ball in the back of the net (finally!) and had about 10 minutes to get the equalizer. At this point, I was getting extremely nervous yet excited as I felt we were going to score that second goal. I thought that chance arrived when one of my players cut into the penalty box and was tripped - penalty kick surely? No, linesman says it was outside. I must admit, I got rather furious and things went from bad to worse when the other team hit us on the break and sealed the win by scoring their third goal. 3-1 and out.

Like all the players, I was deeply disappointed as I felt we deserved something more due to the battling performance we put in. However, after having cooled down and reflected on the match, I told the players they should be very proud of themselves, as I was of them. Yes, it is always tough to lose, but the important thing is that they performed extremely well and that is what I look for as a coach. I must say, I really enjoyed working with those kids. I just hope they enjoyed it as well! If they did not, well, they can tell it to my face (if they dare!). Remember, I am 6ft 7in after all...

A tough weekend...

2009-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

So here is the general overview of what happened over the weekend at the soccer tournament. I'll start with my U13s. In our first game, we came up against an extremely good side and lost 5-0. However, that was the score at half time and, therefore, we performed a lot better in the second half and even could have won the half (so it ended 0-0 in the second half, which was pleasing for me). In the next game, we performed brilliantly and really should have won. However, and I hate to say this, the opposition team cheated. Yes, cheated. We were winning 1-0 with roughly 20 minutes to go and suddenly this random person (as tall as me!) shows up on the opposition's bench, puts a shirt on, and jogs on to the field as part of a substitution. You should have seen the face expressions of my players - they thought some sort of mutant entered the field! Anyway, this ridiculously tall and massive man, who clearly was not under 13 years of age, goes and scores two goals and they win the match 2-1. When their second goal was scored, I entered the field and asked the referee if he seriously believed that guy was under 13. He just mumbled something about the player's card. Believe me, it is very easy to forge one of those player cards. So I was very upset after the match and so were my players - they did not deserve that.

In our final game, again, we played very well but just could not score - so the match ended 0-0. After thinking about it, we could have easily reached the semi-finals. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side. But I am happy because I am seeing constant improvement in the players' displays on the field. The team that cheated got to the final and a smile was brought to my face when I heard they got smashed 5-0 by the team we first played. Maybe justice does exist after all.

Now - my U10s. It's going to be tough to talk about them as I feel very, very bad for them. The first day we did okay - losing one and winning the other. However, things turned ugly on the second day where we lost both matches 9-0 and 8-0. First impressions will say that my team is not very good. However, I'd tell you straight away that is simply not the case. The team we lost 9-0 to was on another planet. They were beating everyone 9 and 10-0. I'll be the first to admit that my team consists of very small players - apart from one maybe. At this age, when you have kids who are tall, strong, and fast, it makes a huge difference and that is what we had to come up against over the weekend. Things were made worse for us when the tournament scheduling had us playing a game straight after the 9-0 loss. Understandably, the players were tired and deflated - therefore we lost heavily. Yes, they gave up but I would have done the same if I was out there playing. It is human nature.

I'll tell you something now. My U10 players are very talented. In two or three years time, they will have grown and that will help them - a lot. I just hope they do believe they are good soccer players. I have practice with them tonight and will have a good talk with them all. So, as the title of this entry suggests, it was quite a tough weekend. But, we can all learn from it and get better, which we will.

A close shave!

2009-07-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Now, here is a little story about me being frightened for the very first time in the United States. So, I was driving to Princeton to cover a session for Uncle Peeps (Lee Pollard, for those who don't know) and the fuel gauge on my Ford Crown Vic turned to empty. I thought - should be okay to get there and find a gas station to fill up after completing the coaching session. I arrived safely and in good time. So I delivered one of my signature coaching sessions (I say signature because it is the best around...I may be the worst referee in the world but I sure am the best coach in the world!). Once I was done, I confidently stepped into my car and swiftly drove off.

As I left the fields, I was looking out for a gas station but one did not appear so I carried onto joining Route 206, thinking there will definitely be one somewhere along there. A couple of miles went by and still nothing. When things get a bit edgy, I tend to get overly nervous - as my parents will completely testify to! Anyway, so I was quite nervous at this point but was confident a gas station would soon turn up. However, everything changed - the car was out of gas.

So there I was - slowly coming to a halt with about 10 cars behind me. At this moment, I was panicking big time. I immediately started searching for the hazard lights, thinking that would make everything better. Eventually, I found them and switched them on. The car was still crawling but I could not pull over anywhere as there was no hard shoulder. The road was also in the middle of a wooded area, so there were not any shops etc. where I could pull in. So I kept going, hoping something good would happen.

And there it was - my savior: a downward hill. It felt like I was on a roller coaster - you know, when the cart crawls to that first drop. So with my hazard lights still flashing, I coasted down the hill and in front of me I saw a set of traffic lights and just beyond them a Sunoco gas station! However, as I was approaching the traffic lights, they were red. I knew I could not stop otherwise that would have been it. Thankfully, the lights turned green and I literally snailed my way into the gas station - relief to say the least.

That Crown Vic though eats up gas similarly to how I eat my food - extremely quickly! It was a good experience - scary - but good. Only in the US of A eh? I'm really looking forward to this weekend as it is the second tournament for my boys teams. I have a sneaky feeling we will do very well as the practices lately have been excellent. Both teams are really gelling together now. I'll be sure to let you know how the weekend's results go. Must go sleep now - got Kiddie Soccer in the morning! Yeah!

The good, the bad, and the ugly

2009-07-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a mixed week for me so far - summer select wise anyway. The reason the title of this entry reads as above is because, unfortunately, I have had very contrasting summer select practices with my U10s and U13s. Now, I'm completely okay with this as it is normal. A coach is always going to have one bad session with his players - it's a fact. On Wednesday, my practice session with my U13s was probably the worst one I have had with them - I was actually quite disappointed at the end and I told them so. For some reason, the players were just not listening to me. I'd be trying to explain or show something and there would be some kids either not listening or fooling around. The U13s are a great bunch of players - they really are and I have immensely enjoyed working with them thus far. It was just an off day. The fact I was so disappointed, I think, shows how much I have grown into them - working with them twice a week and getting to know them as individuals. They are all very capable and, generally, very nice kids. I know our next session will be good as they always respond - fingers crossed anyway!!

On the other hand, I ran a practice session with my U10s this evening and, put simply, they were absolutely brilliant - they really were. I was so pleased with each and every one of them. I brought them in at the end and I just said to them, "Thank you". You know what they said back? A nice, hearty "Your welcome". Is that not great? For me as a coach, the main factor is that the players are enjoying themselves. I'm a firm believer in enjoying when you are learning - it's the way forward! The U10s actually had quite a bad session one week ago and I asked them to come back to the next session a lot better and they did.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the progress of both my teams. I'm noticing improvements constantly, which as a coach, is what I want to see. Not only are the kids great, but the parents are as well - very nice and friendly people. It's all one, big, happy family over here! The next tournament is next week but, thankfully, we have managed to arrange a friendly scrimmage for the U10s with the Parsippany club on Saturday. Hopefully it goes well. I'll be sure to let you guys know how it goes. I'm pretty exhausted now so I am going to head to my queen size bed (I am 6ft 7 in remember!).

Have a lovely weekend everyone! Bye for now.

A nice, relaxing July 4th weekend

2009-07-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I hope you had a wonderful July 4th weekend - I'm sure part of your activities included fireworks! Seeing that I am not American, I obviously don't feel the passion that real Americans do on Independence Day but what I can say is that I was extremely impressed with how brilliantly Americans show their pride. I visited an old, old friend on Saturday and when I was driving through a certain town, I just saw families sitting amongst themselves, eating food, and clearly having a good time. The one thing I love about America is the family ethos. I'm a huge family man and I really appreciate how Americans get together as families and enjoy themselves. It's great.

As I said, I visited an old friend (we went to school together back in Austria) and had a relaxing time before setting off to upstate New York to join a small house gathering (with a pool, by the way!). We had some food and then went to the cinema to see Public Enemies with Johnny Depp (I found it very disappointing - slow and boring). The best thing about the cinema was the ice cream I had. Everything in this country comes in big sizes, which I love because I'm a huge fan of food. The ice cream was MASSIVE. It was probably bigger than my right foot (and my right foot is pretty big). I could not believe it when I managed to finish it but I did feel rather sick afterward. It was worth it though!

So - its back to work for me. Back to my summer select teams and a bit of camp coaching. Looks like it is going to be hot this week, which is not great but I plan to get my haircut tomorrow, which should help things. The barber shop I was planning to go to (just down the street) has a sign up saying on vacation until 4th August. I thought...great - I'm going to have to find somewhere else. Does the owner not realize that people are going to want a haircut, like me!?!? Oh well, I'm sure he (or she) deserves a holiday.

I must get to work now - the annoying Sean Davies is getting restless (I think he has just ordered a pepperoni pizza......oh oh). For anyone who does not understand the whole pepperoni pizza thing, scroll down and have a look at my entry entitled "I am the Terminator". Ok, bye for now.

I'm sweating buckets here

2009-07-03T10:54:00.001-07:00

As the title suggests, I have not grown accustomed to the New Jersey summer humidity. When I worked in Pennsylvania two years ago, I thought the humidity was bad but I did not think it could get this bad. I am really suffering at the moment - big time (as they say in the United Kingdom).

Through out this past week, I have been doing a camp at the Immaculata High School. I am head coach of the Junior Varsity Boys, while Dominic Rice is in charge of the Senior Varsity Boys. Even though I enjoyed it, the whole thing proved very tough as the humidity was sky high. Now, when it comes to sweat, I tend to sweat more than others, particularly from the head area. I take after my Dad as he is exactly the same. Anyway, I am just going to have to get used to it. I think it would help if I got myself a haircut as my hair is rather long now - but I'll have to wait until this weekend is over, with all the independence celebrations taking place.

At the moment, I have no plans for independence day yet. Eveything here is usually last minute so I am sure something will be initiated. If not, then I shall do a Lee Pollard and play some Championship Manager (there you go Peeps - a brief mention). By the way, if any of you are big soccer fans and it is all you can think about, then please play the game called Championship Manager. But be careful, it will take over your life but that's okay because it is soccer, right?

Going back to the humidity issue, if any of you have any suggestions as to how to combat the evil of humidity, please let me know as I am desperate. All I can say is...thank god for air conditioning units! Now, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very enjoyable independence weekend! You all have a great time - bye for now.

Proud of the boys...

2009-06-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

So I had my first tournament with both my Summer Select teams this past weekend and I can safely say I was very, very pleased with the boys. Let me just quickly run you through our results: my U10s lost two, drew one, and won one while my U13s won two and lost two. Now, considering these players have only just got together, I think you would agree those results are pretty decent. Not only that but we were up against strong teams that have been working together for at least one year. Overall then, I was very proud.

However, I was extremely disappointed with the organization of the tournament (it took place in Hackettstown by the way...). The reason why I say that is because of this...the referee would come up to me and ask to give a linesman's flag to a parent on the sidelines. This was only the case for the U10 games. Can you believe that? In one of the games we lost 6-3 and I am not joking when I say this but 80% of the goals in that game were offside. It was chaotic. I'm not blaming the poor parent chosen to act as a linesman but the organizers who thought it would be okay to do this. What made it even worse was that some of the parent-linesman received abuse from other parents for doing such a bad job - unbelievable if you ask me!

As I said before though, I was very proud of my players - particularly my U13's as they came up against very tough opposition. In our second last game for instance, we faced a team with extremely large and strong boys. We lost the game 3-0 but never ever did the boys give up - they stuck at it. More importantly though, they all gave their best, which is all I can ask for. As a soccer coach, I believe in teaching the game the way it should be played, which is passing and moving. The U13s put in their best performance in the last game by winning 1-0. We were passing, moving, and creating chances. The team we were playing against were only kicking the ball upfield, which for me is not the way to go.

I'm looking for improvement in both my teams and I definitely saw that emerge during the two days of the tournament. I'm very lucky because both my teams consist of great kids - brilliant individuals. Not only does it make my job easier, but it makes it the more pleasurable. I'm absolutely loving it at the moment and I'm sure the kids are too. All I can say is - bring on the next tournament!!!!

I am The Terminator!

2009-06-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

Being an extremely tall person, I naturally have a very deep voice. Usually at Kiddie Soccer, when I begin talking to the kids, they all get scared and run away. It's just the way things roll with me, you know? In addition to my low voice, my accent is often compared to that of the California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who of course hails from the country I was born, Austria. As well as people over here informing me that I am very tall (as if I don't already know this!), they tend to add a thing about me sounding like The Terminator - Arnie.

Now, I'm okay with this because Arnie is possibly the coolest guy alive - he really is. He is worshiped back home...by everyone. So I have no problems being compared to The Terminator. Sean Davies is loving it at the moment because I showed him a Youtube clip of something called "Arnie's Pizza Shop". For anyone intrigued by this, here is the link to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYy8_XTu7rA

Sean thinks this is the funniest thing he has ever heard or seen and I would not disagree with him. It's brilliant. Because of this certain clip, there has been a lot of banter flying from Sean. For example, he asked me to do a certain office task and I sent an email back to him saying I've got to finish my player evaluations first. He replied to me with these exact words, "If you don't, then I will punch a pepperoni through your head". In order for you to understand this, you must watch the clip. Go on then, what are you waiting for? Have a watch.

Just a quick note to say that I am very excited at the moment as I just received an email from a publishing company wishing to print my University Thesis into an actual form of a book! I could not believe it when I read it! I did my thesis on the commercialization of English soccer and how it has affected the supporters. Obviously, the publishers like what they read! So I am just waiting for further details from them. I think I should ask for 1 million dollars for the publishing rights, don't you think? I think that is reasonable enough. Anyway, I'll be sure to let you know what happens with that. Have a good weekend all!

The magic of Baseball - really?

2009-06-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

So here it is. I went to a New York Mets Baseball game on Sunday, just to see what all the fuss is about. My verdict: absolutely horrendous. It was dreadful. I honestly don't understand the appeal of it all. What is more unbelievable is the fact that teams play every day - yes - every day. Why is that? And you know how much I paid for a ticket? $42 of my hard-earned wage. I'll tell you something now - that is the last ever time I go to a Baseball game.

Maybe I am being rather harsh. At the end of the day, different cultures enjoy different things - it's a fact of life. While the game of soccer is absolutely worshiped in England, it is not very well regarded over here in the States, even though it continues to develop and grow more popular by the day. I should probably attend a couple more Baseball games or maybe watch some on the television in order to gradually get acquainted with the concept of the game. However, I'm not going to do that because I know I will never show a tiny bit of affection for baseball. It just won't happen after having attended that game.

One thing I was impressed with though was the stadium. Afterward, I was informed that it is a new stadium - home to the New York Mets. Also, I was amazed with the infinite options for food and beverages. I'll tell you this now - it's a lot better than soccer stadiums in England. Being a massive fan of food (my life's goal is to eat - it's what entertains me...really), I highly appreciated the food service. What I did not appreciate though were the prices. But, as food is my only purpose in life, I will pay anything and won't kick up a fuss.

I'm sure any Americans reading this are going to hate me now, unless they are very nice people and can understand my views. I'm sure you are all very nice so I am not going to worry about it. Just a quick note to say I will be taking both my summer select teams to our first tournament this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it and hope to do well. The most important thing is to enjoy ourselves and...wait...forget that...I'm going there to win!!!! Yeah!!!! I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes. Remember, I'm the best soccer coach so the next blog entry will probably entitled as follows, "Told you I was the world's best soccer coach". Take care all. Keep it real.

Summer Select begins...

2009-06-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Apologies for the rather long delay in a new post going up. I've just been very busy and also had a day of being very ill. I'll explain later on in this entry...

So, I've just had my first practices with each of my two teams from the Summer Select Program. And to be honest, both went very, very well and I was extremely impressed with the talent on display. All the pressure is on me to win the three tournaments, which we will be participating in, as I apparently have the two best teams (U10 + U13 Boys). Well, I have no worries as we have the best players and, of course, the best coach in me - Gareth Haylins. Yeah, that's right. No, I'm only joking. All I can do is give it my best shot, which I intend to do. It's actually been a very good couple of days as I now have my own car! When I accepted the job, I was told I would have a company car. However, when I arrived in New Jersey, there were severe problems to the company cars and so for the past two months I've been jumping in and out of different cars. It's been quite frustrating but now, thankfully, everything is sorted out. I've got the Ford Crown Victoria, which apparently is the car the cops use around here. It's very fast - so should it be too seeing it belongs to the world's best soccer coach (that's Gareth Haylins by the way...)

In addition to Summer Select starting, myself and some of the boys were offered the opportunity to go on a night out in New York City. I've been in New York before, when I came to America two years ago. However, since arriving here 2 months ago, I hadn't made a trip to the big apple yet. The ever dependable Gary Foster (the ladies man) was driving to Staten Island to meet a lady friend of his and he said he would pick us up after our night out. This was the perfect opportunity and so we jumped at the chance.

When I get excited, which I definitely was for this trip to NYC, I tend to party too much. Actually, we all did on the night but, unfortunately, I came off worst. The next day, I spent the entire day in bed. It was dreadful. I must have caught some sort of nasty bug. It must have been food poisoning as it only lasted one day.

Anyway, I'm off to bed to get some good sleep before I begin my second set of practices with my teams. I'll try my best to post more frequently. Take care all.

The worst soccer referee ever?

2009-06-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

So here is the thing. I kindly decided to do a favor over the weekend for James Morris (who is apparently the best at everything) and Lee Pollard (the excessive joker). They needed someone to referee a game between their teams at the Morristown Beard School. Now, and I am not being arrogant here, but I probably know more about the game than Sir Alex Ferguson. I am amazing when it comes to soccer trivia. I am the man. Naturally then, I should be a superb referee. However, the general consensus is, I am the worst referee ever. Crazy, no?

Throughout the whole match, I only had one hiccup and that was an offside decision. With there being no linesmen, calling offsides for any referee is a tough task. Nevertheless, I stuck at it and let the game flow. I blew my whistle for a couple of clear cut fouls but that was it. I felt my positioning on the field was excellent as well. Please - anyone who was at that match and reads this blog, please comment on my refereeing - and don't say it was useless!

As well as putting in the refereeing performance of my life, I also attended Sean Davies' surprise birthday party. His birthday is actually in early July but this was the best time to really surprise him - and it worked. I don't know why I went because, as I have said in previous entries, he is a very annoying person. However, if I had not attended, I probably would have got the sack or Sean would be putting mountains of work on me to do. In all honesty though, it was very nice - particularly the food. There were these meatballs, which were out of this world. Very yummy indeed.

Just got back from doing my last Center of Excellence coaching session. I'll miss it as I really had a good bunch of kids - very talented. We'll be doing it again during the summer so hopefully the same (and more) kids come along. We (some of the Jersey United staff) are just having a nice little grill - gonna tuck into some burgers. So I am going to stop writing. Bye bye.

Bye bye Ronaldo...bye bye sanity

2009-06-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. That's it then. The world has officially gone insane. $160,000,000 for a certain soccer player called Cristiano Ronaldo. I just can't comprehend it. First of all, where on earth is Real Madrid getting this money from?!?! Are we not all meant to be surviving a recession? I mean, people who have lost jobs as a result of corporate greed must be looking at this story and thinking, this is not fair. It is not and to be quite honest with you it is down right disgusting. On top of that, Ronaldo will probably be receiving a weekly salary of at least $400,000. What really got to me was seeing a picture of Ronaldo in a Los Angeles nightclub having a seemingly lovely time with Paris Hilton! This was after the news of the world-record transfer price becoming public knowledge. I think I hate him now, despite all the brilliant goals he scored for Manchester United. Lets be honest, he is a petulant and arrogant individual. Many think he will go down as a Manchester United legend...noway. Yes, he scored goals and turned to be the world player of the year but he just wasn't a Man Utd player. In other words, he did not wear his heart on his sleeve. His boyhood dream has always been to play for Real Madrid and now his wish has come true - good luck to him.

However, I don't think he is making a step-up. Yes, his dream has always been to play for Real Madrid and I'm not holding that against him but I just think he is taking a step-down by choosing to leave Man Utd. I don't think many people will disagree with me on that. Anyway, it'll be interesting how it pans out. I'd love to see a Man Utd - Real Madrid champions league final. That would be a spicy affair to say the least!

Am I upset about losing the world's best player? To a certain extent yes, simply because he is an awesome player. There is no denying that. An incredible talent. Nevertheless, I have full confidence in the one man who always knows what he is doing - that man of course is Sir Alex Ferguson. He would not have let Ronaldo go if he had replacements in mind. When we sold Ruud Van Nistelrooy, one of the best goal scorers ever seen, everyone thought Man Utd were going to struggle. What happened? We became stronger. Prior to that, we lost David Beckham. Yet still, we were not affected. Actually, I am really excited at the moment to see who Sir Alex brings in with the now huge transfer budget.

I'd like to know what you all think. Is Ronaldo good or bad business for Man Utd? Is Ronaldo taking a step up or down in his career? Does this mean that Real Madrid, now with Kaka and Ronaldo in the team, are going to rule Spain and Europe? Let me know what your feelings are about these issues. I need to get some office work done so I am going to leave you. Bye for now.

The wonders of Kiddie Soccer

2009-06-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

When I accepted this job back in October, I was not familiar with the notion of Kiddie Soccer. I will tell you this now...if I was familiar with the notion, I probably would have declined the job offer in a heartbeat. No, I am only joking but Kiddie Soccer is probably one of the most difficult tasks on this planet. It really is. As any parent will back me up with, managing 10-12 four year olds is fairly daunting. It's even more daunting when you have parents watching your session! In all honesty though, the kids are great. They are just normal - hyper and crazy.

I don't know if it's because of my size or what but at the start of every Kiddie Soccer session I have done, all the kids stampede towards me and start play-fighting with me. They must think I am some sort of evil giant, even though I wear a bright red t-shirt with the wording Kiddie Soccer Coach clearly presented on the front. Instinctively, I fight back and more often than not, win the battle as I am, after all, the evil giant. Nobody can defeat the evil giant can they?

I love the way kids act at that age. The other day, we were playing a little game (a proper soccer match with proper soccer rules) and, all of a sudden, one of the kids starts crying uncontrollably. Being the caring person I am, I sprint over and ask, "What's the matter?". The kid replies in the most frantic of tones, "He took the ball away from me". Now, at that point, I could not stop laughing. Eventually, I explained to the kid how you are allowed to take the ball away - you need to in order to score a goal! Ah, that moment was just priceless. I miss being a silly kid.

I also love how kids always tell on each other. At these Kiddie Soccer sessions, we always have a teacher supervise. I remember being a huge tatter tale, especially on my bigger and meaner brother. These kids are the same - it's just the way they do it, which makes it so hilarious. For example, one kid decided to call another a "poopy face". The one receiving the abuse looks straight at me, arms folded, and says in the most emphasizing of ways, "I'm telling!". The kid runs over to the teacher and tatter tales. At that moment, I had an instant flashback to the childhood days of my big brother and I. It brought a smile to my face.

Looks like this blog is receiving quite a few comments. Also, the blog has had 150+ visits so I am very pleased about that. Hopefully those who are reading the entries are coming back for more! Apologies if I am not managing a new entry every day. I'm trying my best! Trust me! Ok, that's all from me for now. Bye bye!

A short mention for Uncle Peeps...

2009-06-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Now, this particular entry is completely unique because it is actually a request from someone...a certain chap called Lee Pollard. When he saw his rather minuscule reference in the "The magic of banter" entry, he was slightly disappointed and rightly so because he is, in the end, the infamous Lee Pollard. How stupid was I? Surely I should have known to dedicate one whole entry to himself. If it means anything Polls, I profusely apologize. There are many names given to Lee Pollard, one being Uncle Peeps. The only reasoning behind this I can think of is the obvious one...he is like an Uncle to all of us. You know the one - the funny Uncle, always cracking jokes and (here comes the magic word) radiating ridiculous amounts of banter.

For the past six Mondays, I have been doing the Center of Excellence program with him down in Munroe. I am going to be honest here. The best thing about that Monday is the car ride. The reason being Uncle Peeps' incredible sense of humor. It truly is immense. Personally, I believe it is a great way to be. I am a bit like that as well but no where near the heights or extravagance of Uncle Peeps. Not only that, but he is a pretty nice guy as well. I had to tag along with him to a Kiddie Soccer session of his prior to our journey down to Munroe. I find Kiddie Soccer extremely difficult but Uncle Peeps made it look so easy - mainly because of how he behaves with the kids. It's great. I've got a Kiddie Soccer session on Wednesday and I am sure of doing a better job. Thanks for that Polls.

As anyone who has met Lee will know, he is a tall guy - 6 ft 3 in I believe. However, as a result of my arrival (remember all, I am 6 ft 7 in), he no longer is the tallest in Jersey United. Most of the time he is nice to me. It's fine. But, there are just certain moments where I think he holds a grudge against me for taking his tallest title away from him. Take this for example. Four of the staff, including Uncle Peeps and myself, decided to make the most of half-price appetizers at Applebees. Lee opts to go for some strawberries and whip cream. Very nice indeed. However, it soon was not very nice when some of the whip cream found itself on my shorts. Don't ask me how it got there - only one person knows and that is the menace we all refer to as Uncle Peeps. It all worked out in the end as I had some free, tasty whip cream (yes, off my shorts - so what?).

Anyway, I really hope this satisfies Lee. It probably won't. But, at least I can say I tried. What's that Polls?

Recession? What recession?

2009-06-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

I think we can all agree that the money involved in the professional game of soccer, particularly in England, is quite disgusting, to say the least. It's not the players' fault though. They just happen to be playing the game they love, which conveniently pays a fairly large sum of money! However, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that some players do just play the game for the money. Loyalty is slowly yet significantly drifting away into the distance. Take Cristiano Ronaldo for instance. When he first joined Manchester United, he clearly had great potential but had trouble applying his skills effectively on the field. Having recently won the Fifa World Player of the Year Award, I think it is safe to say that Manchester United, especially Sir Alex Ferguson, played a huge part in Ronaldo's rise and development into the world's best player. Nevertheless, despite all this, Ronaldo chose to do all he could during the Summer of 2008 to manufacture a move to Real Madrid. In the end though, and I don't know how Sir Alex managed to persuade him, Ronaldo decided to stay.

You see what I mean about loyalty? Now, being half Welsh (my father was born in a rather oddly named Welsh town called Usk), please do not take this next comment as pure bias. For anyone wanting to know what soccer loyalty really is, just go to wikipedia.com and type in Ryan Giggs. Have a read and, trust me, you will be overly impressed. You'll also find he is Welsh and probably the nicest human being you'll probably never have the courtesy of meeting.

Now, I'm sure all you soccer fans have been following the recent news surrounding the Brazilian superstar Kaka. Where is he going? Real Madrid or Chelsea? Apparently we're not in a recession because both clubs have reportedly offered roughly $150,000,000 for the Brazilian's services. Let me note that sum down again. $150,000,000. In my book, not one soccer player is worth near that. Even if the almighty God played soccer, he would not be worth that either. It is absolutely ludricous. Also, get this, Kaka is demanding a salary of $15,000,000 per year and a one-off payment to his agent father of $20,000,000. Are we living in real times? I'm going to bring out a valid statistic here. According to UNICEF, one million child deaths could be prevented annually at a cost of $1 Billion per year. Recession or no recession, clearly there are ridiculous amounts of money circling around, not in the fight against starvation, but in the fight to make one soccer player a satisfied individual, even though he already is filled with money. Personally, I just find it sickening. Surely it is not right?

Yes, this has been a more serious blog entry but I believe it is important to address such issues otherwise we wouldn't be human if we just ignored it. Anyway, I'm going to go make my world famous Spaghetti Bolognese for myself. It's world famous because it is the best. Bye for now.

Pac Man

2009-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

My blog allows me to add certain gadgets onto my page so I have decided to put a bit of Pac Man on it. Everyone loves a bit of Pac Man. Hopefully this attracts more traffic (this is my marketing prowess coming into play).

Enjoy!

The magic of banter

2009-06-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

For anyone who does not know the meaning of "banter", let me take a minute to explain. Banter is a wonderful thing. To put it in it's simplest of terms, banter represents extreme sarcasm and constant jokes. It really is a great thing. The reason why I am writing about this is because the staff of Jersey United Soccer is basically run by banter. I'm not saying this is a bad thing because, in fact, it is a very good thing. Allow me to elaborate...

I spend most of my afternoons working in the office, assisting my very annoying supervisor Sean Davies (only joking Sean...actually, no, I'm not joking). You see. That was a very good example of banter. As you can well imagine then, there is rarely a dull day in the office. I reckon all the constant banter between the staff keeps up spirits and, hence, improves company results. No, really. I'm thinking of going into Management Consultancy and just informing organizations to introduce banter into the workplace in order to improve performance. I'll probably make a lot of money from it but I'm not going to leave Jersey United simply because the banter is too good to turn away. It really is!

My interview for this job was conducted by Martin Brown (boss man) and Sean Davies (annoying supervisor). Not once during the interview did I get an inclination of any banter. To be honest, I thought they were rather dull (oh, that's it, got the sack). Wow, the banter is really flying at the moment! I remember walking into the office the first day and the infamous Lee Pollard asking me "How's the weather up there?". My thought straight away was: this is where I belong.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, banter is a wonderful thing and long may it continue within the realms of the Jersey United office. It's the place to be. 'Till next time.

Still can't believe it...

2009-06-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

I still have not recovered from that uninspiring display by Manchester United in the Champions League Final in Rome. Apart from the first 10 minutes, the rest of the performance was simply hopeless. It's amazing what confidence can do in a game of soccer. We were all over Barcelona in those opening 10 minutes. But, when they made their first attack and scored a goal from their first shot, it completely deflated the Man Utd players. I reckon confidence is probably the most important factor in the game. Teams may have the technical ability but positive results come down to self-esteem and confidence. Take Wayne Rooney for example. He looked completely lost on the field. We all know what a great player he is. However, he had no confidence. Nothing at all. I was just so disappointed because I was extremely optimistic ahead of the match. I knew it was going to be tough but I felt we were going to give Barcelona a good game. But, as the saying goes, soccer is a strange game. Things don't go as we predict they will. Oh well, I'm looking forward to next season already!

Just having a look at the monthly poll on the Jersey United website. At the moment, the majority feel Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player than Lionel Messi (that is from 19 votes...c'mon guys, get involved!). Now, I believe it is impossible to pick one over the other. They are both great players. However, and I'm not being biased here, if I had to choose one of them I would go for Ronaldo simply because he is a more complete player. Messi has the best close ball control I have ever seen. It is utterly bewildering. Nevetheless, not only does Ronaldo have good close control as well, but he is big, strong, fast, has an amazing shooting technique and can head a ball like nobody else. Yes, Messi scored that header in the final. I will give you that. Please go on the Jersey United website (www.jerseyunited.com) and cast your vote. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out by the end of the month.

All the coaches here have been given their Summer Select teams. I'm very excited about this. I've got the U13 and U10 Boys...so they better watch out as I am 6 ft 7in and will destroy anyone that messes around. No, I'm only joking. I'm famed for being the big friendly giant. The BFG. That's me alright. I will be taking both teams to three summer tournaments and we will win all three as I am the best coach in the world, behind Sir Alex Ferguson of course! All the staff are here in the office now for the monthly meeting, which is just about to start so I had better go. Please leave any comments you like as I feel nobody is reading these entries. Put anything. If you feel I am hopeless at this, say it. I want some comments! Ok, thanks. Until next time.

Barbecue Sauce...not Buffalo Sauce!!

2009-05-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

I’ve been here for over a month now and people still can’t understand my accent. Let me just explain this. Both my parents are British but I was born in the capital of Austria, Vienna. I lived there until I was 18. Throughout that time, I attended an international school where English was the first language. Hence, I have a pretty weird accent. However, people can easily understand me (I hope so anyway!). There are just certain words that my accent pronounces completely differently. Clearly, one of those words is ‘barbecue’.

I’m not the greatest fan of fast food but I do like the odd McDonalds now and then. Everyone does. I’ve been to McDonalds three times (okay, maybe more) since I arrived here. My favorite meal is chicken nuggets dipped into some lovely barbecue sauce. However, from each of my visits I have come away with something called buffalo sauce, which for me is probably the worst sauce in the world. It is vile. Now, you’d think I would check the insides of the cardboard bag before leaving the drive-thru lane. But I never do. I can be very forgetful. Anyway, I am getting very annoyed with this. It will not happen again as this particular entry into my blog will remind me! That is the plan anyway.

Now, today is probably one of the biggest days of my life. I should tell you that I am probably the biggest Manchester United fan in the world. It is all I care about! In precisely two hours time, my team will be kicking off against the mighty Barcelona in the European Champions League Final in Rome. Believe it or not, I actually got a ticket for this match but there was noway of me getting there. It was definitely possible but it just did not make economical sense (I'm supposed to be the biggest Manchester United fan...what am I saying!?!?).

I can't write anymore as I am too excited. So I am going to stop. Hopefully by 5 o'clock this evening, I'll be the happiest person in New Jersey! C'MON UNITED!!!!

The horrors of being a tall guy

2009-05-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Finally! The first installment to my blog. This is going to be great. I have always enjoyed writing, particularly in a comical style. So if you don’t receive at least one chuckle of laughter, then tough. It means you don’t have a sense of humor. No, I am only joking. I am actually a very nice guy. I try to be anyway.

So what does it feel like being the latest addition to the Jersey United Soccer family? To be honest with you, I am absolutely thrilled. My whole life has always evolved around the game of soccer (it is actually and rightly called football from where I come from, but being the nice guy I am, I am going to try and Americanize my wording). So while I was at University, I just said to myself that I needed to be involved in soccer, somehow, someway. Luckily for me, a trip to the United States in 2007 paid off immensely. You see, I came over to work at a children’s camp. I did such a great job that one of the kids’ fathers not only gave me a tip of $100 (yes, really) but also his business card, saying if I ever needed anything, just to contact him. So I did. Strangely enough, he is an immigration lawyer who assists Jersey United with all their immigration work. He recommended me, I got interviewed, and now I am here. I couldn’t believe it. If I never decided to make that trip to the states in the summer of 2007, I most probably would not be here now. Surely fate and destiny exists?

Before anyone asks, I am 6ft 7in tall. Sorry, I have got into the habit of saying that a lot since I arrived here. Yes, I am in fact the tallest person in the whole wide world. Let me just give you an idea of how first-time conversations go between new people and myself:

Myself: “Hi, can I get a large coffee with cream and sugar please?”
New person: “Certainly. Wow, you’re tall. How tall are you?”
Myself (fake laughing): “6ft 7in”
New person: “Really!?!? You play basketball, right?”
Myself (beginning to get annoyed but staying calm): “Nope. I play football, oh sorry, soccer. I actually hate basketball”
New person: “Hahahahaha. You play goalkeeper then?”
Myself (ahhhhhhhhhhhh!): “No. Defender. I win all the headers”
New person: Hahahahaha. Here is your coffee. Have a good day”
Myself (relief): Thanks. You too”

As I leave the Dunkin Donuts, the new person decides to say one last thing:

New person: “Watch your head!”

Every time! Yes, I’ve banged my head a few times here and there but I don’t need people telling me to watch my head. To be fair, I’ve done a good job in watching my head over the years. It’s one of my lifetime achievements. In all honesty, every conversation I have with someone I am meeting for the first time goes like that. It is amazing. I guess all the tall people in the world have to deal with it. I’m pretty certain there is something online where tall people come together to discuss matters like this one. I really should join.

I’ve been here for a month now and I can safely say I made the right decision to come out here. I am really enjoying it. I am also going to enjoy writing down my experiences here and letting you all know how exciting it is to start a new chapter in life. If you have any comments or anything, drop me an email at gareth@jerseyunited.com. I need to go now and do some work. Bye for now.