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December 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY NEW YEAR

I would like to start with Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to everyone I know and to everyone I am going to meet in the New Year... As a another year draws to a close I look at some of the  highs and of course some of the lows...

It started as usual in January and the renewal of my UEFA Professional License back home in England, it’s always good to get back and see the lads and of course get updated with the football news. This year was the first refresher course since the beginning of the Pro License in England’s and so we had quite a few of the big names in my group, with the likes of Roy Keane, Ian Dowie, Bryan Robson, John Carver, Ian Macdonald and many more of England top coaches. It was then back to Malawi and wins over Swaziland 3-0 away, Namibia 3-1 away and a famous win over Mozambique 2-1 home showed that my philosophy and work were starting to bear fruit at last. There were some down sides to my time in Malawi and the nonsense off the pitch was going to force me to hand in my resignation which I eventually did in May. It was disappointing for me and not something I did with out great thought, I had assembled a good team and the lads were responding really well so it was hard to go. My confidence and faith in the players was proved correct when they beat the might of  Egypt, as well as DR Congo and Djibouti in the World Cup Qualifiers and have made it to the second round. After Malawi it was back home to England as I had been short listed for the Woking job who were due to start the new season in the Conference. I came very close so I am told but they decided to go down a different path and well a disappointment for me as the pull of coaching again in England is always there for me. I met some lovely people there and would like to wish  David Taylor and the people at Woking all the very best for the remainder of the season and hope they can stay up as it looks like there going to be involved in a relegation scrap. Once back in Cyprus and home with the girls I was approached about doing some television work for the EURO 2008 Championships. That was a great experience and it helped that I predicted that Spain would win it!!!!!!!!!

I was told by both the owners that we got rave reviews for the show and I must say I really enjoyed it. It would be remiss of me not to say a special thank you to Costas Troulouris and everyone at LTV in Cyprus as they all made the show the success that it was and re introduced me to Cypriot football which as we all know has had some major highs this season.In particular the great run of Anorthosis Famagusta in the Champions League. I was of course hoping by now that I would be busy coaching somewhere and more in particular in Cyprus as after Malawi I wanted to stay at home in Cyprus where I could be closer with the family and continue my career here. As I write this however I have not managed to find a club in Cyprus and it is looking increasingly  more likely that I will again have to go abroad. There is only so long one can wait and then there comes a time where you start to feel that it was not meant to be and well I am lost not having a team to work with so I will be looking seriously at any offers that come my way. I have turned down several offers it must be said in the hope that something would happen here in Cyprus but as I write this column I am still not at a club here. 

How have I kept my sanity you may ask well support form the my family and friends and of course FIFA who have put plenty of courses my way and for that I have to thank Jean-Michel Benezet the Technical Director  as well as Jurg Nepfer and Roberto Perna who head up the coaching department. They have kept me really busy in this time, sending me on courses in Vietnam, Iran, Swaziland, Spain and more recently Mauritius. I love my work for FIFA and travelling the world to coach and help coaches is really a great privilege and hopefully I will be able to do that for years to come. I have met some great people on all my travels and what can be better then talking football!!

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I managed to for fill a boyhood dream in Mauritius as I was able to go deep seas fishing for Marlin and would you believe it I caught one!! And have the  picture to prove it not to mention the  Marlins long snout mounted! It was an amazing experience and was made possible by the FA in Mauritius and  my skipper Dominique and his brother Nichol who were the experts!! I just happened to be there!! Finally as we end the old and enter the new a special thank you to some people who have stood by me during the last few months ,its never easy being out of the game not knowing when you will get back in and of course that can be difficult for all concerned. My lovely wife Lucy and my three beautiful daughters have always stood by me even though I am not the best person in the world to be around when I am not working so girls THANKS and here’s to the New Year and new adventures…………