From the Sidelines with Corry Ihuhua — Ball now at Warriors feet

THERE is an urgent need to speed up the process of appointing the new caretaker coach for the Brave Warriors.

Exactly 78 days remain before we engage Angola in the Cosafa Castle Cup tie in their own backyard, and we still don’t know who is in charge of the national team. The appointment of the coach, in whatever capacity, will clearly give some shape to what should be done ahead of the once-off match in Luanda.At this stage I think the coach, if he had been appointed already, should have drawn up a programme outlining his intentions for the national side.A training schedule with specific dates that will require a training group either work out in the gym, to practise twice a week as a group or to carry out some other well-planned exercise routine.The new coach should have at least identified some players he intends drafting into the squad, appoint assistants and work towards arranging friendly matches.There will be a host of premier league matches for the next two months and it is vital that the new Warriors coaching staff organise friendly matches in advance, to avoid disrupting the schedules of teams in the league.It would be good if the NFA could also arrange at least two friendly matches with neighbouring countries, for the players to get into the groove of international football.Obviously, the new faces that might be drafted into the squad would benefit from that.A new coach should by now had an opportunity to look at players in the premier league, to give him an idea of what his team will ultimately look like.Some of the current Brave Warriors have lost form.Several players in the premier league and who were not part of the last squad have shown potential to be included in the national side, and I think it is time for that to happen.There is also the factor of foreign-based players whom the new coach has to decide whether to call up.Normally at this time of year teams in Europe are vying to claim league titles or fighting relegation.It will be important for the new coach to know whether prospects he has in mind to take the field against Angola will be available to be released from their commitments abroad.The recent African Cup of Nations saw most of the European-based players stream into Africa to represent their countries, and this might also result into some players not being released.In Namibia’s case, the South African-based players are the first options, but their coming home depends on the league status of their clubs.The boys in Europe are in a similar situation and it will be interesting to know whether they will indeed get called up, as their last performances for the Warriors proved inadequate.If the new coach has to select a squad, I think it would be wise to look at the local players, give them enough time to play together and form the core team from their ranks.The foreign internationals can be used in complementary roles.Another imperative in getting the new man to take charge is that he needs to know and understand his players.This takes time.If the NFA appoints Max Johnson, who has already expressed interest and who has been earmarked for the job in any case, he needs to do some thorough homework on finding a winning combination.There is not much time to rebuild the team now, but I think he should work on the current players and find a way of injecting it with some firepower upfront and of steadying the defence.A win for Namibia in the Angola match will be particularly welcome, as it will at least keep Namibia’s senior side competititve on the international front.A victory will also restore the pride of football that is now sorely missed in this country.The opportunity is there to give the football authorities the courage and enthusiasm to focus on their task of turning Namibian football around for good, within the next three years.The appointment of the coach, in whatever capacity, will clearly give some shape to what should be done ahead of the once-off match in Luanda. At this stage I think the coach, if he had been appointed already, should have drawn up a programme outlining his intentions for the national side. A training schedule with specific dates that will require a training group either work out in the gym, to practise twice a week as a group or to carry out some other well-planned exercise routine. The new coach should have at least identified some players he intends drafting into the squad, appoint assistants and work towards arranging friendly matches. There will be a host of premier league matches for the next two months and it is vital that the new Warriors coaching staff organise friendly matches in advance, to avoid disrupting the schedules of teams in the league. It would be good if the NFA could also arrange at least two friendly matches with neighbouring countries, for the players to get into the groove of international football. Obviously, the new faces that might be drafted into the squad would benefit from that. A new coach should by now had an opportunity to look at players in the premier league, to give him an idea of what his team will ultimately look like. Some of the current Brave Warriors have lost form. Several players in the premier league and who were not part of the last squad have shown potential to be included in the national side, and I think it is time for that to happen. There is also the factor of foreign-based players whom the new coach has to decide whether to call up. Normally at this time of year teams in Europe are vying to claim league titles or fighting relegation. It will be important for the new coach to know whether prospects he has in mind to take the field against Angola will be available to be released from their commitments abroad. The recent African Cup of Nations saw most of the European-based players stream into Africa to represent their countries, and this might also result into some players not being released. In Namibia’s case, the South African-based players are the first options, but their coming home depends on the league status of their clubs. The boys in Europe are in a similar situation and it will be interesting to know whether they will indeed get called up, as their last performances for the Warriors proved inadequate. If the new coach has to select a squad, I think it would be wise to look at the local players, give them enough time to play together and form the core team from their ranks. The foreign internationals can be used in complementary roles. Another imperative in getting the new man to take charge is that he needs to know and understand his players. This takes time. If the NFA appoints Max Johnson, who has already expressed interest and who has been earmarked for the job in any case, he needs to do some thorough homework on finding a winning combination. There is not much time to rebuild the team now, but I think he should work on the current players and find a way of injecting it with some firepower upfront and of steadying the defence. A win for Namibia in the Angola match will be particularly welcome, as it will at least keep Namibia’s senior side competititve on the international front. A victory will also restore the pride of football that is now sorely missed in this country. The opportunity is there to give the football authorities the courage and enthusiasm to focus on their task of turning Namibian football around for good, within the next three years.