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| Monday, 13 February 2012 20:39 |
Opinion: Sporting soap opera continuesThe show goes on at the Alvalade After the news that Ricardo Sa Pinto has become Sporting’s sixth coach in less than four seasons emerged this afternoon, Ben Shave examines the latest episode in Portugal’s longest-running soap opera, and how it relates to the wider issues reflecting the nation's game.
George Santayana, a philosopher who published his most influential works around the turn of the 20th century, is credited with producing the oft-repeated adage that ‘those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ Santayana was born in Madrid, but spent the majority of his life in the United States, and like all the best thinkers, his legacy lives on through his words. Though perhaps not everywhere.  I don’t know if Santayana ever took an extensive trip around his native Iberia, but if recent events at Sporting Clube de Portugal are anything to go by, it seems unlikely. The club’s decision to replace Domingos Paciencia with Ricardo Sa Pinto provided Monday’s seismic news story, but in truth, no one who has observed Sporting over the past decade should be particularly surprised. In the years since Laszlo Boloni guided the Lions to the Liga and Taca double in 2002, the Lions have welcomed (and then replaced) Fernando Santos, Jose Peseiro, Paulo Bento, Carlos Carvalhal, Paulo Sergio, Jose Couceiro and Domingos as head coaches. Appointed by Presidents who went to great pains to distinguish themselves from their predecessors but when it came down to it turned out (in the time honoured fashion of Portuguese football administration) to be similarly despair-inducing, all seven were hailed to varying degrees; and all, with the exception of Bento, departed after a season or less in charge.  Domingos was viewed (and perhaps more importantly, presented) more than most as the man to reverse the club’s increasingly catastrophic fortunes. His two seasons with Braga spoke for themselves with unmistakeable volume, from the fighting spirit that was so evident in their performances, to the tactical cohesion exhibited regardless of opponents. Lopes pulled all manner of financial jiggery-pokery in order to construct a new squad, desperately needed after two especially wretched campaigns. The reliance on Portuguese talent, for so long a cornerstone of the Sporting identity, was exchanged for a slew of imports. The mortgaging of future transfer earnings in exchange for (if all goes to plan) short-term success presents an uncomfortable moral quandary, but it is a central part of the modern Portuguese footballing reality. One can hardly blame Lopes for taking this course: after all, it has worked for Porto and Benfica since the turn of the century. But Sporting’s rival grandes have shown that as well as the talent, you need a coach or you won’t get very far. Just ask Quique Sanchez Flores or (in a few months) Vitor Pereira. Domingos, with his experience of challenging for titles both at home and in Europe, was Lopes’ choice, and it was universally applauded. Now, after 35 games that saw 19 victories, 9 draws and 7 defeats, he is gone. According to a statement released on the club’s website, elimination from the group stage of the Taca da Liga and 5th place in the table did not correspond with the expectations and objectives placed on Domingos.  Taken in the context of two wins in ten matches, of wretched displays against Gil Vicente and Maritimo, and of a miserly two-point improvement compared with this time last season, it is not difficult to see why the club (not to mention the fans) were concerned, incensed even. But when you add in the point that the average Domingos starting XI contained eight players with less than a season’s experience of playing alongside one another, when you recall that of that XI only Rui Patricio has been consistently fit throughout the campaign, and that between the defeats to Gil and Maritimo was an excellent team performance against Nacional to seal a first major final since 2008, the decision becomes somewhat more questionable. On May 24th, Lopes described Domingos as ‘our chosen coach from the very first minute’ and declared his confidence that he would ‘bring great joy to this club. Together we will develop the will to win. Domingos will bring pride back to the fans and the players that represent this club.’ It was an expression of confidence, but also an ultimatum – secure the riches of the Champions League, or else. The subsequent months were not without their difficult moments, and the optimism of early autumn soon gave way to a depressing winter – or should I say depressingly familiar? Building a successful, consistent team takes time, but in Portugal these days, the last thing available to the bean counters at clubs (and therefore their coaches) is time.  Lopes will soon emerge to justify his decision to media and fans alike, just as his predecessors did. He will, just as they did, speak of what is best for Sporting, of how Domingos gave his best, but that he had allowed the project to slide off course, that maybe – he will hint – his steering of the ship was doomed from the start. Ricardo Sa Pinto, a man who in January 2010 was forced to leave the club after one of its greatest idols of the last two decades declared it to be ‘him or me’, knows Sporting. He feels the emotions of the club. Domingos, it will be made clear quietly, away from the cameras, was from Porto, of the norte. Different. Lopes will say this, and more. Only nobody will be listening. They’ve heard it all before. When you look at the bigger picture, you can find a why to understand why he did what he did, from beginning to end. Once he’s returned to his home in Leca and pondered things for a while, Domingos probably will. George Santayana certainly would have done. But none of that makes it right. Ben Shave |
We could get into an interesting discussion about Bayes therom here ;-)
When do you think VP will be sacked at Porto?
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=CA#/watch?v=V8kUYr2ZC6U
Everyone's saying Domingos to Porto now, a strong possiblity for sure. Although I doubt it would happen before the summer...Vitor Pereira should be given the rest of the season (just as Domingos should've been given). But another possibility, that nobody has mentioned...is the seleccao. I am fully behind Bento for the Euros and I think he's done a great job so far. But we all know how our Federation functions...should we fail in the Euros, Bento could be out of a job this summer...and Domingos would be a strong candidate (as indeed could Villas-Boas if he doesn't survive at Chelsea). This is just speculation of course, and I believe we can do something big at the Euros with Bento in charge...Let's see what happens!
Btw.. Kronic160 I agree to some extent with your point...there is some sort of poetic justice to people who abandon the ship for cash, cash, cash (and then claim it's not for the cash, but to "progress their career"), and then things don't turn out how they were expecting. I must say i feel the same for the likes of David Luiz and Ramires who abandoned a great Benfica squad with loads of potential, for the riches of Chelsea...well they are much richer guys now, but in no way have they progressed on the pitch that's for sure, and the same can be said for Villas-Boas....Fernando Torres is another that springs to mind. Poetic justice indeed, and it goes to show how good it is to be loyal!!! Luisao, you're a one in a million!!
DP, you bailed on braga before the UEFA championship GAME? WTF were you thinking, oh yeah I'm going to sporting with a budget. Idiot that's all I got to say about DP.
Both of these coaches got what they deserved this year. Great coaches don't pull the crap these 2 morons pulled.
Thank you.
Best guess - a furious board tried giving Domingos a stern lecture, Domingos told them to eat it, they impulsively fired him. Shame, but likely.
He's had a few sour notes;
He torpedoed Bragas season by announcing he was leaving before the season was over, and with important games left. He undermined the Europa match and maybe more importantly the match verse Sporting that had 3rd place implications. A bit bush league if you ask me.
I understand that it takes a while to get a squad to be cohesive, but tactics helps with that. We're not in the beginning third of the season. The fact is that the squad as looked lethargic at times, and a manager just can't let that happen with so much to play for. There's quality in the new signings, and he needed to do a better job of incorporating his tactics. The fact is that he didn't or couldn't.
All I'm trying to say is that expectations at Braga were very different than at Sporting or any other "Big" club. This wasn't about finishing first second or third, but about earning that CL spot. Sporting brought in new faces, but the fact is that they own very little of them. They are counting on CL money to offset some of the debt and get them on tract. Paciencia's guidance has put them in danger of missing out on the CL.
Patience was needed at Sporting, and Paciencia is a good manager, but I understand Sportings point of view.
Granted the person that has replaced him comes with plenty of questions.
I have always had a sour taste for Sporting, hence the self imposed "Maca Podre" being so great. But I have always stated how important Sporting is to Portuguese football. Braga may be able to become a top 3 regular, but it will take years of success for them to have the historic significance or world wide cache that Sporting has.
Lastly, relegation would seem far fetched for Sporting in this league, but mid table finishes are just as catastrophic. If players are going to come to Portugal to play, they want European play guaranteed, so they can showcase themselves.
The question that remains for is, what will Braga due with their current success should it continue.
By the way, I don't live anywhere near the swamps. Lol.
Oh yeah, AVB is also struggling. That job was never going to be easy, but he's being paid handsomely for it. You can't use the, "I didn't realize it was going to be tough" excuse.
Both Paciencia and AVB knew exactly what they were stepping into.
I wonder how Vitor Pereira feels? lol
Paciencia was under contract longterm.. he would not be able to leave Sporting unless it was agreed to by Godinho himself.
Even if that was the case.. the first thing Lopes would've done is sued PDC in court for tampering with his manager without permission.
Maybe that is his way of getting out of paying Paciencia.. I wouldn't put it past him.. make some excuses show pictures of Paciencia eating lunch with some Porto representatives that he is friends with.. and make it seem like it is more than friendly banter.
It is the sort of dumb drama that some people around the league that believe everything they read in the tabloids.
They are called tabloids for a reason.. they need to manufacture entertainment, to keep people buying daily.
Now we have this speculation - they'll be no official on the record pronouncements i'm sure as this could well go legal.
Lets see what happens over the next few days but it certainly has the ring of truth to me.
Agreed it's not 'facts' yet - i over egged that a bit but I'd bet my house on it being the real reason.
Sa Pinto is a stooge.. he alone can cause them to miss Europe altogether this year if the club does not turn around instantly. That could cripple them financially and if the lenders pull the money than regulation not only from performance but from fiscal responsibility will take them down.sure if Sporting could survive that.
Leeds United another proud team has still not recovered from their fall.. and has yet to make it back to the Premier League.. and they didn't have UEFA & Liga financial standards to cripple them.
I was not kidding in my prognostication.. maybe a tad dramatic.. but it is all very plausible considering the dire straits Sporting is in.
I wish them the best.. like you I think we need Sporting to be good to push the others.. and with so much Sporting youth talent still available they might be forced to play it to get out of the financial hole they are in for the next few years.
Ben
Hey, but why let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Sporting had no choice but to sack him straight away as soon as they learned of this.
Let's see if he gets paid any compensation....
Does anyone else really dislike Godinho Lopes or is it just me. Hes just an out and out liah. If Godinho Lopes really cared about Sporting then he would sack himself and let someone new come into the club.
If Sporting can get rid of him then they can achieve happy times again because they need honest and transperent people at the club. I can only feel sorry for the personel, players staff etc at Sporitng who are in that environment.
I guess we will never know what is really happening behind the scenes at Sporting but it does not look good from an outside perspective. 6 Coaches, currupt elections and corrupt incompetant management. If I was a Sporting supporter then I would not be happy and be demanding answers. One has to ask would this have happened if De Carvalho was president. I think not new face, new ideas, new outlook and without the old corruption.
I love the idea of a Benfica v. Porto in the final in the CL but the idea of Sporting getting regulated is just sad. I don't know what to say, they've spent a shit load of their money on the biggest project Sporting has ever undertaken and they bailed on it just past the halfway point in the season.
Maybe this is karma as Braga will be the ones getting a CL spot, not their backstabbing ex-coach but I never pictured Sporting falling apart so badly. We've seen it before but there is a breaking point where they have been gutting their youth system and going more in debt. I'm not sure how much the team has left to rebuild.
I do wish them luck as I like a competitive league to keep all teams in check and give higher attendance across the board. Sporting have some great history and I can't see them being history yet but they don't have much room for mistakes at this point.
Paciencia took a weaker squad than JJ's Braga and took it much further for two seasons.. beat Benfica a few times.. with much weaker squads. Ran an amazing Benfica squad to the last game of the season to win a Liga.. beat us in the Europa Cup Semi's.
By your estimation then JJ should've been fired last season for ending up 20 odd points behind Porto.
You're going to lose your credibility with most with comments that are absurd.
We know you have a disdain for Sporting and also are jello of Pacmans brilliance, beccause of his Porto history.
You better hope he doesn't end up managing Porto because he has already proven that he can beat Benfica regularly even with an inferior squad. Even with JJ having his best ever season there is no comparison in tactical abilities. Given Porto's resources and intelligence at the top.. Paciencia would be afforded time to perfect his machine.
Either way Paciencia or AVB life will get harder for Benfica next season with Porto.. fortunately we can get some easy points against Sporting now.
As for too many new players not affecting a squad that is one of the strangest comments I've ever heard.. footie is a team game and requires the cohesion of a large group of players. It is not basketball where you can getaway with having as few as 2 superstars on the court to win.
Futebol requires that you have at least two thirds a of a great squad to be a top team and to win any liga you need 11 to work in unison.. to know tendencies and to adapt and move as a unit.
To bring in that many players that have never played with each other is trouble, and requires more than half a season.
Paciencia may yet prove to be a great ma age but this is as much on him as anyone. He did not get it work.
Keep in mind that I am of the thought that this was a terrible decision by Sporting. Still much to lose with possible stability on the horizon. Keep in mind also that bringing in the new players didn't affect the already bad finances that much. Sporting barely owns any portion of them.
All in all sad day for Portuguese football.
AVB should see himself out of a job for many of the same thing.gs.
I just hate when Sporting players give interviews saying they will give their all and they definitely see themselves as title contenders. They can give their all but who are they kidding when they say we are still in the title race?
To be honest, I don't know of any football manager in the world that could bring us back to winning the title, least of all Sa Pinto.
They are still paying him for the next few seasons.
You strip a team down have very few players left that played alongside each other last season.. buy so many foreigners.. and expect it all to be perfect in half a season?
Hey if he wanted a Porta-Pottie so badly I am sure Porto & Benfica would hand Lopes one of the many Tacas they use on road trips when the washroom is busy.
Unfortunately Sporting will not get back on track anytime soon. Sa Pinto is a tool.. his appointment assures failure, something they may never recover from. It is like putting a crackhead in charge of your pension plan.
I feel for the Sporting fans they deserve better.. I was happy to see them get Paciencia and predicted that in two seasons they would be battling for top spot.
But there was no paciencia from the top.
But to axe a Manager who had nothing to work with because you exiled almost every starter from the year before..have one of the worst GK's in the Liga.. and after you bring in a whole slew of players with only a handful that Paciencia chose.. and expect him to make it all work.. is a systemic failure.. it is shame.. it is a disgrace.
You hire a Manager named Paciencia (Patience) and then you give him no leeway to succeed... that makes you an oxymoron... an Ox and a Moron.
Lopes when you scour back in names means wolf.. a thief in the night.. and clearly he takes after his own name.
This is great for Paciencia.. free money and an opportunity to upgrade in teams.
I can see it right now.. Benfica goes far in the CL & JJ gets an offer abroad that he can't resist..
Paciencia steps in and with the already built squad for next year romps through the Liga and smashes most of Europe..
or
Porto waits till the end of the season and sacks VP.. at that point they will probably have the pick of Paciencia and or AVB who might wear out his welcome at Chelsea.. either way Benfica will land the other.. as both are exceptional.. it will be a pretty good dogfight next year with or without JJ, Paciencia, and AVB..
Both Benfica & Porto go far in the CL.. potentially battle in the Final of the CL.. after Porto upsets Real & Benfica upsets Barcelona.
Sporting get relegated.. as this could be the beginning of the end and the financial crush might finish them altogether.. such a sad sad shame.. for a very proud club with one of the richest histories in the world.
This news is great news for Benfica, Porto, and Braga.. not to mention Maritimo.. Sporting could end up out of Europe altogether this season.. because of this asinine move.
I am sure Sporting fans and others like myself would never allow Sporting to be bankrupt.. but with stupidity like this the sheer wait might make it impossible for us all to help.
At this point in time.. and with the financial standing of the club.. this could shred Sporting altogether.
A sad sad day for any footie fan.