Breakthrough?

THOUGH FORMER Jamaica College coach Miguel Coley’s first match as interim head coach of Umm Salal in the Qatar Stars League against Al Ahli yesterday could not have gone worse, his intention is to help the team win every game that he will be in charge of.

Coley, arguably the most dominant Jamaican schoolboy football coach in the modern era after leading Jamaica College to five consecutive Manning Cup and Olivier Shield titles from 2013 to 2017, was thrust into the head coach position only a few days ago after previous coach Patrice Carteron resigned.

Nevertheless, the ambitious Coley is undaunted by the challenge, and only sees it as an opportunity to enhance his growing reputation in a region where only the top European and South American coaches are considered for head coach jobs.

“ Maybe they (club) will find another coach or they will extend it (interim contract). It all depends. But it is a great opportunity to be a head coach in one of the better leagues in the world.

“To be considered shows that they trust in me and I must have been doing something good. Because in this region only the top, top coaches really coach here. So it is difficult to break out in these areas because they go for the best of the best,” said Coley.

Coley’s side was beaten 3-0 by Al Ahli and unfortunately the first time the coach conceded came down to an own goal in the 10th minute, Antonio Mance, the culprit.

There were also goals from Erik Esposito in the 29th minute and Idrissa Doumbia in the 36th that ended the match as a contest.

Still, Coley is finding no excuses and expects to make the best of the opportunity.

“Definitely I intend to make the most of it. It has opened up doors for people to start thinking about Miguel Coley, a Jamaican coach.”

Umm Salal are now eighth in the league on 11 points, well behind yesterday’s opponents Al Ahli, who are third on 21 points in the 12-team table.

“I want to win as many games as possible. The idea is to win and always push the team to get three points because in the league one point is like a loss. But at this stage, we do not want to lose. That is the most important thing.

“The team is not doing badly but there is a lot of room for improvement and I hope that during my time as interim, no matter how long or short, I can do a good job with the team,” he said.

He noted that in the short term he plans to make as limited changes as possible. However, he is aware that there are some things that need to improve and he will try to address those issues over time.

“There are some principles that I would like to change and improve. But I will not make many changes in terms of people,” said Coley.

Feels at home

Coley, who coached the team for a brief period in 2023 and helped them to the semifinals of the cup competition, has received the full backing of club president Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the fans and players and feels at home in the job.

However, he said his years as assistant to Winfried Schäfer prepared him for this moment.

“So far, it has been very positive. I’ve spoken to the Sheik and he has no doubt. He is very pleased to have me as a head coach and there is absolutely no pressure. So it is for me to go out there and execute.

“This is similar to what I did, especially with coach Schaefer, who would give me the opportunity to coach and he manages.

“The only difference now is that there are more press conferences, more meetings and discussions in terms of players we should bring in or such. So it brings a little more management with it.

“But it has been fantastic. We had three amazing training sessions. The response has been good. I have met with the captain and the leaders of the team and they have given me full support.

“Some players I have worked with them before because I was assistant coach two years ago. Also I was interim in 2023 where I brought them to the semfinals of the cup. So I am not new to the team and the environment,” he said.

In case the clubs goes for a new coach in the long term, Coley said he would continue as coach of the under-23s. However, he declared that for long term his ambition is to be a head coach.

Although he is not short on offers, he is patiently biding his time for the right opportunity.

“In the medium and long term I am always seeking to be a head coach at the professional level. I have been in talks with a few persons, clubs, and countries. So the opportunities are there.

“In the short term if they should bring in another coach, I will go back to the Olympic team. But in the medium and long term, I am actively pursuing the opportunity to be head of a first team again.

“It is just to do the work. And now I feel confident that the team is prepared. Whenever a coach leaves, it is not always easy, especially if the team is very close to the coach. But the response of the players has been amazing. So let’s see what happens.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com