We had another fun tournament this weekend. It is an annual tournament for charity - the registration fees are barely enough to cover the expenses but every player and coach is required to bring a $10+ toy donation. We're talking approximately 2,000 participants, so pretty awesome. Good fun for a good cause.
Our team is having some behind the scenes issues that I've been trying to stay out of and pretend I'm ignorant of and it isn't really working. HC is a friend and someone I really like. He is an excellent trainer. These kids and the game are his passion - his girlfriends always go away after realizing they will always come in second if the choice is between them and the kids. That being said, he has some blindspots when it comes to player development and team chemistry. That's ok, those happen to be the areas I really excel in. We're a good team. Except during times like this. For the last three weeks he has blown off my thoughts on the team and players because he has a mental image of what is. Unfortunately, he doesn't adjust his image to align with current realities. That means some players he has defined as stars are given too much while those that he feels are "role players" are left to pick up the pieces. Example: Lil Lookout is his star outside shooter and creative force on the right. Therefore Lil Lookout will play every minute possible and other players only sub in long enough to give him a breather. I love Lil Lookout like a son:
: but the boy is off the boil. His shots are still amazing but his workrate is down, his attitude is poor, and his confidence is shot. Br should be playing that spot instead of LL right now. There are a couple other examples but this sums it up.
OK, so team chemistry is suffering because the coaches are having a difference of opinion. Unacceptable. I have chosen to back off a bit and while I'm still there and doing my bit I've become less vocal. I figure HC will work through whatever is going on and when he's ready we'll pick up where we left off. The problem is that some of the parents have been rumbling for awhile that they want me as the HC and want him as the lead trainer. I avoided the topic and played deaf. A couple parents approached me off the record and I told them absolutely not. This is HIS team. He created the club. He gathered these kids. He makes career choices around how it will affect the teams he coaches. I will not step up and help strip him of his role simply because things are a little rocky right now. That was the end of the story for me.
Apparently someone quietly asked him to step back this weekend and watch how I handled the games in his absence. No one told me this though. Effectively the first two games of the tournament were completely blown because of poor coaching. I didn't realize until ten minutes into the first game that he wanted me to be the coach. FUCK. OK, so now I start directing the kids in the way they play for me. But then he starts calling subs. We use players differently so his instruction didn't match with what the other players were doing. Complete screw up. Same thing for the second game. I can coach, I can sit in the back and support, but I can't do half and half. The kids get confused and things just don't go well. We tied both games so were effectively out of the running but we still had another day to go.
Day two rolls around and Lil Lookout wakes up with a 103 temp and allergy/asthma issues. I leave him with Mrs L and go to the game to find out HC won't be there. OK, fine. the kids played great and we ran out 8-0 winners. 5 players scored with a hattrick from Br in that right side creative role.
Lil Lookout got his issues sorted and was able to make the afternoon game. So was HC. Again he hung in the back allowing me to coach... but would randomly start shouting instructions that would send a player off on a different mission. Eh, whatever - we won 2-1 with wonder strikes from Lil Lookout and K.
The kids played very well as individuals all weekend long but the chemistry and teamwork that is their trademark was missing in all four games. Sadly in preparing this after tournament post I couldn't think of any really excellent stretches of play worth reporting. Great individual performances but no unit cohesion.
All in all the kids had fun but there is an underlying tension at work amongst the adults right now. This too shall pass, just kind of a disappointing weekend.