PHOTO GALLERY - UEFA "A" License Course
PHOTO GALLERY - 2008 Euro Championships
Head coach Barry Gorman is serving as a guest tutor at the UEFA "A" License Course, scheduled to take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland from May 31-June 6. From there, Gorman will attend the 2008 European Soccer Finals in Austria and Switzerland. He will see seven games in 10 days, including the opening match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic in Basel.
Thursday, May 29 - Journey to Northern Ireland
I arrived in Dublin this morning at 9:00 a.m. The six hour flight from Philly is not too bad but the jetlag and time difference will wreck any traveler.
There is not much to report but at least it is not raining. The sun has been in and out on the drive up to Belfast. Ireland is a weatherman's dream...sunny with clouds or cloudy with some sun!
There was a huge accident on the M1 motorway (main highway to Northern Ireland) going in to Dublin. Fortunately for me, it was on the south bound lane. The road was closed for 15 hours according to the radio reports.
Monday, June 2 - The UEFA "A" License Course is underway
There are 40 plus coaches attending the week long course in Belfast Northern Ireland.
Among the candidates are coaches from Portugal, UAE, Brazil, America, Canada, England and Ireland. Many former professional players are present as they look to improve their coaching knowledge and add to their soccer credentials.
Monday, June 2 - Guest speaker
This evening I attended a lecture by one of the most entertaining motivational speakers it has been my pleasure to witness.
Watt Nicoll is an extremely popular and knowledgeable presenter with a wealth of experience working with soccer clubs and their players. He gave a very personable, practical, applicable and humorous down to earth presentation to 'A' License candidates.
Having had the pleasure to speak with Watt after his presentation, I can honestly say that he is a genuine human being and helpful individual. Every American soccer coach should have the opportunity to hear one of his presentations.
The Irish FA brings in a host of guest speakers for evening lectures and the selection lined up for this week's course is top notch.
Tuesday, June 3 - The UEFA "A" License Course continues
Another glorious day in Belfast. These candidates don't know how fortunate they are. Four days on a course in Ireland without rain!!!
This morning sessions was highlighted by a practical demonstration by Billy McKinley, the coach at English League side, Fulham FC.
Billy's session on defending was well received by the coaches in attendance.
The rest of the morning and the afternoon was spent assessing the course coaches on their first field exam.
This evening's session is devoted to match analysis and group evaluations and problem solving exercises.
These courses are quite fatiguing as the coaches are on the go from 9 am until 9 pm each day and even though they jokingly don't want to admit it, some of the candidates are not as youthful as they use to be.
However the banter and friendships being formed will carry everyone through.
Wednesday, June 4 - Candidate assessments at the UEFA "A" Course
As if the weatherman was getting his own back for my previous reference, the rain arrived right on the predicted hour at 2 p.m. today and right in the middle of candidate assessments. Fortunately, it wasn't heavy enough to dampen the soccer spirits and I am sure the groundsman welcomed it, as the pitches have become very dry and hard.
Apart from assessments, it was a day of who's who on the Stranmillis Campus. Making presentations today were Don Howe (Ex England and Arsenal Coach), Craig Brown (Ex Scotland Manager) and the former sports psychologist for Manchester United, Middlesborough and England, Bill Beswick.
Needless to say, stories were recounted with humorous tall tales and wonderful examples.
The experience, level and quality of presenter at this course has been exceptional.
Thursday, June 5 - The course draws to a close
Well, the groundskeeper at the Queens University playing fields got his wish - rain and lots of it today. No longer do the candidates have to endure hard and dry pitches as the skies opened up.
More assessments today which were interrupted when we watched an excellent session put on by Newcastle United first team coach Steve Round. It was good to see Steve again and catch up on news. Steve visited Penn State years ago when he was the reserve team coach at Derby County.
This evening, the coaches attended an outstanding informational lecture by Billy Dixon. Billy spoke about communication, confidence, and body language as it relates to soccer coaches and players.
As I mentioned before the class of presenters, on and off the field, at this course has been exceptional and tonight Dixon joined that group.
Tomorrow it is an early start and drive to Dublin airport.
Friday, June 6 - Travel day
An early morning departure for Dublin airport in brilliant sunshine. After two days of rain, I am sure the guys on the course will welcome the dry conditions again. Pity I am driving the 100 miles from Belfast to Dublin when the weather is nice.
Naturally enough the flight was delayed. So it was a matter of entertaining myself for an extra hour while I waited for the Aer LIngus aircraft to arrive. The Dublin airport is in the middle of renovations and is extremely busy.
At any rate, the flight finally get underway and I arrive in Zurich two hours behind schedule. Not to worry as there is no rush since the opening game of Euro 08 isn't until tomorrow night.
Of course, by the time I collect my bag and get the rental car sorted out and leave Zurich airport, I find myself in the middle of rush hour traffic as I head toward Basel.
I reach Basel an hour and a half later and then the fun began as I had to find the Hotel Maximilian in Weil am Rhein-Friedlingen which is actually just over the Swiss border in Germany.
As chance would have it, I saw my son Trevor (assistant coach at Dartmouth) and Schellas Hyndman (head coach at SMU) strolling through the town as I drove down the main street. Thanks to them I was able to locate the hotel and freshen up after a long day of travel.
Saturday, June 7 - The Euro Championships begin
Thought I was back in Ireland when I went for breakfast. You guessed it. It was raining. So much for an anticipated beautiful view of the Swiss mountains as I would sit outside drinking my morning coffee.
The plan was for Trevor, Schellas and myself to drive in to Basel and then catch the tram to the stadium in the afternoon. No problem as we mingled with the Swiss and Czech fans in downtown Basel. The town was filled with reminders of the Euro Championship and decorated with the flags of all the competing countries. The fan zones are filled with people as they party in the light drizzle before they watch the game on large screen put in place for those who do not have tickets for the match.
After a short tram ride in cars filled with chanting and singing fans, we arrive at the drop off point 300 meters from the stadium. For security reasons no one is allowed to drive any vehicle within 300 meters of any Euro venue.
This was where the fun began. Because of tight security measures, getting in to the actual stadium itself was very slow as each person was searched from head to toe.
However, we made it in time to find our seats and enjoy the opening ceremonies.
The first match featured Switzerland against the Czech Republic. From a soccer point of view it was a dull game with limited scoring opportunities. The Czechs ran out 1-0 winner on a second half goal. The atmosphere in the stadium was very good but really the occasion overshadowed the play of both teams as each side played cautiously and didn't want to give anything away.
At the end of the day, the Swiss were unlucky not to get a draw as they pressed hard for a tying goal.
After the game we headed back to our hotel and caught the Portugal - Croatia game on TV as we enjoyed a nice German meal. A much more open affair with Portugal winning 2-0.
A good start.
Sunday, June 8 - Euro Championship play heats up
Today is supposed to a be a rest day but we end up watching the Irish FA coaches compiling their match report on the Swiss-Czech game from last night. The Irish FA has 10 coaches attending the Euro Championship. They analyze the performances of teams they will face in World Cup qualifications starting in September. The Czech Republic and Poland will be in Northern Ireland's group. The coaching staff will also use the information to improve coaches' education.
The day was going very well until we discovered that there may be a problem with our tickets for tomorrow's game between France and Romania in Zurich.
However, that prospect did not dampen our enjoyment of the watching two more Euro games on TV. The excitement the Euro generates extends to people gathering at pubs and restaurants to watch live matches.
While enjoying the local cuisine, we were able to view the Austria-Croatia and Poland-Germany. Croatia and Germany emerged victorious. With a round robin format teams play each other and are awarded 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie and 0 for a loss. So there is still a lot to play for.
Co-hosts Switzerland and Austria, in spite of playing well, have gotten off to a sticky start.
By the end of the evening our ticket problem has not been resolved.
Monday, June 9 - The Euros continue
After a good breakfast, we had to stomach facing the fact that a mix up has cost us our tickets for the Romania-France game in Zurich. The UEFA people in Basel called to say it was too late to get tickets for the Holland-Italy game in Bern.
Such is life I suppose. But the good news is we have, in our possession, the tickets for the other games we plan to see. Since all the games are being televised live we won't miss any of the action though I must admit that it was tough watching our Irish Coaching colleagues leave for today's two games with their tickets in hand. They sent 5 coaches to Bern and 5 to Zurich to continue their match analysis work.
Therefore, we spent the afternoon exploring the surrounding area. One thing about staying in Basel - you can get in to France and Germany very easily.
This evening, France-Romania ended in a 0-0 tie. In the nightcap, Holland defeated Italy by a score of 3-0. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea watching the game in an Italian restaurant.
The Euros are certainly up and moving. Tomorrow we head to Salzburg, Austria.
Tuesday, June 10 - More travel and more games
What a drive from Basel, Switzerland to Salzburg, Austria. It took us 6 hours. A long day is one way to describe the journey.
Anyway, we arrived safe and sound and on time to check into our hotel and get cleaned up before heading to the stadium. With the Sweden-Greece match kicking off at 8:45 p.m., we had an opportunity to enjoy the pre-game atmosphere as the Swedish fans dressed in yellow and the Greek fans decked out in blue. They painted a colorful background in the Salzburg Stadium.
After a goal-less first half, Sweden scored two goals to defeat the 2004 European champions 2-0. For the most part, the match was a game of cat and mouse as neither team wanted to give anything away. It took a stunning goal to break the deadlock and, is often the case in soccer, when one goal is scored another follows soon after.
Earlier in the evening, in the same group, Spain had beaten Russia 4-1.
Tomorrow we head to Vienna.
Post script to Tuesday...
After the game tonight, we stopped at a highway service station near the German-Austria border. As we were going in to get something to eat, I ran into an old friend from Northern Ireland. Andy McMoran is the principal at Ashfield School in East Belfast. He has a school "football" team over in Austria playing games and watching Euro matches.
I wonder how many teachers, let alone school principals, would give up vacation time to accompany students abroad on a "football" trip. Using sport, Andy has helped educated thousands of youngsters and give them opportunities they would never experience. For his services to Education in Northern Ireland, Andy was awarded the "Order of the British Empire" (OBE) by the Queen. And at heart, he remains a true soccer fan.
Wednesday, June 11 - Touring Salzburg and traveling to Vienna
No rush this morning, as we don't have a live game to attend. So we take the time to tour the city of Salzburg on foot. The place is full of tourists and Euro fans, many dressed in their countries' team colors. In the European way, my son Trevor and I buy a breakfast sandwich to eat as we walk and sightsee.
Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart and naturally enough tourists flock to anything to do with his memory.
As we went through the Salzburg Fan Zone site, I ran in to Mike Dickerson from Everton FC's Youth Academy. Mike has been to America on a number of occasions and done presentations for our National Soccer Coaches Association. It was a pleasant surprise bumping in to him.
The drive from Salzburg to Vienna (Wien in Austrian) was 3 hours and it took us through some beautiful countryside. As is always the case, or so it seems, the weather was great while we were driving.
It was raining (lightly) when we arrived in Vienna and the fun began as we tried to find our hotel. Vienna is an old city and driving around is not for the Sunday driver. One has to keep a careful eye out for trams, bicycles, crossing road patterns, pedestrians and one-way streets that aren't going the way we have to. To the relief of my four back seat drivers, we found the place before dark.
After freshening up we decided to go and watch the 6:00 p.m. Portugal-Czech game at the Vienna Fan Zone. This place is massive and of course it was beginning to fill up with fans from all four teams involved in play that day.
The second game we decided to enjoy from the comfort of our hotel. Today's results saw Portugal beat the Czechs 3-1 and Turkey came from behind to defeat co-host's Switzerland 2-1.
Two things are increasingly evident as we continue our journey through Euro 08. For Americans traveling to Europe this summer be prepared for high prices (our dollar does not fare well against the Euro) and Europeans who smoke everywhere and anywhere. The Eastern Europeans in particular has not gotten the Surgeon General's health warnings.
Tomorrow we will explore Vienna some more and then go the Austria-Poland match which kicks off at 8:45 p.m.
Thursday, June 12 - Sightseeing in Vienna and more games
What a beautiful day in Vienna. The sun is shinning and everywhere one looks you can see soccer fans enjoying themselves. We decided to explore the FanZone and downtown area since our hotel is within walking distance of both.
The Austrians have done a tremendous job with the FanZone. It has something to appeal to fans of all ages. During the day, it is a children's play zone and a lot of local school groups are eagerly taking advantage of the facilities.
The downtown region is beautiful with lots to see and many historical building to please the tourists. After three plus hours of wandering through main and side streets, we returned to our hotel to prepare for our trip to the stadium.
Taking the underground to within two stops of the Ernst Happel Stadium we found a real nice local restaurant to enjoy a quiet meal and watch the first half of the Germany-Croatia game.
The plan, as always, is to get to the venue early enough to savor the atmosphere before the match and this one didn't disappoint. The Austrians and Poles served up a cauldron of noise and a sea of red and white. Since both teams play in the same colors, the neutrals would find it difficult to tell one set of fans from the other. Just before the kick-off we received word that Croatia beat Germany 2-1. With everything to play for Austria and Poland served up a wide-open attacking affair. In spite of carrying the game to Poland, the Austrians found themselves a goal down going in to the half time break. It wasn't until the very last seconds of injury time that the Austrians found a lifeline when the English referee awarded Austria a penalty kick. Converting the kick, the Austrians managed to stave off mathematical elimination. Now there is all to play for in their last group stage match against the Germans.
Friday, June 13 - Leaving Vienna, back to Salzburg
Travel day as we prepare to leave Vienna and journey back to Salzburg. Before embarking on the three hour journey, the first order of business was to drop Schellas Hyndman and his family off at the Vienna airport for a flight to Zurich, Switzerland in the first leg of their return journey to the U.S. The question that all American soccer fans want to know the answer to is, "Will Schellas return as the SMU or FC Dallas (MLS) coach?" Stay tuned for more updates, is all I can tell you.
Once Trevor and I made sure the Hyndmans were safely at the airport, we headed to Salzburg and located our hotel for the next two nights. We are staying in a delightful small hotel 7 km outside Salzburg just across the German border.
Once again we watched the 18:00 hr. game at a small village restaurant in the company of the local natives. The food was excellent and the surroundings very pleasant and pro soccer. And the game wasn't bad as Italy and Romania tied 1-1. A lot of good "football" with goal scoring chances for both teams. A saved penalty kick added drama to the occasion and most likely wrecked a few nerves as well.
The France-Holland match, we watched from the comfort of our hotel as the Dutch defeated the French 4-1 to book a place in the quarterfinals. As you would expect, the TV coverage is outstanding. Even though we don't understand half the things the commentators are rambling on about, anyone can follow the general gist of things.
Soccer fans are flooding into the Salzburg area for the Greece-Russia tomorrow night.
Saturday, June 14 - Enjoying Salzburg and Euro teams separate themselves
After breakfast, Trevor and I departed for Salzburg and the opportunity to really explore the city as we have plenty of time before the 20:45 kick-off. We drove to the train station in Freilassing, Germany. Parking the car, we hopped the train for the short 7 km ride to Salzburg. On game days, our match ticket permits us to travel for free on all public transport.
Once in Salzburg, we wander, with tourists and fans alike, through the historical side streets and enjoy the atmosphere at the local market. The more you travel the more you realize people are the same everywhere. Language, customs and dress may vary but basically we all live our lives in similar fashion. The local people have been extremely friendly and helpful while every visiting fan we have encountered has been jovial and respectful of the host countries facilities. While on trains, buses and trams we have witnessed rival fans singing, dancing and bantering with no problems whatsoever.
In downtown Salzburg, we were stopped by Alex Nunner, who plays basketball for Monmouth College (NJ). He stopped us because he recognized the Nittany Lion logo on my polo shirt. Nunner, who is going in to his junior year, explained that he was born in Austria and was recruited by Monmouth. Since he speaks a number of languages fluently he managed to land a position with Castrol Oil as one of their local group hosts. As part of his job, he has to entertain the Castrol Oil Executives from Greece while they attend Euro 08. What a great way for a young man to make connections and refine his language skills.
In the afternoon, we went to the EuroPark shopping center close to the stadium and ate a late lunch. The shopping mall was packed with both Russian and Greek fans. Outside the center, the Greeks and their team's sponsors had set up a large "Greek Village." I am sure we did not pass for Greeks as we made our way through the maze of tents but we were given a number of freebee giveaways to entice us to support the Mediterranean side. To no avail, I might add, as we remained neutral so we could enjoy the game without the emotional highs and lows of either set of these passionate fans. Believe me, these guys are emotional, passionate and verbal in their undying support of their national teams.
With Spain scoring a late winner against Sweden to take all three points in a 2-1 victory, it meant that Russia and Greece had everything to play for.
For Russia the spoils as they ran out 1-0 winners in an entertaining match that never reached the any great heights.
Hence the group standings are Spain on top with 6 points, Sweden second with 3 points, Russia third on goal difference with 3 points and Greece bottom with 0 points. With one game to play, Spain is through to the next stage with Russia and Sweden to battle it out in a winner take all. With one game left, Greece, the 2004 Euro Champions has no chance of reaching the next stage of the competition.
Another long day is over when we boarded the train for the one stop ride back to Freilassing, Germany.
Sunday, June 15 - Touring Innsbruck
With no live game to take in today, we drove to Innsbruck to visit that Euro location. Although there is no game in the Austrian city, there are a lot of fans from different countries mingling around the downtown FanZone areas. We could not get in to the Stadion Tivoli Neu to take pictures and there was no outside angle to take a shot of the facility. However, the drive to Innsbruck was very scenic and worthwhile. Almost every view from the city has the Alps in the background.
Being a Sunday, almost every main store was closed and only small tourist shops around the FanZones shows signs of life in this mountain retreat. The rain held off so we were able to walk around and explore the side streets and see what Euro gifts are on display. Once again, many locals took advantage of the FanZone activities on quiet days before evening matches are viewed live on the large screens.
Late afternoon, we drove back to our hotel and grabbed a good meal before settling in to watch the Turkey-Czech game on TV. Turkey came from 2 goals down to win 3-2 in a thriller in the rain in Geneva. In Basel, Switzerland beat Portugal 2-0 to end the tournament on a high note and restore some Swiss pride. Portugal and Turkey advance to the quarterfinals.
Tomorrow, Trevor and I head to the Worthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt to see Poland take on Croatia.
Monday, June 16 - Klagenfurt and the Poland-Croatia match
What an outstanding drive from Salzburg to Klagenfurt. The A10 is the road that takes you down through the Austrian countryside and literally through 12 tunnels. The Austrians don't believe in going around or over mountaintops. Mind you, I am talking about major tunnels. Two in particular are worth mentioning; one was 8.6 km long and another 5.9 km. They cut through some serious large mountainsides and driving through them is not for anyone who doesn't like cramped spaces.
We arrived in time to look around and check out the downtown area of this southern Austrian city swamped with Poles and Croatians. Both sets of fans were in fine voice as they gathered in the FanZones and entertained the locals with boisterous renderings of their national soccer songs. Even though the police were out in force everyone was in good form and very friendly. Rival fans mixed and socialized in restaurants and bars. The common theme was to take pictures of each other.
Inside the stadium, the singing and chanting was non-stop as each group tried to will their side to victory. The Croatians had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals and therefore were resting several starters ahead of their game with Turkey in the knockout stage.
The Poles, on the other hand, needed to win to have any chance of going through but mathematical possibilities hinging on the other group game's result between Germany and Austria had to be figured out. However, it mattered not as Poland lost to Croatia 0-1 and Germany beat Austria 1-0. So the Germans go through and will meet Portugal in the next round.
Beating the crowd out of the stadium, we exited stage left and headed north to our hotel getting back about 1 a.m. It will be an early start on Tuesday morning as we head to Zurich.
On a side note: Congratulations to my good friend Schellas Hyndman on his appointment as the head coach of FC Dallas.
Schellas had to cut short his Euro 08 trip with me to return to the US to coach the MLS team. Good luck to Schellas.
Tuesday, June 17 - Viewing the France-Italy match in Zurich
Just as well that we got up early and left after 8 a.m., as our trip to Zurich was long. Rain, traffic volume, accidents and road construction meant delays at each section of our journey. As a result, we didn't arrive in Zurich until mid-afternoon. At least the rain had stopped.
Nonetheless it didn't deter us from joining the FanZone party scene that has trademarked the Euro 08. Parking near the airport, we hopped a train into the city center and mingled with the thousands of fans from all over the world that had descended on the Swiss city. Every language conceivable was evident as fans gathered at the FanZone along the river to watch the France-Italy match. The sufficient of the game added to the atmosphere, which was electric. Both teams needed to win, and hope that Romania would not beat Holland in the other group, in order to advance.
Right before kick-off the heavens opened up and it poured. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to find a restaurant with open seats where we could watch the game on TV. Our wallets were dry but empty as we discovered the price on eating a meal in a downtown Zurich restaurant. Still as a good friend has told me you only live once and seeing the prices, all I know is that Europeans can only afford to live once.
The Italians booked a place in the quarterfinals when they ran out 2-0 winners against the French and the Netherlands defeated Romania 2-0.
Tuesday was a long day to be followed by an even shorter night, as we must check in at 8:00 a.m. for our flight back to the States on Wednesday morning.
Euro Championships Epilogue
Euro 08 fades as an experience but won't as a memory. As I remember my 12 days in Switzerland and Austria, I reflect on the marvelous opportunity soccer fans have to travel anywhere in the world and be accepted by all nationalities because of a common love of one game. Soccer is truly the beautiful game that hurdles all international barriers and transcends language translations. My hope is that the United States will once again host the World Cup in my lifetime.
For the record:
Quarter Final participants and results:
Portugal 2 Germany 3
Croatia (1) Turkey (3) - on penalty kicks
Spain (4) Italy (2) - on penalty kicks
Holland 1 Russia 3
Semi Final participants and results:
Germany 3 Turkey 2
Spain 3 Holland 0
Final participants and result:
Germany 0 Spain 1