Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., November 12, 2008 Cheshvan 14, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:28 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate U.S. election Travel Week's End Anglo File

Soccer / Belgians to Strool: Forget what Israeli soccer taught you By Yaniv Kubovitch Defender Avi Strool ended the Israeli national team's match against Switzerland with an injured foot. When he returned to his Belgian club K.S.C. Lokeren he tried to persuade his coach Georges Leekens to give him a few days rest. Leekens frowned but granted the player's wish. When Strool continued to complain before the club's match against Roeselare two weeks later Leekens decided to teach him a lesson: Strool was invited to a talk where he was scolded. Advertisement "You don't train hard enough," Leekens said. "There are subs on the bench and I won't think twice about leaving you out if you don't try hard enough." For Strool it was wake-up call; he finally realized he was playing for a European club. Leekens told Haaretz in a telephone interview that Strool needed to be reminded that he wasn't in Israel anymore. "Strool is a good player but there's no doubt he likes playing more than he does training," the Belgian coach said. "He has some habits that he must have picked up in Israel, but here things work differently." Strool understood that under Leekens there would not be much time recovering from injuries. "In Israel I'd rest a day or two if I were injured," he said. "But here, under this coach, an injured player shows up an hour earlier in the morning and works even harder." Leekens might be hard on Strool but he values his skills - he has extensively used the Israeli player, who was on the squad in every match before his injury and returned to his position last week in the team's 3-2 victory over Anderlecht. Strool won a place in the fans' hearts after scoring a goal from midfield against Tubize. Roger Lambrecht, the club's chairman, said that much like many other Israeli players, Strool's weakness is his relatively low athleticism. If he can overcome that obstacle, he can become an even more valuable asset. "Anyone who saw him against Anderlecht could see that he can deal with the biggest teams," Lambrecht said. "But to go far he has to improve his athleticism." Belgian boredom Lokeren is a quiet town in Belgium, or as Strool's Israeli teammate Omer Golan best described it: "A boring place with nothing to do." Luckily for Strool, he moved to the city with his girlfriend Noa Sharir. But after she returned to Israel to complete her studies, he has been spending more time in front of the computer talking with friends back home. In the rest of his free time he usually meets with Golan and his wife. "We've opened a commune," Golan said. "Sometimes we go for coffee but usually we just hang out at my place. We've also bonded with the Croatian players, but usually it's just the two of us." The 27-year-old Strool left Israel at a relatively late age for a soccer player, a decision he is very happy with. He says he regrets not trying his luck earlier in his career and recommends that younger Israeli players consider a move to the continent and sacrifice their salaries to gain experience. "A lot of people ask me if I want to go back to Maccabi Tel Aviv because their defense needs some strengthening, but I'm not even considering that," he said. "In the near future I want to do the maximum here and improve as much as I can." Bookmark to del.icio.us   No light at the end Amira Hass / Powerless in Gaza, residents rely on the tunnels. Offensive strikes Report: U.S. secretly attacked dozens of Mideast targets since 2004.

Read & React Aluf Benn: No leader before Olmert explicitly urged return to '67 borders Responses: 173 Nehemia Shtrasler: We shouldn't copy Obama, he should copy us Responses: 32 Report: Hamas says its officials met Obama aides before U.S. election Responses: 162 Moshe Arens: History may judge Bush, Iraq war, very differently Responses: 57 Israel renews fuel deliveries to Gaza, after week-long halt Responses: 94 U.S. Jews to Mormons: Stop baptizing Holocaust victims Responses: 114 More Headlines 00:54 Poll: Secular hopeful Nir Barkat leading in Jerusalem mayoral race 22:05 Nasrallah: Israeli hands that attack Lebanon will be severed 00:57 Abbas says Israel has proposed Jerusalem concessions in the past 19:22 Netanyahu will seek alternative to current peace talks if elected 00:05 Arafat's nephew insists Israel poisoned the late Palestinian leader 15:51 Blair's bodyguard accidentally fires gun at Ben Gurion airport 20:26 Sweden court: Civil servant unlawfully demoted for pro-Israel views 15:58 Report: Hamas says its officials met Obama aides before U.S. election 20:44 IDF files harsh indictments against officers involved in Golan training accident 10:09 Livni distances herself from Olmert comments on '67 borders 01:46 ANALYSIS / No leader before Olmert has explicitly called for return to '67 borders 15:59 UN: Gaza food aid to halt if Israel keeps crossings closed 08:28 Obama, and the first Arab prime minister of Israel 18:21 U.S. Jewish group to Mormons: Stop baptizing Holocaust victims Previous Editions Select Day 11 nov 10 nov 09 nov 07 nov 06 nov 05 nov 04 nov 03 nov 02 nov 31 oct 30 oct 29 oct

Special Offers Advertisement Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Dan Boutique Jerusalem New Dan Hotel in Jerusalem Young, Fun & Distinctively Dan Book Now Online! Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Car rental in Israel Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates. Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved