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Last update - 01:43 28/12/2008 Soccer / The greatest never to coach in the Premier League By Moshe Boker Michael (Lupa) Kadosh holds the Israeli record, if not world record, for most soccer teams coached - 19. Some teams he coached on two or three separate occasions. But after 32 years, the 68-year-old coach of Hapoel Jerusalem has had enough. On the eve of his retirement, Kadosh points out one last time the injustice he sees in that he never got to coach at the top level despite his perennial success. Advertisement "All over the world age and experience is a plus, only here is it a disadvantage," he bemoans. "No coach has my experience, no one worked as I did in the places I worked. From Be'er Sheva and Ashkelon through Hapoel Ramat Gan and Hakoah to Beit She'an and Sakhnin. I covered the whole country. They throw my knowledge and experience into the sea and take young coaches who barely know how to teach passing the ball. A guy coaches for two weeks, and he's already a superstar. They turn him into a brand name and give him Maccabi Tel Aviv." Your age works against you? What kind of question is that? They want soccer to get better, to catch up with Europe, but they bring in children lacking any experience, understanding or any ties to soccer. In Europe, the leading coaches are nearly 70. They are mature, successful and respected, and they utilize their experience and knowledge. Here in Israel they want to send you out to collect your pension instead of using what you have in your head. If you don't speak nicely, if you aren't a young model and have a slight belly, it won't work. We've turned into a reality show. They pick a coach by his fan base in the press." Do you think young coaches aren't good enough? "I don't have anything against them, but I don't find it acceptable they they turn a coach with one successful season into a soccer maven. There are a lot of deceptive coaches - they speak well, but they are fooling everybody. I hear coaches talk about methodology. What kind of crap is that? Soccer is a neighborhood game, but they invent big words. They have no experience or grasp of the game as I do. A good coach is one who knows how to place his team against an opponent, and play in the best way against that specific team. He knows how to improve his players and not just himself. We're too busy with PR, hair gel and finding a team for next season." And you, who stayed behind, sound very hurt. "If I said it didn't bother me I'd be lying. It's so absurd that I cannot coach in the Premier League. If it weren't my livelihood I would have quit long ago. Once appointing a coach was serious business - now it's a market. A youth coach can lead Maccabi Tel Aviv. Everyone wants to be an assistant coach, to get a chance to eliminate and replace the head coach. How could it be that I did so well with so many clubs yet never coached in the Premier League? It killed me when after doing well I was replaced with a failing coach. How could I not be angry at Israeli soccer?" Kadosh remembers every detail of his career, every argument with management, every shout from the stands. He believes the old days of management, with the workers' council and the tea with lemon, were much better. He drops names like "Duvid" (David Schweitzer) and "Yankele" (Yaacov Grundman), and remembers how the great coaches once had to go through hell with the small teams to coach in the Premier League. Can you give examples? "Even Dror Kashtan, who has proven himself, got help along the way. Once, when I coached Hapoel Lod and brought it up two levels to the second division, Benny Regev (then mayor of Lod) brought Kashtan, who didn't have a team, to Lod at my expense. Later, Avram Levy brought him to Beitar Jerusalem after I brought the team from the third division to the second division. Look where he is today and where I am. He's at the apex of Israeli soccer, and I'm stuck with Hapoel Jerusalem. If I had had the same support, I could have been as successful." Kadosh says there's now a cartel among owners who determine which coaches will work. "How could it be that a coach like [Eyal] Lahman, who was relegated with Hapoel Petah Tivka and fell in Acre and Herzliya, gets Sakhnin in the Premier League? How does Freddy David get relegated with Herzliya, fail in Sahknin and get an offer to coach Kiryat Shmona?" So how? "Several reasons. There are coaches who want their contract and will work at any price, and they don't mind owners coming to team meetings to yell. The coaches shut up, they don't quit and they just want to cover their butts." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bombing protest A suicide bomber blows himself up amid an anti-Israel protest in Iraq. Underground medicine Ashkelon's hospital moves essential departments into an underground bomb shelter.

Read & React Gazans breach Egypt border as IAF hits more than 40 Gaza smuggling tunnels Responses: 251 Bradley Burston: Gaza war: The worst anti-Israel charges you'll hear Responses: 124 Disinformation, secrecy and lies: How the Gaza offensive came about Responses: 114 Iran orders all Muslims to defend Palestinians against Israeli raids Responses: 104 Gideon Levy: The neighborhood bully strikes again Responses: 91 More Headlines 00:42 In response to Gaza raids, Hamas threatens to assassinate Livni, Barak 01:10 ANALYSIS / Key Arab states hope for weakened Hamas 23:18 Hezbollah: Israel may take this opportunity to attack Lebanon 22:48 In protest of Gaza attacks, Syria halts indirect talks with Israel 23:19 Anti-Israel protests over Gaza raids draw thousands across Europe 23:25 ADL slams UN condemnation of Israel Gaza op as 'sheer hypocrisy' 23:27 Suicide bomber kills 1, wounds 16 at protest against Gaza raids in Iraq 09:07 IN PICTURES / Israel strikes the Gaza Strip 00:10 Cost of calling up 6,700 reservists for Gaza op is NIS 3 million a day 23:33 Saudi cleric issues fatwa urging Muslims to avenge Gaza raids 20:31 Israeli Arabs protesting Gaza campaign clash with police 19:45 'Little Baghdad' in Gaza - bombs, fear and rage 22:11 Ashkelon hospital moves its essential departments underground 19:46 UN Security Council calls for immediate halt to Gaza violence 23:54 Report: Amid Gaza op, IAF sets off sonic booms over Lebanon Previous Editions Select Day 28 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec 23 dec 22 dec 21 dec 19 dec 18 dec 17 dec 16 dec 15 dec

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