Daei winning championship in his first year; What are the indications?

[Mansoor]

Ali Daei once again stood up against lot of bad vibes and proved his capabilities. This not so popular player among football fans now is in a new dimension and proved his capability as a winning coach. First year, not a full time coach, did not even start the season as the coach, did not set his team in transfer season, faced lot of diverstities during the season, did not even have half of the players Perspolis had, but yet won the championship with display of modern and smart football. Do we see a first ever international quality coach from Iran?

They say high caliber players can not be good coaches, mainly due to lack of motivation. I see lot of motivation in Daei due to all the bad publicities against him. He loves to prove many wrong. I see great international experiences in him from playing and being coached in high international stages. I see intelligence and I see winning attitute with discipline, a pre-req for greatness in coaching. Even Branko was using him in his later years mainly due to his leadership. I see huge possibilities in him as Iran's next head coach.

People say it is too soon, but I don't think so. More and more I see power house teams bringing young coaches right after their retirement from football to coach their team with fresh ideas.

I think maximum after Saipa's year in ACL with Daei, we have a great possiblity in our hand for Team Melli. A sign of greatness is in early success. His next year with Saipa in ACL should be his last test to see and decide, if not sooner.

[Guru]

After gaining a little more experience, Daei will make a great coach for TM.

There is a small problem though that may prevent it from happening or, if it does happen, it may be a big barrier for its success. Some of the members of the current squad (such as Karimi and Mobali) may find it hard to play under Daei and carry out his orders. There will also be other veteran players (such as Mahdavikia) who may have serious reservations about accepting Daei's leadership. So we should either skip the veteran generation of TM and start afresh, or wait until this generation retires.

[BehzadB]

I think maximum after Saipa's year in ACL with Daei, we have a great possiblity in our hand for Team Melli. A sign of greatness is in early success. His next year with Saipa in ACL should be his last test to see and decide, if not sooner.

But why do we have to put so much pressure on him? He may become a great coach in 5 years, maybe sooner.. or maybe later... I guess he will become a great coach whenever he is going to become a great coach..

the question shouldn't be "WHEN" or "IF" he will be a good enough coach who deserves to coach TM.. there are plenty of great coaches out there in the world that could help our national team.. the question as always will be, "would he be the right fit for that team that he is going to coach".

I think having won the title will make him a more serious candidate for TM at some point in the future.. but the way I see it, wining the title or not wining it this year would have had no affect on Daie's potential as a coach. Daie would have gone on to become a great coach regardless of who won the title this year and regardless of how they do in ACL next year... We all know that wining and losing is not all on the coach.. a coach is a part of a bigger puzzle that has to come together well, in order to be successful..

Right now and for the foreseeable future and as long as his former teammates are on the roster, I don't think Daie will take the job and neither do I think the job will be offered to him..

Daie knows what he needs to do and he certainly has all the potential to coach TM in the future.. my only area of concern is: can he handle the tough times...Remember guys, coaching is "Aza" and "Aroosi" at the same time..and it is specially "harsh" in Iran..

[Doctor DOOM]

I guess it speaks a lot on the man's ;

1- Determination, which has been a hallmark of his entire footballing career.
Throughout his career he has demonstrated this steel & determination, despite his apparent shortage of skills & fancy footwork. His consistent hard work has amply made up for this.

2- Perseverance, even in the face of general adversity.
He was hardly supported by masses compared to the red or blue clubs, and in fact he provided the common enemy factor that even united these two large masses.
Let us not talk about the shameful harassment & abuse he endured on many occasions and places!
A lesser man would have either given up, or at least been rattled by such adversity.

3- uncommon professionalism that kept him away from the common harmful peripheral issues of our football.
While the traditional & mainstream football personality in Iran thrives on such matters, he tried to stay away from it all.
Of course, it helped that his team is not usually the focus of attention by fans or mass media, which provided a quieter & calmer atmosphere to work in.

4- Intelligence & exposure to top class football in all those years in Europe, which bore fruit.
This was inevitable. Given his capacity to learn & his determination, his years under Europe's top coaches and pro atmosphere paid off well.
One can only hope when the time comes for the likes of VH or Kia to hang their boots, they, too, will be as effective & masterful as Daei.

5- We cannot discard his charisma & leadership either. Especially among his own players.
They looked like the soldiers who were at his beck and call, determined to carry out his orders no matter what. This loyalty & respect is commanded by very few in Iran.


6- And finally, his inherent ambitious nature, which will prod & push him to capture more glory and gains.


Implications?
With gradual return of the first generation of our European legioners, we shall see a more positive trend in coaching by young hopefuls like Daei, even Azizi.
Personally, I doubt anyone would parallel Daei's attributes, but perhaps ppl like kia & VH may come close . never reaching him, tho'. as Daei's charisma is one thing that even these two professionals dont equal.

All in all, it is the harbinger of better days for vatani coaching.



As for becoming a top class by Int'l standards, well I'd say give him 2 years and some classes & tours, he will get there.
TM?
Dont know. maybe the next WC, given his insatiable ambition & hard work.
just maybe.
That's why I tend to agree with behzad jan over not wanting to put undue & premature pressure on him to quickly deliver & climb the ladder.
He has what it takes to be a great coach.
It's just a matter of time till he takes the reigns.

too soon or too much pressure ( even with saipa ) may actually delay matters.

so I think he'll be a very serious contender for the next ASIA CUP, ........ if he's not already in charge by that time.

[Ali Chicago]

Very good popst by DD. I think it summarizes Ali Dai's traits very well. Ali Dai overall has been a great asset to Iranian football. If only the latter years of Branko years (him playing full time and all) could be somehow wiped out. He made great decisions so far (well except the latter part of Branko years).

Best of luck to him and Saipa and I hope Ali Dai's work ethic, determination and professionalisem be the path for the next generation of the Iranian football players.

As for the future, I think he definitly will get involved with coaching at the national level (maybe youth level U19 or U23 ) will be a great place for him to start. This way, he and his players eventually evolve to the TM.

[Adesor Vafaseya]

good thoughts!

I am always in favour of younger generation both on the field as players and off the field as coaches.
Daei has been trained by good class coaches such as Ernst Middendorp (1997-1998 Arminia Bielefed), Ottmar Hizfeld (1998-1999 Bayern Munich), Joergen Roeber (1999-2002 Hertha Berlin) and nonetheless Tomislav Ivic and Miroslav Balzevic at nationalteam levels; so surely he can add value to the teams he is coaching + his own unique experiencces as a player he has gained throughout the years.
I agree next year is the big test... ACL and defending the title campaign.. let see how it goes!

Do we see a first ever international quality coach from Iran?

Lets not forget Heshmat Mohajerani. He had international quality too.

(Iran TM: 1974 Asian games gold, Olympic games 1976 quarter finals, 1976 Asian Cup, 1977 World Cup qualification)

[Doctor DOOM]

thank you "crazy"-ali jan.

however, I doubt Daei could even be bothered with anything less than TM ( at national level ).

all his traits we know.
but we also know he aint a saint ( he isnt like Jalali who cares much about the "teaching & training" aspects of the game, either )

the guy is "walking ambition".
and U-19 or .. are just small-fry for him to take the bite.
he'd want the big one.
the TM seniors.
and I know he's already gunning for it.

But he's also clever and intelligent. knows if the move is made prematurely, things may turn sour quickly!
that's why I said 2 years, coz I considered his ambition while allowing for the time that someone like him ( exposure, experience, ... ) needs to gather adequate info and knowledge to get the job done RIGHT.
no half-arsed , patch-up job will come from him.
he will wait, but make sure once he gets the job, he has enough in him to deliver the goods.

[Mr.Good]

Ali Daei showed us his great potential as a coach. What I like about Daei is that he tries to excel in any thing he does. He got a college degree, he was a master goal scorer, he built a successful business,... His achievements speak of a smart person and promises a successful coach.
However, he also showed us that like many other Iranian and non-Iranian coaches, he is very susceptible to "Hasheyeh". Everybody remembers what happened to Saipa after their game with PP and the nine games they did not win that almost cost them the championship.
I think before we take Daei as TM coach, he should survive few seasons in IPL and ACL. If he goes directly for TM now, the football mafia will kill all his ambitions.

[perspolees]

I would be willing to eat my words but for some reason I do not see him becoming a great coach...when was the last time that a center forward ended up being a great coach in Iran's football or for that matter in a matter of proportions in the world's football?
He certainly has the best shot at it given his track record to achieve above and beyond our vatani coaches and we just have to wait and see...

[The-Red]

no one can get the credit away from him, but let's be fair to the following factors:

high quality players
good conditioning by the german at the beginning of the season
Zolfagharnasab's great defensive structure implemented last season

Daie has a winning atitude and works hard no matter what he is working on, a combinition of all of that and the great management of Saipa club did the trick.

[yashar_fasihnia]

I would be willing to eat my words but for some reason I do not see him becoming a great coach...when was the last time that a center forward ended up being a great coach in Iran's football or for that matter in a matter of proportions in the world's football?
He certainly has the best shot at it given his track record to achieve above and beyond our vatani coaches and we just have to wait and see...

abdul samad marfavi

[kaz]

Daei can be a great TM coach if he follows the road he is traveling but he won't be suitable for TM with this generation. There are too many of our best players against him and who'll question his position as coach.