Kafashian will meet CQ on Thursday to finalize the contract

[Kiarash]

Here is the flaw in your argument. You believe Iran is one of the best 32...but the fact is, the best 32 do not make the WC. The top countries in their designated continents make it...and because of this thinking, many Iranians feel CQ made us into one of the best 32 nations...when in reality we are far from it. In fact, I am willing to bet, if the best 32 made it, 25-30 of the teams would come from Europe and S. America, and maybe 5-7 from Central/N. America and Africa...no Asian team would make it. Has CQ really helped us progress? I would argue not, because in Asia you saw, we went up and held the # 1 FIFA ranking despite not playing a match.
Citing WC qualification, FIFA rankings, etc are all flawed, because in Asia, on any day, you can be sure that only 4-6 countries have a chance of qualifying. Stick us in Europe, and then tell me is Iran better than WC non-qualifers Sweden, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Serbia, Poland, and countless others? I doubt it.

The point of a World Cup is having teams from all over the world. If you want to have Czech Republic, Swden, Poland and all these teams at the World Cup, might as well turn the name into EURO Championship. FIFA made a qualification system and Iran qualified alongside the other 3 Asian teams to the World Cup, whats flawed about that? Whether you like it or not, the best 32 teams from all continents make it to the World Cup. Iran was part of that in 2014.

[rugs]

Here is the flaw in your argument. You believe Iran is one of the best 32...but the fact is, the best 32 do not make the WC. The top countries in their designated continents make it...and because of this thinking, many Iranians feel CQ made us into one of the best 32 nations...when in reality we are far from it. In fact, I am willing to bet, if the best 32 made it, 25-30 of the teams would come from Europe and S. America, and maybe 5-7 from Central/N. America and Africa...no Asian team would make it. Has CQ really helped us progress? I would argue not, because in Asia you saw, we went up and held the # 1 FIFA ranking despite not playing a match.
Citing WC qualification, FIFA rankings, etc are all flawed, because in Asia, on any day, you can be sure that only 4-6 countries have a chance of qualifying. Stick us in Europe, and then tell me is Iran better than WC non-qualifers Sweden, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Serbia, Poland, and countless others? I doubt it.

But the flaw in your argument is that you have no way to prove what you say.

What we can do is compare our own situation pre-CQ under the likes of GN, Daei, Ghotbi and now under CQ.

It's not difficult to see which is better. You can weigh them easily. The most important being:

2010 - didn't make the WC

2014 - made the WC.


by the way 50% of UEFA teams didn't make it past the group stage in 2010 and 2014.

[O-ZoNe]

No one other than CQ would've brought on Gucci and started him in our most desperate matches that put us through to the WC.
1. Other coaches don't have the courage to do such a thing and will stick with what they know (BI - Daei, GN - Enayati, Khatibi, Daei - Khalili, Rezaei)...
2. They have no eye for talent

Not true...maybe CQ's name was able to persuade those guys to come, but we know others tried to court Gucci and Dejagah who declined TM invites at the time...also, how much was circumstance a concern for these players. We know that they like Beitashour tried for their home-based countries first, and when reality set in, with the added bonus of having CQ they chose Iran...even Ghotbi said he tried to persuade those guys to come in...

Also, let's talk about the busts, Nazari, Beita, Davari were also CQ finds that did not necessarily pan out for us...reality is CQ is better than any domestic coach, no doubt about it...but is he worth the money he is getting for what he has done so far for Iran...doubt it. I think we are paying too much for the name without the results to substantiate it. Even so, I am willing to give him AC before saying he should or shouldn't be our coach.

But the flaw in your argument is that you have no way to prove what you say.

What we can do is compare our own situation pre-CQ under the likes of GN, Daei, Ghotbi and now under CQ.

It's not difficult to see which is better. You can weigh them easily. The most important being:

2010 - didn't make the WC

2014 - made the WC.


by the way 50% of UEFA teams didn't make it past the group stage in 2010 and 2014.

Cup half full cup half empty...2006 we made the WC, had exact same result with Branko as we did with CQ...so then Branko must be just as good as CQ...even I would claim CQ is better than Branko...but is CQ worth all of the money, and terms...remember we are paying CQ 150% more than what S. Africa offered him and he supposedly considered.

[rugs]

Not true...maybe CQ's name was able to persuade those guys to come, but we know others tried to court Gucci and Dejagah who declined TM invites at the time...also, how much was circumstance a concern for these players. We know that they like Beitashour tried for their home-based countries first, and when reality set in, with the added bonus of having CQ they chose Iran...even Ghotbi said he tried to persuade those guys to come in...
Also, let's talk about the busts, Nazari, Beita, Davari were also CQ finds that did not necessarily pan out for us...reality is CQ is better than any domestic coach, no doubt about it...but is he worth the money he is getting for what he has done so far for Iran...doubt it. I think we are paying too much for the name without the results to substantiate it. Even so, I am willing to give him AC before saying he should or shouldn't be our coach.

Maybe I am missing something here. Did Gucci and Dejagah play in TM before CQ?

[O-ZoNe]

Maybe I am missing something here. Did Gucci and Dejagah play in TM before CQ?

No, they did not, but then is Branko just as good as CQ, considering we had the exact same outcome in 2014 as we did in 2006?

I'm not saying CQ is not a good coach, or isn't our best option...I know what I am saying is unpopular but let me ask you, where else in the world could CQ get rehired after a WC performance like that? Costa Rica let their coach go after everything he did...what I am asking, is CQ worth paying 150% more than what S. Africa offered with all of those guarantees and terms? Was CQ worth wasting 2 months of AC preparation? At a million dollars CQ might be ok to stomach...given his performance to date.

[clipsport]

The World Cup is something many countries dream of, only the best 32 can make it. We were part of it, so it's prestigious to be there as a whole. Besides, where were we in 2010?

What did the WC do for us? It was a golden opportunity to showcase our young players to send them to Europe. But CQ parked the bus in the hopes of getting a lucky result (which didn't happen anyways). So I would argue that the WC was a complete waste for us. There is no point in going to just play 3 games and coming back.

And to all the people who think CQ is one of the top coaches of the world. Just LOL. Here is a guy who has no offers from anywhere. The sports ministry clearly doesn't want him. Kafashian even said on TV that deep down he doesn't want him. Yet CQ is still dying to come. Who else is going to pay him all those millions to do the least amount of work?

[rugs]

Cup half full cup half empty...2006 we made the WC, had exact same result with Branko as we did with CQ...so then Branko must be just as good as CQ...even I would claim CQ is better than Branko...but is CQ worth all of the money, and terms...remember we are paying CQ 150% more than what S. Africa offered him and he supposedly considered.

I liked Branko, but there is a difference. He didn't have as good of an eye for talent as CQ and he also caved under domestic pressure.

Three examples:

1. Starting Ali Daei and not playing Borhani who was in his prime.

2. Adding Madanchi to TM at the last minute simply because he scored a lucky goal against a league 1 team in the Hazfi.

3. Locker room arguments.

Those were three big things Branko didn't control. There is a difference between a big name manager and a good manager like Branko.

[rugs]

No, they did not, but then is Branko just as good as CQ, considering we had the exact same outcome in 2014 as we did in 2006?

So then there is the difference. CQ, for whatever reason, got them to join TM.

Branko was not the same as CQ. I've listed their differences above.

[Kiarash]

What did the WC do for us? It was a golden opportunity to showcase our young players to send them to Europe. But CQ parked the bus in the hopes of getting a lucky result (which didn't happen anyways). So I would argue that the WC was a complete waste for us. There is no point in going to just play 3 games and coming back.

And to all the people who think CQ is one of the top coaches of the world. Just LOL. Here is a guy who has no offers from anywhere. The sports ministry clearly doesn't want him. Kafashian even said on TV that deep down he doesn't want him. Yet CQ is still dying to come. Who else is going to pay him all those millions to do the least amount of work?

You go to a World Cup to gain experience, show what you got to the world and make your country proud. All these three things Iran has done. Our younger players like Jahanbakhsh gained experience on the world stage while we showed to be a very tough opponent against Nigeria and Argentina. We earned respect from the world after our fantastic performance against Argentina, even Tim Cahill (Australia NT) tweeted that he found himself cheering for us and felt bad when we lost. Also, people gathered on the streets after the Argentina game, Team Melli gave all their heart to make them happy.

How do you know? Do you have personal contacts with CQ or not? Please don't make baseless assumptions. And the millions? Nooshe joonesh. At least its going to the right person, instead of some GN which has most probably ties to the regime as well. CQ deserves every penny, for wanting to work in a very unfriendly environment.

[rugs]

No, they did not, but then is Branko just as good as CQ, considering we had the exact same outcome in 2014 as we did in 2006?
I'm not saying CQ is not a good coach, or isn't our best option...I know what I am saying is unpopular but let me ask you, where else in the world could CQ get rehired after a WC performance like that? Costa Rica let their coach go after everything he did...what I am asking, is CQ worth paying 150% more than what S. Africa offered with all of those guarantees and terms? Was CQ worth wasting 2 months of AC preparation? At a million dollars CQ might be ok to stomach...given his performance to date.

Yes, because of what I wrote here: http://www.persianfootball.com/forum...=1#post2215687

South Africa does not have the problems we have.

We go to train in SA, SA would never come to train in Iran. Just a small example of the difference.

[rugs]

You go to a World Cup to gain experience, show what you got to the world and make your country proud. All these three things Iran has done. Our younger players like Jahanbakhsh gained experience on the world stage while we showed to be a very tough opponent against Nigeria and Argentina. We earned respect from the world after our fantastic performance against Argentina, even Tim Cahill (Australia NT) tweeted that he found himself cheering for us and felt bad when we lost. Also, people gathered on the streets after the Argentina game, Team Melli gave all their heart to make them happy.
How do you know? Do you have personal contacts with CQ or not? Please don't make baseless assumptions. And the millions? Nooshe joonesh. At least its going to the right person, instead of some GN which has most probably ties to the regime as well. CQ deserves every penny, for wanting to work in a very unfriendly environment.

Kiarash jan, is it really worth arguing with someone who is concerned about the "wants" and "desires" of IR officials?

[O-ZoNe]

I liked Branko, but there is a difference. He didn't have as good of an eye for talent as CQ and he also caved under domestic pressure.
Three examples:
1. Starting Ali Daei and not playing Borhani who was in his prime.
2. Adding Madanchi to TM at the last minute simply because he scored a lucky goal against a league 1 team in the Hazfi.
3. Locker room arguments.
Those were three big things Branko didn't control. There is a difference between a big name manager and a good manager like Branko.

Branko won the 2002 Asian games with TM U-23...that's tells me he knows something about young talent. CQ also played it safe...he did't field Azmoun or really play ARJ in preference for subsitute (at Fulham) Dejagah, and Gucci who sometimes barely made the bench at Charlton...I think CQ gives preference (sometimes justifiably) to European based talent...

Who knows, maybe ARJ and Khalatbari could have helped us more than Shojaie and Dejagah...who knows...these are coaches decisions that we cannot argue for or against with any kind of proof since we do not know the circumstances or exact game plans.

Fact is, Branko has won more things with TM than CQ so far...and I reserve final judgement on CQ after AC. I hope TM and CQ win it all, or else paying him 2.5-3 million will seem really expensive!

[O-ZoNe]

Kiarash jan, is it really worth arguing with someone who is concerned about the "wants" and "desires" of IR officials?

Not sure who this is directed at, but I am certainly disapointed in you Rugs. You were the same person who gets attacked in the General forum all time as being an IR supporter etc, and I expected you to be the last person to label someone because of the position he or she takes. Really truly never expected you to call someone an IR or anything supporter. This is a discussion forum after all is it not?

[clipsport]

CQ's formula for coaching Iran.

1- Bring down fan expectations by coming on TV and bitching about lack of friendlies against top teams like Brazil, Argentina, Portugal etc. (even tho you don't want to play those teams anyways)

2- Complain that not enough time is given prepare for the upcoming tournament (enough time = 4 months with the cancellation of IPL, ACL, Hazfi etc)

3- Just invite players that play or had played outside of Iran. (don't bother analyzing domestic talent)

4- Kick out any players that don't worship the ground that you spit on (regardless of their talent level) thus calling the team united

5- Park the Bus during the games

6- If desired results were acquired, then come on TV and bash everyone and everything that even dares question your approach and play with people's patriotic feelings. Make sure to exaggerate accomplishments (even if you need to lie - He constantly stressed that Iran qualified 1st in their group for the 1st time in history).

7- If desired results were not acquired, then highlight the slightest success that you might have had (even if it's a 35min loss) and put under the rug all the problems and shortcoming. This can be easily done with the help of media clowns like Adel Ferdosipour and other.

8- Throughout the process make sure you constantly get some BS media to write that you have offers from Manchester United, Tottenham, South Africa NT, Ireland NT, etc. (Bazzar Garmi).

[rugs]

Branko won the 2002 Asian games with TM U-23...that's tells me he knows something about young talent. CQ also played it safe...he did't field Azmoun or really play ARJ in preference for subsitute (at Fulham) Dejagah, and Gucci...I think CQ gives preference (sometimes justifiably) to European based talent...
Who knows, maybe ARJ and Khalatbari could have helped us more than Shojaie and Dejagah...who knows...these are coaches decisions that we cannot argue for or against with any kind of proof since we do not know the circumstances or exact game plans.
Fact is, Branko has won more things with TM than CQ so far...and I reserve final judgement on CQ after AC. I hope TM and CQ win it all, or else paying him 2.5-3 million will seem really expensive!

Well you can't really call coaching the U-23 team as scouting talent... That is the default nature of the U-23 team.

Like I said, I like Branko. But he didn't do half the things that CQ has done off the field and in the locker room that is needed in our football. He either didn't think about them or didn't have the power.

Again, our locker room was in disarray under Branko.