Originally posted by NFL
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I can't get past the dichotomy between supporting branko in any way,shape or form and being a TM supporter.
The Branko effect for TM.
- SPINELESSNESS: Sticking with one goalkeeper (Mirzapour) who was error-prone, and not even giving a chance to test other alternatives, and there were a few (contrast with CQ). Not altering his tactics and game plan, and keeping with the same formations/line-ups for every damn game. He just didn't want to experiment and try different players, he didn't like any chance. We had a series of very feeble performances in the 2005-early 2006 period but NOTHING was changed after them, and he had a lot more new talent at his disposal than his predecessors (remember poor Pourheidari who had a midfield of Fekri, Navazi, Halali to pick from)
- OUTSIDE INFLUENCE: Branko let himself be influenced too much by player agents such as Reza Fazeli who was in the TM camp for the World Cup, and we all know that it affected the team spirit. He also let Daei dictate matters far too much in terms of team selection.
- TEAM SPIRIT: Our team spirit was the worst for WC06 when players were even refusing to pass to each other, let alone speaking with each other (contrast with CQ and the tight-knit unit he has built)
- TACTICAL NONSENSE: After finally bringing Bayern Munich's Hashemian back into the fold, he pushed him out to the wing (absolute no man's land) to accommodate a stagnant Ali Daei, who was playing 90 minutes for every game, not even subbed out for young strikers to get a chance to get some game time.
- TROLLING: Bringing Khatibi back to TM, starting him and Enayati. Khatibi was a constant source of frustration, the worst finisher we have ever had internationally, how he had so many caps no one can explain (well, apart from Branko and Khatibi's agent at the time Fazeli probably).
- POOR TEAM SELECTION: When we had more talented players, I never understood why Branko picked Badavi, Alavi, Kameli Mofrad, Khatibi, Sattar Zare. He had a favoured group of players who he stuck with, who were worse than a number of their peers in IPL.
- OGHDEH - Falling out with his prized player (Mobali) when the latter refused to move to Dynamo Zagreb in 2005. At the time he was the only two-footed playmaker apart from Karimi and he was player of the year in IPL at the age of 21. He was just dropped after Branko's lajbaazi.
- STIFLING DEVELOPMENT - We had, at the time, arguably our brightest crop of aged 18-22 youngsters who all looked very talented (Kazemian, Mobali, Borhani). They weren't given enough playing time internationally to develop and ended up dwindling, as the coach just kept playing the same people for 90 minutes regardless of how they performed (contrast with CQ)
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