Tactically… I recognised myself. Vitor Bruno, the Anderlecht coach, said on Saturday after the game at Jan Breydel: “If we win every game like this, we will be champions, I have no problem with this kind of win. It’s not the objective, but I’ll sign for it if that’s what happens.”
That is a post-match team talk. I give it every Sunday around five, in the prefab, towel over my shoulder. “Lads, it wasn’t pretty, but I’ll sign for it.” On Tuesday I tell them the same thing, only longer. I run that on Tuesday. When we’ve got eleven, that is.
Walfoot writes that after every average performance he prefers to see the glass half full, and that the supporters aren’t fooled. At our place, the half-full glass is the club delegate’s mug of coffee. Nobody’s fooled either, but it funds the transfer window.
The paper also says he is taking a risk by talking like this instead of being tough on his players and on himself. I understand my colleague’s dilemma there. If I’m tough, I lose two players who go and pick up the kids. If I play it down, I lose the Monday league table. There’s no right answer, there’s a 4-4-2.
After the defeat at Union, again according to Walfoot, he put on a show for the supporters. My supporters are six people and a dog. A show, I wouldn’t dare: the dog leaves.
The last coach to win the title with Anderlecht is René Weiler, and it will be ten years next June. Ten years is about the age of my UEFA B licence, still in progress.
Silly question, but if we sign for a win that isn’t the objective, what is the objective?
In October, Anderlecht still have to go to Zagreb, to Bialystok and to Beerschot. Three away trips, none on a slope, as far as I know. A flat pitch away, mind you.
It’s true, we checked: Walfoot.
