It seems that the new owners of the Maltese club, the Sanban Group from Dubai, are aiming for Champions League success in Europe, probably the international club championship most well known and followed worldwide.
This is a massive ambition for a club from a small country like Malta, which has long been used to its football clubs general, with small exceptions, being eliminated in the first round, or coming last in any elimination group of whatever competition. The same experience usually also befalls the national team, year in, year out.
This is a huge frustration to Maltese fans whose heart beats faster from the first to the ninetieth minute of this world game, and is maybe the main reason why apart from having a favourite team in Malta, they usually also have a favourite foreign team (usually English or Italian, of course) which have a better chance of competing for the honours on the TV screens.
This is not to say that Maltese teams are necessarily inferior to their adversaries, but many times they seem to enter the pitch with an inferiority complex, and wouldn’t care to admit but in their hearts are already resigned to the probability that the match will not go their way.
Nevertheless a win here and there is not unheard of, but these are isolated and far between, like an oasis in an never-ending desert. One usually expects to decry the missed chances, the periods of superiority, rather than talk about dominance over the whole match or a mathematically positive result.
It seems to me that four components are necessary to have more success than is evident today. The first is to have club administrators who know what they want to achieve, be ambitious but humble. Money is important, but isn’t everything, unless you’re Real Madrid or Manchester United.
The second is a manager/coach who knows how to read the game, knows his players’ weaknesses and their abilities, and above all knows how to motivate them
The third is for players to have confidence in the instructions they are given and in their own abilities, trust in their teammates and above all, belief that they can win.
Finally, there would be that player who is the real star of the show, that can create something out of nothing, or seems to be like a car’s dynamo – never stopping and dominating all over the pitch, being an inspiration and dragging his teammates with him. The best examples are, or were, global stars like Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Bobby Charlton and Gianni Rivera, who stood out i their team and inspired their mates to aim for victory.
If Bolt had to sign up with Valletta (and this was a big IF from day one), he naturally would have stood out, by a mile, in the team, however although there is no doubt that no one would have caught up with him in a race to the ball, he would still need some time to develop his technical abilities. Bolt has departed from athletics only last year, and perhaps one might expect too much from the man. This does not mean that he cannot become a great player, but it’s fair to say he has a fair way to go.
The club’s owners may also have had a wider strategy, for example the presence of Bolt apart from increasing the activity at the turnstiles, attract more interest by potential sponsors in the club, which would mean that they’d be able to invest in other players with some calibre.
In the meantime, go Valletta City!
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Jidher li s-sidien il-ġodda tal-klabb Malti, l-investituri Sanban Group minn Dubai, għandhom il-mira li l-Valletta jkollhom suċċess fiċ-Champions League tal-Ewropa, probabbilment l-iktar kampjonat internazzjonali għall-klabbs magħruf u segwit fid-dinja.
Din hija ambizzjoni kbira ħafna għal klabb ta’ pajjiż żgħir bħal Malta, li ilu imdorri l-klabbs tal-futbol ġeneralment, b’eċċezzjonijiet żgħar, jinqalgħu fl-ewwel rawnd, jew jiġu l-aħħar fil-grupp eleminatorju ta’ kwalunkwe kompetizzjoni. L-istess esperjenza jkollu wkoll it-tim nazzjonali, sena wara sena.
Din hija frustrazzjoni kbira għall-partitarji Maltin li għandhom demmhom ibaqbaq għal din il-logħba dinjija, u forsi hija r-raġuni prinċipali għalfejn apparti li jkollhom tim favorit tagħhom Malti, ijkollhom ukoll tim favorit barrani (ġeneralment Ingliż jew Taljan, s’intendi), li għandhom iktar ċans jarawhom jikkompetu għall-unuri fuq l-iskrins tat-televiżjoni.
Dan ma jfissirx li t-timijiet Maltin neċessarjament huma inferjuri mill-avversarji tagħhom, imma ħafna drabi jidhirli li jinżlu fil-grawnd tal-futbol b’kumpless ta’ inferjorità, fejn ma jkunux lesti li jammettuha imma f’qalbhom ikunu rassenjati li l-logħba se tispiċċa ħażin.
Madankollu xi rebħa ‘l hawn u ‘l hemm ikun hemm ukoll, imma jkunu waħdiet, qishom oażi f’
deżert interminabbli. Iktar wieħed jistenna u jibki ċ-ċansijiet mitlufa, u perjodi ta’ superjorità, milli dominanza f’partita sħiħa jew riżultat matematikament pożittiv.
Jien jidhirli li hemm bżonn ta’ reba’tliet komponenti biex wieħed ikollu iktar suċċess milli għandu llum. L-ewwel hu li jkun hemm diriġenti tal-klabb, li jafu xi jridu, li jkunu ambizzjużi imma umli. Il-flus huma importanti, imma mhumiex kollox, sakemm m’intix xi Real Madrid jew Manchester United.
It-tieni huwa maniġer/kowċ li jaf jaqra l-logħba, jaf il-plejers tiegħu minn xiex ibatu u x’abbiltajiet għandhomtagħhom, u fuq kollox jaf jimmotivahom.
It-tielet huwa li l-plejers jkollhom il-kunfidenza fl-istruzzjonijiet li jingħataw u fl-abbiltajiet tagħhom, jafdaw fi sħabhom u fuq kollox, jemmnu li jistgħu joħorġu rebbieħa.
Fl-aħħarnett, ikun hemm dak il-plejer li jkun stilla ta’ vera, li kapaċi joħloq ċans mix-xejn, jew li qisu dajnamo tal-karrozza u ssibu mal-grawnd kollu jiddominah, li jkun ta’ ispirazzjoni u jkaxkar lil sħabu miegħu. L-aħjar eżempji huma, jew kienu, stilel mondjali bħal Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Bobby Charlton u Franco BaresiGianni Rivera, li jispikkaw fit-tim tagħhom u jispiraw lil sħabhom biex jimmiraw lejn ir-rebħa.
JekkLi kellu Bolt jiffirma mal-Belt, (u mill-ewwel dindehret JEKK kbira), dan naturalment kien jispikka, u mhux ftit, fit-tim, imma għalkemm m’hemm l-ebda dubju li mhu se jilħqu ħadd f’ġirja għall-ballun, kien ikollu jirid jgħaddi iktar żmien biex jiżviluppa l-abbiltajiet tekniċi tiegħu. Bolt Iilu milli telaq mill-atletika biss sena, u forsi wieħed qiegħed jistenna wisq mill-bniedem, u dan ma jfissirx li ma jistax isir plejer mill-kbar, imma kif ngħidu bil-Malti, baqagħlu jiekol ftit bajd u ġobon.
Is-sidien tal-klabb jista’ jkun ukoll li għandhom strateġija iktar wiesgħa minn hekk, per eżempju li l-preżenza ta’ Bolt apparti li tista’setgħet iżżid il-partitarji li jixtru biljett għall-grawnd, ikun hemm iktar interess minn sponsors tal-klabb, li jfisser li jkunu jistgħu jinvestu f’plejers oħra ta’ kalibru.
Sadattant, forza Valletta City!
1https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/printing-in-malta/, retrieved 16/10/2018
2https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20181015/football/valletta-fc-owners-offer-contract-to-bolt.691696, retrieved 16/10/2018
1https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/printing-in-malta/, retrieved 16/10/2018
2https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20181015/football/valletta-fc-owners-offer-contract-to-bolt.691696, retrieved 16/10/2018
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