Manager’s World Cup
Friday, 2nd Dec 202202/12/22: JM - “I have loved the fact that we have been able to watch the games in a work environment.”
Football players and fans have grown up watching World Cup finals played in the summer, many sinking the cooling drinks while holidaying but with this one interrupting the traditional football season, James McPake is thoroughly enjoying the feast of football and even more special is watching it in a working environment with fellow staff and players.
“It has been the first time that we have experienced it during a season. I have really enjoyed sitting watching it with the staff and the players. Again it’s a togetherness thing. It has actually been a good exercise saying what would you have done there? I was finding that they are interested in the punditry, agreeing and disagreeing.”
“It might be the timing of the games, for a while we had four games on every day. Now when we are getting to the end of the group stages you are only getting them later on in the day and evening but the timings are great particularly for a football club.
“I think that there have been some really good performances, some really good tactical work to watch. All the countries are technically better than they were in previous years. They look athletic, they look so sharp and fit.”
Supporting football for the right reasons James added:-
“The controversy over where it is being held is not for me to comment on, I’m just speaking about the spectacle of the football. It is a pity though that Scotland aren’t there, the Tartan Army would have loved the atmosphere.”
James has taken special interest in Callum Wilson and Jordan Henderson who he played with at Coventry City, Jason Cummings and David Wotherspoon who were team mates at Hibs, and he has even had time to admire a former Dundee United youth player in Harry Souttar.
“You can relate to them and you keep an eye out for the Scottish based players and those with Scottish connections. Harry is fantastic and he has been since he was a young kid. He has done so well for Australia. I was proud when I saw Callum Wilson making his World Cup debut because I did a lot of rehab with him.”
So who are the manager’s stand outs?
“It is always a joy to watch players like Messi and Ronaldo. I’m not saying I’m supporting England or not supporting England but I have been pleased for Harry Maguire - for all the pressure he was under going into the tournament. I really like Gareth Southgate, I like the way he comes across in the media, I think he is a fantastic coach. He has had set backs, he lost his job and then he went to England Under 21s and again I have a connection there with Lee Carsley. He was my captain at Coventry and is now England Under 21 manager.”
Two Barcelona players in Spain’s team has drawn the Pars manager’s attention:-
“This is the first time that I have properly watched the young Spanish boy, Gavi. I thought wow, he looks a player but the stand out one for me in the games that I have watched is Sergio Busquets. I know he gets a lot of credit but I don’t think he gets the credit that he deserves.
“When you watch him he makes the game look so easy and everyone will think the game is easy when you watch him. Watching his last game I text a couple of people who had played against him just for their opinion. They said he makes it look so easy because his mind is made up and he is in a position before you even know that he going to get the ball.”
There are skills on display that James has highlighted to his players:-
“For example we are working on little aspects of Chris Mochrie’s game at the minute and when Rashford scored against Wales it was just a touch and finish under the goalkeeper, so we were saying to Chris ‘can you do that?’”
If home fans are likely to see evidence of the World Cup analysis out on the pitch in front of them it will probably be a setplay claimed James:-
“The coaches and managers who are working at that tournament are at an elite level. No disrespect to myself and Dave, we are realists, we know where we are concentrating on Dunfermline and enjoying watching all these tactics. Can we nick stuff from it? If we can absolutely we will, who doesn’t watch Barcelona versus Manchester City or Manchester City v Liverpool and not try and nick an idea?
“We love the game that much. It creates a bit of debate, can we do that? Let’s try it. How do you think they get that parting? You find the key thing from all the teams is just working really hard. That is the one thing that we can copy. No matter how good those players are, you can work just as hard as them and train just as hard as them.”
It has been a tournament where results have been extremely difficult to predict, underdogs and emerging nations have had their day. Speaking ahead of Thursday night’s dramatic end to Group E, James said:-
“There are nations that were perceived as underdogs maybe ten or fifteen years ago who are now serious contenders. Japan were great in their first game, weren’t so good in the second game but they look a real threat.
“You are watching nations now and wondering how good are they going to be in another ten years? Mexico went out when at the start everyone thought that they were a stick on to go through. Even Argentina had to go and win their last game. Belgium went out and there was a chance Germany could have gone out. I’m loving it.
“Don’t take away that we are not focusing on Queen of the South but it has been great to watch. Interesting because it is different and I have loved the fact that we have been able to watch the games in a work environment.”
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