"Being a coach is not an easy job. If I don't show love and respect for my profession today, I can never be a successful coach."
İdman.Biz reports that these words were said by Gurban Gurbanov, the head coach of "Qarabag", during his speech at the first panel session of the Coaches' Forum organized for the first time in Azerbaijan, entitled "The role of the head coach: leader, pedagogue, or manager".
The expert emphasized that the coach should be both a leader and a manager at the same time:
"In my opinion, a coach should always be in a leadership role. This feature is even more important in football. Responsibility belongs to us, and the final decision always belongs to the head coach. There is such a principle in football: if the team wins, the players win, if it loses, the head coach loses. I have always considered this approach to be correct. The coach should be with the athletes, because we demand, and they execute. Football players should always be given maximum support. I believe that even if I am over 60 years old, I must continue to develop myself. The coach must both monitor the athletes and train physically."
G. Gurbanov also touched upon the existing problems in football:
"We recently traveled to Antalya, Turkey and got acquainted with the conditions there. The most important factor in football is passing. If training sessions are held on a poor-quality pitch and each player is required to make approximately 50 passes, this becomes very difficult. Such conditions negatively affect the athlete's performance and weaken their motivation. In this regard, we are lagging behind European football. I always express my opinions on this topic openly. An athlete cannot develop without proper conditions."
He also noted that there are enough talented young people in Azerbaijan:
"I hope that our country will raise the highest level of specialists not only in sports, but in all fields."