Latest news with #footballcoach
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Xabi Alonso sets out plan to make Real Madrid players ‘flourish' in new era
The way Xabi Alonso told it, two things have to happen for someone to become Real Madrid coach: 'First they have to want you, then you have to want to … and the latter normally does happen,' he said. So there he was at Valdebebas on a Monday afternoon in a classic dark suit and his first day in a new job – just 24 hours – or so he claimed – after he was told it was his. Alonso's appointment has been an open secret for weeks but Real had waited until the day before the end of the season to announce the departure of Carlo Ancelotti and until the day after to announce the arrival of his successor. The following morning, there he was, keen to keep up the illusion. Alonso had been able to watch and analyse Real's games, which must have taken some time, yet asked when he found out, he said: 'Yesterday, when I saw the statement. It was evident then. How could I not find out?' Alonso had, of course, found out sooner, an agreement reached after Real's European elimination by Arsenal and contact going back further, but this was an issue that he was keen to avoid on his opening day. Yet if there was a determination to avoid questions of where he had come from, there were some brief glimpses of where he wants to go, as he talked about signings being 'discussed and agreed' with the club, constructing a 'proactive' and 'balanced' team of 'excitement, energy and ambition' in which 'everyone knows what we're trying to do collectively, which will help the individuals flourish'. One of those will be Jude Bellingham, who Alonso said he sees as a midfielder, rather than in the second striker role he occupied for his first season in Spain and some of this second campaign. Alonso's discussion of the Englishman was perhaps among the most revealing of his answers in tactical terms, hinting at an analysis that perhaps calls for Bellingham to move less but in a more structured manner, rather than exhausting himself playing everywhere. 'He's a special player; his emergence is that of a generational player for Real Madrid. He is 21 and he is going to be fundamental for the future of the club. It's a good moment to work with him. I see him as a midfielder. We will try to make him as efficient as possible.' Alonso also said he had an idea about how to get Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior working together and said that he was going to need Rodrygo. He sought to avoid taking sole responsibility for the arrival of Dean Huijsen and the departure of Luka Modric but said that transfers would be talked about with the club – which would represent a step away from the coaching only model Ancelotti accepted. 'I want players to play where they are most comfortable, where they can best show their qualities. The good thing is that we have good players. Then, from there, it's my problem. I am lucky to have players of this level. Not just Kylian or Vinícius, but many others. They're differential and we have to get the best out of them. I have ideas. There's still a while before I meet them but it's very important for me to communicate to them what it is we want. 'These days football demands flexibility, dynamism, that you know how to move pieces. Of course I have an idea of how I want us to play but that idea of a fixed system sometimes [gives way to] something more dynamic. Will we play with four [at the back]? With three? We'll see. 'We have players who will interpret the idea well and work hard. The challenge now is to build a team, to get the potential out of all those players and ensure that we all work together as one,' Alonso said. 'Because if we do we will have a strength that is … I'm not going to say unstoppable but very powerful.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The first steps will be seen soon, after Alonso agreed to take over in time to lead Real in the Club World Cup, which kicks off in a fortnight, despite some initial reticence. 'That's the way circumstance had it,' he said. 'Once that happens I see it as an opportunity for two reasons. One, because it means that we can accelerate processes, get to know each other sooner, see things that we want to be. Then it's a chance to fight for another trophy. It's the first Club World Cup and the ambition is complete. If we can bring together those two things then it can be a very good start, and as of today that is what I have in mind. We can do nice things, that ignite people. That's what we have come for.'
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Taconic State Parkway crash victim Robert Violante was a beloved N.J. football coach
Robert Violante, head football coach at New Jersey's Bergenfield High School, was killed in a horrific accident on the Taconic State Parkway in New York. Bergenfield's superintendent and mayor confirmed Violante was one of the four people who died in the fiery collision Wednesday in Westchester County. "It is with profound sorrow that I write to inform you of the passing of our beloved high school faculty member, head football coach, and track coach, Mr. Robert Violante — known affectionately to many as "Coach V," Bergenfield Superintendent Christopher Tully wrote in a letter to students, staff and parents Thursday. "His unexpected loss is deeply felt across our entire school community, and we know that Bergenfield High School and our town will never be the same without him. He died in a tragic car accident on the way home from school yesterday." Violante started working for the district as a special education teacher 15 years ago, the letter said. Robert Violante, head football coach at New Jersey's Bergenfield High School, died in the fiery crash on the Taconic State Parkway on May 14, 2025, officials confirmed. Bergenfield Public School District "Many fondly compared him to Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in Kindergarten Cop, a gentle giant guiding young children with care and strength," Tully wrote. "His heart of gold and unwavering support made him a beloved figure in our schools." Grief counselors are being made available to Bergenfield students and staff in the wake of Violante's death, the superintendent said. "Our community is grieving right now, especially the kids in school," Mayor Arvin Amatorio said in a statement to CBS News New York. The New Jersey Football Coaches Association said on social media, "The NJFCA has waken up to the tragic news of Coach Rob Violante's sudden passing. He was an outstanding coach, mentor, friend & family man. Please join us in sending our collective support to his loved ones, his staff, his players & the Bergenfield community. RIP Coach Violante." Information about memorial services for Violante will be shared on the school's website when available, Tully said. 4 dead in Taconic State Parkway crash The fatal crash happened at around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday near Saw Mill River Road in New Castle. New York State Police said the driver of a Sprinter van going southbound crossed the median into the northbound lanes and struck a Honda sedan. The van overturned and burst into flames. Three people in the van were pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver was hospitalized in critical condition. The Honda driver died from their injuries at the hospital. Officials did not immediately say which car Violante was in. The names of the three other victims have not yet been released. Mark Prussin Mark Prussin is a digital producer at CBS New York. He covers breaking news, sports, politics and trending stories in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Mark joined the CBS New York team in 2019. contributed to this report.
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Telegraph
How Britain's police went from being the most revered to most despised
By his own admission, Danny Theobald is no saint. As a young man, he spent time behind bars for robbery and cultivating cannabis. Then he became a father and turned his life around. He has spent the last 13 years building a successful business and doing his very best to be a good role model. In his spare time, he volunteers as a football coach for local children and works with the disabled. A year or so ago, he had dramatic interaction with the police. Video footage shows up to 12 police officers and multiple police cars outside his Surrey home. What on earth was going on? Had he reverted to his bad old ways? Apparently not. In what is becoming an alarming new trend, the heavy-handed police response was prompted by nothing more than a complaint of ' malicious communications ' following a minor argument with a local councillor. No further action was ultimately taken, after the complaint was withdrawn. What an absurd waste of everyone's time! How is it that the police, who spend so much time whining about lack of resources, are able to find the means to go all-out in their pursuit of cases such as this? While the overwhelming majority of real crimes go unsolved (less than six per cent of reported offences result in charges), forces across the country appear to have no shortage of time and energy to investigate obviously inconsequential complaints, rushing to arrest decent citizens for choosing the wrong words on social media or causing fleeting offence. The weight and speed of the response of some forces to the flimsiest allegations of hate crime or 'harassment' is breathtaking and raises serious questions over the judgement of commanding officers. Already, public trust in policing is hanging by a thread, following umpteen high-profile failures and scandals. As examples of outrageously heavy-handed responses to matters that should be of no concern to law enforcement continue to emerge, something terrible is happening. Once admired all over the world for their high standards and professionalism, our police are falling into disrepute. In some cases, wildly disproportionate responses to petty or vexatious complaints appear to arise from simple stupidity. Take the appalling treatment of the retired volunteer police officer who was detained over a social media post about anti-Semitism in Britain. Blundering officers appear to have misread Julian Foulkes' innocent warning about the growing threat to Jews as an indication that he is anti-Semitic himself. Cue an appalling invasion of his privacy, as his house was turned upside down in search of non-existent evidence of non-existent offences. As officers rifled through his books, they were captured on camera commenting on the discovery of 'very Brexity things,' – namely, innocuous 'small c' conservative literature, such as copies of the Spectator magazine and works by Telegraph contributor Douglas Murray. How crashingly ignorant and foolish these officers and their bosses now look. In other cases, police forces are allowing themselves to be exploited by individuals and organisations with obvious political agendas. Witness the ridiculous incident in a town square during the recent local election campaigns, in which police could be heard warning a man that telling someone to 'speak English' could be perceived as a 'hate crime.' Why on earth did officers waste any time engaging in what they could surely see was nothing more than a silly verbal spat between rival party activists? Such cases – along with many others, including the now notorious police pursuit of Telegraph writer Allison Pearson – cry out for officers to exercise sensible discretion, as they are absolutely entitled to do. Unless there has been a blatant crime, they cannot be forced by their superiors to make arrests. In the case of Mr Foulkes, the constables who took it upon themselves to treat him like a terror suspect could just as easily have sat down to talk to him over a coffee; swiftly established the facts, and – in police speak – 'non crimed the allegation.' That was all that was required, if they truly had no choice but to follow orders to knock on his door. Which brings us to the murky matter of quotas. This little secret may explain quite a lot. According to well-informed police sources, senior figures in some forces set informal targets for arrests, pressurising junior officers to 'book' a minimum number of people every week or month. The idea is to ensure everyone looks busy. How much easier it must be, to haul in some quiet middle class retiree, than challenge a Pakistani rape gang suspect or drugs kingpin! The downside is ending up looking completely ridiculous – and rapidly losing what little remains of our respect.
