Coleman will not abandon ship early
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images CHRIS Coleman has said that he will step down after the 2018 World Cup campaign, when he hopes to be offered another chance to manage abroad.
His stock has risen since leading Wales to the Euro 2016 semifinals this week but he said it would be wrong to try to cash-in on his success by asking to renegotiate his two-year contract, worth about £500,000 (NZ$886,000) a year, that was signed before the tournament. He will have been in charge for six years by the start of the next tournament, taking over after brief spells in charge of Real Sociedad, in Spain, and Larissa, in Greece.
Coleman promised that he would complete the World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins in September against Moldova. ‘‘If I jumped ship and went somewhere else because we had done well at a tournament, I would not feel right,’’ the former Fulham manager said. ‘‘I would be cashing in a bit wouldn’t I, if they wanted to talk to me about another contract. My staff said my timing was not always the best as a player and the same now. I have signed a good contract. I amsure this will be my last campaign whether we qualify or not. This will be my last hit at it so I will give it my best shot but I would not consider going anywhere else.’’
He is debating a new playing system to try to overcome opponents who also play on the counterattack. Wales have struggled to break down the likes of Northern Ireland, Israel and Andorra in recent times.
‘‘The biggest challenge for us is that we will be a scalp now in this campaign because of what we’ve just done,’’ he said. ‘‘We can’t just go back into our little shells and hide, we have to step up and face the music, now the expectancy is turned up.’’
He also rejected criticism that nine of the 23-man squad were not born in Wales. They qualified through parents or grandparents being born in the country. Coleman argued that England have exploited a players’ heritage in cricket and rugby.
‘‘It is funny really because they use that against us,’’ he said. ‘‘It had not been said about us for a long, long time and when we started doing well we get banged over the head with that. The English rugby team where are half of those players born?
‘‘They are not born in England but they have got English heritage which is fine. No complaints then. Now we get to the semi-finals and nine of our players are born here or there but it is nonsense. They have Welsh blood in them. It is not as though they [had] been to Aberystwyth for the weekend a year ago.’’
JURGEN KLOPP has signed a new six-year contract at Liverpool and immediately set his sights on repaying the club’s faith in him by restating his ambition to bring success to Anfield.
In a move that underlined both Liverpool’s support for Klopp’s vision for the club and the 49-year-old’s commitment to the model he is working within, Fenway Sports Group swiftly agreed a package that will result in him earning about £42 million over the next six seasons. The deal replaces the three-and-a-half year contract that Klopp signed last October, with his assistants, Peter Krawietz and Zeljko Buvac, also signing long-term agreements.
‘‘It’s hard to express in words how honoured myself, Zeljko and Peter feel by the commitment shown in us by the ownership and the club in general,’’ Klopp said. ‘‘I am the first to recognise that with this great commitment comes a great responsibility. All of our coaching careers we have looked to make teams and clubs better, with the ultimate goal of making the supporters proud and happy.
‘‘To do this we have to make sure we always put player and team development at the heart of every major decision.‘‘
– The Times of London Reuters Mercedes to Honda power units.
‘‘I have enjoyed the journey the last year-and-a-half, but there is a point where you feel you have done enough and you can’t give any more to the project to help it move forward,’’ said Button.
‘‘Hopefully, a little further into this season, we will see where we are and, hopefully, it will be a good place to be, or somewhere else is a good place to be, and I can challenge for podiums or victories and I will stay.
‘‘I only want to be in F1 next year if I feel it is going to be competitive and enjoyable. It is my decision whether I want to stay in F1 or do something else. I won’t walk away if I’m competitive.’’
Button said any decision would not be about money and he would not drive half-heartedly.
He finished sixth in last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix after starting from third.
Williams, who have Mercedes engines, have had a podium finish this season with Finland’s Valtteri Bottas in Canada but have slipped down the championship standings from third to fourth. QUIZ ANSWERS (from p14): 1. Antoine Griezmann, 2. Chasing great, 3. Matt Moylan, 4. Hayley Jensen, 5. Jon Jones.