Is Dooley fighting the wrong battles?
Bangladesh’s improved performance against Singapore, despite the 1-0 defeat, should have taken some pressure off Thomas Dooley after the lacklustre 3-0 loss to Malaysia in the opening game of the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
Instead, the pressure on the new Bangladesh coach has increased, and unfortunately for him, much of it is of his own making.
The American has been the subject of a slew of attacks on social media over his selection of players and, more interestingly, his choice of words.
In an ideal professional football world, these things should not bother a seasoned coach and a former World Cup player. Coaches are criticised, selections are questioned and players are hyped or criticised on social media. A coach’s job is to make his decisions based on what he sees on the training ground and on the pitch.
But Dooley appears to take the social media noise rather seriously, to the point where there are questions over whether it is beginning to influence his judgement.
In the Malaysia match, Dooley started uncapped 19-year-old Farhaan Ali Wahid but took him off at half-time. Farhaan was not too impressive and the coach had every right to replace him. He also had every right to leave the teenager out of the next match.
But when asked by a Dhaka-based news portal about the substitution the following day, Dooley sarcastically referred to the youngster as “wonderboy”.
“Show me what wonderful things ‘wonderboy’ Farhaan did in the match. Instead of talking, they should show what they can do on the pitch!,” Dooley had told Banglatribune.
The comment was most likely directed at the social media hype surrounding the Boreham Wood player before his Bangladesh debut.
Farhaan may well have been below the required standard against Malaysia, but is it appropriate for a professional coach to publicly mock his own player, particularly a 19-year-old making his international debut?
What good does it do for the morale of a young player? What message does it send to the rest of the squad? And what does it say to players abroad like Farhaan who are considering representing the country of their forefathers?
More importantly, the comment raises another question: did Dooley start Farhaan because he genuinely believed he was ready, or was there an element of wanting to prove to the social media critics that the player they were promoting was not good enough?
The coach has been in charge for four months and has a decent support staff, including a local assistant coach. If selection decisions are being shaped by social media speculation, then what is the coaching structure doing to keep that noise away from the team?
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Dooley has stoked controversy within his own team.
As Philippines coach, Dooley banished three Europe-based players from the squad in 2018 and made derogatory remarks about them in public. He paid the price despite taking the Philippines to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, losing his job before the tournament.
There were also allegations during his time as Guyana coach last year that he made disrespectful remarks about the ability of local players and the standard of the domestic league.
Perhaps the bigger concern is that Dooley appears too willing to engage with his critics and to make his disagreements public. A national-team coach does not need to win arguments with supporters or social media users. He needs to win football matches.
That brings us to another part of his tenure in Bangladesh.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. From the day he arrived, Dooley has repeatedly spoken about his dream of winning the SAFF Championship. He has also repeatedly said he did not want to play in the ASEAN Cup, Bangladesh’s first FIFA tournament, preferring to prepare for the SAFF Championship.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to win SAFF. But Bangladesh also needto play stronger opponents if they are to improve. The ASEAN Cup provides exactly that opportunity.
Bangladesh recently paid a heavy price with the U-20 team at the continental level after appointing Gerard Jones -- whose social media activities became a major issue and whose conduct created divisions within the team.
Let’s hope Dooley does not take the senior team down the same road.
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