Hinchas y Jugadores - An exclusive interview with Xavi Pérez Ureña (19th May, 2017)

When did you make the decision to pursue football coaching and what motivated you to do so?

I’ve been playing all my live and I love this sport. When I was playing I realized that I liked to lead my team in the field, so when I finished my career as a player, I decided to lead teams from outside the field. It’s amazing!

What were the first thoughts in your mind when CF Pardinyes offered you a position as a General Manager in 2009?

I thought that it was the perfect chance to make a club just like I thought. I could change traditional methods, train coaches to get the whole club working in the same direction... but over time it wasn’t possible.

What were your responsibilities there and how would you describe your three year stint there?

I was responsible for the sports organization and I was in charge of 16 teams, with all their technical staffs, players, their families, their problems... a lot of work. This is why, nowadays, it’s very difficult to improve football because most clubs haven’t enough money to deal the necessary technical structure, so I tried but I didn’t get my goals. However, I really enjoyed this years.

You've worked with Palamós CF, At. Segre, At. Monzón, and CD Binéfar - how would you describe your stints there?

It has been a long time training youth teams, over 15 years, and I have great memories about them, but I also have bad ones. In Spain, the parents of the football players live the matches from outside the field as something personal, with too much intensity, and many times they lose their nerves and have very bad behaviors. As a result, players don’t have a good education.

In other cases, some parents, who haven’t studied sports, think that they know more about football than the real trainer, but it isn’t... All of this makes me unhappy and disappointed with youth football academies.

What were your initial thoughts when you got offered the head coach role at UD Barbastro in the Tercera?

I thought that it was a great opportunity to get known in the province, to get experience, to prove my knowledge and abilities in football training, something that only could bring me positive things, even knowing that the club was in economic troubles...

You took over the club at a very difficult time - did you think the club could stay in the Tercera or was the club already looking at spending a season in the regional leagues?

I didn’t know all that was going to happen. Until Christmas time, there were good players who had lost most matches with little differences, but when I arrived, most players were sold to other teams because club needed money, so I had to accept to compete with a team formed by a little group of regional players. We knew that it meant we must think about spending next seasons in the regional leagues. Even with those players we got some points, so I’m very proud of our work that year.

Given that you worked within what some would say is grassroots football, how well do you think experience in these leagues prepares players for higher level football, and how would you compare it with going through a top club's youth academy?

I think Spain has good trainers now, but they are always training in good clubs. The local leagues don’t prepare players to reach a high level, only to compete between similar clubs. The player who wants to grow as a top footballer obviously needs to go to a top club’s youth academy, and not everyone has this chance.

What kind of projects are you now working on or are interested in?

One time ago, I would have like to train abroad, but with my experience I couldn’t go to any good team, and the regional football anywhere is bad paid, so I started working as a personal trainer and now I have a very good job on my own.

What advice would you give to anyone trying the enter the football coaching arena?

Fight! It’s difficult to get your goals. Nowadays, there is more and more competition. You need to study all as you can, and train and get experience to fight for your dreams. For me this is the only way.

What are your plans for the future?

Football implies sacrifices (travel on weekends, short holidays, a lot of pressure...). I would like to have a family so I’m very happy with my present job!

What do you do in your free time?

I play football, of course! I also travel and join my free weekends with my family, some things I couldn’t do before when I was coach.

Edit: (12th June, 2017)
This interview was also published on LaLigaNews.co.uk. You can read it here.

Ismael Urzaiz and Salamanca. A 22 team La Liga. Trust and Víctor Casadesús (9th June, 2017)

Salamanca traveled to Albacete to compete for promotion to La Liga with an impossible task on their hands. They had to overturn a 2-0 deficit away from home, against a side that entered La Liga's relegation playoff spots on the final day, and who had scored 44 goals in the league - just four less than Salamanca themselves. As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute, Salamanca were winning 1-0 yet in danger of losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Born in Tudela, Navarre, Urzaiz began his professional career at Real Madrid's B-side, making his debut in Segunda División in 1989. Despite being a successful youth international, he did not make any La Liga appearances for the first team (however, he did play one game against Odense BK, in the 1990–91 European Cup). Urzaiz spent the 1991–92 season on loan at Albacete Balompié, making his top flight debut when he came on as a substitute against Athletic Bilbao in October 1991. In early 1993, he was loaned to Celta de Vigo

Non-league Incider: St Helens Town 3-0 Atherton Laburnum Rovers

Last game: 8th August: Dulwich Hamlet 2-1 East Thurrock United The previous day, I was blown away by my first ever football match experience. Dulwich Hamlet impressed me, but what impressed me more was the journey. The travel to the stadium was just as enjoyable as the football itself. I had caught the groundhopping bug. There were no games scheduled for the 9th of August. There was one, near Wigan, and all I had booked earlier was a refundable bus ticket from Manchester Airport leaving at quarter past midnight. I should have refunded it. This was a mistake. This whole day was a mistake. I was only slightly hungover from the previous night, but that was nothing compared to this feeling of loss - I couldn't handle the fact that there was a game happening. And I wasn't too far away. Just three hours and a bit. They'll fly by , I thought. I was in autopilot. Something within me made me get up, grab a bag, and get out the door. This wasn't me. I wasn't trave

Non-league Incider: Cray Valley Paper Mills 4-4 Punjab United Gravesend

Last game: 9th August: St Helens Town 3-0 Atherton Laburnum Rovers After ripping up my groundhopping calendar, mostly because I was determined to avoid overnight travel, and partly due to other commitments, there was a period of time where non-league football took a backseat. But that period did not last long. Because of course it didn't. Secretly, I'd loved travelling over ten hours back-and-forth to watch some 10th division football. And this was 9th division football in London. When I had gone to East Dulwich exactly a week back , I had commented on how the amount of graffiti struck me as I watched from on board a southeastern train. I was going the exact same way, but much further this time - then I had stopped at Denmark Hill, now I would have to go six stations further. The graffiti I had thought was so emblematic of south London quickly disappeared, as did the tall buildings desperately cluttered together. We, and by we I mean me, were going to the suburb

The Pride of Vallekas

Search This Blog