Ran Ben Shimon: A Deeper Malaise

The disgusting, shabby manner in which Ran Ben Shimon has been treated by Maccabi Tel Aviv (see Jerusalem Post article) is a symptom of a malaise not just in Israeli football (though it is hard to have a “malaise” in something so poor to start with), but in Israeli society too.

To be sacked as coach, yesterday, after a mere 8 games in charge – a record of 2 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats is no disgrace in one’s first season at a new club – is an example of the complete ignorance of the type of people who run the top clubs here and, more worryingly for Israeli society, the aggressive, moronic nature of many of the ‘supporters’.

If they were at all capable of reflection, the monkeys who booed Ben Shimon out – following Saturday’s home defeat to Kiryat Shmona, ironically his former charge that got him his position – will come to regret their mindlessness. A 38-year old coach who, last season, took the relative nobodies from the northern border to 3rd place, in their very first season in the top flight, will obviously go on to greater things. His successor, Avi Nimni – however great a player for Maccabi – probably won’t. And Maccabi’s management and fans will have only themselves to blame.

Much as I hate to refer to the man, it took Alex Ferguson over 3 years to turn around the fortunes of Manchester United . . . a lesson that Maccabi would have been well advised to consider.

Ben Shimon’s treatment is reminiscent of that meted out to numerous coaches before him in Israel, most embarrassingly – such treatment does nothing for this country’s already battered image – to Argentine World Cup winner, Osvaldo Ardiles. ‘Ossie’ was brought here to coach Betar Jerusalem 2 years ago, but was sacked after only a handful of games. Although he had failed as coach at Tottenham – they have had no less than 8 since Ardiles was sacked 14 years ago – he had enough experience and success as a coach in England for relative footballing paupers like Betar.

For a decent man like Ardiles, however, his sacking was a blessing in disguise. I had the misfortune, in the mid-90s, of witnessing Betar ‘supporters’ burn the national flag carried by a handful of quivering fans from Macedonia, following a Champions’ League preliminary round in Jerusalem.

Judging by the cretinous behaviour of many of the Maccabi ‘faithful’ on Saturday, you too, Ran, should be grateful.

Virginal Meanderings

Hmmm . . . How the hell do you choose the first subject you are going to write about on your brand new blog? The first post that people are going to read when they stumble across melchett mike?

Well, what’s on my mind at the moment?

Ahmadinejad is up there (and has been for a while). But it’d be a shame to devote my first post to that poisonous Persian dwarf, spouting off about Jews in his M&S jackets (has no one told him?). His time will soon come (both on this blog, and in the more existential sense I hope).

I don’t fancy writing about next week’s municipal elections in Israel, especially after receiving, this morning, a link to one candidate’s video, full of ‘faltzani‘ (Hebrew, literal translation: farting) celebrities moaning about the preponderance of 4x4s in Tel Aviv and the fact that they can’t afford to live there anymore. The heart bleeds.

The national Israeli elections in February? Now, that‘s going to be interesting. But I’m not getting into the Livni/Barak/Netanyahu question now.

And what about Lewis Hamilton, who yesterday became the youngest-ever Formula One motor racing champion? And the first black one. Surprisingly, we haven’t heard much of that top line yet. My cousin’s cousin, an aspiring young driver himself, claims to have beaten him regularly when they were kids, but that the powers that were were keen to promote Hamilton because of his novelty value. Whatever will they think of next? A champion black golfer?

Which brings me on nicely to the small matter of some other elections, tomorrow, in the US. Somebody please explain: how does the most powerful and advanced country on earth, with a population of over 300 million, regularly manage to come up with such clowns as Presidential and vice-Presidential candidates? The jury is still out on Obama, but McCain and Palin . . . ?! McCain talks and moves like a character out of Thunderbirds. And as for Palin, what the hell were the Republicans thinking? When Ricky Gervais recently said that she reminded him of David Brent, I think he was being rather unkind to his preposterous alter ego from Slough.

I do worry about Obama’s stance on the Middle East – Israeli bombers will probably be warming their engines for an excursion to Iran before his victory is even confirmed – but, in every other way, there doesn’t seem to be a genuine alternative. Mind you, think what fun it would be having David Brent make speeches from the Oval Office (then again, has it been that different over the past 8 years?).

Well, I guess the problem – of not knowing what to write about – solved itself.

Come again.