Azkal's Greatwich speaks on team's past, future
NEW JERSEY – Like most children growing up in the United Kingdom, Christopher Robert Barbon "Chris" Greatwich dreamt of playing football for England.
He gently poked fun with his brothers, Phil and Simon, about one day playing for the Philippines. At the time, the words were said in jest, but they turned out to be true.
Greatwich made his debut for the Philippine Azkals in 2004. He has since accumulated 27 international caps and scored five goals.
One was the injury time equalizer against Singapore in the 2010 Suzuki Cup, which resulted in one of the biggest upsets in the tournaments history and ultimately fuelled the Azkals' rise.
In an interview with ABS-CBN Europe, the US-based Filipino-Brit spoke about the Azkals' humble beginnings, how things have changed and his hopes for the future.
Hungry but no one cared
As one of the more experienced members of the Philippine squad, Greatwich knows how things were like before the Azkals’ meteoric rise to prominence.
"I remember our first training sessions in Ultra. Ten guys in bunk-beds in a room with no air con," Greatwich said. "We would train at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day under Aris Caslib."
"Looking back, I missed those days," he added.
Greatwich said that in the early days, the players were "striving to make something of the team, wanting to make football better in the Philippines."
"I think as young players, we were so hungry to play for the flag and the team and nobody else, because no one else cared," he said.
Despite the challenges facing the team, Greatwich was determined to make things work.
"All I wanted to do was play football. And even though we had poor facilities and bad organization, my desire to play for the national team meant I would’ve done whatever it took to play," he said.
Media circus
In just two years, the Azkals have emerged in the Southeast Asian football scene as a force to be reckoned with. This sparked a wave of interest in football in the Philippines.
Although Greatwich is pleased that football awareness has increased, he is not so keen on other aspects that have come with the sudden rise in popularity regarding the sport and team.
"We live in a celebrity-obsessed world, and the people of the Philippines are no different," he said.
"I believe many of the boys who have contributed to the team on the field have managed to reap the benefits off it. Some players haven't. Some players that have recently joined have been thrust into the limelight and are now "stars' without really doing anything," he added.
Greatwich also slammed the sections of the media and certain individuals who have used the football boom for their own personal gain.
"Much of the media and the public are poorly informed, which has led to many people being deemed successful merely through proximity to the Azkals," he said.
"I have heard stories of players going over as 'players' and using it as a tool to get modeling contracts," Greatwich added.
"This type of exploitation is frustrating, but I blame the media to some extent for allowing it to become a circus by being so ill-informed."
Building a legacy
Greatwich is currently juggling three roles at the Morris County Colonials in New Jersey, United States. He is the head coach of the Academy and under-20 team, as well as a men's senior coach for the club team.
The Colonials compete in the fourth tier of the U.S. football pyramid, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).
When asked if he has plans to eventually transfer his coaching experience to the Philippines, Greatwich replied, “I have made no secret that one day I would love to coach the national team.”
"When I started with the national team, my dream was to make us a top-ranked Southeast Asian team by the time I was done," Greatwich said. "Now I feel we are at that level and looking to exceed those expectations. I want to build a legacy that will last for many more generations to come."
"As a player, I read the game well and am constantly talking, encouraging and organizing. These are aspects which translate to the coaching side and with my experience as a player, I feel I would be able to pass that on to the players whom I coach," he added.
For now though, all Greatwich wants to do is to concentrate on nurturing his coaching credentials in the United States, and adding to his tally of Philippine international appearances whenever he can.
"Last year was a difficult year for me, and I missed most of the season for various reasons. Hopefully, I will be more involved from now on," he said.
Greatwich last featured in an exhibition game against Major League Soccer Cup champions Los Angeles Galaxy on December 3, 2011.
Challenge Cup
The Philippines is pooled with India, Tajikistan and defending champions DPR Korea in Group A of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup.
In preparation for the tournament, the Azkals will play three friendly matches in the Middle East.
The first match was meant to be against Partizan Belgrade (or FK Partizan) on February 6, but the Serbian club giants have withdrawn their trip to the United Arab Emirates due to visa problems.
The Azkals are now scheduled to face Olympic-aspiring sides Uzbekistan and Qantas Australian under-23s, as well as local club Al Ahli SC, which competes in the Qatar Stars League.
The game against Uzbekistan will be held on February 11 in Dubai, but it is unclear whether the Azkals will be matching against the senior or under-23 team.
Al Ahli SC follows on February 13 in Doha, while the fixture against the Qantas Australia u-23 team will round up the trip on February 16 in Dubai.
Greatwich believes these games will be another valuable learning experience for the national team.
"It's a good chance to play against more high caliber teams and see how the team shapes up leading to the AFC Challenge Cup," he said.
Nepal is hosting this year's AFC Challenge Cup, which will run from March 8 to 19. The Azkals start their campaign against DPR Korea on March 9.
Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/02/01/12/azkals-greatwich-speaks-teams-past-future
