[meandbrenarebaggies]

Sorry but I cannot be easily dissuaded from my opinion of coaches.
Historically they imposed themselves on teams in an effort to be
“one of the boys”, going down the recreation ground on a Saturday
afternoon, even though they couldn’t play themselves. A typical
team mix would be 6 farm labourers, the local PC, a chippy, the
butchers lad, the Squire’s son (it was his field) and the extraordinarily
tall lad from the estate who played in goal. Coaches were usually
unfit, chainsmoking, self-opinionated loudmouths often at the game
because their other-half was relieved to be rid of them for a couple
of hours. Slowly, inevitably, with the advent of Magic sponges, first
aid kits and the real killer…substitutes…they began to take over.
Any function of the football team that wasn’t actually done during
a game on the pitch became the coaches task. He then became
everything from the stamp licker to the kit washer; slowly working
towards being indispensable and therefore powerful. Pretty soon
the coach was picking the team, making the substitutions (although
the Captain should have and still should carry out this function) and
becoming the much transferred, overpaid, icons they are today.