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Brazil ‘grilled’ at the Bridge Meadow
It is a brave football manager who readily agrees to go before the supporters of the club to answer any questions they have but Haverfordwest County manager Derek Brazil recently undertook this challenge for a second time.
He attended the Bridge Meadow Stadium on a Friday evening, which meant him staying away from his home in Caerphilly and he was in the ‘hot seat’ for two hours as he outlined his plans for the future, discussed the current state of affairs and even took some criticism on the chin!
Interestingly, there was a wide age range in attendance and included were two of the youngest players in Jack Christopher and Bobby Briers, who also provided a fascinating insight into their views of the club, and what it was like to be a local player at Haverfordwest County.
Aiming high
One of the first topics raised was the league position that Derek Brazil felt the club could attain, and whether this was affected by the budget that he had. He pointed out that it would take a few years to challenge the top three because Rhyl, TNS and Llanelli all had large budgets and backers who could pump finances into their clubs and although he and the players were aiming for top spot a current realistic target would be fourth place. He also raised the interesting geographical point that Haverfordwest were far out west and there were a number of clubs much nearer home for some very good players – so it was a tribute to the club, its directors, officials and especially supporters that good players still wanted to come there.
Too many fixtures
Also interesting was the question about whether the club enters too many competitions in view of a relatively small squad and Brazil admitted that most of them were obligatory but although the West Wales Senior Cup had a tradition about it there were now difficulties in sorting out fixtures – and he pointed out on abortive match this season where the squad travelled to Ystradgynlais, only to find the host club had called it off late because they didn’t have a team. Injuries sustained in such games were also a problem.
Squad system and player departures
The biggest debate of the evening was the squad system, and the number of local players in the squad, especially since several local players had departed for Newcastle Emlyn. During the evening he revealed that his selection of a side and the tactics to be used was determined not only by who he had available but also by who the opponents were. Last season, due to injuries, he had been forced to use younger players like Craig George and Luke Robinson but this season he has had the luxury of being able to bring them on, through choice, when the team was winning. This, he said, could only help their development. In response to criticism about players leaving to play Welsh League football he said,
“I was very disappointed those players left because they had a part to play in the club but they weren’t happy to fight for a place. If someone is left out of the team, I don’t expect them to feel happy about it, but I want them to show that they were good enough and wanted their place. If I have seven players available for four positions, and only five of them really want it, then that's who I'll look at."
Squad rotation
On the subject of squad rotation he was adamant that he would continue to pick ‘horses for courses’ and outlined some of the tactical formations he had to use in various games. Three or four at the back, four or five in midfield, use of wing backs, all depended on the opposition and who was fit to play. With regard to team spirit he felt that it was high and with some big characters involved there were sometimes verbal sparring, which he didn’t discourage, as long as it was positive.
“What I want is their commitment to the team and a will to win. The players here now certainly are ready to fight for Haverfordwest County and do their very best, which is all I ask for.”
Best team, best players
Asked about who was the best team and players in the Premier League, other than his own, Brazil felt that Bangor were the best all-round footballing side, with Chris Sergeant superb in midfield, whilst Rhys Griffiths was a good goal-grabber with Llanelli.
He also turned the tables at the end of a convivial evening by asking those in attendance which were the players they felt had done well or badly for the club and which was the best goal of the season so far. There were a wide range of opinions on players but most who saw the goal scored by Nicky Woodrow at Carmarthen was the goal of the season – so far!
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