By Myles Palmer
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DOES BIG PHIL know what he’s doing?
That was the big question before the World Cup two years ago.
If Big Phil didn’t know what he was doing, the World Cup would be wide open and anybody could win it.
This year the big question is : can anybody stop Zidane, Vieira and Pires ?
Back in 2002, my best friend Doug and I had watched a documentary about Big Phil Scolari, the tough club manager who had come in after Brazil’s World Cup qualifying campaign had stuttered as never before.
Three managers had already been used.
And I was talking to Rob Hughes about Scolari and how I liked him and Rob was telling me how rough and ruthless his club teams were – it would not be the beautiful game any more with this guy.
Rob wrote articles on that theme.
Later, Brazil won the World Cup playing some excellent football.
Later still Rob met Phil in Portugal and Phil said he had read Rob’s apology on the front page and he was delighted that Rob had been man enough to admit he had been wrong.
Not many journalists would have done that, said Phil.
So Phil and Rob got on very well and Rob likes Phil a lot more now than he did in June 2002.
Hiring Scolari was a very smart move by Portugal, in my view.
TWO FOREIGN COACHES meet in the Algarve on Saturday at 5pm.
Portugal, managed by a Brazilian, play Greece, managed by a German, Otto Rehhagel.
Figo has been coasting at Madrid, saving himself for this tournament as much as he can.
He is 32 now and he cannot have expected a European Championship to come to his home country during his career.
Most insiders reckoned Spain would get the tournament, but this will be a fabulous festival of football and a fitting finale for Lennart Johansson, who is undoubtedly one of the good guys of world sporting administration, along with his Chief Executive Gerhard Aigner, who is also retiring.
The tournament will have a lovely ambience – and that will help the players.
GREECE ARE more organised than they have ever been, but they don’t score many goals and they lack the creativity of Deco, Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
And they don’t have a Paulo Rossi-type goalpoacher like Pauleta, a striker I liked even when he wasn’t getting many starts at Deportivo three years ago.
If I have a bet, I usually do it ten minutes before the game, after I’ve seen the teamsheets.
Many opening games are draws, some are shocks, but I don’t see a draw or a shock in the new Porto stadium, so today I’ve backed Portugal to win by two goals or more.
If they win by one goal, I get my money back.
And if they win by one goal, I will be glad they won.
Love the country, love the people, love the climate, love strolling on the beach at 7 pm, love the jogadores, love the ten new stadiums – and BIG PHIL STILL KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING !
In sport, you take sides. You say: I fancy them!
June 10th 2004