WHAT exactly do we want from the modern-day football coach? Expertise, composure, man-management, media management, a good dress sense, a sense of humour, a sense of honour. In truth, we want everything, and we want it all delivered on a daily basis under extreme pressure - and sometimes extreme provocation. Tough gig, coaching, and it's only getting tougher.
No wonder the modern-day football coach is more suspicious, more cranky, more combustible. The burnout factor is starting to bite. In rugby league, we've already seen Chris Anderson and Michael Hagan get out early because of the strain. In the AFL, Leigh Matthews pulled up stumps a year early because he tired of the grind. It's only a matter of time before football follows suit.
After a weekend of fascinating matches in the A-League, the talk has not been about the players, but about the coaches. On Friday night in the tunnel at the SFS, John Kosmina and Ricki Herbert had a crack at each other after a late penalty gave the Phoenix a surprise win. On Sunday night in Perth, Gary van Egmond lost his rag after a late penalty denied the Jets a win, confronting referee Matthew Breeze and Glory import Adrian Trinidad in full view of the fans, and the cameras, at the final whistle.
The authorities have decided Kosmina has no case to answer, but van Egmond does. Be that as it may, the real question is to what extent coaches should be allowed to let off steam. In the past couple of years, Kosmina, Dave Mitchell and Paul Nevin have all been given touchline bans for their touchline behaviour.
In truth, sitting in the stands is no real disadvantage - some coaches actually prefer to view the game from a higher perspective. But it is an admonishment, and it is a fairly public one. Throw in the fines regularly handed down for a variety of lesser offences, and coaches, it seems, can't do much, or say much, without crossing the line. In the one arena where they should be entitled to become emotional and passionate - the arena - they are expected to be anything but.
Let's be honest. Fans enjoy watching a combustible coach almost as much as a player. Sometimes more. As the sun set at Members Equity Stadium on Sunday night, all the chatter was about van Egmond's blow-up. It was theatre, whichever way you look at it. Not the perfect example for youngsters, admittedly, and the Jets coach deserves sanction. But in making their deliberations, the FFA needs to cut him some slack.
This is a coach at the wrong end of the table who had just seen a priceless victory snatched away with virtually the last kick of the game. Modern football is a pressure-cooker, and coaches are feeling the heat more than ever. In a career where a million things can go wrong, should we expect them to get everything right? They're human, and they're under stress. A bit more perspective, and a bit less persecution, might help.