Hertha has Dejagah in their sights

Kicker Magazine

Hertha BSC intensified its planning for the future. Many talents are already training with the pros. One who is in Berlin was formerly part of the “young guns” to the Boateng brothers, Patrick Ebert and Sejad Salihovic could return to the capital under certain circumstances:

According top confidential Information that kicker has received,  Hertha wants a deal with  FC Fulham to bring back Ashkan Dejagah if the London club is relegated from the Premier League. Under observation also has two second-division attacker.

Ashkan Dejagah

With six games to go, the situation for the German coach Felix Magath’s London club is threatening: The team is five points adrift in relegation zone already, also Fulham has already played one game more than the competitors placed above. Dejagah who has won the confidence of the club at last, has scored three goals in the last five matches. At the crucial 1-0 home win against Newcastle United recently he succeeded in scoring the winning goal.

The 27-year-old, has a contract with Fulham  until 2015 plus option, had played from 2000 to 2007 for Hertha, before he moving to Wolfsburg.

Ghoochannejad scores the winner for Charlton Athletic.

Reza Ghoochannejad scored the winner for the championship side Charlton Athletic away against Leeds United. The midweek match played on Tuesday evening was crucial for the London club fighting against relegation.

The strike by Team Melli forward came early in the second half (54th minute) , to make it 1-0 for Charlton Athletic. The result remained unchanged despite several wasted chances by both teams. This was the first goal scored by Ghoochannejad in English football.

The win thanks to Gucci’s goal lifted Charlton Athletic from the relegation zone  and with two games in hand , their chances of survival is strong against teams below them.

Ghoochannejad was subbed out in the 85th minute to get a standing ovation from the small Charlton Athletic away crowd.

Charlton boss Jose Riga, could not be happier after his side won their third game in seven matches under the Belgian, with just two defeats. Riga appears to be winning over Addicks fans after replacing the popular Chris Powell on March 11.

“It was a very big win for me and certainly for Charlton,” said the 56-year-old former AC Milan academy coach.

Regarding Ghoochannejhad’s stunning winner, Riga added: “I know what Reza is able to do and he was good in the game.”

“He was part of the game and I’m not totally surprised. This guy needs some confidence, he needs to work hard, offensively and defensively and he did that and it’s good for the team too. This (result) is only one step more for me because we have very important games ahead against Yeovil and Barnsley, so the story is far from ended.”

Winner: Charlton Athletic's Reza Ghoochannejhad curled in his first goal for the club to win the game.
Winner: Charlton Athletic’s Reza Ghoochannejhad curled in his first goal for the club to win the game.

Qatar coach “Iran is quite strong and a team with a global reputation.”


The Algerian coach of Qatar National Football team , Djamel Belmadi said that we have to accept the result of the draw that placed Qatar to face of Iran, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.”

In an interview with Al Kass TV ,  a Qatari sport network broadcasting from Doha,  he added “At this level you should accept the results and the draws. We must be ready for all situations.”

In his assessment of the teams that will compete with Qatar in Group C ,  Belmadi added “The Iranian national team is quite strong and a team with a global reputation beyond the region. UAE team is stubborn and went through an successful evolution recently, while the Bahraini team should always be respected … generally speaking, it will be difficult and a tough group”.

The 38 years old  Belmadi admitted that the national team did not perform well in the West Asia Cup despite winning the title, but said that “we will have enough time to get ready for the competition and to perform up to expectation  in the AFC Asian Cup 2015.”

He continued “We will have a preparatory camp and we have a good opportunity to prepare well. We are entering a different competition in the Asian Cup, unlike West Asian (WAFF) competition. In Australia, we will be facing the best and we must prepare for that and be at our best.”

“Our hopes and our aspirations are legitimate, as we have what it takes at this level of competition.”

“With our resources and standard, it is our legitimate ambitions to go far in the competition and do well but despite this ambition, we also need to remain realistic.”

He continued “We have to aspire to be better and start looking beyond mere participation by challenging the title.”

The Algerian coach of Qatar made a tour of Australia to inspect stadiums and sports facilities in order to familiarize himself with the quality of the facilities, “That tour shall result in a more efficient preparatory program that can enhance our team chances in the tournament and enable us to perform with all of our strength.”

“I have a long list of candidates for the national team. I will choose players from league matches and the Gulf Cup.” With regard to the final list that will be chosen to represent Qatar in the AFC Asian Cup 2015 , Bulmadhi explained “ it is still too early, but initially we will invite players who are already in the current squad.”

He added “There are a lot of players who can be with the team, but in the end there are league matches and the Gulf Cup competition which will allow us to truly appraise the potentials and the level of the players.”

 Djamel Belmadi has been appointed as the head coach of Qatar football Team two weeks ago. He played as a professional in several European clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Cannes, Celta Vigo, Manchester City, before heading to the Persian Gulf to play for Al-Ittihad and Al-Kharitiyath in Qatar. He had a 2 year spell with Southampton in the Championship between 2007–2009 before hanging his boots with Valenciennes.

He is a young coach who started with Kharitiyath and Qatar B team. His selection as a head coach has raised a few eyebrows in Qatar who normally look at high profile experienced coaches. The Qatar FA , like mny of the Arab states of Persian Gulf , are notorious for sacking coaches.

 Djamel Belmad is the 13th coach of Qatar since years 2000 , making it an average of 1 coach every year.

Dejagah wonder strike not enough for Fulham.

Team Melli and Fulham player Ashkan Dejagh came in as a substitute in the 65th minute of the Premiere League match against Everton to score a stunner and level the match 1-1.

The match played in Craven cottage , the home of Fulham in South West London , was mainly dominated by Fulham from the onset of the game. Howevr , the home team , despite creating many scoring chances, failed to capitalize as the half ended scoreless.

In the 2nd half, Everton went ahead when Fulham player Stockdale scored an own goal on 51′. Ashakan Dejagah was substituted in on 65′ for Richardson and 6 minutes later he scored a stunning goal from a fine individual effort.

However K. Mirallas 79′  (assist by A. McGeady) and then  S. Naismith 87′ scored two goals for Everton for Fulham to lose this important match and remain at the bottom of the league ranking and very much on the path to relegation.

 

Team Melli needs a major overhaul for Asian Cup 2015,

Regardless to the outcome of the result by Team Melli in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014, Team Melli needs new blood, new mentality and a whole new idea to put Iran firmly on the Asian Football map for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 competition. This current generation of players of Team Melli is aging and Iran could very well be the oldest team in the World Cup. Apart from a few number of players in the current squad, Team Melli must look at the new generation.

Iran has never been short of young talents and potentials in football, what is lacking in this area , is management and utilization of these talents. The worst examples of misguiding and poor handling of young talented players are the league clubs. With the pressure to succeed or avoid relegation as the case might be, almost all the Iranian clubs are hesitant and reluctant to give opportunities to talented young players.  It is very obvious if these young players are not given playing times, their chances of progress are limited or slowed down, some never reaching the potential. Subsequently, if there is no playing time at the club level, it will be even more difficult to be selected for Team Melli

It is simply quite difficult for the coaches of Team Melli to select a young talents into the squad without him being able to make the first team in his club.

There are some exceptions though as seen in Foolad Khuzestan club. The club from the south has won the league years back with one of the youngest or least experience squads on records. This season with 3 matches to go , Foolad Khuzestan  might very well repeat that feat and win the title again by a young team. So, the myth that a team requires older and senior players to win league title is ,  not strictly true.

Currently , Iran is blessed with some wonderful talents in the right age brackets. Kaveh Rezaei , Payam Sadeghian, Alireza Jahanbaksh , Mohsen Mosalman , Sardar Azmoun, Bakhtiyar Rahmani , Arash Afshin , Milad Sarlak, Yaghoub Karimi , Ali Karimi (Sepahan), Amir Mohammad Mazloum, Mostafa Hashemi , Mehrdad Jamaati , Jallaledin  Alimohamadi , Omid  Allishah , Omid Ebrahimi , Shoja’a Khalilzadeh, Mehdi Sharifi, Milad Fakhreddini , Shahryar Shirvand  are amongst the best. Many of them have represented Iran at international and continental levels in age group levels , most suffer lack of regular playing time.

With Carlos Queiroz being unlikely to be the head coach of Team Melli in January 2015, it all depends on the future coach’s  vision and whether he will be influenced in using the same old players , or be courageous enough to go for the youth or a right balance of talented and seasoned players.

Nekounam , Shojaei , Khalatbary , Amir Hossein Sadeghi , Hosseini , Ahmadi ,  Jabbari and many others are on the twilight of their careers and have been less prominent in Team Melli outfits recently,  The replacements are already available, it only needs a firm , ambitious and aspiring mind set to make it happen.

Arsenal make £2million offer for ‘Iranian Lionel Messi’ Sardar Azmoun

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Arsenal make offer for ‘Iranian Messi’
Arsenal are keen on Sardar Azmoun (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal have made an offer for highly-rated Rubin Kazan striker Sardar Azmoun – who has been dubbed the ‘Iranian Lionel Messi’.

The 19-year-old, who has made a handful of first-team appearances for Rubin, is rated as one of the best young players in Russia at present.

He has been linked with both AC Milan and Juventus recently, but Arsenal have been tracking him for a while, and have now made a move.

According to reports, the Gunners have offered Rubin £2million for the striker, who was scouted playing for Iran’s Under-20 team last year.

 

Azmoun told the Russian press at the time that Arsenal scouts had approached him, and that a transfer to the Emirates ‘would be a dream’.

And it now seems that Arsene Wenger is ready to go all out to sign the player, with club officials believed to be locked in negotiations with Rubin to try and thrash out a move.

A quick, skilful and agile striker, Azmoun only moved to Europe in 2013 from Iranian Pro League outfit Sepahan Isfahan.

Omid Namazi Named Assistant Coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team

CHICAGO (March 26, 2014) – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Tom Sermanni has named Omid Namazi as a full-time assistant coach to his staff.

“Omid brings significant experience in women’s and men’s soccer, at both club level and internationally,” said Sermanni. “He brings a fresh perspective but with a high degree of knowledge on the players and the women’s game. We’re on the same page philosophically on how we want the team to play and he’ll be a valuable asset to our program moving forward.”

Namazi, who holds a U.S. Soccer “A” coaching license, comes to the WNT from his position as an assistant coach for the Iran Men’s National Team.

Namazi served as an assistant coach for Iran from 2011-2014 and helped the team qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil by winning Group A in the Asian Qualifying Tournament ahead of the Korea Republic. Namazi was coaching in Iran as an assistant for Premier League club Steel Azin when he was tabbed to join the U.S. Women’s National Team staff.

Namazi has had an long coaching career in both men’s and women’s soccer, and was head coach of the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2003, leading the team to its first and only playoff berth, as well as the Chicago Red Stars in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), taking over the team mid-season in early June of 2010 after the former head coach was let go.

“It’s a new challenge and an exciting one,” said Namazi. “It’s a great time for women’s soccer in the United States with the NWSL starting its second season, our Youth National Teams getting more and more support from U.S. Soccer and with the 2015 Women’s World Cup on the horizon. I’m sincerely enjoying working with some of the best players in the world and helping work to bring the team to an even higher level.”

After a successful college career at West Virginia, Namazi played 18 years of professional soccer for various indoor and outdoor clubs and was the MISL Defender of the Year for the Philadelphia KiXX in 2001. Namazi turned professional in 1988 with the Washington Diplomats of the American Soccer League.

Namazi, who has a bachelor’s degree in exercise philosophy from WVU, played for the U.S. National Futsal Team in 2002-2003, earning five caps while scoring two goals. He resides in Sewell, N.J. with his wife and two young sons.

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Former Iran assistant Namazi joins Sermanni’s staff

by Paul Kennedy, March 26th, 2014

Iranian-American Omid Namazi, who recently left Iran’s World Cup staff in part because he had not been paid in five months, has joined U.S. women’s national team head coach Tom Sermanni’s staff as a full-time assistant coach.

Namazi, who U.S. pro career included stints at 15 indoor and outdoor clubs, has coached two women’s pro teams: the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association in 2003 and Chicago Red Stars in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2010.

“It’s a new challenge and an exciting one,” said Namazi. “It’s a great time for women’s soccer in the United States with the NWSL starting its second season, our youth national teams getting more and more support from U.S. Soccer and with the 2015 Women’s World Cup on the horizon. I’m sincerely enjoying working with some of the best players in the world and helping work to bring the team to an even higher level.”

The Utah-born Namazi was coaching Steel Azin in Iran when he joined Carlos Queiroz’s coaching staff. Another American, Dan Gaspar, was also part of the staff that led Iran to the group title in Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Gaspar remains with the squad that has struggled to get funding because of the impact of international sanctions, but Namazi told the New York Times he had not been paid in five months.

Namazi’s one game in MLS came in 1996 for the MetroStars when Queiroz was their coach.

Oceano appointed as an assistant to Queiroz

Tehran

Oceano Andrade da Cruz (born 29 July 1962), simply known as Oceano, has been appointed as the assistant coach of Team Melli. Oceano will replace  Simoez and Omid Namazi both of whom resigned their posts as assistant to Carlo Queiroz.

The Portuguese coach , whose last assignment was an assistant coach in Sporting Lisbon , will start his job immediately and join the Coaching staff of Team Melli under Queiroz. the 51 years old Oceano has played his professional football in Nacional , Sporting Lisbon (two separate spells) , Real Sociedad and Toulouse. He retired in 1999 in the French club.  The defensive midfielder also played for his country 50 times scoring 8 goals.

 

 

Teams managed
2009–2010 Portugal U21
2011–2012 Sporting CP (assistant)
2012 União Leiria (assistant)
2012 Sporting B
2012 Sporting CP (caretaker)
2012–2013 Sporting CP (assistant)
2014– Iran (assistant)

AFC Asian Cup 2015 Matches Schedule

 

Group A
Australia, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Oman
09 Jan 2015 
Australia       Kuwait
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
10 Jan 2015
Korea Republic     Oman
Canberra Stadium
13 Jan 2015
 Kuwait     Korea Republic
Canberra Stadium
13 Jan 2015
 Oman    Australia
Stadium Australia
17 Jan 2015
Australia     Korea Republic
Brisbane Stadium
17 Jan 2015
 Oman     Kuwait
Newcastle Stadium
[divider]
Group B
Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Korea DPR, China PR
10 Jan 2015
Uzbekistan    Korea DPR
Stadium Australia
10 Jan 2015
  Saudi Arabia     China PR
Brisbane Stadium
14 Jan 2015
 Korea DPR     Saudi Arabia
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
14 Jan 2015
 China PR    Uzbekistan
Brisbane Stadium
18 Jan 2015
 Uzbekistan     Saudi Arabia
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
18 Jan 2015
 China PR    Korea DPR
Canberra Stadium
[divider]
Group C
Iran, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar
11 Jan 2015
 Iran     Bahrain
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
11 Jan 2015
 UAE     Qatar
Canberra Stadium
15 Jan 2015
 Bahrain     UAE
Canberra Stadium
15 Jan 2015
 Qatar    Iran
Stadium Australia
19 Jan 2015
 Iran    

UAE
Brisbane Stadium
19 Jan 2015
Qatar     Bahrain
Stadium Australia
[divider]
Group D
Japan, Jordan, Qualifier, Iraq
12 Jan 2015
 Japan   V 

Qualifier
Newcastle Stadium
12 Jan 2015
 Jordan     

Iraq
Brisbane Stadium
16 Jan 2015
 Qualifier    

Jordan
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
 
16 Jan 2015
 Iraq     

Japan
Brisbane Stadium
20 Jan 2015
 Japan     

Jordan 

Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

 
20 Jan 2015
 Iraq     

Qualifier 

Canberra Stadium