Who after Cho

The dismissal of head coach Cho Kwang-Rae testified the bad situation of the South Korean football. Korean Football Association showed to be amateurish after technical committee head Hwangbo Kwan said the organization is starting from a blank hole in its search for the new coach due to the fact that the announcement of Cho Kwang-Rae's replacement will go out at the end of January. Cho paid for his mistakes, and for the shocking loss in Lebanon but also for a football system unable to produce rising stars in the local tournament and for the successful state of the rival Japan. Now, who next? There are good inside options to sub Cho? Jeonbuk Motors' 52-year-old coach Choi Kang-Hee is the most obvious name. After clinching the K-League Championship and leading the team to the Asian Champions League final he's a good name to take a look to. Former 2002 South Korean World Cup captain Hong Myung-Bo leaded the Under-20 team to 2009 Fifa U-20 World Cup quarter-finals and is another viable option.

Cho fired!

It was under fire already after his Korean national team, ranked 31st in the FIFA world rankings, lost to Lebanon (146th), 2-1 in their fifth Group B game of Asian qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Both Korean fans and media experts was disappointed. Apparently, the KFA's board of direction too. Since he took over the job, in July 2010 Cho Kwang-rae has stressed a playing style based on short passes and fast movement to create spaces but it simply didn't work. As a result, the players seemed confused. And din't work the Cho's way to switch frequently the players' positions in the national team. After the Lebanon match, supporters was demanding that the coach be replaced. It happened. By the way, despite his mistakes, not all is Cho's fault. The Korean football system failed to provide proven backup players from K-league able to become good alternatives to the high-profile players playing overseas. In recent months, South Korea was unable to find players to replace the time after time missing Ki Sung-yeung (Celtic FC), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton), and Park Chu-young (Arsenal). Park Ji-Sung and Lee Young-Pyo's intention to retire from international football also didn't help. Now, who next? Shimizu S-Pulse of Japan's Afshin Ghotbi, Jeonbuk Motors' Choi Kang-Hee and Korea under-23 coach Hong Myung-Bo are strong candidates to sub Cho Kwang-Rae. But what about Park Kyung-Hoon? And a foreign solution isn't out of question.

Reloads

Two teams, two busy offseasons. While the MLS is all around the David Beckham's situation and the rumors about his move to Paris St. Germain, an expansion team and 'classic' one started their offseason. The Montreal Impact will start their MLS adventure with plenty of talent in veteran midfielder Davy Arnaud, defender Nelson Rivas and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. The goal is to put on the field a competitive team. The same goal of the Sporting Kansas City which added midfielder Paulo Nagamura and defender Seth Sinovic, lost and reacquired in the trade with Montreal.With Milos Stojcev, Craig Rocastle, Arnaud (after 10 seasons with Kansas City), and Ryan Smith out, the roster was shaked. We will see if the midfield with Nagamura, Julio Cesar, Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi will work.

Next

The UAE are out of the race to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and their latest two games will be utilized by the head coach Abdullah Al Misfer and by the UAE FA to look forward. UAE have to forget about the qualifying disaster, where they lost all four games so far, and focus on building for the future. Things are gone so wrong for a lot of reasons: players' skills, poor management, no players playing in high-level leagues, etc...the Srecko Katanec's experiment failed but it don't means that UAE have no need of a coach from outside to lead the national team. UAE showed to be a good, not great, team needing of a coach knowing the Asian soccer. They need of a coach able to rise up the motivation of the players. Nobody in the locker room liked Katanec. The next coach needs to build a strong relationship with the players.

Firing lane

Al Ahli's announcement they had sacked their coach Ivan Hasek and appointed former Atletico Madrid manager Quique Sanchez Flores means that there has now been 5 coaching changes in the Pro League. Hasek's departure followed those of Sharjah's Carlos Azenho, Dubai's Nestor Clausen and Umberto Berberis, and Bani Yas' Jorvan Vieira. All the teams had played three league games or less. Al Ahli fans hope their team perform above expectations with Sanchez Flores in charge. Will he have the time? UAE's owners are not patient. They bring on good coaches but don't give them time to fix things. Flores has a strong CV but it was the same for Hasek, a former Czech National Team coach signed on a two-year deal this summer, or for David O'Leary, former Leeds United manager, sacked after just nine months of a three-year contract with Al Ahli. Coaches cannot turn things around in one day. The season is not ended yet...Hasek was latest coach sacked due to a firing-the-coach politics. But others could follow.

Flores in the mix

Al Ahli appointed former Atletico Madrid coach and former Europa League-winner Quique Sanchez Flores as new manager, following the departure of Czech coach Ivan Hasek. The club,10th in the Pro League with one win in three games, parted way with Hasek, which ran his second stint with the club. Flores is the 53rd head coach in the Pro League history and the 51st coaching change since the league started in 2008. Football is an emotional sport at any level, and owners like to change if things don't work also in UAE. Hiring and firing coaches have an  impact also on the Pro League. And the carousel will continue as Bani Yas is looking for a new, foreigner coach to replace sacked Jorvan Vieira.

Rijsbergen

Indonesia coach Wim Rijsbergen recalled veteran goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko for his team training camp to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Qatar and Iran. Rijsbergen also called Victor Igbonefo and Greg Nwokolo, two Pelita Jaya's recently naturalised players. Rijsbergen is trying to build a good team but he faced a lot of troubles: the first one was that the national soccer league his now on the break. This effected the players' fitness levels. Rijsbergen hopes on his team’s improving performance throughout the Group E qualifiers. The draw against Saudi Arabia in a friendly match last month boost the confidence around the team. By the way there are some tactics questions too. Rijsbergen wanted his squad to play attacking soccer and to earned points but things are gone hard for him. He came in Indonesia looking to install an offensive 4-3-3 Dutch playing style. But often the Indonesia was hit by counterattacks. So Rijsbergen should like to play a more simple brand of football.