Manager Boshko Gjurovski is widely expected to be relieved of his duties, either next week or in several months when these qualifications end.
Boshko Gjurovski has a contract until the end of the 2016 EURO qualifications. However, he may be let go as soon as next week when the board members of the Macedonian federation get together to discuss his future. They will have to eat some money if they dismiss him now, but it’s not a large number since there are only a few months remaining on his contract, not years.
Then, a question becomes who will succeed him. None of his two assistants, Zharko Seramifovski and Argjend Beqiri, have the credentials to serve even in an interim role. They are very inexperienced and should also be held responsible for the poor play and results.
As a reminder, the last time a manager left early (Chedomir Janevski), Zoran Stratev was appointed interim coach. That turned into an absolute disaster, so it would be highly unlikely that FFM goes that route again. Stratev still works for FFM as the leading coordinator for all the youth national teams.
A number of readers on this site have wanted a foreign manager, but that is no sure thing either. The last foreigner to lead Macedonia, John Toshack, was a complete failure. He knew nothing about most of the players and lived in Spain, only coming to Macedonia just a couple of days before a scheduled game. That backfired big time. Furthermore, that is not the only example of a foreign coach not working out for a national team. A couple of recent examples include Dick Advocaat (Netherlands) who had a dismal short stint with Serbia, and Bernard Challandes (Switzerland) who was recently dismissed by Armenia after much dissatisfaction in his work.
Now, a positive example would be someone like Gianni De Biasi (Italy), the coach at Albania. He has improved their national team and the majority of fans hold him in high regard.
So, based on these facts, where do you stand on this issue? Should Macedonia consider a foreign manager? If so, who are some coaches that you feel would be good fits?
On the other hand, if you are against a foreigner leading Maceonia, then which domestic coach would be the best choice? One guy that is repeatedly brought up, Chedomir Janevski, left on bad terms and little is known about his current relationship with FFM president Ilcho Gjorgjioski. What’s to say that Janevski, currently without a team, wouldn’t bounce again if a job opens up in Belgium (where his family lives)? He already did once, so you have to keep that in mind.
Let us know how you feel in the comments section below.