Football is a game of small margins says Andrew Howard Dando

Andrew Howard Dando

I and Basil Fysal had the privilege of being one of the select few who got to be part of the media covering the Al Kass U-16 tournament in Doha, Qatar. We as a team attended the Barcelona vs Manchester City game for the fifth spot, in which the team from Spain flew back home with 15,000 USD while the English youngsters were awarded 10,000 for fifth and sixth place respectively.

As the game ended 6-4, we had the opportunity to catch up with Andrew Howard Dando, who was part of the technical staff of Manchester City U-16, headed by manager Gareth Taylor.

With the game just over, the young boys huddled around Andrew who inspired them with their words. City were run over in the first half, but put up a good fight until the last minute. Andrew’s words revolved around the idea that this loss only means that the young players have gained vital experience.

As his invigorating speech finished, we had the opportunity to ask him just a single question, due to his rather tight schedule for the night.

Q: Despite the final score being somewhat lopsided from the start, what is your opinion about your team’s run to a 5th place finish in the tournament?

Andrew : Football is a game of small margins. If you look at the first half, what could be 3-2, suddenly becomes 4-1. It then becomes a totally different game for us to handle. I think we also have to realize that for our boys, all of them are still learning.

They need to understand that when they step on the field, they shouldn’t lose the game before they try to win it, and tonight we unfortunately let it go a bit too far. But all in all, it was a fantastic experience for the boys,we’ve got some who are only 14 and this was a fantastic learning experience for them.

Qatar hosted a number of top youth teams during the tournament, with quite a few fans watching the games which were free of charge. Surprisingly, Manchester City had quite a vocal support. There were around 11 supporters, most of them from Manchester and all working in Qatar. For them it was a trip down memory lane as they supported their club’s U-16 team , the British way.

Here’s what they had to say about City’s situation in the English Premier League .

The fans were really open to us asking them a few questions

Q: What are your thoughts about the team , Manuel Pellegrini and the transfers right now?

A: We are flying at the moment. The transfers seem to be finally working. We’ve got the pick of the crop. So only time will tell how good it has been. We’ve just got to win every game and only time will tell how good the decisions have been. Win the rest of the games and we win the league. Pellegrini says one game at a time and he’s absolutely right. We can judge ourselves properly at the end.

Before I could get to the second question, the players were thoughtful enough to move towards the supporters and applaud them for their support which they could clearly feel while playing. The 11 men sang their own rendition of the famous chant “Na na naaaa ….City” , as the other fans flipped out their phones and recorded the kind of behavior which was out of place in a country like Qatar.

They were passionate throughout the game

Q: Who do you believe are your main threats? Chelsea, Arsenal, United, anyone.

A : United are definitely out of it. There is no question about that. They’ve run themselves out. It has to be Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Facing all of them has been a tough challenge, apart from Chelsea, who we still have to face at home. The game is at the beginning of February, so that should be another three points for us hopefully. One game at a time, 90 minutes and we should be able to see all of them off.

Q: What are the weaknesses you see in the team right now?

A: It has to be injuries. It was always going to be a problem. It’s been a big issue all the time but this time around we have a large squad and a good team. With proper management we should be able to handle it even if we were knocked down by a few serious injuries.

Q: The most influential player at City, and Pantilimon or Hart?

A: No doubt it has to be Hart even though he’s had a few nightmares. Kompany’s got to be the most influential player right now. He’s the captain and he’s a solid player. We are lucky to have quite a few influential players. Yaya Toure in midfield is an unbielevable player, while Fernandinho is finally clicking. Then there’s Aguero whose partnership with Negredo has been solid so far. The whole team is clicking and it’s a good sign.

That’s all the fans had time for and it was an enjoyable conversation with them. As the night came to an end, the players geared up for their final squad pictures, had one last look at the glossy pitch and retreated back to the hotel as they prepared to get back to their respective countries in time for their next few matches.