‘Don’t be fooled’
Calm Hallgrímsson will drop the hammer, says Icelandic journalists
Published:Wednesday | September 21, 2022 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
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WHEN THE national senior team meet their new head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, they can expect a calm personality but a man not afraid to take risks or make bold decisions if players are not playing up to the standard he expects, according to...
WHEN THE national senior team meet their new head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, they can expect a calm personality but a man not afraid to take risks or make bold decisions if players are not playing up to the standard he expects, according to Icelandic journalists Guðmundur Ásgeirsson and Runólfur Þórhallsson.
The team will get the chance to see how he operates as they prepare for their international friendly against Argentina on Tuesday at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.
Hallgrímsson, who was unveiled on Friday, said that he wanted to have a clean slate with the players, which he said made him more optimistic about this project than the Icelandic one where he helped them to a quarter-final run at Euro 2016 and qualify for the 2018 World Cup as head coach.
BOLD DECISIONS
Þórhallssonn says the players will be pleased with his honesty and his man management but says that he is someone who will be able to make bold decisions when necessary.
“That is a part of his allure, I would say, what a calm operator he is. But don´t let him fool you, behind that smile is a man who is ready to make bold decisions and take risks. He will probably bring that togetherness, although I do realise that is harder to do when you are not born and raised in said country. But for us, that was one of his biggest traits,” Þórhallssonn told The Gleaner.
However, Þórhallssonn said that there will be consequences for standards not being met.
“He respects his players. He is by no means one of those coaches who we might class as a ‘dictator’ but he will put the hammer down when needed. If players are betraying his trust, he will not hesitate to make big decisions about their future,” Þórhallssonn warned.
With the Reggae Boyz constantly navigating turbulence on and off the field, Ásgeirsson said Hallgrímsson has the ability to bring a culture of togetherness similar to his time in Iceland, in order to harness the potential of a team targeting a 2026 World Cup berth.
“Everybody was willing to fight for each other and that was a huge part of our success: the incredible spirit of the team. From what I’ve read and heard there have been a lot of problems within the Jamaican team,” Ásgeirsson noted.
“So for that reason, I think Heimir is the perfect coach to come in and fix things – to create unity and a spirit that can take you far.”