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Bahrain coach Peter Taylor is under no illusion that success at the coming Gulf Cup of Nations competition is likely to prove crucial if he is to continue his footballing adventure in the kingdom.
Taylor, speaking at an after-dinner engagement at the British Club, told guests that he believes his young side has every chance of performing well in the 21st edition of the biennial contest which will take place in Bahrain on January 5-18.
"It’s the one thing they really want to win,î he said, ìand we have every chance of having a good tournament."
The competition was originally going to be hosted in the Iraqi city of Basra but was moved to Bahrain last October. Eight teams will participate in the tournament – Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The draw will be held in Bahrain on October 18 and the teams will be divided into two groups – host nation Bahrain will be in Group A, Kuwait as current holders in Group B, while the rest of the teams will be placed in a pot based on FIFA rankings.
Taylor said he was particularly pleased with the results of a recent two-week-long training camp in Germany in which the players responded well to a strict regime of training and tactics.
"The aim was to make the players stronger and fitter and we’re getting there with them. There was no nonsense allowed, there were no telephone calls and they were fined for being even two minutes late for breakfast. They responded well."
Taylor had not always been as positive about the attitude of his players. He was so embarrassed after the national team’s pitiful showing in the end-of-season Arab Cup of Nations tournament that he apologised to fans saying the players were more interested in going home early than winning.
The side suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Morocco, followed up with a 2-0 loss against minnows Yemen before finishing off the campaign with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Libya.
However, he earlier led Bahrain to success in the first GCC Games and clinched football gold in the 2011 Arab Games in Doha.
Bahrain narrowly missed out on reaching the next World Cup Finals in Brazil and many football pundits felt that if Taylor had been appointed earlier they might have made it.
The question remains, will he be thrown up in the sky by delighted players and fans after the Gulf Cup of Nations campaign or thrown out by the Bahrain Football Association when the final whistle blows?
