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Will Held bring Malta out of the wilderness?

After huge pressure from most of the media for a radical change at the top, the sacking of Josif Ilic and appointment of his replacement - Siegfred Held - was very sudden.

Most of Ilic’s critics, although believing the national team was crying out for a new coach, made it clear they felt he was not the only problem. They cited others, such as a lack of unity between the players, coach and association along with circumstances which were making life difficult for everyone.

Members of the Maltese national squad now face months of intense training following the appointment of German coach Siegfred Held, who was introduced to the press on Friday.
Despite not being entirely fluent in English, Held’s message was loud and clear: "You cannot have success without discipline.”

Explaining that he watched the Maltese in action in Copenhagen against Denmark, he stressed that the Maltese had made it difficult for the Danes. "Despite committing silly mistakes, the defence was excellent, but the attack was not so good," he said.

Asked whether a professional scheme would be beneficial, Held answered that a professional scheme had its advantages, but two to three sessions a week would be enough.

I am not sure that I agree on this point.

Siegfred Held, 56, put pen to paper on a two-year deal and will lead the Maltese in the coming three World Cup qualifiers. He was also introduced to the national squad members. His first training session at Ta’ Qali will be held on 6 July.

Held’s record is, admittedly, not that inspiring. If we are to make comparisons with Iceland, whom he coached, along with Egypt, he did not do that well and he hasn’t had much success at club level either.

But we obviously hope he’ll find his feet in Malta, for all our sakes. Good luck Sigi, you’ll need it.