Have you ever been to Abilene, Texas?

If you’re like me then the answer is a resounding “NO.”  I’m also quick to add that I have no plans to go to Abilene, Texas… ever.  It’s not that I don’t like Texas – I do.  It’s just – well – my preference is to go just about anywhere else.

Consider the following situation:

You and your two friends are drinking cold refreshments on a shaded porch in Coleman, Texas – nearly 53 miles from Abilene.  It’s mid-afternoon and the sun is beating down but you’re comfortable; and there are plenty of more cold refreshments in the fridge 10 feet away. … More SMRTETA

Rotterdam – June 20th, 2000: Sérgio Conceição’s hat trick against Germany in the final group game condemned the mighty Nationalmannschaft to an embarrassing exit from Euro 2000. It was the end of the road for a team that enjoyed so much success in the nineties. Even more troubling for the DFB – the German version of the FA – there were no apparent heirs to the throne coming through the youth set-ups at the Bundesliga clubs.

Where do you go from there? How do you improve the performances of the National team in both the short term and for generations to come?… More SMRTETA