‘Great motivator’, who has died aged 87, inspired his country in an unlikely charge to third place at the 1998 World Cup
ou didn’t really interview Miroslav “Ciro” Blazevic. You just sat there, tossed some vague conversational gambit into the air and waited for the charismatic rush of anecdote to sweep you along, which was pretty much how he coached. He had an extraordinary energy – at 75 he went to China to manage the national Under-23 side, and had four jobs after that – and a profound love of football. But what he enjoyed most of all was to talk, particularly about himself.
“He would always say he was the best in the world,” said Slaven Bilic, a key part of the Blazevic’s 1998 side. “I’m not saying he was a bad coach or a great coach, but he was the ideal coach for us. Put [Fabio] Capello, [Alex] Ferguson, [Arsène] Wenger in our team and it wouldn’t have worked like it worked with him. He was everybody’s father, a great motivator.
“And he would always say, ‘OK, Estonia’s left-back is whoever,’ and he’s talking about their players, and he’s writing their names, and you know it’s wrong, and you know he’s saying: ‘This guy, he’s so quick, he’s so good’ – and you know when he’s talking to you that he’s never seen him in his fucking life.”
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