Chris Rattue: Miracle of Morocco makes Tribulietx coach of the year

Ramon Tribulietx has transformed a part-time club team. Photo / AP

Time for a debrief after Auckland City's wondrous club World Cup performances in Morocco.

•Spaniard Ramon Tribulietx is New Zealand's coach of 2014. He beats Steve Hansen, Mike Hesson et al. Auckland City were so good they deserved to make the final against Real Madrid. Transforming a New Zealand club team into one that outplays champion professional outfits from the vast football world is beyond amazing. Auckland's ability to control the ball is a revolution, although it has evolved over years of obsessively hard work under Tribulietx's direction.

•It's doubly amazing when you consider the players are not genuine professionals. As Tribulietx pointed out, a player like Sam Burfoot can be "too knackered" to train properly. Many players have day jobs, and I'm reliably informed at least one actually works two jobs.

•The suspension of Angel Berlanga and injuries meant Auckland City had no right whatsoever to beat Mexican club Cruz Azul yesterday.

•Tribulietx would be the All Whites coach if the timing had been different, although his complex style might be difficult to impose on a national side whose players unite now and then. In hindsight, he deserved the job.

•This Miracle in Morocco is tinged with disappointment. Just imagine Auckland City v Real Madrid ... and they came oh so close. The country would have stopped for that, the strangest final in football history.

•But ... Real Madrid would have destroyed Auckland City. Cruz Azul ripped Auckland apart in the second half. Mexican teams are notorious for blowing it on the world stage - Spanish masters Real Madrid are a class above.

•Clubs around the world will chase Tribulietx, after watching him get so-called part-timers to play in such a sophisticated way. Similar things were predicted for Ricki Herbert after the 2010 World Cup, but those in the know always realised Herbert's major limitations.

•The Auckland City possession game is Tribulietx's brainchild. How does the club/franchise keep it going when he moves on?

•Wellington Phoenix against Auckland City is a promotion that would grab the country's attention. Those in control should move heaven and Earth to make this happen. Such chances are rare. The A-League is a thrills-and-spills entertainment deal and the Phoenix professionals play accordingly under Ernie Merrick. Ironically, the Auckland City "amateurs" have a more considered style and have superior players in some positions.

•The players will need post-triumph counselling to deal with deserted national league arenas. Tribulietx may go even more remote. He played a few games for northern league second division battlers Warkworth, coached by his mate and All Whites goalkeeping coach Paul Gothard. The 42-year-old Tribulietx told the Herald Gothard wants him back, and he is considering it.

•This result won't be great for New Zealand domestic football. Sorry ... but it will slip back under the radar because that's just the way it is in New Zealand.

•A major goal for New Zealand football should be the All Whites playing tougher, more high-profile World Cup qualifiers. For starters, the All Whites must play Australia - allowing this transtasman sports rivalry to remain dormant is ridiculous.

•Fifa are not all bad. They run a very good ship in many regards - the club tournament is an example of how inclusive the world game is.

•Is there anything more bizarre in Kiwi sport than football? Auckland City's next big assignment is a one-off game against Japan, in Australia's Hunter Valley on January 4.

•Auckland City, as a name, is boring compared to handles such as Cruz Azul or Algeria's magnificent Entente Sportive de Setif. We used to have sharper national league names and particularly from the capital with Wellington Diamond United, Waterside and Stop Out. Then again, Auckland City might sound interesting to Mexicans. And when will we get a footballer with one name? Tim Payne could become Payne ... or Tim.