Fourteen coaches in as many years is a dubious statistic but hardly warrants the raising of eyebrows when it comes to Saudi Arabia.

Driven by a relentless quest for elusive glory, hard-to-please fans and extremely ambitious football officials, the ’Sons of the Desert’ have ploughed through more than a dozen coaches since 1994.

The revolving doors have spun wildly in the Gulf country as coaches were tried and swiftly discarded, no matter how high-profile or successful they were, with a ruthless regularity and inexplicability.

No coach at the helm of the Saudi ship has averaged more than a year, making it one of the least secure - but high-paying jobs - in world football.

No sooner does the national team lose a match or two, the soccer blogs start buzzing with chats and comments about the incumbent coach’s imminent departure.

NEW COACH

Newly anointed Saudi coach Jose Peseiro of Portugal would be well aware of the perils of coaching one of the most talented, temperamental yet unlucky sides in world football.

The former Panathinaikos man’s brief is simple: Haul back the Saudis firmly into 2010 FIFA World Cup reckoning.

“We had put many names on the table and finally we decided on Peseiro,” said Saudi Arabian Football Federation Vice-President Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal. “He was selected as he has previous experience of coaching in Saudi Arabia (Al Hilal club).”

Saudi Arabia are in the throes of one of their worst World Cup qualifying campaigns, one which could end with them missing the bus to their fifth straight Finals.

The tortuous road has already seen two coaches - Brazilian Helio Dos Anjos who took the team to the AFC Asian Cup final in 2007 and local hand Nasser Al Johar - exiting.

Peseiro made all the right noises after taking up the reins.

“Taking Saudi Arabia to the World Cup for the fifth time is my biggest challenge,” said the Portuguese trainer. “I have the confidence but everything depends upon the players’ ability and the trust I get from the football authorities, not to forget the fans.”

“I know that Saudi players are very good and this was one of the main reasons I accepted this offer,” added Peseiro, stating the obvious. “We must attack strongly in the next matches to get the points.”

MERRY-GO-ROUND

Observers have long argued that the coaching merry-go-round has only contributed to uncertainty and division in the ranks, a lack of direction, and haemorrhaging of confidence.

It all started in 1994 when a superlative debut performance in the World Cup fired the Saudis’ imagination and made everyone sit up and take notice. Then, in the United States, the ’Sons of the Desert’ won kudos by reaching the second round, losing to the Netherlands.

But their performance and results were burned hard into the memory. And this is the ideal the Saudis have been chasing ever since but it has only proved to be a distant mirage.

Subsequent FIFA World Cup appearances have resulted in unappetizing results, including the largest ever defeat in the tournament’s history in 2002, even though some of the best and brightest in the coaching business were recruited.

NO DISCRIMINATION

What’s ironical is that the Saudi powers-that-be have not discriminated against the big names when it comes to wielding the axe. Ze Mario, Nelo Vingada, Otto Pfister, Milan Macala, Carlos Alberto Parreira and Gabriel Calderon, just to name a few, have all walked the plank.

One of the most notable oustings was of Parreira. The 1994 World Cup winner with Brazil was told to leave after just two matches, which ended in abject defeats, in France during the 1998 World Cup.

Former Saudi coach Dos Anjos had his own take on the team’s current woes.

“I am surprised at the current situation of the Saudi team and puzzled at the number of changes to the list of players,” said Dos Anjos, in comments attributed to the Brazilian by a Doha sports magazine on its website.

“The large number of call-ups caused the team to lose its identity and didn’t help in bring stability, which we had planned before,” added Dos Anjos.

But Peseiro is far from being unnerved at the mountain of a challenge facing him.

“I am a professional coach and not afraid of any mission,” said the new coach. “My chance as Saudi coach is much better because I have so many talented players to choose from. I have no excuse (to lose).”