Who in their right mind would coach the Socceroos?

 

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By Mike Tuckerman, 29 Mar 2010 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert

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 2010 World Cup, FFA, football, Guus Hiddink, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos, Socceroos coach

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Football Federation Australia pulled off a major coup by signing Guus Hiddink in 2005, but in doing so they unwittingly set a difficult precedent. Socceroos fans who revelled in the fanfare are now clamouring for a similar big name to replace departing coach Pim Verbeek.

Speculation has run rife ever since Verbeek revealed that he would be stepping down from the Socceroos hotseat after the World Cup, with media and fans throwing a variety of potential replacements into the ring.

Some like Frank Riijkaard and Johan Neeskens predictably fit into the Dutch school of thought, while others such as Vahid Halilhodzic and Paul Le Guen come more from left field.

Yet the question must surely be asked; who in their right mind would agree to coach the Socceroos?

Let’s face it, the task of moving halfway around the world to coach in one of world football’s more isolated outposts requires a serious level of commitment.

It’s a commitment that I’m not sure some of the game’s more glamourous tacticians will be comfortable making, so suggestions that the FFA should break the bank to lure a major European coach to our shores must be contingent on their willingness to live in Australia.

Surely that rules out a raft of big name coaches unwilling to trade life at the sharp end of football management for less testing climes down under – particularly when our World Cup qualification route doesn’t exactly involve the same cut and thrust as the European qualifying zone.

Any suggestion that a new coach might operate out of Europe would be a slap in the face for the A-League, and would likewise prevent the new man from scouting the up-and-coming talent required to make a mark on Brazil 2014.

That generally leaves the kind of mid-range coaches who have achieved some success on the world stage but who still have plenty to prove, and one wonders whether they will be enough to placate some of the current band of celebrity-obsessed Socceroos fans.

Some of the candidates suggested have been truly bizarre, with Philippe Troussier’s name bandied about despite the fact that his last coaching role was at Japanese third division side FC Ryukyu in 2008 – where he is now general manager.

The Okinawan side revealed that Troussier had been approached by the Ivory Coast to coach their national team at the upcoming World Cup finals in South Africa, but what the Socceroos need is a tactician who can commit to a long-term stint and bring through the talent required to replace Australia’s ageing crop of stars.

Short-term candidates are of little value, which is why Australian fans may need to scale back their ambitions and accept that some of the biggest names in world football are unlikely to be dreaming of a phone call from Frank Lowy.

Whether the new coach is a seasoned club man or one more experienced with the rigours of international football is up for debate, but with many Socceroos fans still grumbling over the appointment of Pim Verbeek – in spite of his success – there’s no doubt that not everyone will be pleased when his successor is revealed.

I certainly hope that Australia’s next coach can continue the Socceroos on their upward trend, and if it happens to be a major name in the world game, so much the better.

But what Australia needs now is the right coach – not just someone who can generate more publicity – and one would hope that the FFA’s quest for Verbeek’s successor does not degenerate into a desperate bid to sign a celebrity.

Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman

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