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Hiddink plays England mind game
COLIN STEWART
WILY Guus Hiddink has increased tension ahead of Russia's
visit to Wembley tomorrow evening by refusing to discount the possibility
of becoming a future England manager.
The Dutchman, a leading candidate for the job prior to Steve McClaren's
appointment, believes working for the Football Association would be "challenging"
but has yet to decide whether to finish what he started as coach of Russia.
Pressure on McClaren eased slightly following England's 3-0 dismissal
of Israel on Saturday, but the former Middlesbrough manager still has
considerable work to do to convince supporters of his international management
credentials.
He has presided over three defeats and four draws in 12 England matches,
prompting questions on his credibility which Hiddink appeared happy to
encourage in the build-up to tomorrow's European Championship Group E
qualifier.
"I am a 60-year-old coach and don't know what the future will bring.
England is very challenging," he said. "At the moment I'm very
happy with this transition time in Russia. They want me to stay regardless
of results, they feel we are on the edge of starting something new. I
have not made up my mind whether to stay, whether to go, or whether to
have a year's sabbatical."
Hiddink, a former national coach of Holland, South Korea and Australia,
claims the FA wanted to interview him last year as they searched for Sven-Goran
Eriksson's successor, but he had already agreed to coach Russia.
"When England asked me to come for an interview I was already in
discussions with Russia - but I hadn't made a decision either way,"
he revealed.
"England waited a little bit and came back again with a very strong
approach. But by that stage I had already given my word to Russia - and
I am a man of my word. I was flattered and proud such a great football
nation as England approached me.
"It's a big job, a prestigious and difficult one, but when you have
a gentlemen's agreement you must stick to it. I have no regrets over my
decision."
Like Portugal's Luiz Filipe Scolari - another candidate for the England
job at the same time - Hiddink stressed that the intense scrutiny of his
private life, as endured by Eriksson, contributed to him refusing the
FA's offer.
"That was a factor in my not going with England," he said.
Hiddink's long-term partner, Elizabeth, is 20 years his junior but has
no desire to hog the media spotlight the way Eriksson's flamboyant Italian
girlfriend Nancy Dell'Olio did. "Your private life is always under
scrutiny in England and although I have nothing to hide, it's not a pleasant
thing to put up with," continued the Dutchman.
"I never had a problem with being interviewed, that's common practice.
For me, it was really more about the timing. I don't have a false sense
of pride in what I have achieved in my career."
Many believe defeat to Russia tomorrow night could signal the end for
McClaren. He has won five of his 12 matches since Eriksson departed while
Hiddink has lost only one in nine - a friendly against Holland. In particular,
Hiddink's shrewd tactical awareness has captivated the Russian audience
after he injected a hint of the famous Dutch "total football"
philosophy into the side.
He regards the relative anonymity of his players as a secret weapon when
confronting more celebrated sides from western Europe. Russia's most decorated
player is Andrei Arshavin of Zenit St Petersburg, and forwards Alexander
Kerzhakov, of Sevilla, and Nuremberg's Ivan Saenko are the only foreign-based
stars in a team composed largely of players from the Moscow giants Spartak,
Dinamo and CSKA.
"Everybody knows all about Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Frank Lampard
and John Terry but nobody outside Russia can name any of my players,"
added Hiddink with a hint of satisfaction.
"Yet for England, there is always great expectation. They must qualify
to satisfy the public. There is no room for failure.
"For me, there is a chance to build something lasting here. That's
what excites me most. I want to leave a kind of legacy here in Russia,
I'm trying to change the face of Russian football."
MIDFIELD PAIR OUT
ENGLAND midfielders Owen Hargreaves and Frank Lampard have been ruled
out of tomorrow's Euro 2008 qualifier with Russia.
Hargreaves suffered a thigh injury in training last Wednesday and was
unavailable for the weekend Euro qualifier with Israel at Wembley. The
Manchester United star was thoroughly assessed by the England medical
team yesterday and also underwent a scan and a fitness test. But it was
decided he would not be sufficiently recovered in time for the game with
the Russians and he has returned to Old Trafford.
SPORT.scotsman.com,
11-Sep-07
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