midfielder
Well-Known Member
BB gave a good interview to the Terror
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/soccer/search-for-new-coach-continues/story-e6frey4r-1225846376273
Search for new coach continues
By John Taylor From: The Sunday Telegraph March 28, 2010 12:
FOOTBALL chief Ben Buckley is confident the Socceroos will have a new coach in place for the Asian Cup in a little over nine months - and he may not be Dutch.
Buckley made it clear in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that the next Socceroos coach could come from anywhere in Europe, or even South America.
"Just because we have a Dutch technical director (Han Berger) and Dutch youth coach (Jan Versleijen) doesn't mean we must go the same direction with the Socceroos coach," Buckley says.
Buckley also talks about the future of the national team without Pim Verbeek after the World Cup and rates the progress of the A-League after five years.
It has been reported the FFA is chasing Dutch legend Frank Rijkaard. Has an approach been made to him?
I can categorically say I haven't made any approaches to him. We have formulated a list of candidates which hasn't been finalised yet and we'll make contact with them at the appropriate time. What I can say, is it is very early in the process and no formal approaches have been made to anyone.
Is the goal to have someone in place for the Asian Cup in Qatar in January?
Yes. That's the idea and hopefully the right person will be available at that point in time.
Every man and his dog thinks FFA will stay with a Dutch coach.
(He laughs.) We are looking in every corner of the world. We don't have a fixed position on having a Dutch coach, an Italian coach or a Brazilian coach. We want to get the best person for the job. The best person with the criteria we have set could come from any country.
Verbeek has come under fire for not watching the A-League grand final. Were you disappointed he wasn't here?
No, not at all. Pim has an important task in the next few months to assess players in Europe ... his time is best spent in Europe following their progress.
Some perceived it as rude the way he left the country and then says via a hook up that he won't be coaching the Socceroos after South Africa. Should he have set the record straight here?
No. When he was here, it wasn't the end. We were having discussions right up until the time he called me and said he'd made up his mind. That didn't happen until Monday afternoon (March 22). We were hopeful that Pim would be in a position to at least say he wanted to stay, but he said he has his own challenges that he wants to pursue and we respect that.
Are you still confident Australia can hold their high ranking despite the fact a number of senior players will probably retire after the World Cup?
Maybe some players will choose not to carry on beyond the World Cup but, at this stage, it hasn't been determined nor have we been advised by any player that will be the case. Certainly with the right coach, the right preparation, the right planning and the right development programs, I think we can.
It was said after five years that the A-League clubs should have been standing on their own feet, but it hasn't happened. So what is the state of the league?
I think the league has made remarkable progress over the five years. Approximately 1.5 million fans attended the A-league this season, we saw a real lift in the level on the field and it culminated with the grand final being an incredible spectacle. Look, there are challenges with every sport and there are challenges within every team.
Is any club going to make a profit?
I think after five years we now have a much better understanding of what is required to make an A-League club profitable and sustainable - and, yes, not every club is at that point. There is a clearer set of benchmarks now on how clubs can get there. It's a combination of making sure you generate enough revenue to cover your costs.
How do the owners feel?
By and large, the owners are a very committed group. They push their case very hard, as they should. We exchange views in a robust manner from time to time, but all in all they are extremely passionate and extremely committed and we will work with them closely to improve the bottom-line performance of the clubs.
Clubs have appealed to FFA for more money from the TV rights deal with Fox Sports. Is it possible?
Our agreement doesn't expire until the end of 2013. We have to live within those means until that time. Currently we distribute $1.2m to each club from the TV deal. In addition, we pay for the travel of teams and there's income from merchandising, so the annual distribution from FFA is about $1.4m.
How many clubs is the FFA propping up?
We have 100 per cent ownership of Adelaide, but that's about to change. We are very close to transferring to new ownership and we are confident that will occur in the next week or so. We also provide financial assistance to Brisbane Roar and North Queensland Fury.
What's the latest with Fury and will they be part of the A-League next season?
By the end of the month, we'll assess what the level of community and corporate investment is in the Fury for future years. It requires a comparable level of investment from the local community. Teams just can't expect to have 100 per cent funding. We are prepared to make an investment, but it has to be reciprocated by the local community to a certain level to ensure there is enough funding to run a team.
The finals series seemed to lose momentum because of the Asian Cup. Do you agree?
We don't think it lost its way. Look at the finals crowds and the atmosphere. The scheduling is a challenge. We've got the Asian Champions League schedule, international match schedule and also we have to look at what other codes are doing at that time. It's an incredibly complex task to have the perfect system.
Can you modify that?
We'll look at that before we announce next year's fixtures.
Surely you have learned lessons about scheduling of matches?
We get feedback from the clubs what their preferred match days are and we've worked through that very diligently to match those up. There are a whole range of factors you need to give consideration to, but there will definitely be more midweek games next season.
Was Wellington the real success story this season?
Definitely, yes. The way the community got involved in Ricki Herbert's team shows what can be done.
Sydney FC won the double, but are they doing enough?
I think this year they did turn the corner. Of course, you'd like to see more people at their games. I think if they can build on the success of this season then that will happen. They'll have to complement it with strong marketing activities and strong media relations. Crowds just don't come. You have to work hard to make them come.
What were the disappointments?
The attendances on the Gold Coast and for Brisbane Roar. And Newcastle took a long time to get going. There's definitely some areas to work on.
