Post by Farthing on Dec 9, 2005 18:09:14 GMT 10
Reds in hunt for Hiddink
By Toby Forage and wires
December 9, 2005
AUSTRALIA coach Guus Hiddink is fully focused on the World Cup draw tomorrow despite rumours that Manchester United wants him as its next coach.
Opportunity ... Hiddink and Australia are ready to fire.
London's The Sun newspaper reports today that the English Premier League giant had the Dutchman at the top of its "most wanted" list if, as expected, it parts company with current manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the season.
Ferguson, whose career at Old Trafford dates back to the late 1980s, has been struggling of late to keep the team in good order.
His woes reached a climax when iconic captain Roy Keane walked out on the club last month and the team crashed out of the Champions League for the first time in a decade this week.
It is also effectively out of the running for the Premier League title, with Chelsea once again a runaway leader.
But speaking as football's powerbrokers gathered for the World Cup draw, Hiddink made no mention of the rumours, only his desire to guide Australia as far as possible in its first tournament for 32 years.
He also indicated his players were ready to confound those who feel the nation will be an easy opponent.
"We are not just here to complete the program. This team has shown it can be competitive," Hiddink said.
"(Qualification) is something to be proud of, but the next step is coming.
"The players will commit themselves and show the world they are not just there by accident.
"The teams proved in the previous months to be very competitive, and that is what I demand from them - be competitive and you never know what you will achieve.
"The world will look at them as a good team, an experienced team.
"We will meet at the very least two very strong opponents.
"We are not a leading country, but step by step we have improved, and this is the ideal stage to take the next step."
Waiting for his draw accreditation today, Hiddink was catching up with a gaggle of fellow Dutch coaches who will lead World Cup nations - The Netherlands's Marco van Basten, South Korea's Dick Advocaat and Trinidad and Tobago's Leo Beenhakker.
Hiddink admits he would like to draw his native Netherlands - the team he led to the 1998 semi-finals - and South Korea, who he took to the semi-finals of the last World Cup.
"It would be great to meet South Korea because they achieved a lot in the last World Cup, which has had a huge impact," Hiddink said.
"It's good to meet your old teams. I'd like to meet Holland."
Football Federation Australia chief executive John O'Neill admitted he would like to take on England, and was revelling in the atmosphere in Leipzig ahead of the draw.
"If we made it into the second round, I'd be thrilled," O'Neill said.
"From a profile point of view, we know back in Australia football will be on everyone's mind for all of the first half of next year.
"It's the biggest sporting event by a country mile and we're in it.
"We're still pinching ourselves that we're here.
"To be here at the draw, it's really sunk in that we've made it - we're at the big table of the world game and it's a very, very exciting moment."
O'Neill was also networking the game's powerbrokers, trying to finalise friendlies ahead of the World Cup, finalising Australia's ticketing entitlement - to be announced on December 19 - and no doubt sounding out some about Australia's chances of securing the 2014 World Cup.
By Toby Forage and wires
December 9, 2005
AUSTRALIA coach Guus Hiddink is fully focused on the World Cup draw tomorrow despite rumours that Manchester United wants him as its next coach.
Opportunity ... Hiddink and Australia are ready to fire.
London's The Sun newspaper reports today that the English Premier League giant had the Dutchman at the top of its "most wanted" list if, as expected, it parts company with current manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the season.
Ferguson, whose career at Old Trafford dates back to the late 1980s, has been struggling of late to keep the team in good order.
His woes reached a climax when iconic captain Roy Keane walked out on the club last month and the team crashed out of the Champions League for the first time in a decade this week.
It is also effectively out of the running for the Premier League title, with Chelsea once again a runaway leader.
But speaking as football's powerbrokers gathered for the World Cup draw, Hiddink made no mention of the rumours, only his desire to guide Australia as far as possible in its first tournament for 32 years.
He also indicated his players were ready to confound those who feel the nation will be an easy opponent.
"We are not just here to complete the program. This team has shown it can be competitive," Hiddink said.
"(Qualification) is something to be proud of, but the next step is coming.
"The players will commit themselves and show the world they are not just there by accident.
"The teams proved in the previous months to be very competitive, and that is what I demand from them - be competitive and you never know what you will achieve.
"The world will look at them as a good team, an experienced team.
"We will meet at the very least two very strong opponents.
"We are not a leading country, but step by step we have improved, and this is the ideal stage to take the next step."
Waiting for his draw accreditation today, Hiddink was catching up with a gaggle of fellow Dutch coaches who will lead World Cup nations - The Netherlands's Marco van Basten, South Korea's Dick Advocaat and Trinidad and Tobago's Leo Beenhakker.
Hiddink admits he would like to draw his native Netherlands - the team he led to the 1998 semi-finals - and South Korea, who he took to the semi-finals of the last World Cup.
"It would be great to meet South Korea because they achieved a lot in the last World Cup, which has had a huge impact," Hiddink said.
"It's good to meet your old teams. I'd like to meet Holland."
Football Federation Australia chief executive John O'Neill admitted he would like to take on England, and was revelling in the atmosphere in Leipzig ahead of the draw.
"If we made it into the second round, I'd be thrilled," O'Neill said.
"From a profile point of view, we know back in Australia football will be on everyone's mind for all of the first half of next year.
"It's the biggest sporting event by a country mile and we're in it.
"We're still pinching ourselves that we're here.
"To be here at the draw, it's really sunk in that we've made it - we're at the big table of the world game and it's a very, very exciting moment."
O'Neill was also networking the game's powerbrokers, trying to finalise friendlies ahead of the World Cup, finalising Australia's ticketing entitlement - to be announced on December 19 - and no doubt sounding out some about Australia's chances of securing the 2014 World Cup.
