All Whites Coach Speculation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Schmid

I think I found the wrong guy?

Ricki's 9 year run was quite unusual and a-typical. Should we look at a deal combining the 'Nix and the A-whites again?

Is he perhaps coming in to support the new guy?

Yeah his experience doesn't outline him as a straight up manager, more an assistant or director, guessing he'll work in line with Heraf and we'll bring in a more suitable candidate. 

Wouldn't be too fussed if Schmid gets the top job, however it's a bit concerning bringing in a coach without a Wiki page (still, can't edit it if it doesn't exist)

If true this is a sound decision by NZF. An older guy with a reasonable European football CV, who should straight away claim from respect from the overseas AWs pros. This is very important. I’m sure Martin is only too eager to spell out to the players the budgetary limitations he has, when picking a coach.

Only thing missing is a top level head coaching role, but he has a few years to the 2020 Nations Cup to get up to speed on that.

Will he be the first European (non Brit) to coach AWs?

Also with his TD background in Malaysia, and likely few AWs games over the next 2 years - he and Heraf can spend sometime with the younger NZ coaches and age group sides. Hopefully his appointment is part of a longer term vision, to improve the coaches within NZ. Who knows Jose in 4 years, would maybe be up to the head AWs role. An almost All Blacks seamless coaching transition?

Of course this smacks of a Heraf appointment. Going to be a few interesting years for NZ football. The two main coaches (AWs & FFs) being older experienced Europeans, having to get along with an otherwise British dominated NZF.

I think having Heraf on board is going to be great long term.

Definitely not this cycle. Coming into 2021 coach’s focus needs to be solely Confeds Cup (presuming qualify) and inter continental playoffs. Hudson preparation was million miles better than Herbert, but Ricky hamstrung by doing 2 roles.

Less important post 2022 with WC expansion and end of intercontinental playoffs.

Bit racist to call british fans insular, Rufer is probs not known in many places, Italy, Spain etc 

Getting off topic again, but I think you need to look up what defines racism. 

We had Ljubisa Brocic from Yugoslavia in 1956-66 and 1969 and Juan Schwanner who was an Hungarian-Chilean in 1967-68, so he would not be the first Europan non British who coaches the AW

At least he's the type of character who does not write his own wiki page, I think that is a plus.

Ok, so here are my thoughts:

Pros:

• Extensive coaching qualifications;
• Good professional experience in different roles and countries.

Negatives:

• Little head coaching experience at a decent level;
• Not a career coach (he's covered quite a lot of different roles in his time).

Here's the real pickle for me: there seems to be a trend with NZF recently in trying to recruit excellent administrators (see Heraf), people who could turn the culture and the processes of the organisation around - and that's commendable.  I'm just not sure these people are the right ones to also lead our top NTs (men/women).  I can see the reasoning behind those decisions, especially when they hold good coaching qualifications, but that's not always a substitute for hiring a career coach (see my point above), someone who lives, eats and breathes football on a pitch 365 days of the year.

Time will tell.  And also, I reiterate my point that we could hire Guardiola, but with the players we currently have and the likely number of games we'll get in this WC cycle, it's still going to be a massively uphill battle for anyone.

Secret is out then, Fritz Schmid it is. Can't say I've ever heard of him but seems experienced and has held some good coaching roles over the years. Was assistant to Christian Gross a few times, not a popular or particularly highly rated manager in the UK after his spell at Tottenham. 

My thinking though about Schmid is he will know a lot about some of the good/ average European leagues and I can see him picking oversees based players over NZ based ones initially, Niko Boxall for example, and others from Scandinavia, Holland lower divisions etc...

New coach, new start.

Good luck to him.

Important question though, has he ever heard of Wynton Rufer?

Another journeyman coach with no experience of coaching at a high level ( I'm not counting assistant roles )

Seems a little too convenient that him and Heraf have worked together before.

Is it really our finances that are limiting the appointment of a high profile coach, or is there something still wrong with our organization that when applicants look into it further, they're discouraged?

I would laugh so hard if it actually wasn't him and NZF appointed someone else. 

I would be laughing for days. 

Could be a smokescreen....or he could be appointed for a different position? Only 2 hours until we know I guess.

I wonder if he might get appointed to look after the AWs, but also fill a wider role developing youth players, all under Heraf's watchful eye. Kind of what Hudson did, but more supervised. 

I'm off to the the bathroom to make room for the shark I expect to be fed by NZ football in the release.

Off to Petone, so hopefully there'll be something interesting to read on here when I get back.