Herdman, the appointment that wasn’t

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2023/12/football-former-canada-coach-john-herdman-hints-at-turmoil-around-foiled-all-whites-appointment.html

Any new thoughts on NZF’s performance regarding the AW coaching appointment?

Interesting framing - "NZF's performance" - when this interview offers no new information about what NZF did or hadn't done, but gives information about a terrible thing that happened in John Herdman's family. Given that, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he were totally disoriented, said one thing to NZF one day and the opposite the next.

In that situation I'm not sure what NZF could have done differently, except maye being more up front with the fans about who they had offerered the job too, perhaps if NZF had run the process sooner they couldhave locked Herdman in well before the tragedy occurred??

My kind of reading is that they had agreed on the appointment and NZF had (perhaps been a little naive, but still being very considerate of Herdman’s tragic position) and got caught out having to deal with all of this side noise from the media and many vocal fan/commentators about the delays in naming, previous poor decision making etc and came out with egg on their faces. In terms of PR it was a disaster. Just think if it had all gone to plan, what a coup that would have been, I wonder how much better he would prove to be than Beazley.

something we will never know I guess, unless Herdman is available 6 months after Beazley stands down? Cos, you know it'll take NZF that long to realise they need to get a replacement.