INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY REPUBLIC OF IRELAND V AUSTRALIA: PIM VERBEEK may not have quite the playing CV or managerial pedigree as the veteran Italian he will pit his wits against tonight in Thomond Park, but in many ways he and Giovanni Trapattoni might be considered kindred spirits.
Like the Republic of Ireland boss, the 53-year-old from Rotterdam is a much travelled manager now in charge of another country’s national team. He has been criticised for his style of play as well as his attitude towards the local league of his adopted nation and deals with both issues by pointing to a list of his team’s results.
There has even been the promise of something rather trivial in the event of success with Verbeek recently fulfilling a promise to sing the Australian national anthem live on television when the Socceroos qualified for the World Cup while Trapattoni has, rather more ambitiously, undertaken to climb Croke Patrick barefoot if Ireland progress.
The pair also have ongoing concerns about the club careers of some of their key players although on this front at least, Verbeek somewhat trumps his counterpart. Lucas Neill has been linked in recent weeks with everybody from Chelsea to Sunderland to West Ham, who he left at the end of last season after failing to agree the financial end of a new contract.
The right back is the Australian captain and “a fantastic player”, according to his manager but looks unlikely to start this evening’s match, perhaps as a result of a previously articulated policy in relation to squad members not playing first-team football while Mark Viduka hasn’t featured at all under Verbeek, initially due to injuries and more recently because of “a lack of motivation”.
The former Newcastle United striker appears to be Verbeek’s Stephen Ireland with the visiting media taking time to explore what one sensed is the well-charted territory of the coach’s efforts to bring him back.
“The door is always open,” he started in much the way we have grown accustomed to Trapattoni addressing the issue of the wayward Manchester City midfielder.
“I did everything I could to at least get him into the squad back in June but he said that he was so disappointed after relegation that he lacked motivation and needed some time to think about his career, he was also worried about coming back and having to play games in 40-degree heat.
“I did have dinner with him, though,” he added cheerily. “A fantastic dinner. He knows how to spend money!”
If only, one suspects, some of Australia’s best players of recent years hadn’t been quite so preoccupied with their ability to buy big dinners they might have had better club careers. Whatever about the current fortunes of its individuals, the team has collectively impressed under its current boss with Australia finishing top of a qualifying group that also included Japan, Bahrain and Qatar.
As Verbeek readily admits, Australia is not a team with too many great stars to boast about, another similarity between his squad and the Irish one. “We come here preparing for the World Cup while the Irish are preparing to qualify for the World Cup and we will do out best to provide a good test ahead of the game against Cyprus.
“They (the Irish) have done really well so far. I’ve seen the game against Bulgaria, which wasn’t the easiest of the games, and I was impressed. The manager has done a good job, the team is well organised and the players seem happy. They are probably not the best players in the world, like us also, but that only makes you more determined to make the best team.”
The pair, as it happens, crossed swords at least once before when Verbeek was assistant to Guus Hiddink with South Korea in the World Cup finals in 2002 when the hosts beat the Italian side then managed by Trapattoni. And they could yet come face-to-face again in South Africa if Ireland qualify. Inevitably, Verbeek was asked if he thinks they will.
“Well, yeah, what can I say?” he asked with a grin. “They have to deserve it, but so far they have done well.”
