NZF eye early Hudson call
The national body appear keen on retaining the All Whites coach, who has denied rumours he could decamp.
New Zealand Football could make a decision on Anthony Hudson’s future as early as next month. Hudson, who was appointed in 2014, is contracted as All Whites coach until the end of the current World Cup cycle.
Ideally, that will be in July next year, after the All Whites compete at the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.
But the end could also come on November 16, after the second leg of the playoff against Peru in Lima.
Although the All Whites have a solid core of players in career best form, including Chris Wood, Marco Rojas and Ryan Thomas, as well as the talismanic figure of Winston Reid, they will still be significant underdogs against the world’s 10th ranked team who are coming off a gruelling 18-game qualification series.
If the end comes in November, what next for Hudson?
NZF chief executive Andy Martin told the Herald on Sunday that they want to agree something before the end of the current cycle.
“The contract will be until the end of the World Cup cycle but good business practice is we wouldn’t let it run to the end of the cycle if we felt we wanted to keep him going,” said Martin. “We will have decided something before the end of the cycle. If it’s November, we would have done it before November. We won’t let the contract expire without proactively deciding what we want to do.”
Martin, who headhunted Hudson from Bahrain, hinted that he wants Hudson to continue for another term.
“Right now, we are just focused on getting to the World Cup,” said Martin. “He and I get on really well, he is doing a great job for us and I don’t see anything changing. He is going to take us to Russia — that’s the focus at the moment.”
In September, Hudson told the Herald on Sunday he was open to continuing with New Zealand for another term, if he felt there was unfinished business.
“Hand on my heart, until I am told not to carry on, I want to finish my job off and get the team to the level where I know it can get to,” said Hudson. “I don’t have any time lines — my focus is on the World Cup — but I want to leave the team in a position better than when I came in.”
When asked about plans beyond his current tenure, Hudson indicated he wanted to continue.
“Look, it’s up to New Zealand Football,” said Hudson. “[But] I want to see the job through and take the team to where I know it can go. I would definitely be open to continuing. ”
Yesterday reports out of North America, quoting several unnamed sources, said Hudson was a leading contender for the vacant Colorado Rapids role in Major League Soccer.
Speculation linking him with Colorado first surfaced at the start of this month, though Hudson told Radio Sport it was baseless.
In an October 4 interview, Hudson said he hadn't spoken to Colorado and knew nothing about the rumours.
“There's been a handful of things that keep coming up and mentioning my name, I think it's quite normal in football that these things happen,” Hudson said.
“I spoke about my situation in the last window. My focus is on getting the team to Russia.”
In the past two years, Hudson’s name has been linked with several overseas clubs, including teams in England, plus the Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets.