Talay waves goodbye to All Whites job
Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay says he is no longer interested in coaching the All Whites and would reject the deal if New Zealand Football came crawling back to him with an offer.
‘‘That ship has sailed,’’ he said.
NZ Football has been left in an awkward situation in its search for a new All Whites coach after its preferred candidate, Canada coach John Herdman, turned it down.
Talay was informed in an email on Tuesday that his application to be the next All Whites coach was unsuccessful.
Speaking ahead of the Phoenix’s clash with Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park tonight, Talay said he was disappointed he had been overlooked for the All Whites job after publicly stating his desire to coach New Zealand but believed Herdman’s World Cup experience with Canada made him a better candidate.
‘‘Was I disappointed not to be able to get that role? Yes and no. Was there a better candidate than me? Yes, there was,’’ Talay said.
‘‘I think NZ Football made a decision that was best for them at the time, but that’s got nothing to do with me, I was just one of those candidates and was one that wasn’t preferred for the role.’’
Talay had wanted to coach the All Whites in addition to his Phoenix commitments, similar to what Ricki Herbert did when New Zealand last qualified for the World Cup in 2010.
Phoenix general manager David Dome said on Wednesday that NZ Football wanted the All Whites coach to be based in Auckland. ‘‘I did call Andrew Pragnell and we had a discussion, and there is a desire for that role to be largely Auckland-based, which obviously doesn’t suit us,’’ Dome said.
Talay’s failure to secure the national team role has thrown his future at the Phoenix in doubt, but Dome said the club would do its very best to keep him.
Talay was coy when asked about his future beyond his current contract.
‘‘There’s still 12 more games to go, a lot of water to go under the bridge.
‘‘My focus is to finish the season as best we can with Wellington Phoenix.’’