It’s all over now: Hudson quits
Anthony Hudson is gone, and you have to wonder if it was ever going to end any other way.
New Zealand Football chief Andy Martin tried to keep Hudson on as All Whites coach, but when he couldn’t get a signature before the Fifa World Cup qualifying playoff against Peru, he had to know the writing was on the wall.
The 36-year-old’s departure was finalised on Monday night, over dinner with Martin, and he is now busy negotiating a new deal elsewhere, and preparing to shift from his Auckland home.
It was announced to no great surprise yesterday that he wouldn’t be staying, but beyond a short statement, Hudson wasn’t willing to speak while his future remains uncertain.
That Hudson confirmed to Martin that he was off on Monday night, less than 48 hours after he returned from Peru, was telling. There was clearly no great discussion to be had. There was no need for a back and forth, or for prolonged negotiations.
Terms of an extension had been drawn up as far back as September, Martin has revealed, but Hudson had been in no rush to sign a new contract – his existing one expired when the All Whites’ World Cup campaign ended.
He leaves New Zealand having brought the country a lot closer to next year’s showpiece event than many had expected it to get, especially when they were drawn against a team from South America.
The All Whites were only one goal away from being in a position to qualify for all but the final 25 minutes of the tie, and that was enough to please most, especially with star striker Chris Wood injured and restricted to a limited role.
However, while the events of the past few weeks have ensured that Hudson departs on a positive note, his tenure as a whole has been up and down.
In his three years and three months in the role, Hudson led the All Whites to nine wins, seven draws, and 11 losses.
Against Pacific Island opposition, they had eight wins and three draws. Against the rest of the world, they had one win, four draws and 11 losses – results that compare poorly to those in the past two World Cup cycles.
Hudson’s legacy will be what he has done for the team away from the playing field, more than what his team have done on it.
Players have been impressed by the level of professionalism he has brought to the All Whites setup, and he has done that by being very demanding of his bosses at NZ Football, who invested $8-9 million in the team over the past four years, helping them operate at a ‘‘Premier League standard,’’ as Martin sees it.
Hudson hasn’t been shy in coming forward to make his case, whether about the lack of All Whites games, and in particular, the lack of home games or about the attitudes of young Kiwi players who are still trying to make it.
His frustrations have led to clashes with his boss, and prompted speculation about the state of their relationship – an issue Martin dismissed yesterday, not for the first time, as ‘‘rubbish’’.
Martin said Hudson wouldn’t have been doing his job properly, had he not been constantly challenging NZ Football to provide him with more. OPINION: Anthony Hudson came to New Zealand, he saw the country’s football scene, and he conquered – kind of.
When he arrived in August 2014, he was full of ambition and confidence, laying out a plan to get the All Whites to the World Cup playing positive football, and making no secret of his belief that he was destined for bigger things.
In the three years since, he has had all manner of challenges thrown his way. He has grizzled at times, but he persevered, and this month, he got closer to the World Cup than many expected him tio.
A close loss to Peru may not have been the prize he was after, but it will do nicely as a line on his CV as he heads off to his next challenge, wherever that may be. In the coming weeks, his impact on the game here will be assessed and debated.
The early view, however, is that he has been an agent of change off the field more than he has been on it. Even then, those improvements owe a lot to NZ Football investing more in the team than they ever have before, to the tune of $8-9 million over the past four years.
Hudson deserves credit for demanding that increased support. But any other coach could and should have done the same, though whether they would have had the determination to see it through is another matter.
On Sunday, Hudson urged NZ Football to increase its support of the team even more going forward, which will be a hard ask, given they have missed out on the cash bump World Cup qualification brings.
In getting the support he has, you could say he has conquered, even though
‘‘There’s no doubt about it, he’s pushed the boat, and he’s done it in different ways, and full marks to him, because what we’ve got as the end product is something that is very, very powerful, and financially we’re still in a good shape.’’
In a statement issued by NZ Football, Hudson said his time in New Zealand had been unforgettable.
‘‘‘‘I’ve enjoyed every second. It’s been a pleasure and an honour to he probably feels he could have been given more. His successor will have his work cut out maintaining the status quo.
On the field, his team took care of Oceania. They certainly didn’t do it in style – they needed a penalty shootout to win the Nations Cup last year – but they did it, and after their failure in 2012, that was all that mattered.
Their results against the rest of the world, however, have to go down as a disappointment. One win and four draws from 16 games is less than they managed in each of the past two World Cup cycles, and while there were patches where the positive attitude Hudson promised could be seen, they were only patches.
Did we expect too much? Perhaps. But the coach was the one setting the expectations.
There is one area where he should feel unlucky, and that is with regard to injuries. Not once in 27 matches was he able to field a full-strength team. He came close against Peru in the home leg in Wellington, but by the time Chris Wood came on, Tommy Smith had limped off.
All Whites legend Wynton Rufer said earlier this week that Hudson wouldn’t be remembered in New Zealand, but that doesn’t seem likely, not for a man with such a strong personality.
Wherever he goes next, football people in New Zealand will be keeping tabs on him. At 36, he is young, as we have been reminded so many times, and he has a long way to go in his football management career.
If he reaches the heights he wants to, we will want to remind the world that we helped him get there. If he fails, we won’t, and his harshest critics might even say they had him pegged from the start.
Were we one of the first stops in the story of a great? We’ll have to wait and see. work with this team and to truly experience what it means to be a proud Kiwi.
‘‘As a group we were obviously sad to not achieve our goal of qualifying for the World Cup, but from where we were three years ago to where we were in the dying few minutes of the game against Peru, I have to say I’m incredibly proud of all the players and staff, they were magnificent.
‘‘They were together, they played with pride and bravery and were superb when we had a mountain to climb. The effort they have put in for this team over the years has been first-class.
‘‘I am proud of how far the team have come in the past three years and I hope my time here has built the foundation for future success.
‘‘I have no doubt New Zealand has a great team that is capable of achieving big things.’’
‘‘I am proud of how far the team have come in the past three years.’’ Anthony Hudson