Ambitious Notts boss enjoys life on touchline
KEWELL HAPPY TO PASS ON LESSONS FROM LONG CAREER
HARRY Kewell leads the way into his office but it quickly becomes apparent he is in some discomfort.
The Notts County manager was playing for his son’s six-a-side team the previous night which ended with an elbow to the ribs.
Having retired four years ago, Kewell does not pull the boots on much anymore, but if he does, it’s either for fun or to make up the numbers in training.
The real passion is coaching, implementing his ideas and ultimately trying to make his team better.
“I love it,” he says.
“I am giving the players ideas of what I did when I played and the brilliant aspect of it all is they want to learn.
“Take Jon Stead, for example. With the career he’s had, he knows just about everything. But then you tell him little things, and he says ‘yeah, you’re right.’
“That’s what I like: to give an idea players believe in then watch them have the confidence to go out there and execute it.”
Kewell is still a relative newcomer to football management, having just had one season at Crawley before moving to Meadow Lane at the end of August.
But after an illustrious playing career, he certainly has plenty to teach.
He has played in two Champions League finals, he represented Australia in the World Cup and counts Liverpool and Leeds, two of England’s biggest clubs, on his CV.
Rafael Benitez, Frank Rijkaard and Guus Hiddink have all managed him, which is an impressive list of sharp tactical minds whose wisdom he can draw upon.
Having enjoyed such a stellar career, you might wonder why somebody of his repute is managing in the bottom tier of English football.
With Frank Lampard in at Derby, Steven Gerrard at Rangers, seeing Kewell in League Two seems at odds with such appointments.
But, over the course of this interview, Kewell is an engaging, likeable and passionate character, who explains it is because he feels he can make a difference.
“I’ve been lucky because you read a lot of stories about players saying they don’t want League One or Two clubs,” he says.
“If they can get those jobs in the Championship and beyond, then that’s fantastic.
“But a lot of great coaches have managed in League One and Two and they’ve had to work with nothing.
“That’s coaching and if you love it, try it.
“They are the best leagues to get your ideas across and see a big difference because when you are at the very top, it’s only the finer details that count.
“Obviously, League One and Two is not watched by everyone but, being here, I am watched a lot more because it is a massive club.”
So far, Kewell’s work is paying off although he joked this week about his rough introduction to life at Meadow Lane.
His first game was a 2-1 defeat to Grimsby in the Checkatrade Trophy before Notts were beaten 5-1 by Exeter in a league game which also saw him sent to the stands.
But since then there has been steady and solid progress.
Notts are currently unbeaten in five games having won their last three which has given hope that a season, which started so dismally, can still be rescued.
They are starting to play his attractive brand of football which is what he was renowned for at Crawley.
But he says it is only achievable with hard work on the training ground having made it clear perspiration, not reputation, decides his team selection.
Even the warm-ups have to be treated with intensity after Kewell’s eyes were opened by Rijkaard during his time at Galatasaray.
“What bothers me is when my players don’t train well,” he says ani- matedly. “That’s what annoys me. They are in a sport that everybody loves and they have the chance to play it.
“When I was playing, some people said I was a luxury player, but I was just a hard worker.
“I played hard and trained hard. “If my players work hard during the week, then I have no problem about the weekend because I know they are ready.
“If they have messed about, that’s when I worry.
“I can sense it in a sloppy pass, their attitude, the way they present themselves and certainly in the warm-up.
“In fact, when I was 30, one great manager pulled me aside and said ‘what the hell are you doing?’
“I said I was warming up but he looked at me and went ‘no, you’re not.’
“I didn’t know where he was coming from but he stressed that warmups are one of the most important things in football.
“He said that sparking all your neurons gets you ready and that by being a quick player, I needed to get everything fired up.
“He wanted to see me go as hard and as fast as I could in the warm-up because he said it would eventually slip into my game.
“I absolutely loved this guy, so I agreed.
“I did it for three months and I
reckon I played the best football of my life. I wasn’t even starting, but I scored 13 goals in about eight games and I was flying.
“Now when I see people taking the mick out of warm-ups, I tell them the exact same story.
“That manager was Frank Rijkaard and he has coached the best players in the world.
“Only the other day I pulled one of my young players and told him the whole story. He looked at me and you could see him thinking ‘who is he?’
“At that point, I could have sent him on a 12-minute run, but I said ‘go through the warm-up as hard and as fast as you can.’
“He did it and did it well. But I will only say it once. If they don’t do it, then they are the ones who miss out.”
It is clear that Kewell relishes being in the dugout after admitting that it gives him much more enjoyment than playing.
After guiding Crawley to a midtable finish last season, he is now at Notts where the aim is promotion.
He has just begun his journey, but his ambition is clear.
“I want to manage at the top,” he says.
“I always wanted to play at the top level and it’s the same as a manager.
“I want to compete against the best thinkers in the game to see if I am good enough.”