New coach right under nose of NZF

After 265 days, Bazeley finally gets job in a bizarre and protracted process

After 265 days, New Zealand Football finally have their man, and it turns out he was right along the corridor. The search for a new All Whites coach, following the exit of Danny Hay in October, ended yesterday, with Hay’s former assistant Darren Bazeley confirmed in the role.

It ends a protracted — and at times bizarre — process.

After being inundated with CVs from across the globe, the appointment panel held interviews with five people in December.

That shortlist included Bazeley, former Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay and former national under-20s coach Des Buckingham, while Canada coach John Herdman and Scotland under-20s boss Scot Gemmill were believed to be the other two.

NZF decided on a preferred candidate — understood to be Herdman. Talay was turned down, then ruled himself out of contention, while Buckingham signed an extension at Mumbai.

Then came the fork in the road, with the unnamed No 1 choice putting his plans on hold, due to family circumstances, according to NZF, before Herdman reaffirmed his commitment to Canada the following day.

That led to Bazeley being given the interim role for the March series against China, which continued for the games against Sweden and Qatar in Europe in June.

At the time, NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said Bazeley was still in the mix, while also confirming conversations were continuing with other contenders.

Their identities have never been revealed but the Herald understands there was ongoing dialogue with Herdman and Buckingham between the March and June windows.

Herdman always seemed a long shot, given his highly paid position with Canada, who will co-host the 2026 Fifa World Cup, even if there were lifestyle and family motivations for considering New Zealand.

The ambitious Buckingham is well regarded within the City football group but direct entry to the next World Cup may have appealed.

“It’s been a long decision and one that has evolved,” Pragnell said. “Darren’s case became progressively stronger.”

Pragnell admits there will be a perception Bazeley wasn’t at the front of the queue but is confident it was the right process and best outcome.

“While it took longer than we would have liked, it couldn’t have played out better,” said Pragnell. “It’s great to want to appoint early but one of the challenges is that interviews are inherently flawed. What you really want is to see is if they can actually do the job.

“We had a candidate that was so strong in many areas but hadn’t been tested at senior head coach role. He went out and did it, and did it well. If we had of appointed in January, maybe it was the wrong outcome, for whoever it could have been.”

Pragnell said Bazeley had “always been” a strong candidate.

He pointed to his history with NZF, including round of 16 appearances at three Fifa Under-20 World Cups and a long tenure (2014-22) as an All Whites assistant.

“He’s a proven performer.” Feedback from the squad had been “enormously positive”, as was the style of play Bazeley is promoting.

“Sometimes what is right in front of you is what you need and Darren proved that to us,” said Pragnell.

He acknowledged Bazeley’s comparative lack of head coaching experience and said NZF would ensure the staffing mix around him was right.

“The head coach is just one part of a complex jigsaw in getting the playing environment right,” he said.

There would also be more resources, including a full-time assistant.

In their search, NZF had prioritised a connection to this country, wary of “stepping stone” candidates likely to quickly move on.

Despite an underwhelming reaction in some quarters, he backed Bazeley to rise to the challenge.

“It’s easy to get stereotyped, in any walk of life, if people aren’t given the opportunity to show what they are capable of,” said Pragnell.

He also said the lengthy process and costly independent review into the All Whites had been worth it.

Bazeley’s first games as head coach will be the Oceania Olympic qualifiers in August, ahead of All Whites games in October against yetto-be-confirmed opposition.