Hudson has put himself on the map, says Martin
In bidding farewell to Anthony Hudson, Andy Martin sounded more like his agent than his boss.
‘‘We should be very proud of what [Hudson] has been able to achieve while he has been with New Zealand,’’ was one line from the governing body’s chief executive.
‘‘He’s leaving because he’s a very ambitious young man, and he’s a very good coach,’’ was another.
Martin said he and Hudson ‘‘had the terms of a deal ironed out before Japan’’ and that he was ‘‘bullish’’, thinking they would be able to announce an extension before the Fifa World Cup playoff against Peru, but it wasn’t to be.
‘‘Obviously in that period of time his head’s been turned, because he has put himself on the map,’’ said Martin. ‘‘Once that happened, we knew we were going to lose him.’’
Hudson had dinner with Martin on Monday night, and that was where the coach’s departure was finalised.
Martin said the Peru matches a 0-0 draw in Wellington, and a 2-0 loss in Lima - had no doubt improved Hudson’s reputation.
‘‘I think that’s just reinforced how good this guy is and how much potential he’s got. Wait for his news. I think we should all be very excited about the prospect of what he’s going on to, and we should be very proud of what we’ve been able to help him achieve.’’
Depending on where he ends up, Hudson may end up having achieved more personally than the All Whites did in his three years and three months in charge.
Martin has revealed that this World Cup campaign has cost in the range of $8-9 million, more funding than the national team has received before, and there is sure to be a rigorous debate as to whether that investment has been worth it.
Asked about the team’s recent record against countries from outside the Oceania confederation one win and four draws in 16 matches since August 2014, numbers that are down on the past two World Cup cycles - Martin was defiant.
‘‘I think it’s the manner of those performances. We’ve gone and played football. I think you saw in the Peru games, we were in those games. Before those games we said we wanted to be competitive, and we wanted to be in those games going into the final 20 or 30 minutes and we were, against a top 10 side.
‘‘I think what we’ve got to try and do is capture that, and not lose the fact that we’ve stepped up and
performed at that high level, and not lose any of that momentum.’’
Martin said NZ Football would now take stock of where it stands, before appointing a new coach ‘‘as soon as possible’’.
As well as the All Whites job, there are vacancies to be filled at under-20 and under-17 level, following those teams’ respective World Cup campaigns, which ended earlier this year.
National technical director Andreas Heraf, who arrived from Austria in August, is set to play a big role in any decisions.
Over the past three months, Heraf has been up and down the country getting the lay of the land, and he is due to report back on his findings as soon as he returns from Thailand, where he has stepped in to coach the Football
Ferns following the recent resignation of their long-serving coach, Tony Readings.
Appointing a new All Whites coach was the first big task Martin faced when he arrived in New Zealand at the end of 2013.
The following July, he went for Hudson, then the coach of Bahrain, and four years on, he now faces his biggest task since.
‘‘What I saw was somebody who had talent, potential, and ambition. When you get people like that, you grab them, you get as much out of them as you can, but you know they’re going places,’’ he said of his decision to go with Hudson four years ago.
‘‘This was always going to happen. I’m pleased for him, and I’m pleased we’ve been able to share his journey.’’