Former Celtic and Leeds United figure pulls curtain back on shock move amid job finding struggles
The former Liverpool and Leeds man is enjoying a different lifestyle in his latest chapter
Former Celtic number two, Harry Kewell has broke his silence on how he acquired the permanent role at Hanoi FC after the ex Liverpool and Leeds United attacker was without a job for over a year.
The Australian served as Ange Postecoglou’s right hand man at Parkhead and helped the club to five of a possible six major honours during his two-year spell. After Celtic, he took the top job at Yokohama F. Marinos, where he was sacked seven months later despite steering them to the AFC Champions League final. After 15 months out of the game, he was appointed Hanoi FC boss in October and is acclimatising to life in Vietnam.
As a player, Kewell had a hugely successful career, winning the Champions League and FA Cup with Liverpool, while helping Leeds to multiple top four Premier League finishes. He is also widely regarded as one of Australia’s best ever players, representing them at four major tournaments. However, so far, his management career hasn’t proved quite as prosperous.
Kewell on year-long hiatus
The Hanoi boss told Football 360: “It’s very hard to find a job, first and foremost, in football because all of a sudden every single person wants to be a football manager. Everyone has an opinion on football and who should be managing where – that’s fine. But it does make opportunities harder to come by.
“It’s an experience (being at Hanoi). In life, you get chances to experience something different, and I believe if you ever get that opportunity – whether it’s travelling, working abroad or simply seeing something new – you should take it. Because when you see it on TV or in the movies, it looks fantastic – but when you physically go and experience it yourself, feel it, breathe it, live it, it’s something else entirely. I’m very grateful, not just for my career with its highs and lows, but for the one thing I’ve always been blessed with – the ability to experience different cultures.”
Former Celtic on Ange influence
The 47-year old admitted during the interview that he spoke to Postecoglou when considering his options for the Hanoi vacancy and that he also consulted former Rangers defender and Socceroos teammate, Kevin Muscat. Kewell also worked under ‘big Ange’ at his previous spells at Yokohama and with the national team. He claimed both his associates encouraged him to go to the ‘fantastic club’.
His new club currently sit fourth in the Vietnamese top flight but are starting to find a bit of form having won six of their last eight. Kewell admits he’s not trying anything revolutionary in his new role and that instead he’s trying to instil hardworking values into his players He continued: “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel.
“I’m not changing football because I think some of the best football teams in the world are very standard. It’s the consistency. It’s the mentality. It’s the work ethic. They’re the things that make great teams work. The art of football, there’s two sides to it, but you’re a team, you’re attacking, you defend. So I do have a rule. I have basic rules. Work hard. Be able to compete. And if you can work hard and compete, you’ve got a chance.”
The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly