Pim the man to pin our hopes on

SO, after all of that drama, it’s Pim Verbeek who will attempt to guide the Socceroos through to South Africa.

It’s certainly a victory for Rob Baan and Guus Hiddink, both of whom, it’s been reported, made no secret of their support for their compatriot.

Time will tell whether it’s also a victory for Australian football, but on the surface it at least appears a continuation of the Dutch theme that has been the FFA’s want of late.

For Phillipe Troussier, the much-traveled Frenchman and the other part of the two-horse race, I guess the writing was on the wall the moment the trio of FFA decision makers boarded the plane to Singapore to chat with Verbeek.

There’s no doubt Troussier has a solid CV, having guided the Blue Samurai to the World Cup in 2002 (admittedly without a qualification campaign) and the Bafana Bafana to the one before that.

But there was talk that he not only wanted to stamp his own mark on things, but that things had to be done his way or it was the highway. Word is he’d just left Morocco because he didn’t get the right support from its FA.

Patently this didn’t sit too well with the FFA and the talk that he wanted to bring in his own men would have thrown a spanner into the works given the likes of Graham Arnold and Tony Franken are contracted till 2010.

An expensive signing may have been made even more expensive if contracts had to be paid out.

Ultimately, it seems, the FFA went for the safer, more cost effective option, the one they knew most about, and the communication from the FFA was more measured than ringing;

“After very careful consideration and a rigorous recruitment process I am delighted that we have secured the services of a very experienced and respected national coach for the Qantas Socceroos,” said FFA Chairman Mr. Frank Lowy.

“Football fans can rest assured that the FFA has worked diligently to secure a coach with the qualities and enthusiasm that will give the Socceroos every chance of success.”

“Pim Verbeek has a vast range of experience he has gained over 25 years in coaching, including several stints in Asia, and we believe he is the right man for the job of leading the Socceroos to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

While Lowy initially wanted a big name, word is he eventually caved in to the fact we just couldn’t compete financially for the likes of Capello. The ultimate line was that he wanted someone with the relevant skills in Asia to get the job done, which brought the likes of Verbeek and Troussier into the frame.

So what to make of Verbeek as a manager?

I certainly can’t vouch for his work as an assistant to Hiddink or Advocaat at South Korea, but we can certainly judge him on his work at the Asian Cup this year, which was pretty good in the main.

Admittedly, South Korea didn’t play the most eye-catching football in the tournament, but, given the young squad at his disposal, they were very effective in making it to the semis, where they lost to the eventual champions in a penalty shoot-out.

Indeed, South Korea was probably the only team that really dished it up to Iraq, pressing them high (it is Verbeek’s modus operandi – dare I say, Pim likes to Pin teams back) and controlling the game in the middle of the park and out wide. Indeed, as I reported in my summary of that semi, Verbeek totally out-thought Jorvan Vieria on that night.

Had he had a bit of quality in the front third, someone like a Younis Mahmoud, the overall result of the Asian Cup might have been very different.

From a structural perspective, Verbeek used the Dutch 4-3-3 favoured by Hiddink, Baan and now Arnold. Always the emphasis was on an incredible fitness and workrate, solid defence and plenty of running, but often I sensed the sole striker was left isolated, despite the impressive attempts from Kin Jung-woo to link from midfield.

It was a largely cautious, results-based, agenda.

After scoring three and conceding three in the group stages, the knocks-outs saw Verbeek’s men draw all three games 0-0. That was after 120 minutes of football.

The conclusion to draw from that is that his football won’t always be easy on the eye, but it should be enough to get the job done, which is ultimately how this tricky campaign, our first in Asia, should be judged.

Who knows, with that little bit more quality in the front third that he has at his disposal, the shackles might even be released at some stage.

Whatever transpires, I think it’s fair to say we have a decent-fit manager, someone who is familiar with the recent goings-on in Asia, someone who looks to have an eye for detail, someone ready to hit the ground running.

There are questions marks, at least in my mind, about how Arnold will feel working alongside a manager that was at his same level only five months ago, but they can be address through level heads.

There are also some questions on how the odd ego within the Socceroos dressing room handles a non-big-name manager, and this could be Verbeek’s first and biggest hurdle.

But overall, it isn’t the worst appointment in the world. Let’s get the show on the road and start Piming teams back.