- Socceroos great Harry Kewell has proven his worth as a manager
- Led by Yokohama F. Marinos, the final of the AFC Champions League awaits
- I want to lead the Japanese side to victory over UAE’s Al Ain
- Ruthlessly exposed, but here’s why Tottenham should be HAPPY, says Chris Sutton – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Socceroos great Harry Kewell has come a long way before being sacked as manager of Barnet FC, who play at Conference level in the fifth tier of English football.
Despite some early setbacks, Australian football idents such as Ange Postecoglou and Ron Smith had no doubt that Kewell would be a successful coach.
They were on the money as Kewell was busy preparing his Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos for the first leg of the AFC Champions League final against Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates (Saturday, 8pm, AEDT).
Postecoglou hired Kewell when he was in charge of Celtic, with the former Leeds United Premier League winger being a first-team coach in Scotland.
‘Aussie Ange’ eventually moved to Tottenham – and on December 31 last year, Kewell was announced as the new head coach of Yokohama F. Marinos, replacing compatriot Kevin Muscat.
Harry Kewell has come a long way before being sacked as manager of Barnet FC, who play at Conference level in the fifth tier of English football (photo, responsible for Yokohama F.Marinos)
Australian football identities such as Ange Postecoglou (pictured) and Ron Smith had no doubt that the former Socceroos superstar could make a successful impact as a coach
Harry Kewell is arguably the greatest Socceroo ever after his decorated career – and is now just two games away from winning Asian football’s biggest prize as a coach
While his team are struggling in the J-League and sit mid-table after 11 games, their AFC Cup run has been impressive.
Australian coaching guru Smith – who discovered Kewell as a youngster in Sydney’s west – has watched with pride as the man of the moment is determined to silence his doubters after initially struggling to bark instructions from the touchline in England.
‘It says a lot for him. It shows how much he wants it,” Smith told the newspaper Sydney Morning Herald.
‘Harry was always keen to talk about the game, why things happened and what players had to do.
“It’s also a great experience to have to do things when you don’t have all the resources you might be used to as a player.
‘Because Harry played for top clubs, you have great resources… to then start managing clubs [like Barnet]…I can only imagine it was a shock. He is doing well.’
Kewell himself looks back on his short time as manager of the Bees – which followed previous spells at League Two clubs Crawley Town, Notts County and Oldham Athletic – and shakes his head.
The ambitious club owner at Barnet stated that he wanted to win an FA Cup, which Kewell found unrealistic given their Conference status.
Harry Kewell made his name in the Premier League at Leeds United (photo, in 2002)
Kewell then sealed a dream move to Liverpool, but his time at Anfield was marred by injuries
Kewell’s move into management saw him team up with compatriot Ange Postecoglou at Celtic
Now he is two games away from Asian football’s biggest prize – and Postecoglou is excited about arguably Australia’s greatest ever player.
“I’m going to watch the final,” he told Optus Sport.
‘I also follow Pete Cklamovski [FC] Tokyo, ‘Musky’ [Muscat] with Shanghai [Port]…I’ll definitely keep it on.
“It’s a great thrill for me to see these guys and I really hope they all find their way here eventually [Premier League] to make an impact.
“I really think as Australians we have something [to offer] As coaches and managers, I really do that.’
If Kewell wins the AFC Champions League, he will be the second Australian to achieve the feat, after Tony Popovic lifted silver with A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014.