- Socceroos great Harry Kewell has proven his worth as a coach
- In charge of Yokohama F. Marinos, the final of the AFC Champions League awaits
- Looking to guide the Japanese team to victory over Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates
- Mercilessly exposed, but here’s why Tottenham should be HAPPY, says Chris Sutton – Listen, it’s all starting! podcast
Socceroos great Harry Kewell has come a long way since he was sacked as coach of Barnet FC, who play in the fifth tier of English football at conference level.
Despite some early setbacks, Australian football figures such as Ange Postecoglou and Ron Smith had no doubts that Kewell would be a successful coach.
Kewell was preparing his Japanese team, Yokohama F. Marinos, for the first leg of the AFC Champions League final against Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates (8pm Saturday, AEDT).
Postecoglou hired Kewell when he was in charge of Celtic, and the former Leeds United Premier League winger was a first-team coach in Scotland.
The ‘Aussie Ange’ eventually moved to Tottenham, and on December 31 last year, Kewell was announced as the new manager of Yokohama F. Marinos, replacing his compatriot Kevin Muscat.
Harry Kewell has come a long way since he was sacked as manager of Barnet FC, who play in the fifth tier of English football at conference level (pictured, in charge of Yokohama F. Marinos)
Australian football identities such as Ange Postecoglou (pictured) and Ron Smith had no doubts the former Socceroos superstar could find success as a coach.
Harry Kewell is arguably the greatest Socceroo of all time after his decorated career, and is now just two games away from Asian football’s biggest coaching prize.
While his team is struggling in the J-League, sitting in mid-table after 11 games, their run in the AFC Cup has been impressive.
Australian coaching guru Smith, who discovered Kewell as a youngster in western Sydney, has watched with pride as the man of the moment is determined to silence his doubters after initially struggling when shouting instructions from the sidelines. In England.
‘That says a lot about him. That shows how much he wants it,” Smith told Sydney Morning Herald.
‘Harry has always liked to talk about the game, why things happened and what players should do.
“It’s also a great experience having to do things when you don’t have all the resources you’re used to as a player.
‘Because Harry played for top clubs, you have huge resources… so then you go and manage the clubs. [like Barnet]…I can only imagine it was a shock. Good for him.
Kewell himself looks back on his brief time in charge of the Bees, which followed previous spells at League Two clubs Crawley Town, Notts County and Oldham Athletic, and shakes his head.
The Barnet club’s ambitious owner stated that he wanted to win an FA Cup, something Kewell considered unrealistic given their conference status.
Harry Kewell made a name for himself in the Premier League with Leeds United (pictured 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 work with fellow Australian Ange Postecoglou at Celtic.
He is now two games away from Asian football’s biggest prize, and Postecoglou is delighted with arguably Australia’s greatest ever player.
“I’ll be watching the final,” he told Optus Sport.
‘I also follow Pete Cklamovski on [FC] Tokyo, ‘musky’ [Muscat] with shanghai [Port]…I’m sure I’ll have it on.
“It’s very exciting for me to see these guys and I really hope that eventually they all find their way here.” [Premier League] to make an impact.
“I really believe that as Australians we have something [to offer] As coaches and managers, I really believe 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.