Rijsbergen looking forward to 2010 challenge.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]
Newly appointed National Team senior coach Wim Rijsbergen says he’s relishing the challenge of leading the national team towards South Africa 2010 but moreso helping this country to maintain the momentum it picked up following its qualification and subsequent performance at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany.
Just one day following the announcement of his new position Rijsbergen said he was already drawing up plans to assist in the development of the youth system and the senior team.
“I am delighted to be able to take up the position as head coach of Trinidad and Tobago. One of the good things about this is that while I also had to look past some of the other offers which came my way for jobs after the World Cup, the fact that I already had some involvement with Trinidad and that we had already worked towards something and I know what it’s like there now, and after discussing with Mr Warner, I said the decision to remain here was something I was looking forward to,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media on Wednesday.
On Leo Beenhakker’s appointment in Poland and also his continued affiliation with T&T as technical adviser, Rijsbergen added : “I’m delighted based on the recommendations that Leo can maintain a relationship with us as technical adviser because we have worked here before. Now we have Anton and the other Dutch person who will be on board and also work with the youth teams. Right now there will be a lot of plans being made to start working with the senior team and looking ahead to the Gold Cup and other matches. We will also work towards forming the best team possible and we will continue to look for players as well. In this way too I felt it was right to have players like Russell and Dwight as role models for the other players and we will use them in the best way possible for football in Trinidad and Tobago from the youth system come up.”
He mentioned that he was also aware of Jamaica’s qualification for France 1998 and their aftermath, having touched base on the situation with former Jamaican World Cup team manager Horace Reid, who worked as chief operations manager of the T&T team.
“It’s a challenge in itself for us to continue and move forward with what we already have following the World Cup. I know how it took place with Jamaica and their qualification for France and then it’s task of keeping things going after that. For us it will be difficult too but that’s what makes the whole situation special. I know the people involved are very anxious to get going and we will all sit down and review our World Cup appearance and we will put the necessary structures in place to move forward. These are the things I spoke to Mr Warner about and when I get back with Leo next week, we will of course sit down as a group with everyone who played a role in the last World Cup and we will sit with the Minister of Sport to review all these things. I am pleased now to hear that the Government is also willing to assist in the development of football and we must make this work,” added the former 1974 and 1978 Dutch World Cup player. He is also a former player with Feyenoord during 1971-78 as well as New York Cosmos and FC Utrecht.
The 54-year-old Rijsbergen has been a former assistant coach at Dutch teams Ajax Amsterdam, FC Volendam, FC Groningen, NAC, Roodenburg, Al-Ittifaq of Qatar and Mexican club America.
He added that having been to the big stage now, it was crucial that the national team players look carefully at themselves if they want to compete with the best.
“One of the things we will work on is also developing players and getting them to the right level. We have been there now and they all know what it takes. One of the good things is I know the players and I know they are very keen to do well and to get improvement,” he said.
“I can tell you now that we have been to the World Cup, things are different. We went back to Berlin afterward the team went home and the response showed this…. the way the people spoke to us and the way the press reacted to us… it all showed that they know now that Trinidad and Tobago is a country to take serious and that’s something to make me and the rest of us want to work together for more success.” Rijsbergen will return along with Beenhakker to Trinidad on July 22 before taking up duties later that week.
