The Search Continues
By: Chris | March 5th, 2008If you follow Hamburg or the Bundesliga at all, you know that HSV’s manager Huub Stevens is leaving at the end of the current campaign to take over at Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven. Stevens announced his intention to move in late November (while I was on Thanksgiving holiday, thank you–couldn’t you have waited until I got back?) and said his decision came down to the fact that his wife is chronically ill and has been in-and-out of Eindhoven hospitals for many months, and he wanted to be closer to her.
Most reports had the field of candidates down to two: Fred Rutten (currently managing Eredivisie-side Twente Enschede) and Jurgen Klopp (currently managing 2.Bundesliga side Mainz), with Rutten having eventually been unofficially selected. A story out yesterday (big shout-out to reader Diana for the tip) says that the search is not complete, and that Croatian national manager Slavan Bilic is now a candidate. Bilic is an extremely hot commodity in the coaching world right now, having guided Croatia into Euro 2008, and seeing off a desparate England side at Wembley in November. He reportedly has offers from a number of English clubs (West Ham?) and CSKA Moscow (translated). Apparently (according to Bild, so take it for what it’s worth), the search committee isn’t exactly in love with any of the men that had already interviewed (Rutten, Klopp, Bruno Labadia of 2. Bundesliga Greuther Fürth).
So what to make of all this? Bilic has a reputation as a smart tactician and has worked with top players before, so HSV would be getting a top manager, and I would be very happy with him taking over. Bilic taking over may be one more reason for Croatian national Ivica Olic to stay in Hamburg, rather than transfer to Pompey, as was reported yesterday. BUT, after seeing Fred Rutten’s name come up again and again and again, I still think he is still the main target. Rutten had recently signed an extension with Twente through 2009, and may be holding out for more money from HSV. My take on the situation is that HSV are playing hardball with Rutten and approaching a hot candidate in an effort to get Rutten to come around. And if Bilic agrees to become manager, it still works out pretty well.
[Editor's note: This is my third entry in 2 days, which is very much a record for Hamburg Offside. Huzzah!]
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Comments
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Slaven Bilic used to play for West Ham, and so maybe it’s understandable. But it’s true yeah, he had been linked to a number of English clubs in the past. Now I cannot remember the English clubs he’s linked to at the top of my head. Argh.
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I knew he used to play for the Hammers, that’s why I mentioned them by name. Curbishley has done a very good job there this year. They’ve been mid-table most of the season despite all the injuries they’ve had. I can’t see West Ham being a player for him (Bilic). Fulham, perhaps? I think he would be a great fit for them. The CSKA rumor seems to have the most merit, though.
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Fulham…Roy Hodgson is now over there after Lawrie Sanchez was sacked but somehow after Hodgson came over, the club is still at the wrong end of the table and close to relegation. Given how the managerial casualties in the Premier League can be like, who knows. And Hodgson was being roped in given of his international experience. Inter Milan, Switzerland, Finland (where he was last at) are among the ones I know of where Hodgson had been to.
CSKA Moscow…that is actually news to me, I have to admit.
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Bilic sounds like an attractive alternative to Rutten for me, whose club may not let him go. Probably he can bring Modric as a van der Vaart replacement with him.:-)
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[...] As noted in this space last week, ex-Karlsruhe and West Ham defender Slaven Bilic was interviewed for the manager’s opening at HSV by the search committee. Bilic is a spectacularly hot commodity in the managerial ranks, having guided Crotia through to Euro 2008 at the top of Group E, and in the process knocking off mighty (LOL) England at Wembley in November [Note: I am snickering because I love the English national team and there’s no way they should have lost a match in that group, let alone not qualified–their ineptitude was monumental]. As I speculated in a reply to loyal reader Diana (who has a great blog herself on all things football here), one of the other clubs interested in Bilic might be West Ham United of the EPL. Turns out I have a lot more foresight than I give myself credit for having. The Hammers are indeed interested in Bilic. Alan Curbishley’s boys presently sit smack dab in the middle of the Premiership, 10th place in the table on 40 points. It’s their recent form that must have them looking for leadership elsewhere. Back-to-back-to-back 4-0 losses to Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool have certainly tightened the screws on Curbs, despite the devastating number of injuries the Hammers have endured in this campaign. [...]
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