Chelsea boss Hiddink's teaching background key to success
New Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink believes his teaching background has helped him in football management.
But before going on to manage some of the world’s biggest clubs in PSV, Fenerbahce and Real Madrid as well as South Korea, Australia and Russia, he followed in the footsteps of his dad, teaching PE to emotionally disturbed kids for 11 years from 1973.
And, in his biography 'Going Dutch', he admits the skills he learned there helped him to deal with the pampered superstars of professional football.
He said: “I’ve joked I still feel I’m working with hard-to-raise kids.
“At the school I had to deal with kids from tough backgrounds, little criminals sometimes. It is possible to translate that kind of work into coaching full-time footballers.
“You have to appeal to their sense of responsibility. You have to remind them of the privileged position they live in.
“When I arrived at Real Madrid in 1998 the real problem was that life was a little comfortable for the players.
“They earned a lot of money very quickly. Porsche ownership was very high.
“When they were 21, players were financially settled for life. But players must be hungry, hungry to achieve something.
“I deal with professionals who are paid very well and who ought to possess the enthusiasm of football-lovers. They should not be motivated by the money. If a player’s primary concern is the next bonus things wouldn’t work out in the long run.”
Hiddink, who will manage Russia and Chelsea until the end of the season, added: “I taught with conviction. Doing something half-heartedly is impossible for me.
“I am not afraid to fall flat on my face. If I had not wanted to take risks I could have worked as a government official until I retired.
“When things go wrong you often have to take the blame. You have a job to do and you have to accept the implications.
“I’m not really an anxious person. If as a coach you get in a panic you’ll lose the team’s respect in no time.”
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