The former Republic of Ireland manager discusses the talent and toughness of Irish players, the work of Vera Pauw, and his new role with World Cup-bound South Korea
What heightened his emotions further was the steady flow of messages he received in the aftermath of the game, from players, from Ruud Dokter, the former high performance director at the FAI, and from his successor, Vera Pauw, all of them acknowledging his part in this team’s story.
But those were the days of – to put it mildly – turmoil in the FAI, so they were in no position to agree to his request. So he left for Huddersfield. And around six weeks later, Siewert was sacked by the club. Bell was left high and dry. He took on the job in extraordinary circumstances, though, his predecessor, Choi In-cheul, only lasting a week in the position after a number of his former players alleged that he had been physically abusive towards them.
There were cultural differences to overcome too. “I learned how important age is here, the hierarchy is very strong, younger players would never call out an older player on the pitch. I had to tell them that I respected their culture, but in our football team we had to create our own – and it’s all about helping each other, no matter the age difference.”
“I’m relishing this role because we need to do more work in the underage area. We’re a small footballing nation compared to those around us – we have just 1,400 registered girls playing football, Japan has over 800,000, Australia over 400,000 and China ... well, China’s China.” A resilient crew, too. And during Bell’s time, they needed to be off the pitch as much as on it. He was less than two months in the job when, threatening to go on strike unless their treatment improved.
“The girls were very strong, and they needed to be to get the things that they deserved. In a way, the whole thing was a godsend for me because when it was over I was able to say to them, ‘right, it’s more professional now, but as individuals and as a team, you have to be too’. And they were, they responded brilliantly.”
“Probably one of the saddest things for me is that Tyler’s not in the squad. When I first brought her in, I remember Katie saying, ‘Colin, who’s this Tyler Toland?’ After our first training session, Katie came up to me and said ‘now I know why she’s in’. She was 16, but played like she was 25.” That prompted a move to Germany when he was 21, FSV Mainz 05 making him coach of their reserves when he finished his playing career – around the same time they took a chance on another of their former players by appointing him first team coach. A fellah by the name of Jürgen Klopp.
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