The All Whites don’t take the field until just over a week for their first match of the November window but the tour has already begun for coach Danny Hay, who jetted off today to begin his preparations.

Hay, who named the first All Whites squad of his reign yesterday, arrives in Manchester early on Thursday morning local time and will then head straight up to Yorkshire to visit former club Leeds United, where he will get an insight into the methods of world-renowned coach Marcelo Bielsa.

The whistle-stop pre-tour then continues with a trip to Burnley to witness All Whites striker Chris Wood in his club environment before the Clarets take on West Ham United in an English Premier League fixture. The next stop is Dublin, where Hay will have a couple of days with his All Whites players before they take on the Republic of Ireland on 14 November.

The packed itinerary provides the perfect opportunity for Hay to continue laying the foundations for his plans with the All Whites, as well as fostering his own growth as a coach.  

“I thought it was important that I used this time wisely,” he explains.

“As an ex-Leeds player, I’m keen to utilise that contact and you’ve got Bielsa, who is probably seen as one of the best coaches in the world at the moment, operating there. So I think the chance to observe him and hopefully build some connections and relationships there is important,” he adds.

“Then to head across to Burnley, watch Chris Wood train and build a relationship there with Sean Dyche is obviously important because that’s going to be a big one moving forward. Ideally, if we had both Chris and Winston Reid playing in that game it would be great but, at this stage, it’s looking like it will just be Chris.”

While Burnley manager Dyche will be a key contact for Hay going forward, there are many other coaches he is looking to establish a relationship with and he believes that will be a crucial part of his role.

“It’s incredibly important and not just with the likes of Sean, it’s going to be with the head coaches of all our major players in their club environments. We’re going to have a number of fixtures next year and beyond, so we need to make sure the relationship is really strong with those coaches,” he says.

“It’s just about getting out there, working with them, putting a face in front of them and getting them to understand the direction we’re trying to take things so they understand that and there’s some buy-in from their part as well.”

The most significant of these relationships is likely to be with Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay with the country’s only professional club contributing five players to Hay’s first squad.

“I think the fact we’ve got a number of players operating there, and will ultimately have more and more Kiwis seeing that as the pathway to go through, makes it incredibly important that we build strong links with them,” he says.

“On a personal level, I’m touching base with Ufuk on a weekly basis and trying to just ensure that our relationship is very strong so that, if we need to collectively make a decision around a player either way, then it’s quite universal.”

Hay is relishing the prospect of returning to Leeds, where he spent three years from 1999 and made several first-team appearances when the club were then flying high in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

“It’s been the best part of 16 years since I’ve been in Leeds so it will actually be quite interesting just to see the environment. To go to the training ground at Thorp Arch and see how that has evolved over the last few years will be interesting but, most importantly, to see how a coach like Bielsa operates I think will be a great opportunity for me to develop,” he says.

“I want to continue to challenge myself, grow and evolve as a coach. The reality is that the minute any coach stands still and doesn’t try to develop then I think you’re doing your players a disservice. At the ripe old age of 44, I’ve still got a lot of learning to be done and I don’t think I’ve got all the answers so it’s just about trying to get in front of some of the best operators around the world and touching base with some key people.”

Hay will lead the All Whites for the first time against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on 14 November before meeting Lithuania three days later in Vilnius, both matches will be live on Sky Sport.

Match Details

vs Republic of Ireland
Thursday 14 November, 7.45pm (Friday 15 November, 8.45am NZT)
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Live on Sky Sport

vs Lithuania
Sunday 17 November, 3pm (Monday 18 November, 2am NZT)
Lithuania National Stadium, Vilnius
Live on Sky Sport

Article added: Wednesday 06 November 2019