Neil Emblen has dropped out of the running to be considered for the position of being the permanent New Zealand national team manager. Poor results since he took over as the interim manager seem to have been the main reason. The decision taken by New Zealand Football has disappointed the manager a lot. He said that it is very disappointing to know that he will not be the New Zealand national team manager this time around. However, he is hoping to give his best until a permanent successor is found.
New Zealand Football recently revealed that as much as 40 managers had applied for the vacant managerial position. After New Zealand failed to qualify for the World Cup 2014, the national team parted company with Ricki Herbert. His outstanding achievement of leading the country to the World Cup 2010 is unlikely to be matched again, but New Zealand are being extremely optimistic about the future. New Zealand Football have confirmed that they have narrowed down the shortlist to just three and Emblen does not feature amongst them.
Emblen has also refused to rule out a move away in search of a new job, as he confirmed that he would still be happy to play a part in the national team. Some of the names who have applied for the job include former Crystal Palace boss Ian Dowie. “I’m very disappointed but the decisions are out of my hands. I thought I did all I could, but that’s part of football. The three candidates that have been shortlisted are more ready in [NZF] eyes at the moment for international coaching, but they hope to still have a role within New Zealand Football for me,” said Emblen.
New Zealand next take on Uzbekistan in a game that should feature a permanent manager for the all whites.