Taiwan have hired Englishman Gary White to coach the national soccer team in a bid to breathe new life into their flagging bid to reach the Asian Cup.
“I’ll be taking over halfway through [qualifying], but it’s still a strong possibility,” the former Guam coach told reporters yesterday after signing a one-year deal.
“We’ve just got to start getting some points,” he said.
Photo: AFP
“I’ve got experience in international football, especially in Asia, and I know how to get results,” said White, who worked wonders on the tiny honeymoon island of Guam before going on to rescue Shanghai Shenxin from relegation in China last season.
“I want to try to motivate the players and get the country behind them,” he said.
Taiwan are third in their qualifying group for the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates and White said they have the ability to defy the odds and progress.
“In the past, Taiwan has always been a much bigger team in East Asia, but they’ve kind of fallen off over the years,” said the 43-year-old, whose new side face group leaders Bahrain at home on Oct. 10.
“I’m an attack-minded coach, so what I want to bring is a little bit of excitement and get the players to express themselves,” he said.
White has his work cut out after Taiwan were beaten by Bahrain and second-placed Turkmenistan, although a 2-1 win over Singapore boosted their hopes.
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