Guus Hiddink: Genius or Traitor?

These days it seems that Guus Hiddink’s name is linked to any job that becomes available. Russian national team manager, Sven’s job in England, Starbuck’s barista . . . Guus’ resume is immediately moved to the top of the pile.

Like a Van Gogh painting, Hiddink is in demand.

Who can blame teams for wanting him? His resume is full of achievements: successful coach at PSV Eindhoven, stints at Fenerbahce, Valencia and Real Madrid, semifinals of 1998 World Cup as Dutch coach, semifinals of the 2002 World Cup as South Korea’s coach and now a qualifying run with the Socceroos in Australia.

Clearly Hiddink is able to deliver results, but it is also clear that he gets bored easily. How else can you explain the movement from one team to another? The guy needs a new challenge to stay engaged with the game.

Today Hiddink’s agent said he would be interested in talking with England’s FA about taking over for Eriksson after the World Cup.

All of this is good for Hiddink but should raise questions about his loyalty to his current team. Will the players really want to go to battle for him knowing he already has his sights set on greener pastures? Will he devote his full energies to making Australia a winner?

If I’m a Socceroos fan right about now I am as angry at Guus as some in England are at Sven. It would be unrealistic to think that Hiddink would stick in Australia past the World Cup, but the very least he should do is fully commit to coaching the team before publicly discussing his future.

With his resume, Hiddink doesn’t need to worry about finding a job. He should worry about the job at hand, which is leading Australia to a strong run in Germany.

England fans should also beware. Sven’s wandering eye is mild compared to Hiddink’s.

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