ADVOCAAT EXPECTS FEW CHANGES TO RUSSIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

RIA Novosti
May 18, 2010
MOSCOW

Dick Advocaat arrived in Russia on Tuesday to take over as the national
football coach and told journalists he would make few changes to the
team that failed to reach this summer’s World Cup Finals.

Advocaat was officially named the successor to fellow Dutchman Guus
Hiddink on Monday, and has signed a four-year contract. He takes over
a team that has still to pick itself up after falling to Slovenia in
a two-legged World Cup qualification playoff in November.

He said at a news conference with Russian Football Union chief Sergei
Fursenko that he did not think there would be major alterations to
the team as Russia’s players were "strong and professional."

"But we must also not lose sight of the young talented players,"
Advocaat added.

Hiddink was criticized toward the end of his tenure for ignoring
up-and-coming Russian talent and sticking with players he knew,
particularly attackers who were seen as being out of form.

"It is important to remember that I will see the team in August
for the first time," Advocaat said, who was the coach of Zenit St.
Petersburg for three years before leaving last summer.

Russia has yet to schedule a friendly for August and opens its Euro
2012 qualifying campaign away to minnows Andorra in September.

Fursenko has stressed that Advocaat will be paid less than Hiddink,
who received an estimated 8 million euros a year.

Belgian media earlier reported that Advocaat would be paid as much
as 12 million euros a year to lead Russia to the finals of Euro 2012.

Russia are odds-on to qualify, having been drawn in Group B along
with Slovakia, Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia and Andorra. Belgium,
on the other hand, are given little chance of finishing ahead of
Germany or Turkey, who are now coached by Hiddink.

Advocaat, 62, quit his job as coach of Belgium in April after barely
six months in charge. His contract with the Belgian FA was supposed to
last until 2012 but he said the prospect of working with the Russian
national side was too compelling.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress