Former Sheffield Wednesday defender Ashley Westwood has taken his first steps into international management in one of the trickiest jobs in the world.
The 47-year-old, who started out life as a trainee at Manchester United, has been appointed manager of Afghanistan, ranked 154th in the world. That in itself could be tough, but he takes over a team torn apart by internal arguments.
18 of their squad are refusing to play in the upcoming World Cup qualifier with Qatar, citing mistreatment by the country’s football association. The players have said they won’t play for their country until President Mohammad Yuosef Kargar has resigned.
It’s certainly a challenge for Westwood, who has simply stated, “I understand players’ concerns and issues. At the end of the day, I want to play for me and for this country.
“I will quickly now go into camp in Qatar with 25 players, and I will start to form opinions of the players and how they run and conduct themselves.
“We will start to make quick decisions about players, and those who do not have the right commitment will not be picked.”
Westwood has had something of a nomadic coaching career, having followed current Charlton boss Michael Appleton around in his early years. The two were teammates at Manchester United, and Westwood coached for him at Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn.
He then spent time in India with Bengaluru FC, ATK and Roundglass Punjab, as well as Malaysia with Penang FA. That’s in sharp contrast to his playing career, where the bulk of his senior football appearances came at Crewe (131) and Sheffield Wednesday (96). He spent three seasons at Hillsborough, a prolonged stay when compared to other relatively short-term stays with Swindon, Stevenage, Northampton, Wrexham, Lincoln City and Kettering.
The highlight of his playing career was perhaps playing five times in the Premier League for Bradford City, whilst as a coach, he was twice named Football Players’ Association of India Best Coach of the Season.
Writer’s View
Westwood had a modest career in the English game, winning two promotions and spending a short period as player-manager of Kettering Town.
Since then, he’s taken the unconventional route into coaching, travelling the world for his opportunity. He certainly impressed during his time with Bengaluru, but can he bring that to the international game?
Given that he spent time as a coach at Oyston’s Blackpool, Venky’s Blackburn and an imploding Portsmouth, he should be well prepared for conflict, something that will be vital as it shows no signs of abating in Afghanistan.
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