Ruutli the brains behind rise and rise of the talent of Tallinn

ONLY last month, the prospects of Estonia reaching the Euro 2012 play-offs seemed laughable.

The team had lost six matches in a row, including an embarrassing 2-0 reverse to the Faroe Islands in June. But then they beat Slovenia 2-1 away, thanks to a late winner from super-sub Ats Purje, and back-to-back wins over Northern Ireland, coupled with Serbia’s failure in Slovenia on Tuesday, sealed an unlikely second spot in Group C.

There is still a disbelief in Estonia, as the nation of only 1.3 million has never come this close to qualifying for a major tournament, nor ever broken into FIFA’s top 50 ranked teams. Their current ranking, 58, is the highest in their history — and they jumped 28 places as a result of their September performances.

That Estonia have reached this far with a squad of largely unknown players is down to their understated coach, Tarno Ruutli.

Ruutli has enjoyed a fairly unremarkable career with five Estonian clubs though this is his second spell at the helm of the national team: when last in charge, for the Euro 2000 qualifiers, Estonia ended fourth in their group, beating Cyprus and lowly Andorra. His record of six wins in 10 games during that spell gives him the best winning record of all Estonian coaches.

Only Italy’s Antonio Cassano scored more goals in Group C than attacking midfielder Konstantin Vassiljev, whose five goals helped Estonia into second. Vassiljev has just signed for Russian side Amkar Perm after spending his last four years in Slovenia, and he is considered their talisman.

Speedy forward Tarmo Kink is on the books at Middlesbrough, while defender Ragnar Klavan plays for AZ Alkmaar in Holland.

“Nothing has changed suddenly, this is just a reflection of the hard work that has been put in over the past 15 years,” Estonian FA spokesman Mihkehl Uiboleht said.

“We also have 35 players abroad, in 10 different countries, and they are not just making up the numbers in squads but receiving regular game time. Two years ago it was only a handful.”

The Estonian nation will have to start taking football as seriously as they do other sports in the build-up to the Ireland double-header. Athletics, skiing and weightlifting are more popular than football in the country, where the best-supported team in the national league, Flora Tallinn, averages 500 people per game, while the national average in 2009-10 was 188 people.

More than 20 times that amount felt the need to thank Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, who saved Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic’s penalty in Maribor.

More than 4,000 people visited a Facebook page called: ‘Handanovic, The Estonian Hero’, to thank the Udinese stopper.