Former Ireland boss Colin Bell has South Korea daring to dream

FORMER CHARGES: Former Ireland manager Colin Bell during a training session in 2018. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

The World Cup presents Colin Bell his latest opportunity of elevating the team that likes to sit on the floor to new heights.

When the former Ireland manager took over South Korea almost four years ago, he was perplexed upon entering the dressing-room to deliver his pep talk for his first game against China.

“All of the players sat on the floor looking up at me,” he explained. “We’re in this superb dressing-room with cabinets specially made for each player but that’s their custom.

“If that’s tradition, I wasn’t going to change it. Even this week for a long team meeting at our base in Australia, the players stayed on the floor. They prefer it as a squad.” 

Bell is now able to articulate his messages in their native tongue. His translator remains his companion but twice-per-week language lessons for the Englishman have brought him closer to his players.

“I’ve learnt from my time here that it’s important they feel the emotion of my instructions,” he explained.

“I’ll write down in Korean beforehand what I plan to tell them and they seem to get the message.” 

His teachings are being absorbed.

Bell took charge in October 2019 at a time of turmoil for the Taegeuk Ladies. Not alone had they lost all three games at the World Cup but the manager who followed, Choi In-cheul, lasted only days amid allegations of physical and verbal assaults on players.

Bell, then four months on from quitting the FAI for a short-lived spell with Huddersfield Town’s men’s team, became their first-ever foreign coach.

Since then, he’s resurrected their Fifa ranking to 15 and has them daring to believe at this World Cup, their third on the trot.

Grouped with Germany, Morocco and Tuesday’s opening opponents in Sydney, Colombia, his team ought to be there with stars on their jerseys.

“With a bit more control, we’d be Asian Cup and East Asian Cup champions,” declares Bell, sitting in the lobby of their hotel in Campbellstown, a quiet suburb of Sydney.

He has a point.

Last year’s late defeat to Japan, the last world champions before USA, was their only defeat in the East Asian series while they led China 2-0 in the final of the Asian championships before losing to a last-minute goal.

That they beat Australia along that route, a year after holding the Americans scoreless in Kansas, highlighted the abilities of his team.

Travelling to the Arnold Clark Cup hosted by European champions England in February presented a risk he felt worth taking.

While the Lionesses won comfortably, 2-1 defeats against Belgium and Italy were harder to take.

“Most of our players had only begun pre-season for the domestic league kicking off in April,” explained Bell. “They were difficult tests but ones I felt would prepare us for the World Cup. I felt we were good enough on the day to win the Italy and Belgium games but the experience will stand to them.” 

Three successive wins on the final stretch of build-up for the tournament, twice against Zambia and then Haiti, reflected his plea for mitigation but sometimes convincing his players of their strengths is his biggest task.

And so back to their gathering on the fifth floor of the Rydges Hotel last week.

The fitness and games room built and sponsored by Nike has been their epicentre since arriving in Australia, the location for their tactical meetings and bonding sessions.

This talk cut right through formations and systems, imploring the team captained by the Korean Messi, Ji So-yun, to match their technical prowess with mental resilience.

The emotion Bells speaks with and speaks of has to be channelled into ruthlessness when it comes to the crunch on the highest stage.

“Even 2-0 ahead against China in last year’s final, I was worried in the dressing-room,” admitted Bell. “I could see the emotion was taking over on the pitch in their goal celebrations. It was the same when the men’s team qualified from their group at the last World Cup.

“There’s a job to finish out the game and it revolves around thinking of the next action, not the last.

“This team has been held back psychologically, something we’re trying to change.” 

Four of Bell’s squad have in recent years featured in the English top-flight, including former Chelsea league winner Ji, and apart from another in Spain, the remainder are home-based.

Bell has been accused of staying loyal to an ageing squad – half are over 30 – but he cites an anomaly in that generalisation. He’s dependent on a dysfunctional system.

“There are no reserve or youth teams in South Korea,” he outlined. “All of the development is conducted by the schools and universities, meaning players don’t emerge into the league until they finish their qualifications around the age of 23. A lot of them are only in their sixth or seventh senior club seasons.” 

Bell has also distorted the average age by enlisting American-born sensation Casey Phair. The first ever mixed-race player in the squad just turned 16 and Bell has kept her from the resultant media glare, even the mothership of Fifa cameras. We can expect to see her figure, likely off the bench.

He’ll be keeping an eye on proceedings in Perth on Wednesday, mindful of unfinished business with Ireland. He was only gone a fortnight from an FAI in crisis-mode when rationale overcame him and he attempted a reversal. Officially, the FAI board resisted it but a section of unforgiving players had their say too. Fences have been mended with some since. Who knows what will unfold for a manager whose contract was extended ‘til the end of next year.

“I’m really happy in this job but things can change quickly,” reasons the man who led Frankfurt to the 2015 Champions League title. “Wherever I’ve gone, my objective was to make the best of what I had. I’m delighted Ireland have finally reached a major tournament and maybe we’ll cross paths during the tournament.

“Now is the time for action. I use a German phrase when talking to players: 'Die Wahrheit wird sich auf dem Spielfeld zeigen.' It translates to: The truth will show on the field.

“That’s my motto – the one I stick with in this game.”