To see inside the bubble dome with van't Schip...

After quizzing Van't Schip on his football philosophy, we fleshed out some other issues in part two of the interview, and we started with Pim Verbeek.

John, have you spoken to Pim much since you've been here?

Yes, I've spoken to him two or three times. He was here for Oman and I visited him there and in Adelaide so I had a good conversation in the hotel, we sat together and had some talks about Holland and the football in general. He told me he's having a great time here. It's nice to speak to him ...

What was his reaction to your move to the A-League?

He was glad as he thinks it's good for the football. Also surprised, because he didn't expect me to train a club here.

What's your take on the A-League versus overseas-based in our national team?

Well, results are important. I was in the Dutch national team four years and it's the same. If you don't have the results, they chop your head off as a national coach! And the country wants to have the best players. You can be very idealistic and say I'm going to build a new team with players from the A-League. It's a good idea but the level of the A-League is maybe not that far yet. You're still restricted by salary caps and if players reach a certain level, they go to Europe. But that's also good.

How does that filter through to your job at Melbourne Heart?

We can, in the first few years, get the players to a level that they can go to Europe. And if we can keep on doing that, I think that's a big compliment to the A-League. A good compliment would be every year you can see some players of the A-League can go to Europe. It says you are doing a good job and a league that's respected. Maybe in a few years you can keep some players as the A-League goes on and grows. That's where you have to aim: keep on growing but also keep on developing and don't stop them to go to Europe. We'd like to do that, a team who helps players, develops players and not be a team that makes them stay here. Like Ajax in Amsterdam, they sell them because the club comes, offers more money in a bigger league, the player wants to go and everyone's happy.

You speak about development, what about you? How do you view this move? Is it about developing your coaching so you can go back to Holland and be a senior coach?

I don't think about it. I found this opportunity to be very exciting and I talked it over with my family. After two seasons [when the contract finishes] I don't know what my future will be. I'm not going to look into the future. Holland is my country but I think it's good to live in different cultures and grow as a person. And it's not all about money.

And your assistant coach?

I'm going to have a local assistant coach. It's important I think and we're talking with people at the moment. It's good that you have knowledge of what's going on beneath, particularly with youth players. It's very important. We will make the decision in the coming weeks. And we won't have a youth team in the first season, it will start in the second season. It's a little difficult so the year after we will start.

What's the reaction to your appointment been like back home?

Some have said great, and some can't understand it and say what a strange move. It's okay, it's normal. I think a lot of other players and coaches would've liked to have taken this step too. There is not much knowledge about the A-League. They know about Jason Culina and a little about Sergio Van Dijk and of course the big thing is that Pim is the head coach and Han Berger is technical director. And now I've made the move. There are some players who would like to come over here, and coaches too...

So a few texts from Holland offering their services to you here?

Yeah, and you can always grab back to what you know in Holland but it's also good for the development of the coaching staff here that they have had the opportunity to work with a European coach and after that maybe do it on their own. Instead of coming here with a whole European staff, you go back and you didn't help the Australian people with the coaching.

And what was your family's reaction?

My wife was excited but the children have their own lives. My son is in Spain right now studying Spanish and plays quite well although we shall see if he can make it as a professional. And our daughter is similar. They are used to it.

What motivates you?

I wanted to move and become a head coach again. For me, Melbourne was a challenge and exciting to start from scratch, doing something totally different in a new environment.

We've just been through the new stadium and it's fantastic with the fans right up close, but what about training facilities?

For me it's very important to have a steady facility, with a good pitch, have breakfast and lunch and not have to move from one place to another. I hear about other clubs move two or three times a week to different facilities. I think that's not good. For me the most important thing is the pitch and the dressing rooms where you look at the pitch and you want to train and play. The club knows what I mean and how I think and have been very co-operative in that regard. Hopefully we will find it soon.

It's a very long off-season too... your thoughts on that and having to play state league teams?

In Holland, we also play a lot of state league teams in the pre-season. You can try to bring in the things that you work on. Step by step we will try to play against higher quality teams. I don't think it's a big problem...

But still, it's a very long off-season compared to what you are used to?

It could be a good thing or a bad thing. If you have a very long pre-season without having a goal, because three-four months is much too long before your first A-League game. So we have to see how we'll divide it. The European players will finish around May so they need a break. So first we'll train with the players of the A-League, give them a break and then everyone comes together in mid-June or so. We will still have to discuss that so in the beginning it will be a little difficult but it can be good as we can have a good look at some players from Melbourne and test them. Maybe then there could be three or four we can take into the final stage of preparation for the season.

After being here a few weeks, are you now more or less confident of success since you arrived at Melbourne Heart?

It's still a little early. I'm here to see games and try to get into the level of the players and of course we have to form a squad. Now, I'm not really thinking about success, I'm thinking of getting a team together and from then on, we want to work to become a good A-League team hopefully with a lot of success. And that new stadium is very good but the crowds still have to grow.

How difficult will it be to bring together a new squad of 23 players and have you ever done that before in your coaching career?

No, never. Of course I will need time and hopefully we can fit the players together and they have the balance between the way of playing with the age, experience, younger players and those aged in-between. So that will be a challenge. And then it's up to the coach to get them to play together. It's a challenge for the players and the coach.

It's a difficult league in terms of salary cap and squad rosters meaning there's added importance in getting your recruitment right the first time. As a foreign coach, how much does that daunt you?

We're discussing that a lot John [Didulica] and I. You have to be very aware of who you try to get. You have to look at players who can play in different roles and positions because you're limited. It's also good to have multi-functional players so if you have problems, the solution is in your squad. We want hungry players and who are not earning that much in Europe but can still be a big value here in the league.

Do you favour your five visa spots to come from Europe? Or has Melbourne Victory's Thai experiment opened your eyes to perhaps an AFC player or two?

It would also be very good to find a good Asian player but we're going to look carefully at the foreign players. Maybe sign three and leave two open till the last moment because a lot of things can happen over summer [in Europe] with players out of contract who want to play but not coming into a squad. It's what's on the market and who you can get...

What about Costa Rica? Victory has laid the groundwork...

We thinking a lot about all over the world but it takes a lot of time to go to Costa Rica and see players play. I can't be in different places at the once so you have to have good contacts and know the players. Melbourne Victory do their way, and we will do ours. Maybe after a few years they will say 'the Dutch, German or English players, they know Melbourne'. It's good to look at other teams but we have to do it our way. That makes it nice, everyone has their way of doing things to make a good league.

What or who has caught your eye in the A-League so far?

Live, I've seen about five or six games including the Oman game. I've seen some youth games too. So I'm coming into the game now. The will to play is there. I thought Sydney were well organised against Melbourne Victory and they deserved to win. I'm not going to refer to certain players but I like technical players but also I like players in the midfield who can pick off the balls and be the motor of the team. Fortunately with the size of the league, I can get to see the league quickly, learn the players.

Is it generally a British style?

Not a British style every time. I see a lot of teams who are willing to play the ball and have a good vision and a good way of getting forward. And sometimes there is the long kicking and the fight to win the second ball. Sometimes you have to play the long ball. And the long ball is not a bad ball. So it will also be a mix of that. We have to find the players first and they have an influence on the way you play. If you have a very big striker who keeps the ball, it is easier from behind to play the ball to him, he keeps the ball and you support him with you midfielders. If you have a different kind of striker, who's more quick, then maybe you have to find him in a later stage to reach him.

Does Sydney FC play a European style as you understand it?

I can see he is  very clear in what and how he wants his organisation on and off the pitch. In Holland we say that they want a banister to hold on like going up a stairs. If things aren't going well, you can grab the banister and you know if you grab them, I'm doing my job well. He's doing that and he's bringing that into the team when they have the ball and don't have the ball. And also in the rules off the pitch. It's important to have a clear vision but it's always difficult to talk about coaches you don't know. All I see is the game.

Finally, what is your message to any new potential fans of Melbourne Heart?

We're going to start from scratch. We want to be a team involved also in the community in schools and clinics. It's very important to try to inspire the youth. The youth is the future. And people maybe want to get involved in something new and they now have a chance to get involved in a new football club and a new community. And of course we want to have our own style and identity. That's why I made the choice. That'counts with the people too.

To see inside the bubble dome with van't Schip...