Dubai: Having taken Ali Al Habsi from the footballing wilderness of Oman to Premier League Wigan Athletic, via Lynn Oslo and Bolton Wanderers, conditioning coach John Burridge is now basing himself in the UAE ready to replicate the same feat here.
‘Budgie', 59, of former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa fame, told Gulf News, "I want to show people that Ali Al Habsi was not a fluke or a one-off. I want to show that I can do it for someone else in order to prove Ali was no luck."
Having left Muscat for Dubai following his departure as Oman's goalkeeper coach after the Gulf Cup, Burridge added, "As well as being sub 75th in the world rankings, you need to play 75 per cent of all national games over a period of two years to get a work permit to play abroad."
"So unless we have a 16-year-old that's capable of ousting Al Habsi from the national team I'm not going to produce another keeper in Oman. But the UAE is another story."
Now found on the sidelines of local youth volleyball or handball matches looking for the same height and spring he first found in a 14-year-old Al Habsi, Burridge said, "I will find him somewhere. It may take me a year, it may take me two, but I will produce an icon that the UAE can be proud of, who will play in the best league in the world."
"Countless millions can be spent on sponsorship of stadiums or football teams by UAE brands in England but the greatest advertisement the UAE can have is a face in the league, like Oman has Al Habsi."
Burridge, who estimates Al Habsi's training, preparation and export cost him around Dh200,000 of his own money said, "We have to start exporting players. We're importing but it's an unsustainable business model. We need to send homegrown players out the other way too."
