Speaking during his unveiling at the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) headquarters on Thursday (Oct 23), the Englishman, who replaced the dismissed Masatada Ishii, said his top priority is to take Thailand to the Asian Cup.
Thailand are scheduled to play Sri Lanka in their fifth qualifier in Colombo on Nov 18, with the final group match against Turkmenistan set for March next year, reports the Bangkok Post.
Both teams have nine points from four games, but Turkmenistan hold the edge with a superior head-to-head record against the War Elephants.
“My dream is to help Thailand qualify for the Asian Cup, to do everything I can to improve the team, help the players and fans be proud of the Thai team. And I will do everything I can to achieve that,” said Hudson, who added that his contract with the FAT will be finalised in the coming days.
“I have due respect for Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan, and I expect both games to be difficult. However, I have full confidence that Thailand will qualify. The team are in a good spot right now. With proper preparation, Thailand can make it to the Asian Cup.”
Hudson added: “I’ve been in this situation a few times. When I took over Bahrain 10 years ago as a very young coach, the remit was to qualify for the Asian Cup. And we did that in difficult circumstances. When I took over the US national team, the remit was to qualify for the Nations League finals. We did that too. So I’ve been in a few situations like this, where you come in and you’ve got to win and qualify.”
Hudson, who previously served as technical director for Thailand’s U23s, also praised Ishii for his work with the national team and insisted he will build on the Japanese coach’s foundation while adding his own personality.
“Firstly, I need to send my respect to Ishii. He did a very good job. It would be foolish of me to come in and change everything. I also have my own strong personal ideas. The team right now are doing some really good things. It’s about identifying those that are effective and, over time, implementing the things I feel strongly about to put my personality on the team. But it is more evolution than revolution,” he said.
Hudson admitted the angry reaction to Ishii’s dismissal was “difficult to read” but preferred to see it as passion from the fans.
“One thing I love about Thailand is that they care and love their team so much. The reaction was difficult to read. I felt bad because I can see how much Madam President [FAT chief Nualphan Lamsam] loves Thai football. I also respect the fans’ response. I love the passion. I just hope over time I can deliver big results that the fans can be proud of. There’s nothing I want more than to get the team to the Asian Cup and make the fans proud.”
‘Thank you very much’
Meanwhile, Ishii thanked fans for their support and said he wants to continue coaching in his latest Instagram post.
“To everyone who sent me a message, thank you very much. I still want to work as a coach and plan to coach in Thailand or other countries. I can no longer work as coach of the Thai national team, but I would like to continue to support the team just like everyone else,” the Japanese coach wrote.
Ishii’s dismissal on Tuesday followed a meeting at FAT headquarters with the association’s technical committee.
According to Ishii, he was abruptly dismissed during what was supposed to be a routine performance review after the national team’s Asian Cup qualifiers.
“They weren’t sincere,” he wrote on an Instagram story immediately after his sacking.
The surprise decision drew heavy criticism from furious football fans, who flooded social media platforms including the FAT president’s Facebook page.
FAT vice-president Dr Charnwit Polcheewin and board member Piyapong Pue-on also faced backlash, accused of orchestrating Ishii’s ouster.