Post by QPR Report on Nov 5, 2009 13:40:42 GMT
Zesh Rehman in the eyes of the Pakistani coach
Pak coach dubs Zesh Rehman best defender of South Asia
Associated Press of Pakistan-
LAHORE,Nov 5 (APP) Pakistan football foreign coach,George Kottan believes that Zeshan Rehman (Bradford City) and Atif Bashir (Bridgend Town FC) together are the best central defenders in South Asia. “Atif was outstanding during Colombo’s AFC Challenge Cup this year while I am really impressed with the potential of Zeeshan during Talent search Euro Tour 2009. Zesh had never represented Pakistan under me but I have records that he played SAFF Championship brilliantly at Karachi four years ago but missed the next at Maldives last year “,he said here on Thursday.
This defender, favourites to join me for coming SAFF Championship mission alongwith Atif, has enormous talent and enough capability to re join Pakistan after playing his last international for Pakistan at Syria two years ago, blocking all Iraqis attacks in World Cup Qualifier 0 0 draw,he added.
Coach George Kottan was recently on European Tour on a mission to find talented Pakistani expatriates players to be a part of Pakistani teams for the 8th SAFF Championship (December 2009) and 11th South Asian Federation Games (Jan Feb 2010).
Nicknames Zesh, he is an English Pakistani football defender who was the first British Asian to start a Barclays Premier League match and is the first to have played in all four divisions of professional football in England. He was the first Pakistani international footballer to play professional
football in England. “I watched him play for Bardford in League Two game against Notts County at Meadow Lane and Carling League Cup tie
against Nottingham Forest . But I have to take more time to see Birmingham born defender in more actions so that his actual competency could be known as far as representation of national team is concerned”, added Kottan.
Meanwhile, Zesh, now 25, praised Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s President Faisal Saleh Hayat’s directives to ask Kottan monitor the European based footballers of Pakistani origin who are interested in playing for Pakistan and also those who have already played for Pakistan but are
still unknown to Kottan. “I also want to see the whole infrastructure of Pakistani football improve and see more players from other countries decide to represent Pakistan. My ambitions for Pakistan are to reach last 32 of World Cup one day Insha Allah. Hopefully, we can achieve this while I am still a player, if not then I would love to be the manager that does it”,he said.
“I am gaining more experience all the time and have now worked under nine managers and played for six clubs Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers, Blackpool and Bradford city during last six years. In terms of gaining more experience it was exactly what I needed and one of the reasons I moved around England”,he asserted.
www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89281&Itemid=1
Pak coach dubs Zesh Rehman best defender of South Asia
Associated Press of Pakistan-
LAHORE,Nov 5 (APP) Pakistan football foreign coach,George Kottan believes that Zeshan Rehman (Bradford City) and Atif Bashir (Bridgend Town FC) together are the best central defenders in South Asia. “Atif was outstanding during Colombo’s AFC Challenge Cup this year while I am really impressed with the potential of Zeeshan during Talent search Euro Tour 2009. Zesh had never represented Pakistan under me but I have records that he played SAFF Championship brilliantly at Karachi four years ago but missed the next at Maldives last year “,he said here on Thursday.
This defender, favourites to join me for coming SAFF Championship mission alongwith Atif, has enormous talent and enough capability to re join Pakistan after playing his last international for Pakistan at Syria two years ago, blocking all Iraqis attacks in World Cup Qualifier 0 0 draw,he added.
Coach George Kottan was recently on European Tour on a mission to find talented Pakistani expatriates players to be a part of Pakistani teams for the 8th SAFF Championship (December 2009) and 11th South Asian Federation Games (Jan Feb 2010).
Nicknames Zesh, he is an English Pakistani football defender who was the first British Asian to start a Barclays Premier League match and is the first to have played in all four divisions of professional football in England. He was the first Pakistani international footballer to play professional
football in England. “I watched him play for Bardford in League Two game against Notts County at Meadow Lane and Carling League Cup tie
against Nottingham Forest . But I have to take more time to see Birmingham born defender in more actions so that his actual competency could be known as far as representation of national team is concerned”, added Kottan.
Meanwhile, Zesh, now 25, praised Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s President Faisal Saleh Hayat’s directives to ask Kottan monitor the European based footballers of Pakistani origin who are interested in playing for Pakistan and also those who have already played for Pakistan but are
still unknown to Kottan. “I also want to see the whole infrastructure of Pakistani football improve and see more players from other countries decide to represent Pakistan. My ambitions for Pakistan are to reach last 32 of World Cup one day Insha Allah. Hopefully, we can achieve this while I am still a player, if not then I would love to be the manager that does it”,he said.
“I am gaining more experience all the time and have now worked under nine managers and played for six clubs Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers, Blackpool and Bradford city during last six years. In terms of gaining more experience it was exactly what I needed and one of the reasons I moved around England”,he asserted.
www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89281&Itemid=1
