Ricki Lloyd HerbertCNZM (born 10 April 1961) is a New Zealand formerfootballer and manager. He is the current director of football atHamilton Wanderers AFC.
Herbert represented New Zealand at age group level, playing for theNew Zealand under-20 side[3] and gained 61 full international caps from 1980 to 1989, scoring seven goals.[4][5]
Herbert made his full international début in a 4–0 win overMexico on 20 August 1980 at the age of 18, and featured in all 15 matches of the All Whites' World Cup qualifying campaign for the1982 FIFA World Cup inSpain. Herbert was a substitute for the loss againstScotland, but was reinstated to the starting eleven for bothSoviet Union andBrazil as New Zealand failed to claim any points in their first World Cup finals appearance.[6]
At club level, he represented a number of teams in his homeland and played in the Australian league.[7] He had his greatest success withMt Wellington AFC where he won three league championships during two spells with the club and twoChatham Cup triumphs.
In 1982 Herbert spent some time in England atSouthampton F.C., where he made a few appearances for the reserve team and one disastrous friendly appearance for the first team.[8] He also had a spell in English football withWolverhampton Wanderers from 1984 to 1986, where he made 49 appearances in total. He was signed by managerTommy Docherty who had previously coached Herbert while manager ofSydney Olympic. However, his time at the club coincided with them sliding down the leagues; Herbert was part of the team relegated to the third tier in 1985, but left in March 1986 shortly before a successive relegation after falling out with new managerSammy Chapman.[9]
Herbert began his coaching career atPapakura City AFC in 1990, before taking over at neighbouringPapatoetoe AFC in 1993. From 1996 he took charge ofCentral United in the National Summer League, finishing mid table in his first season in charge. In both 1997 and 1998, Herbert took Central United to victory in theChatham Cup and finished a close second in the league. In 1999, New Zealand reverted to separate North Island and South Island leagues, with the winners of each playing off for title ofNew Zealand Champion. Central United, winners of the North Island Soccer League, defeated the South Island winner,Dunedin Technical, 3–1, after extra time, in the championship final.
Herbert's domestic success attracted attention from NZ football association, and in 1999 he was appointed coach of the under-23Oly-Whites qualifying campaign for the Sydney Olympics. An appointment of assistant national coach followed in 2001. In 2003 Herbert took charge of the New Zealand U-17 team.[10]
As Director of Technical Development, Herbert was again responsible for New Zealand Olympic campaign in 2004, although they failed to qualify for the finals in Athens.[11]
Herbert was appointed All Whites coach on 25 February 2005, replacingMick Waitt after being his assistant since 2003, with his first game in charge being scheduled in June that year as a friendly against archrivalAustralia.[12]As national coach, the All Whites won their first match in Europe when beatingGeorgia 3–1 in Germany in May 2006.[13] On that tour, which included a 4–0 loss toBrazil, the All Whites drew 1–1 withEstonia in Tallinn.[14]Herbert was honouredNew Zealand Coach of the Year for 2007.[15] Herbert led the New Zealand national football team to the victory in the2008 OFC Nations Cup, qualifying for the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup inSouth Africa. Herbert is the second manager and only New Zealander to take New Zealand to theFIFA World Cup for a second time when his side qualified for the2010 FIFA World Cup by winningWorld Cup qualifying play-off againstBahrain.On 15 June 2010, New Zealand drew 1–1 withSlovakia in their opening match in the World Cup Finals.[16] This was their first ever point at a World Cup Finals and was earned whenWinston Reid headed home a dramatic injury-time equaliser. Herbert described the draw as the "best ever result" for the New Zealand national team.[17] In New Zealand's second game in the tournament, they held reigning world championsItaly to a memorable draw.[18]The All Whites' third game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was against Paraguay. The outcome was a nil-all draw, meaning New Zealand did not advance to the second round. New Zealand ended up becoming the only 'undefeated' team in the tournament.
Herbert announced his retirement following the All Whites' 4–2 loss to Mexico in November 2013, failing to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.[19][20]
In December 2006, after FFA announced that it had revoked the 2006 seasonA-League licence held by the Knights' owners, Herbert took over the reins of the now defunctNew Zealand Knights under an arrangement between theFFA and NZ Soccer whereby the national body would step in to manage the club to meet their commitments for the remaining five games of the season.[21] In that time the franchise won three matches, drew one and lost to competition winners Melbourne Victory.
In 2007 the new A-League franchise,Wellington Phoenix was granted a three-year license, and ownerTerry Serepisos and Herbert immediately confirmed as head coach.[22][23] On 26 February 2013, Herbert resigned from his role as head coach and took on an advisory role within the club.
Herbert was appointed head coach of the Maldives on 9 September 2015.[27] He sought an early termination to his two-year contract in June 2016 after 14 games in charge of the national side.[28]
In September 2016, Herbert announced he was taking up a new coaching role as Director of Football for St Peter's, Cambridge,[29] and as Technical Director forCambridge FC, one of the biggest clubs in theWaikato region.[30]In May 2017, Herbert was announced as the head coach forHamilton Wanderers AFC in theNew Zealand Football Championship, providing him with a summer role that complements his winter coaching commitments.[31]
Herbert holds aUEFA 'A' International Coaching Licence,[12] and UEFA 'Pro' International Coaching Licence course that finished in June 2008.[32][33][34]
In 2014, Herbert established the Ricki Herbert Football Academy in New Zealand, providing coaching for boys and girls aged 4–17.[35] By 2016, the academy was operating seven talent centres in New Zealand[36] and had announced a partnership withFulham, anEnglish professional football club playing in theChampionship.[37]
Herbert comes from a successful sporting family. His mother, Shirley, was a champion sprinter while his father, Clive, was a professional cyclist.[38] His father was also a long-time football administrator,[39] represented New Zealand as an official at the1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, and was a professional trainer of standardbred harness racing horses.[40] Herbert's son, Kale, is a professional football coach, working as head coach for the Ricki Herbert Football Academy and as head coach forHamilton Wanderers who play in theNew Zealand Football Championship in New Zealand.[39]
A biography of Herbert's life,A New Fire, written by Russell Gray, was published in New Zealand by HarperCollins in 2009.[32][33][34]
