It is not easy supporting Austria at the moment. After a run of one win in ten games, Josef Hickersberger's side finally seemed to have turned the corner when they raced into a 3-0 lead against the Netherlands on 26 March. What a false dawn that turned out to be. The Oranje regrouped, hit four unanswered goals and left a stunned Ernst-Happel-Stadion shock 4-3 winners. A match that had started so promisingly for the UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts ultimately served to add fuel to the critics' fire.
'Team spirit'
Austria coach Hickersberger, however, insists his players are not feeling the heat as their Group B opener against Croatia approaches on 8 June. "We are not just relying on home advantage," he told uefa.com. "We are also relying on the team spirit we have built over the last few months. We have been criticised a lot and the team have grown together as a result of that and have developed a very strong spirit. All the squad, regardless of who plays, will give absolutely 100 per cent and our fighting spirit and team spirit will be second to none. We quite simply expect the whole of Austria to be behind us. If that is the case, I think we will be very difficult to beat. I am convinced of that."
'Biggest challenge'
Hickersberger speaks with enthusiasm. A former Austrian international, he began his second spell as coach of the country in January 2006 and is about to embark on his second major tournament in the dugout. For all he has achieved in the game, though, the prospect of leading his side on home soil this summer will be like nothing else he has experienced. "This is the biggest challenge I have faced in my career," he said. "There is nothing better than being manager of a team at a UEFA European Championship, especially if you are hosting it."
Friendly fire
The 60-year-old says his charges should not be judged on results in friendly matches alone. He was coach of Austria at the 1990 FIFA World Cup and argues that their form in the build-up to those finals had little bearing on the performance in Italy. "Games played before the tournament don't really have much significance," he said. "In 1990, we drew against then-world champions Argentina, including Diego Maradona, just before the World Cup.
'Expectations'
"We also beat European champions Holland 3-2, when they had all their top stars playing like Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Ronald Koeman etc. After that, we simply couldn't cope with the expectations we had to face. Expectations in Austria were really high, people even thought we could win the World Cup. Then, being eliminated in the first round was a national catastrophe. At the moment, however, we don't have such good results to show for ourselves, so it means we won't have to face that situation again."
'Outsider'
Playing on home soil brings pressures of a different kind, although the sequence of disappointing scorelines and a tough draw alongside Croatia, Poland and Germany have combined to dampen optimism. "The pressure is not that great because we are the biggest outsiders in the competition," he continued. "Of course the stress levels will rise in the run-up to the tournament, but I think our chance lies in accepting the underdog role and making the most of it."
Upsets
Hickersberger is no stranger to footballing upsets. He was in the side that famously knocked holders Germany out of the 1978 World Cup and will be constantly reminded of the event, the Miracle of Cordoba, as the 16 June meeting of the two neighbours looms. It was Hickersberger's last international cap and if it evokes fond memories, he refuses to dwell on past success. It is up to the current team to make memories of their own. "It is a nice memory, nothing more," he said. "It is 30 years ago ... In Austria, we are very proud of our past because we used to be a big empire and we have a great history, but really Cordoba 1978 ... We need to look at 2008 and concentrate on the present and think about the future."
'Excitement'
Austria's recent progress at Under-20 and U21 levels has given Hickersberger a willing pool of fresh talent to choose from, and the promotion of the likes of Sebastian Prödl and Martin Harnik, both aged 20, ahead of senior players shows a willingness to trust in youth. The question now is how they take to the biggest stage. "We will have the nation behind us," he said. "This will inspire the team. There will be huge excitement in the squad and this excitement will drive us to deliver big performances."
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