Former Bantams skipper Rehman urges players to try Far East

The former City skipper has spent the last 11 years playing and managing in the Far East - barring a brief return to play for Gillingham in 2017.

Rehman came back to England in the summer to take up the role of lead professional development phase coach at League One Portsmouth.

He is relishing the fresh challenge of developing prospective young talent for former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley on the south coast.

But Rehman, who played 71 games for the Bantams between January 2009 and December 2010, endorses the chance for other pros to step out of their comfort zone and follow in his footsteps in leagues in Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

He said: “Look at the current stats in the game where the average career length is seven years. Most guys are finished by 27.

“It’s a really good option to go and maintain a career but you have to treat it properly.

“I’ve seen many players go out with the wrong attitude and come back with their tails between their legs. It’s not that simple.

“Firstly, you have to do your job very well. You have to be a leader and raising the standards of the local players and share what you know.

“You must produce. A lot of the clubs have a technical director recruited from Europe, so they know what is expected.

“Then it’s about embracing the environment that you are in. I can speak a bit of Thai, Malaysian and a few words of Chinese.

“It’s just conversational not fluent but I think that’s a very important aspect.

“Football is about learning respect. As a player or a coach, you’ve got to have that in the changing room.

“As a manager you’ve got to have that with all the stakeholders. One way to do that is to make an effort with the language.”

Rehman started his Asian adventure with Muangthong United in Thailand after leaving Valley Parade.

He moved on to Kitchee in Hong Kong and Pahang in Malaysia before a 10-game spell back in League One helping Gillingham beat the drop.

“It was more to prove a point because I was basically told that once you’ve left England, you can’t come back,” the Pakistan international told the T&A.

“That was more for myself to show that I could still do it. They were looking for an experienced centre half and, at the time, my club in Malaysia wanted me to be the head coach.

“I wasn’t interested whatsoever because I wasn’t ready to do that, so it all coincided at the right time.”

Zesh Rehman is the lead professional development phase coach at Portsmouth (Image: Twitter)

But he returned to Hong Kong to join Southern where he spent the next five years - the last two as player-manager.

“I started with the coaching licenses and went all the way through. I got a degree at the same time and prolonged my playing career by another five years.

“It was a bit of luck because of the pandemic. The club had to cut the budget and I sort of fell into the role, which was great experience.

“I was really clear with the bosses that it was about still being able to play as well.

“We created an academy kind of feel to an extent. The environment was about development, improving players and changing the whole model of the club.

“That’s the bit that fascinated me on the development side and leads on to where I am now.

“A lot of 18-year-olds transitioned into the first team and it’s really rewarding to see.

“To get this opportunity at a really big club with a lot of history, to try and do that again, I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it.”

Rehman has already seen a couple of his academy players at Pompey given some first-team involvement in the Papa Johns Trophy - and one youngster, Koby Mottoh, came off the bench last night to score in a 5-2 win over Southampton in the Hampshire Senior Cup.

As a proud coach looking on, Rehman is clearly enjoying his next stage in football.

“I’ve squeezed out every drop of a playing career that I could.

“I played for 20 years and felt the time was up on that front. I’ve got absolutely zero regrets.

“It was always part of the long-term plan to work at an academy at a club where I can learn.

“I’m trying to transmit what I’ve learned as a player into their development and equip them for the realities they could face.

“It’s trying to find that balance between supporting them and stretching them a little bit.

“You can never pick and choose the opportunities in football. I want to become the best development coach that I can right now.

“I grew up in football and know the standards required to have a career in the game. Now it’s about bringing that back to the forefront and drip-feeding into the lads that I’m working with.

“You’re not just taking on the kids at this stage. It’s also other factors, their families and a big change in their life training every day.

“Having lived that, I feel I’m in a really good position to support them.”