Ernest Faber, a name synonymous with PSV Eindhoven, has made a significant move in 2024 by accepting a position as Adelaide United's Technical Director. Faber recently shared his thoughts on this new chapter in an exclusive interview with Front Page Football.
Adelaide United’s new Technical Director, Ernest Faber (centre), with Football Director, Marius Zanin (left), and CEO, Nathan Kosmina (right). (Image: Pagonis Photography)
Ernest Faber's name has been linked with PSV Eindhoven for the better part of four decades when he walked through the doors of De Herdgang as a 13-year-old in 1984.
Since 2018, Faber has served as the head of PSV's youth academy during a period when the club integrated an array of talent from its academy into the senior team, including recognisable names like Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, and Mohamed Ihattaren.
When PSV and Adelaide United forged a partnership agreement, it spelled the start of a new chapter for Faber. This agreement led to an opportunity for him to become the Technical Director of the A-Leagues club, a role that instantly caught his interest.
During a visit to South Australia in January with Adelaide United majority owner Cor Adriaanse, Faber was pleasantly surprised with what he encountered.
"I was here in January, and I saw the environment, the partnership, and the people at this club, which was very similar to PSV Eindhoven. It was strange for me because I had spent over 24 hours travelling and ended up somewhere with the same atmosphere but with nicer weather," Faber told Front Page Football.
With both his parents' recent passings and his children now grown up, Faber felt the timing was perfect for a fresh start. The other driving factor behind the move was not wanting to live with any regrets.
"I don't want to have the feeling at the end of my career that I should have gone to Australia but didn't. That is the most pain you get in your career," he shared.
"I had a chance to go abroad as a player. I was good enough to be at PSV Eindhoven, and there was an agreement with Newcastle United, but then there was an injury, and I ended up staying in Eindhoven."
Alongside the opportunity to live in a new country and experience a new culture, Faber was captivated by the challenge of creating a structure from scratch in South Australia, something that he experienced during his time at PSV.
"With this club, you have to do a lot more than with PSV. There, you have a program that is fixed, and you are more of a manager; you either fit or don't; you follow the program," he said.
"Here, you have to build up something for the future; there is a lot more work. This is what I also started with PSV at the beginning. It was a similar situation to here, and after a few years, we created something fantastic in Eindhoven. We want to do this here in Adelaide."
Ernest Faber (right) observes Adelaide United's pre-season training at the club's Playford training base. (Image: Adelaide United)
Many partnerships between clubs, both at the professional and semi-professional levels, have been described as insignificant or even one-sided.
Faber stressed that the relationship between Adelaide United and PSV Eindhoven is genuine and mutually beneficial, and that for it to work as desired, it was important to have someone like him with boots on the ground in South Australia.
"You have to be there; otherwise, it is not a partnership. It may be a partnership just on paper, but for me, that means nothing. A partnership is in practice, especially on the pitch, because we are a football club," he said.
"I was born on the pitch, I will die on the pitch, and I want to make change on the pitch because that is where the work is done."
While trips to PSV - such as the one Amlani Tatu, Feyzo Kasumovic, Malual Nichola, Bailey O'Neil, and several Adelaide United staff members undertook in May 2024 - alongside a pathway to Europe benefit the Reds, Faber shared that this partnership is as beneficial for the Dutch giants.
"This can be a pathway to another culture, but the competition in the A-League is ideal for young players to take the next step. We have the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division), and the A-League is in between. It is the ideal step to put young players in for experience at a high level with high intensity," he explained.
"This is also for the coaches in Eindhoven to come and learn because you can't just copy what you have done over there in another country. It is an experience for the players to be abroad and for the coach program in Eindhoven to bring them here, share our knowledge, and have them train different cultures."
The Adelaide United delegation that travelled to Eindhoven in May is only the start of PSV's partnership with the Reds, according to Faber. (Image: Adelaide United)
Faber does not shy away from the fact that both Adelaide United and PSV Eindhoven must develop players before eventually selling them. He stressed that this process must be a team effort and can produce many positive effects.
Part of Faber’s role in Adelaide is creating a mechanism that optimises this process so that both players and the club benefit.
"When you look at Eindhoven, it is similar to Adelaide; we need to sell our players to get money. This is part of our budget, so we invest in our youth department, and then we get rewarded for that investment,” Faber reflected.
"This is not the work of one person or one group; this is the work of unity. This is not the work of one or two years; this has been going on since 1913. I see a similar mechanism in Adelaide.
"This isn't just for new buildings; you need them, but you also need to educate your own employees, to educate your own players to make them better. If you always invest in the education and the development of the people around the players, alongside the players themselves, then you will have success in Adelaide as well, so this is where we will look to start."
Faber believes Adelaide has done well in that department over the last few years but that there is room for improvement. One area for improvement is squad balance.
He cited the logical construction of all championship teams, including the ones he played in during his time at PSV. These successful teams must combine a healthy balance between youth and experience, which the Reds are working to achieve.
"When you want to develop good talent, you need experienced people next to them. You need that in every line of your team. You can have the best players, but that doesn't guarantee you have a good team," Faber said.
Faber confirmed that he has opened up his network of connections built up over 40 years to Adelaide United for this purpose, just like the club has opened up its network for him as he settles into his new role.
In his first media call as a Red, new signing Bart Vriends admitted that alongside Football Director, Marius Zanin, Faber was one of the first contacts he had when the club flagged its interest in his services.
Bart Vriends (left) and Ernest Faber (right) converse during an Adelaide United training session. (Image: Adelaide United)
Regarding the Adelaide United team Faber watched from Holland last season, he saw promise, citing the final-round matchup as an example.
Faber was impressed with Adelaide's ability to take the game to the champions, the Central Coast Mariners, away from home, but admitted that the effort shown in the first 36 minutes, before the Mariners took control, has to translate into complete 90-minute performances.
"I have seen a lot of positive things, but in development, there is a saying that you either see the trees or the spaces between the trees. I see the spaces between the trees; I see the solutions," he said.
“There were good parts last season. I understand the disappointment with the results, but even then, it is a good development to perform well, and we should make some smart investments together with Carl (Veart), Adrian (Stenta) and the rest of the coaches to come up with a consistent way of playing for 90 minutes."
When it comes to working with the Adelaide United players, Faber feels that it is crucial to communicate the importance of attention to detail.
"When you go to the Champions League level, then every small detail is important, and the young players at Eindhoven are trained on detail," Faber shared.
"80% of the game, the players will do the same thing because they copy it off the television, but that last 20% is the most difficult part and not to do it once or twice, but to do it every day, every week, every month, every year for your career.
"You may be in the top spot of a race from day one, but if you stop sprinting and they overtake you, you will never overtake them again; the race is lost. That is the detail. It is my job to explain this in the best way I can."
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Before he officially commenced his role in July, Faber met some Adelaide United fans, including members of the Red Army and the club's Member Representative Group.
As he transitions to life at the Reds, Faber feels that listening to fans is essential to forming a complete picture of the club.
"It was nice to meet them because, as a player, it is who you play for and who you entertain. They are there, they yell for you, they support you, especially the away fans. They experience their club in their own way," he said.
"At PSV, I am the same way; I am one of the ultras in PSV because I was born in the city. First, I was a fan, then a player, and then a coach."
Faber urged fans to stick by the club despite a challenging 2023/24 campaign, noting that those are the times supporters are needed most. He reassured that he is working with the club to assemble strong sides that play an "entertaining style of football filled with passion and energy" for the fans heading into the 2024/25 season.
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