THE Britannia Stadium or the New Den it definitely isn't, but Mark Harrison, who until recently was Oxford United's assistant manager, dismisses any suggestion that his move to Dhaka to take over as the Bangladesh national team manager is going down in the world.

"It's a country of 120 million, and they are passionate about football," he said. "I'm excited by the challenge.

"The standard is about the same as the English third division, but they are desperate to improve.

"All their play is instinctive, there's no shape and no discipline, so my job will be to make things happen a bit more professionally, and to put it more in line with the English style of play."

Harrison, who spent several years as a football coach in South Africa, said: "If I can do all this, it will make the team better equipped to compete at international level.

"And that's at their international level, which is not the same as England, Italy or Germany." Bangladesh are in an Asian World Cup qualifying group alongside Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Mongolia and they know straight away that they stand little chance of winning the group.

Saudi Arabia, who reached the 1998 World Cup finals in France, will probably be far too strong for the rest.

"But the Bangladesh people feel they can beat Vietnam and Mongolia," Harrison said.

The 39-year-old has been given a three-year deal by the Asian Football Confederation, who hold his contract. Everything else - apartment, car, food and living expenses - is being paid for by the Bangladesh FA.

The news that he would be swapping North Leigh in wealthy west Oxfordshire for one of the poorest places on this planet understandably provoked a mixed reception at home.

Wife Julie and nine-year-old daughter Charlotte were quite happy to try it out but 14-year-old son Ryan took more persuading. "In the end, they understand I need to work," said Harrison. Both children will be go to the American school in the country's capital.

Mark has already been out to get a feel of the place.

"It's a huge culture shock the first time you visit Bangladesh," he said. "The poverty is unbelievable and it's so over-crowded. The trauma in front of your eyes is almost overwhelming - but so is the friendliness of the people."

The youth team manager at the Manor Ground during Denis Smith's previous term in charge and Malcolm Shotton's first-team coach and sidekick until the pair were asked to go last October, Harrison is disappointed with the way events turned out at Oxford.

Some observers thought that, when things were starting to turn in the last few months that Shotton was in charge, Harrison could have saved his skin - and might have got the caretaker manager's job - by distancing himself from the manager.

But he said: "I'm not like that. I said to Malcolm when we left that I was proud of the fact that we stood together.

Story date: Thursday 23 March

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