How did John Herdman make his debut in the Indonesian National Team?

John Herdman found the same passion for football with the Indonesian National Team (Indonesian National Team doc).

JAKARTA - Four goals, a clean sheet, and the first victory in the debut were enough to give John Herdman a place in the hearts of the Indonesian national team supporters.

The 4-0 victory over Saint Kitts and Nevis in the 2026 FIFA Series match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Friday, March 27, 2026, WIB night, made Herdman relieved to step on the Garuda Squad for the first time in an official international match since taking over the coaching seat in December 2025.

Throughout the match, Herdman never seemed to be silent on the sidelines. In addition to being a characteristic of the coach who is also a Newcastle character, the 50-year-old also wants to ensure that his instructions go right on the field so as not to spoil his debut.

Herdman said that it had taken root in him as a son born in Newcastle. Newcastle residents have long been known to have a high passion and passion for football.

This is coupled with the passion of Indonesian football, where the Garuda Squad is supported by militants by its supporters.

"Yes, I'm from Newcastle. It's a passionate football city. I think that passion has to be there."

"However, there is obviously a tactical framework and I have high expectations of the players. When you put a team together for a short time, you need constant reminders," Herdman told a news conference after the match.

Implicitly, Herdman wants to portray that his passion as a person born in a football country is very in line in Indonesia.

"As I said before, the atmosphere here is unique, very unique. The national anthem is so powerful, you can feel the connection there."

"What happened at the end of the game, I've never seen it in my football career, being able to connect with the supporters in that way, it's very special."

"You have to connect, you know, our goal is to connect this country from every island, across the thousands of miles we need, and we will give everything for you."

"I'll tell you that, we'll give everything to these supporters. We just hope that the supporters, in the most difficult moments for us, they also give everything for us because there will be difficult times," said Herdman.

In addition to bringing a burning passion for football, Herdman has also proven to provide his experience to bring the Indonesian National Team on a better path.

He did admit that the match against Saint Kitts and Nevis was not easy even though it won big. However, the victory would not have been achieved without going through his very detailed analysis.

"The last time I played against Saint Kitts and Nevis, we (Canada), you know, we had a player from Bayern Munich (Alphonso Davies), we just beat them 1-0. It was a very difficult game."

"So, you know that you can't give them the slightest gap. If that team is able to score a goal, they will be a very difficult opponent," said the figure who led Canada to the 2022 World Cup.

In addition, Herdman said that his team was very disciplined with the instructions given. Therefore, he also praised the attitude of his players, who remained on the original plan of the game even though they had scored four goals.

"In my opinion, discipline to hold off the initial storm is very important. We know they (the opponents) will come out to attack in the first minutes."

"If we can make sure we are disciplined and professional in the first 15, 20 minutes, we know our chances will come."

"So, what helps the most, I think what I found really solid in this performance is the professionalism of the players."

"I think they, they obviously, they set a target, the target was to score four goals and keep a clean sheet, and to do both is a really important thing."

"It's easy to fall into the trap, you know, trying to score more goals when the opposition are defending as well as you can be open and exposed to counterattacks. However, in this game the discipline was there. I was very impressed," said Herdman.