Humberto Coelho and Jo Bonfrere tried - and failed - to fill the void left in South Korea following the extraordinary exploits of Guus Hiddink and his team at the World Cup in 2002.

The Dutchman attained cult-like status in the Land of the Morning Calm by taking the tournament co-hosts to the semi-finals of the competition, the first time the South Koreans had progressed to the knockout phase of the World Cup in six attempts.

But following Hiddink's return to Holland and to PSV Eindhoven, the fortunes of the Korean national team have suffered a post-World Cup slump prompted by the retirement of key players and the increased expectation brought about by the team's exploits in 2002.

With neither Coelho nor Bonfrere spending much longer than a year in the hot-seat, another Dutchman appeared on the scene to attempt to build on the phenomenal success achieved by Hiddink's team.

Step forward Dick Advocaat, who steered Holland to the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup and the semi-finals of Euro 2004, a man known for being a hard taskmaster and who will be hoping to succeed where Coelho and Bonfrere failed.

But, with Advocaat's appointment coming less than nine months before the June 9 kick-off in Germany, the question remains whether the 58-year-old can go some way towards emulating the achievements of Hiddink.

One man who knows both coaches well is Pim Verbeek, who worked as Hiddink's assistant during his time in South Korea and also with PSV Eindhoven.

Verbeek will return to Korea to work alongside Advocaat in the run-up to Germany 2006 and is confident the new coaching team can be a success.

"The difference between the two is their way of management," says Verbeek, who worked with Advocaat at Borussia Monchengladbach and in the United Arab Emirates.

"Hiddink is more relaxed and also more of a politician.

"He is the one who works with the media and tells them what they like to hear and that's one of his biggest strong points because it keeps the pressure away from the team. He's very relaxed and confident. That's the big difference.

"How they handle players and teams is the same because they are both top coaches.

"The feeling they have for how players are - if a player is tired or not playing at his best - is the same. That's a feeling you have through experience.

"Both are very good coaches. Hiddink is more relaxed, he thinks about what he says. Advocaat doesn't think so much and says what he thinks. Sometimes that gets him in trouble.

"With the group, during training sessions as well as tactically both are exactly the same. But Advocaat is more straight, more direct.

"But that can also be very clever because everyone knows how what he is thinking, which is important.

"He's the perfect guy for the players. He is about coaching and handling the players. The Koreans will really love him because he's a good man and a good coach.

"Guus did a lot of good things in Korea and I also have a good feeling about Dick."

Advocaat made a significant impact in Korea even before he had arrived in Seoul by hiring former national team captain Hong Myung-bo as one of his assistants.

Hong, long considered the best defender ever produced by an Asian nation, led Hiddink's team to the last four in 2002, the fourth time he had played in the finals before retiring from the international game and spending the last 18 months in the United States.

He remains an icon of Korean football and Verbeek believes his hiring will help bridge the extensive gap in Advocaat's knowledge about his new team.

"Advocaat has no experience with Korean or Asian football but he has me and we have also taken on Hong Myung-bo," said the former Kyoto Purple Sanga manager.

"I discussed it with Advocaat and it is easier to work with someone we know and someone who speaks English. He was top of the list and he was interested.

"We wanted to have Myung-bo on the staff so we would have as many people as possible who knew Korea. With Hong we have someone who knows Korean football and is very famous and has a lot of respect inside and outside Korea.

"That covers Advocaat's weak points because we only have a short time because it's not even nine months as you have to be ready by May."

Whether it will be enough will only be answered when the World Cup kicks-off next summer. But Advocaat is at least giving himself and the Koreans a fighting chance of success.