Soccer-Bazdarevic named Bosnia coach with eye on Euros

(Adds Bazdarevic quotes, detail) SARAJEVO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Bosnia's new coach Mehmed Bazdarevic said reaching Euro 2016 will be difficult but not impossible after the Balkan country's FA (NFSBIH) on Saturday appointed him to succeed Safet Susic. Bazdarevic, a gifted former Yugoslavia midfielder who coached French teams Grenoble and Sochaux, was picked ahead of Serb Milovan Rajevac after the NFSBIH gave the 54-year old from Visegrad a unanimous vote of confidence. The local soccer governing body convened in the national team's Zenica training base and picked Bazdarevic after several-hour long discussions following Susic's dismissal last month. He faces an uphill task to reach the Euros in France after Bosnia collected two points from their opening four Group B qualifiers to stand second-bottom. Israel top the group with a maximum nine points ahead of Wales on eight from four games. "The situation is very difficult so the first thing we have to do is rebuild a good atmosphere in and around the dressing room in order to get back to winning ways," Bazdarevic told Bosnian media. "If all the pieces fall into place, who knows.. anything is possible in football. Either way, I am honoured and delighted to have been elected." A 3-0 defeat away to Israel in their last qualifier on Nov. 16 was the final straw for Susic, hailed as a hero after taking Bosnia to the World Cup, lambasted following a group-stage exit and finally sacked after a poor start to Euro 2016 qualifying. Bazdarevic, who scored four goals in 54 international appearances, faces the immediate challenge of working alongside Bosnia's feisty captain Edin Dzeko who came to loggerheads with Susic before this year's World Cup in Brazil. Bosnia visit Andorra in March and host Israel in June in their next two qualifiers. (Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)