Adelaide’s success has covered up A-League’s problems

Roar Pro

By Jesse Fink, 14 Jan 2009 Jesse Fink is a Roar Pro

Tagged:: Adelaide United, Aurelio Vidmar, Australia A, development, football, Germany, Guus Hiddink, Pim Verbeek, South Korea, Sydney Football Stadium

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The problem with most clichés, as much as they are anathema to any writer, is that they are true. That point was brought home to me late last week when I met Afshin Ghotbi, the Iranian-American former coach of Persepolis FC who was in Sydney on holiday with his Dutch-Korean girlfriend, Yorum.

It is indeed a small world. And nowhere more than in football.

I’d first spoken to Afshin back in 2006 when he was assistant to Pim Verbeek in South Korea, the same time I’d first met the Dutchman. They lived in Seoul, I lived in Sydney and we might well as have been on separate planets. Their mission at the time, post Dick Advocaat at Germany 2006, was to win the Asian Cup.

Fast-forward three years and Pim is now coach of Australia and Afshin, as I reported on The World Game on Monday, wants to work in the A-League.

For now, Afshin is back at home in Dubai, cooling his heels and waiting for the right job offer. He’s already been approached to work in a cashed-up Middle Eastern league but has made it plain his preference is to work where there are opportunities for real change; where he can make a difference.

It is the same mentality that has guided the career paths of his mentors, Guus Hiddink, Verbeek and Advocaat and it is incumbent upon Australian football administrators to attract to our fledgling league this calibre of football adventurer that exists in and around the Asian/Middle Eastern football axis. Men like Ghotbi, like Jorvan Vieira.

Some would call them “mercenaries”, but that is unfair; mercenary suggests someone who is just there to do a job, get paid, then leave at the first opportunity.

Ghotbi, for one, stayed in Korea for the best part of a decade, as did Verbeek.

(Hiddink might be accused of being one for the speed by which he took and left the Australia job but those were the unique conditions of his assignment. Since then he appears to have bunkered down with some permanence in Russia.)

As I first wrote back in December, for a very young league still learning the ropes of professionalism and the Asian football scene the A-League has a dearth of good foreign coaches and we are losing ground to the Japanese by the day in persisting with local over quality.

There is no reason why foreign coaches can’t come here. They are more affordable than you might think and Australia offers lifestyle and educational opportunities not always available elsewhere in Asia and the Middle East that makes this country a very attractive option for them and their families.

But the overriding objective of our administrators seems to be fast-tracking the coaching careers of ex-players who still have a great deal to learn and an even greater deal of territory to cover before they should rightfully get the chance to call themselves a “coach”. Men like Paul Okon, like Alex Tobin, even Aurelio Vidmar.

In some ways the “success” of Vidmar’s Adelaide United in Asia has been one of the worst things that could happen to the development of the Australian game because it covers up a lot of what is wrong with the domestic league. There is still an all-pervasive kick-and-rush mentality and cult of physicality while slick, smart combination football and tactical smarts are placed at a low premium.

Ghotbi told me after the Sydney-Wellington game at the Sydney Football Stadium that what he’d seen was “absolutely horrible” and that there was scarcely a passage of play where more than five passes had been strung together.

The A-League can be better. We just need to open up our small minds to that small world.

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The Crowd Says (53) | Page 1 of Comments

Dave said | January 14th 2009 @ 6:59am | Report comment

” In some ways the “success” of Vidmar’s Adelaide United in Asia has been one of the worst things that could happen to the development of the Australian game because it covers up a lot of what is wrong with the domestic league.”
Cannot agree at all with that statement. In so many ways AU have led the way forward for HAL clubs and dont forget they defeated another J League club, over 2 legs, on the way to the final and also destroyed the wealthy Uzbek team in the semi at Hindmarsh. It is my belief after watching HAL games for 4 years that the standard is improving…is it improving fast enough? Well how long is a piece of string? Greater improvement is necessary, no doubt and will occur. The standard of goals this season has been the best ever.
Improvements in professionalism and coaching are the keys along with bringing in more quality players such as Jason Culina. Do we need overseas coaches to improve the standard? Havent we had some already Litbarski and Money to name a couple? Lasting legacies from either? We have brought in overseas technical directors of coaching and this will take time to filter through the system.
Overseas is not always better IMO and l would hate to see HAL flooded by foreign coaches, some no doubt would be mercenary. It needs to retain its Oz influence and continue to develop an Oz style of play. Vidmar has done very well and l believe Oz coaches, many who have had experience overseas, will continue to raise the standard of play in HAL. This is not to say there should be no foreign coaches but we dont need to be over run by those who ultimately will spend little time here, have a limited care factor for the greater good of the game , have little connection with the community and take jobs that could have been done by locals.

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Mick of Newie said | January 14th 2009 @ 7:24am | Report comment

Dave, Dave, Dave
we are hardly being overrun by foreign coaches (3 Scottish born long term Aussie residents). It is the lack of contrast in the A league that is obvious. Look at the contribution that Bernd Stange made with Perth Glory when they raised the bar all those years ago.

I look at Ian Ferguson at NQ. Probably a lovely bloke but if ever a club existed that was crying out for a coach with experience in south east asia or the middle east that is it. Someone who understands the conditions they will play in and be able to exploit it, someone who might focus his overseas recruitment on players with experience in SE Asia or the middle east and will be able to thrive in the oppresive conditions of a NQ summer. Someone other than Robbie Fowler.

NQ will be last chance saloon for Aussie players, in my view its only chance of success is to develop a style of play that exploits the significant home advantage they will have. To do this a coach with experience in Asia and who is able to use his 6 foreign player recruitment to pick the eyes out teams from SE Asia and find players who just might be excited by the opportunity to play in the A league.

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Pippinu said | January 14th 2009 @ 7:36am | Report comment

We all have to admit that there is a strong element of “kick and rush” in the A-League, and it’s impossible to argue that it’s not overly physical – although anyone who has seen the EPL will know it’s not more so than that league – but the problem is that the few playmakers we have of quality are not offered much protection from the refs. We can think of Juninho last season, and Hernandez over both seasons.

In the recent MV vs AU game, we had Reid and Barbieri bringing down Carlos any time he was anywhere near the ball, preferably around the centre of the ground, and that sort of thing becomes a bit wearing.

But how will foreign coaches improve that predicament?

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Dave said | January 14th 2009 @ 7:46am | Report comment

As l said lhave no problem with there being some foreign coaches but l certainly dont want a situation where the likes of Vidmar, Van Egmond, Mitchell and the like are squeezed out of work due to foreign mercenaries.
Strange had the wealthiest backers best players and biggest crowds so hardly suprising he did well. Likewise Littbarski at SFC (best players).
Lets see how they would go coaching the players at the Jets this season? A team slaughtered by defections and injuries.
Coaching is very important, no question, but unless they have the cattle… IMO just as important is stability at the club and l’m not sure a revolving door of coaches is the way to go.
Also only 1-2 coaches a season can be successful in these days where 1 year contracts with a possible extension year seem the norm.
BTW Agreed on Fowler, waste of time/money.

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Kazama said | January 14th 2009 @ 7:56am | Report comment

I agree with this article to an extent. Even as a passionate Adelaide fan I feel we overachieved in the ACL this season, but until we see what Newcastle and the Mariners do this season perhaps it is too early to tell. If the Jets and the Mariners finish bottom of their group, then I think it is safe to say we’re not as good as a lot of us might think based on Adelaide’s campaign.

I watched the Sydney FC v Wellington match and it was the worst match I’d seen all season, so to make an assessment of the A-League on that game alone is a bit harsh. Sydney were playing defensive rubbish and Wellington got a big case of stage fright.

Dave: “…destroyed the wealthy Uzbek team in the semi at Hindmarsh.”

IMO we played good football for 15 minutes but somehow managed to win 3-0. And don’t forget Bunyodkor lost Villanueva early on in that match. We were deserving winners against Kashima and Pohang, but we were thrashed by Gamba in the final and even in the group we were outplayed home and away by Changchun – and I might add they were missing their National Team players for the game at Hindmarsh – but fortunately two draws were enough against them.

Personally, I’d rather have Australian coaches working overseas and overseas coaches working here. I think that would improve the style of play and our coaching stocks far better than shutting ourselves off from the rest of the world and doing things our way.

Pippinu: “…Barbieri…”

Is Mel playing for us?

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Dave said | January 14th 2009 @ 8:03am | Report comment

Pip

In a sense whether we like it or not IMO it is one of the strengths and weaknesses of the uniquely Oz style. Fast, running, physical play. It can be effective against teams with different styles but when two such teams come up against each other can be very ugly as a spectacle…ever seen Bolton W v Blackburn (both teams full of internationals) or for that fact just about any local derby in the EPL?
Coaching may have some impact to slow the game down, develop strategies to change the pace of the game with maybe improvements in tactical areas but…what we are saying is that Oz coaches are unable to learn or develop their styles to cater for such? With the establishment of Technical Coaching Directors and improved coaching programs IMO the level of coaching will improve. Foreign coaches have a role to play as they always have ( if they are top quality with something to offer) but l for one dont want to see the best Oz coaches out of work because of highly priced foreigners (who may be of similar or marginally better standard) taking their jobs.
Lets face it we have had foreign coaches in Oz since the first round ball was kicked here, many of them very highly credentialled and many not. The good ones will always be welcome.

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Dave said | January 14th 2009 @ 8:13am | Report comment

Kaz

Until the final AU were very competitive in the ACL vs teams with more experience in the comp and/or more money. IMO for 2nd year in the comp it was an outstanding effort.
l remember watching my EPL team ManU in the Champs League after they started to win EPL titles in the early /mid 90s. They were completelty outplayed by teams from Turkey, Germany, Portugal etc. Now they win nearly all the time.
It will take time for HAL clubs to acclimatise to playing the best Asian teams, plus a little help with the salary cap. How much should Vidmar, as the coach, take the credit. It was a combined effort of his coaching and the players doing very well. Vidmar will learn from that and given the same circumstances l’m sure do better next time. Should AU now get a foreign coach to take the supposed next step?

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Kazama said | January 14th 2009 @ 8:39am | Report comment

Dave: “Should AU now get a foreign coach to take the supposed next step?”

A moot question given that we have recently re-signed Vidmar for another three years. I am happy with Vidmar but I don’t want him to stay here forever.

The hope I have is that at the end of the three years Vidmar will look to coach overseas.

Based on the current local coaches we have I’d prefer a foreigner to be the next Adelaide United coach.

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Cpaaa said | January 14th 2009 @ 9:07am | Report comment

Last night I had a dream, I had a conversation with Pim Verbeek and discussed the problems of the A-League (true story).

He mentioned that the style of play needs to dramatically improve and the only way to do this is by importing experienced coaches from O/S, preferebly from asia.

I asked, are australian coaches not good enough?

PV- coaches and players are always learning, good players will always go O/S and the same should apply to coaching.I am learning as a coach of the australian game, there is much good here, but I also see many things wrong.
An x-player dosnt necessarily make a good coach, but experience does.
I am dutch and I am coach of the australian national team. When we are in camp I feel just as much australian as a mark viduka, or a tim cahill. Everything we do is in the best interest of the socceroos and dat is what it should always be about, whether its for club or country.

That was part of it, after I woke-up i felt like writing a book. But back to work it was….

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Mick of Newie said | January 14th 2009 @ 9:11am | Report comment

Dave
Maybe a more experience international coach at the Jets would not have allowed inept management to rip apart his squad, would have been more astute in his recruitment and better in his man management.

I am always amused by the idea that “anyone” could coach a well resourced team. Down playing the contribution that Stange or Littbarski made may be supported by your simplistic argument, but football history is littered with well resourced failures (um like John Kosmina).

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