The unravelling of Spider’s web

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

Tagged:: football, Jason Culina, Socceroos, World Football, Zeljko Kalac

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AC Milan Australian goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac grabs the ball as Inter Milan Argentine forward Julio Cruz falls down, during their Italian major league soccer match, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Sunday,May 4 , 2008. AP Photo/Luca Bruno

It wasn’t so long ago, November last year, in fact, that Zeljko Kalac was talking about returning to Australia to coach in the A-League. Coaching, not playing.

“I’ve had a lot of critics in my career, and if I went back and tried to play in the A-League, my motivation would only be about 30 per cent and when it’s that low you are bound to make mistakes,” he told SBS. “That would just give fuel to people who would want to knock me. No thanks.”

Funny that a guy who puts so much store in motivation can turn his back on his representative career because he’s lost the will to fight for the No. 1 jersey and decides he’s happy being a permanent back-up keeper at AC Milan.

Who could blame him though?

What goalkeeper coming to the end of his career would turn down that opportunity? Italian digs. Nice fat pay cheques. Hanging out with Ronaldinho, Clarence Seedorf and, until recently, Kaka.

Get a few jerseys signed for the lads back home. Spend a few bob down the betting shop. A bloody doddle.

But ten months on, Kalac’s charmed life has come to an end.

New Rossoneri coach Leonardo has decided the Australian is surplus to requirements at the San Siro and terminated his contract by “mutual consent.”

Kalac’s replacement is AS Monaco’s Flavio Roma.

It really was too good to last, especially for a player who is a model of inconsistency. Kalac should be thankful he managed to stay there nearly four years and made a motsa in the process.

Some regard him as an inspiration. An Australian at AC Milan? Respect.

Others, such as Mark Schwarzer, take another view: that Kalac took the easy option. Didn’t challenge himself.

Certainly Schwarzer makes great hay out of the fact he is playing regular first-team football for a European club and his old adversary is not. Equally, though, it could be said Schwarzer never challenged himself by taking up offers from Bayern Munich and Juventus when they were on the table.

He didn’t take them up because he wasn’t guaranteed first-team football.

The pressing question now, though, is does Kalac have the humility to come back to Australia and find that motivation he says he would lack playing in the A-League?

I hope he does.

He has made all sorts of noise about wanting to put something back into the Australian game and I don’t think there would be a better way to do that than still be playing. He’s 36, hardly a senior citizen for a goalkeeper, and would have two or three seasons left in him.

There’s talk of a Parma move but that in my view would not a fitting end to Spider’s career: it should be in Australia, in the A-League, when he’s still got something left to give.

If Jason Culina can come back at the age of 28 (he just turned 29), then there’s no good reason why Kalac can’t come back now.

There wasn’t a whole lot to be proved by being a benchwarmer at Milan, but there’s plenty in swallowing his pride and coming home.

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The Crowd Says (26) | Page 1 of Comments

tifosi said | August 14th 2009 @ 5:24am | Report comment

Shame he was dropped from milan.

He however seemed quite certain, in an interview he did with SBS, that he would not play in the a-league as he said it would be hard to play at this level after being in Serie A for so long.

Coaching perhaps?

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Cpaaa said | August 14th 2009 @ 7:32am | Report comment

If A-League managers had an open cheque book for goal keepers would Kalac even make the cut? i dont think so!
Did he really play for Milan (perhaps a little while), but he did a fantastic job at warming the bench for all those years.
hes 36, hes too old and hes too grey, and still gives me nightmares about Croatia 06.
The number 1 keeper of Manchester Utd, Chelsea and ex-socceroo is living amongst us, yet Bozza couldnt even score an A-League contract, and he did the hard yards.
Its a big No from me Jess.

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agga78 said | August 14th 2009 @ 7:39am | Report comment

Kalac would not be good enough for the A league, He was getting 50k a week to peel oranges and start the shower for the boys at full time. How he fooled so many clubs including Milan that he was a goalkeeper is beyong me, he has stated he doesn’t want to play in the A league because it’s beneath him, it’s more likely he doesn’t want to be laughed at every week. I suppose SBS will now have to find another excuse to go to Milan and sit on a park bench with Spider because he aint going to be talking about how great Milan is now.

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dasilva said | August 14th 2009 @ 7:43am | Report comment

He did manage to displace Dida and became Milan number one for about half a season and perform quite reasonably well. Unfortunately he got injured at the end of the season and he couldn’t have consolidated that position and he return to being a bench warmer.

Not many Australian keepers (only Bosnich) can say they have been AC Milan or a club of there stature and prestige number one goal keeper, even if it was for half a season.

I think he still has something to add in Australia. He made mistakes in Germany 2006 but he is not a bad keeper due to that one match

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- FIsher Price said | August 14th 2009 @ 10:47am | Report comment
  
  It was a no brainer that he would stuff up in Germany – he’s always been very dodgy.
  
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milhouse1 said | August 14th 2009 @ 8:28am | Report comment

Wouldnt it be a perfect world if we could have both bozza and spider playing in the A league. I just dont see it happening. I don’t even see the V bomber ever playing in the HAL. Sad to say it. I hope im proved wrong. I think Kalac would be a fine addition to the HAL. He would at least generate some publicity because there are alot of people out there ready to knock him down 1st chance they get.

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burgerman said | August 14th 2009 @ 9:01am | Report comment

dasilva is right. You can’t say that he is a crap goalkeeper when had did manage to be N0. 1 for at least half a year at AC milan… being able to say that you displaced brazils number 1 is pretty impressive. he is a better goalkeeper than he showed in the croatia game, as if schwartzer hasn’t made any howlers! I remember a goal against iraq which was pretty crap goalkeeping… everyone makes mistakes, kalac only had one chance recently, and he made a mistake, so we all remember that. If he was playing regularly for australia we wouldn’t focus so much on one mistake. I like his personality on TV too, maybe he should commentate on SBS.

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- FIsher Price said | August 14th 2009 @ 10:49am | Report comment
  
  Personality? What, big-noting himself at every opportunity? A case of insecurity methinks.
  
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SammyC said | August 14th 2009 @ 9:17am | Report comment

Cant see him coming back Jess.

A comment like that, which he made gives me a clear indication his interest is zero regardless of whether he’s playing at Milan or not. Sounds too settled in Italy.

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AndyRoo said | August 14th 2009 @ 9:51am | Report comment

He is very polished as a media comentator, I will be honest though I would much rather see Bozza back in the A league first and Bozza wants it.

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Pippinu said | August 14th 2009 @ 10:16am | Report comment

Four years at AC Milan – not to be sneezed at – I’d work in the kitchen for four years if it was offered to me.

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FIsher Price said | August 14th 2009 @ 10:45am | Report comment

Spider’s rubbish; always has been. Even in the NSL. His only attribute is height.

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