- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Ange Postecoglou has the potential to be the next Wayne Bennett or Kevin Sheedy, irrespective of Australia’s results at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Australia’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Croatia in Salvador was either largely predictable or oddly disappointing, depending on how optimistic one is about the tournament’s lowest-ranked side causing an upset in Brazil.
The Socceroos did well to blunt the Croatian attack, but ultimately Ange Postecoglou’s outfit looked incapable of scoring themselves.
That’s unlikely to bother Postecoglou though – he clearly doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
This was clear when he gave Mark Schwarzer a tap on the shoulder, clear when he refused to countenance a Lucas Neill personal farewell tour and it was palpably clear when he omitted Luke Wilkshire from his 23-man squad.
Not surprisingly, several of the class of 2006 and those who previously played alongside them had plenty to say about the discarding of so much international experience.
Some, such as Fox Sports analyst Robbie Slater – who expressed as much in the build-up to Australia’s clash with Croatia on Saturday morning – spoke passionately about their “right to voice an opinion”.
Slater is indeed within his right to voice as an opinion. And Postecoglou is perfectly entitled to ignore it. It’s not like the four-time championship-winning coach has been secretive about his intentions.
In practically every media interview he’s done since he took the job, Postecoglou has made it clear he’s not in the business of worrying about what anyone else thinks. He was charged with the mission of regenerating the national side, thus much of the indignation from those who dispute his methods is as misguided as it is pointless.
Win, lose or draw in Brazil, the Socceroos will be better off in the long run for Postecoglou’s determination to do exactly what he’s been paid to do. Whether or not it helps him win an Asian Cup next year is another story, but already Postecoglou has more in common with coaches like Bennett and Sheedy – men determined to go their own way in moulding their teams, regardless of any input from media and fans.
It’s bound to cause some friction along the way, but that’s the beauty of having a coach at the helm who understands the broader Australian sports market.
Rusted-on fans will always follow the ups and downs of the Socceroos, but the World Cup is for everybody, and Australians don’t react too kindly when our national teams are too old and slow to compete.
As it stands, Postecoglou currently has very little to lose. Succumb to defeat in all three games, and we all expected it. But use the pace of Mathew Leckie and Ben Halloran to get in behind an overconfident Chile defence, manufacture a chance from the creativity of Dario Vidosic or simply jag a goal in the air through Tim Cahill and suddenly the Socceroos could set a cat among the pigeons.
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Australia takes something from its opening game against Chile. More importantly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the nation falls in love with the Socceroos all over again.
We wanted a coach who would make a tangible difference to the national team set-up, and now we’ve got one. Whether that annoys a select group of former players is irrelevant.
Postecoglou is not working on behalf of some ex-pros, or to polish his CV, or to impress some FFA big-shots. He’s working for all of us – from the 15,000 Socceroos fans in Brazil, to the millions watching at home on TV.
In a few short months, he’s made the Socceroos relevant again. Irrespective of results in Brazil, that’s a win for all of us.