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It is the ultimate showdown, the Big Blue that everyone was hoping for. From the FFA, both sets of supporters, the neutrals and probably many media pundits, Sunday’s A-League grand final is the perfect ending to Season 10 of Australia’s premier football competition.
And while the tactical battle between the players will be front and centre on match day, spare a thought for the two men who have put in eight months of hard, gritty work only to have virtually no control when it comes to the decisive 90 minutes of their season.
Kevin Muscat and Graham Arnold are two of the most divisive figures in A-League history, and come Sunday they will patrol the sidelines for the final time this season to see who can claim their club’s unprecedented third championship.
Talk to any football fan about either Muscat and Arnold and you will likely get a mixed bag of reactions. They are the type of personalities you either love or hate, or a bit of both, and each has their own character traits that can either be admired or loathed, respected or despised.
Muscat is best remembered by a lot of fans as a hard nut thug who played the game with reckless abandon for the welfare of his opponents. An old-school bully who has been voted in countless polls as one of the dirtiest players to grace the football pitch – some even rate him worse than ‘The butcher of Bilbao’, Andoni Goikoetxea.
Victory fans, however, would also remember the fearless captain who led their team to two championship-premiership doubles in the early years of the A-League. Yet even they cannot steadfastly defend a man responsible for that infamous tackle on Adrian Zahra, one that ended Muscat’s career prematurely.
You cannot rewrite history, and Muscat will forever have to carry his blackened reputation as a player for the rest of his life, though it is unlikely he loses sleep over the matter. It is unfortunate that such a playing career still deters some fans from recognising his undeniable ability as a manager.
The managerial Muscat is a completely different beast to the player Muscat. No less passionate, no less opinionated, but much more refined and moulded to use that energy in a more appropriate manner.
Muscat’s success in coaching is a surprise. Perhaps not for those at Victory who earmarked him for the role, but for the general football fan most would have to admit they did not envisage he would rise so high, so quick.
When Ange Postecoglou left Victory for his inevitable move to the Socceroos three games into the 2013-14 A-League season, his assistant was thrown into the deep end. Unlike fellow players turned coaches who have jumped into first team management and left with a broken reputation, Muscat grew into the role with every week.
Fourth place and a semi-final elimination for Melbourne Victory was hardly anything to cheer about last season, not for such a distinguished club with the league’s largest support base and financial clout to match. However for a rookie manager’s first foray it was a promising beginning.
This season Muscat has gone next level. A premiership and a grand final appearance in his first full season, as well as the A-League Coach of the Year award, is an astonishing record for a two-year rookie.
His recruitment has been flawless, his retention policy spot on and his continuing of Postecoglou’s early groundwork, but with his own distinct stamp, more than indicative of a bright future. His antics on the touchline may infuriate rival fans and the neutrals, but it is part of his character, and football would be nothing without characters.
Step forward Graham Arnold. The man vying to bring Muscat’s parade crashing down to earth, and yet another character to grace the A-League.
Less divisive as a player, Arnold was a sharp-shooting forward who found success both at home and abroad. For younger fans in the Australian football community, his exploits as a player may be cloudy at best. Most would be well aware of his time coaching the Socceroos, however.
Thrown into the gig as an interim with little successful first-team coaching experience, it was probably a case of too early for Arnold. His role in charge of the Asian Cup in 2007 can only be seen as failure and Socceroos fans find it hard to forget.
But just as Muscat’s playing career should not be held against him when assessing his managerial career, Arnold’s international stint should not be constantly cited when determining his club management credentials.
For Arnold has a fantastic record, first with the Central Coast Mariners and now with Sydney FC. There is little point bringing up his disastrous spell with Vegalta Sendai as by all reports it was a toxic and volatile environment that Arnold unsuspectingly, and perhaps naively, walked into.
His track record of developing youth has been exceptional. At the Mariners Arnold was responsible for blooding the likes of Mustafa Amini, Trent Sainsbury, Tommy Rogic, Oliver Bozanic, Mat Ryan, Bernie Ibini and Mitch Duke. At Sydney FC he is doing the same with Chris Naumoff, Corey Gamiero and Alex Gersbach.
Then there is the premiership from 2011-12, which ended in a grand final heartbreak, followed by the championship in 2012-13, all with a minnow club clearly punching above its weight. Now at a club with vastly superior finances he is slowly producing similar results.
He has worked just as hard building relationships off the field as on the field, and it shows. A previously fractious and shambles of a club now looks unified, and Arnold’s retention and recruitment has been just as impressive as Muscat’s.
Just like Muscat’s touchline antics, however, Arnold has his own traits which infuriate fans. The main grip is his constant barrage in the media. He loves to talk up his team’s credentials but equally has an obsession with lauding his own achievements.
There is no need for Arnold to ever waste money on a PR manager, he handles that role very nicely himself. He can be outspoken, but just like Muscat it just adds to his character, which, restated, is a vital ingredient in football.
This season alone we have heard about referees (again, and again), Tony Popovic’s tactics regarding injury replacements, FFA’s meddling with Terry Antonis, bizarre outbursts directed towards Adelaide United and also complaints about Pirtek Stadium.
Perhaps the greatest image of Arnold during his tenure in charge of the Sky Blues so far, and one that sums up the man, was from last week following the victory over Adelaide United.
Gathering Sydney FC’s players, their families, coaching staff and management together in a huddle, Arnold addressed them all from the middle of the circle.
The centre of attention, yes, but also building team spirit at the same time. There is no doubt he cares about those around him too.
They may be two completely different personalities but Muscat and Arnold share that same burning desire to reach the top of their craft. Arnold would not have been pleased about losing the Coach of the Year award to his rival and this weekend is a chance for him to gain some personal redemption.
The barbs are already out in the media this week, from both parties, and that is exactly how it should be. As well as the battle on the pitch, the battle on the sidelines will be equally fascinating. Expect fireworks, because these two villain-heroes, depending on your outlook, are going to put on an entertaining sideshow.
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