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Ange Postecoglou is taking the easy way out

Robbie Slater says we don't need a new coach now, we needed one a month ago! (AAP Image/Matt Roberts)
Roar Guru
16th October, 2017
19

Football in Australia is well known for its disharmony and in-fighting, going way back to the days of ‘old soccer’. Some of the decisions made and the timing of announcements can be bizarre too.

We should be celebrating an Australian victory against Syria, an exciting, pulsating and, yes, at times frustrating match that we won on our path to Russia 2018.

What about the heroics of Tim Cahill, the living legend of Australian football, fighting with every last ounce of determination to make it to his fourth World Cup finals appearance?

But it’s all about Ange Postecoglou and the Australian media not giving him enough credit.

The media and frustrated football fans are complaining; not so much about the fact that we are winning, but about the way we are winning.

Let’s face it, Ange’s tactics don’t need much analysis, meaning it’s not hard to work out how to beat the Socceroos.

Like Japan, Thailand, Syria and many others have done, just play a couple of pacey wingers, supported by attacking midfielders. Press the Socceroos into making errors near their own half and then attack the disorganised defence as quickly as you can. Easy.

Matt Ryan and the back three are going to try and play it out along the ground every time, so just stay in waiting, ready to pounce.

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You could admire Ange for his persistence, but is he just taking the easy way out?

His tactics session with his technical team shouldn’t take any more time than what it does for Ryan to pick the ball out of the back of the net.

If you are an astute, hard-working manager and have a good relationship with the technical and coaching team, you need to be flexible and adapt to the situation. You need to be able to read the play and change tactics not just for every game, but for every minute of every game.

I suspect there are members of his own staff that don’t agree with his stubborn approach either. Why aren’t they being listened to?

And it’s not that pretty to watch either. You need to create some excitement with a positive attacking approach and some more goals. At the end of the game, it’s the one who scores the most goals and not the most passes, that wins the match.

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Ange is no stranger to criticism either. He must be expecting it, it goes with the job. Think back to the complaints he fielded during his years in charge of Australia’s under-17s and Under-20s, before finally being sacked in 2007.

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At the time, Australian football professor Craig Foster singled him out as the main cause of the lack of youth football development. Now, we are blaming him for the lack of development in our national football team.

Its not just the media and the fans he’s not happy with. People are starting to deep dive into his relationship with FFA CEO David Gallop and the FFA. The FFA have problems of their own bigger than the coaching job, threatened with legal action by the A–League club owners and harassed by FIFA. Things aren’t rosy.

Obviously upset at the peanut gallery, now we hear about Ange’s plans to resign. Once again Ange is taking the easy road out. Couldn’t all that have waited until after the World Cup finals or at least after the Honduras game.

If he really loves Australian football and he believes that what he is doing is revolutionary and will one day allow us to challenge for the World Cup itself, then why is he giving it up? Why is he letting the criticism get to him? Sure, it’s easier to walk away.

In days gone by, great coaches like Rale Rasic after 1974 were dumped because they dared to ask for more money for all the success they brought. We’ve had to endure the likes of Jimmy Shoulder, Pim Verbeek, Holger Osieck and others.

Ange is getting a lot better treatment than any other Socceroos coach ever got from Soccer Australia or the FFA.

I think Australia is getting a bit tired of him. The majority of fans would now be quite happy to see him go.

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What’s Guus Hiddinck up to now? You never know, he might still be interested in a few more late night poker games with Arnie and the Aussie boys. Here’s hoping.

I know Guus wouldn’t be looking for the easy way out.

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