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Australian football’s poor crowds and TV ratings have been spoken about time and again, but the A-League’s managers have not come under much scrutiny.
Are these ten managers good enough to provide fans with the best possible quality football to watch?
Let’s start with Perth. Kenny Lowe’s playing style was learnt in the halcyon days of the 1980s, where flying tackles and long balls were the craze. He has forgotten time has moved on. What’s more, his lack of respect for officials was seen when he came on the field in 2016 to abuse a referee.
Speaking of someone who can’t keep his cool leads us to Adelaide coach Marco Kurz – another hot-head who struggles to maintain composure on the sidelines.
Only an irresponsible coach would make a comment saying a game was “10 against 12″. If he wants an open discussion with referee, he should save this type of comments for then.
John Aloisi will forever be a hero in Australian football, but as a coach, he is more caught up in panic than tactics. His short-lived stint at Melbourne Heart ended in a sacking, and although he has made it to the finals twice for Brisbane, they have struggled this season.
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Paul Okon is similar to Aloisi – a talented footballer doesn’t necessarily make a talented coach. More time will be given to Okon, but he doesn’t come across as if he is going to be anything but the next John Aloisi.
Kevin Muscat has had a talented roster over the last four years and has won a grand final with it. But angry coaches have a shorter lifespan in the job than calm ones and his time may be ending at season’s end if Victory results don’t improve.
The downside for Warren Joyce at Melbourne City was losing Tim Cahill, something that should have been avoidable. The Wellington coach is relatively unknown in Australia, though his results aren’t exactly sparkling.
That leaves us with Graham Arnold, Ernie Merrick and Josep Gombau – three managers who are flying the flag proudly in Australia.
Arnold has had Sydney playing magnificent football over the last two years. His attacking philosophy and playing his strongest side against Shanghai midweek should be applauded. It was a great game, and Sydney deserved more than a point.
Gombau showed at Adelaide he is a people’s man and a quality manager. He doesn’t have a great roster at Western Sydney, but recent results hold some promise for the mid-table team.
Merrick has lifted Newcastle right up to second place this season. He assembled a strong midfield and installed an attacking mindset, which has the Jets playing consistently attractive football. We need more of this.
Australian football needs quality coaches – we must ensemble the best possible. At the moment, we simply have not achieved that.
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