Gold Coast United club chairman Clive Palmer (right) and head coach Miron Bleiberg speak at a press conference at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast. AAP Image/Laine Clark
Watching the Adelaide Vs Newcastle game, it was interesting to hear Mark Bosnich say that Miron Bleiberg is a character and that we need him in the A-League. Do we really?
Gold Coast United woefully underperformed last year. In the lead up to the season, all the talk was about how good their squad was. By the end of the season, they staggered over the line, with the toys long gone from the pram.
The a-league’s self proclaimed glamour club failed in every aspect last year. The Wayne’s World 2 line of “if you book them, they will come” was ultimately found to be untrue. A team of champions is not a champion team, as real Madrid have been proving for the last decade. You simply cannot chuck a bunch of great players out on the pitch and hope for the best.
And the blame lies squarely at the feet of Miron Bleiberg.
He is both the Manager and Director of Football, meaning that not only was he responsible for the match day tactics and day-to-day training of the squad, but he was responsible for the recruitment and the management of the squad. For the side to struggle so badly reflects poorly on him two fold.
What the a-league really needs is quality coaches, who will bring technical expertise and be humble in nature. These are the people who will progress the game. Just because he shoots his mouth off, doesn’t make him a character. If this were the case, then Aurelio Vidmar and Branko Čulina have done a much better job of being “characters”.
Australians won’t – and never have – warm to people with a high opinion of themselves, especially when they don’t have the record to back it up. A quick flick through Miron Bleiberg’s CV shows that his record leaves a lot to be desired.
A good manager would have used the resources provided by geography and Clive Palmer to build a squad with enough depth to last a season, with flair and defensive prowess in equal measures, say the right things to the cameras and grow the club and the game.
The stadium at Robina is brand new and one of the best in the country, as well as a billionaire owner in a booming region. The Gold Coast is the fastest growing area in the country with a predominantly European migrant driven population.
Everything about Gold Coast United would suggest that it should be the strongest, most successful club in the A-League. It was given to Miron Bleiberg on a platter, and yet, he was overshadowed by Vítězslav Lavička, as well as the unfashionable Ernie Merrick and Ricki Herbert.
All Miron Bleiberg achieved last year, with his ridiculous tan, naff dress sense, love of the sound of his own voice and magnetic attraction to a TV camera, was to become the a-league’s Phil Brown.
And no football league in the world has a need for that.
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
The crowd capping issue was a very strange one. I understand - from an economic standpoint - the reason behind capping the crowds. No businessman as successful as Clive Palmer is going to let his company bleed money when it was avoidable. The crowds were not averaging over 5000, so it made sense. Sort of. The backlash, however, was crippling. Really, they have not got a good deal with the Stadium, same as the Roar, who are desperate to get out of Suncorp, but the blame lies with the business managers at the club who negotiate the stadium deals. But I digress... As Mark Bosnich suggested during the coverage that we need him in the league because he is a character, my point was that, actually, no, we don't. We need him in the league for his coaching ability, man managment skills and scouting capabilities. If he chucks a few great sound bites the press' way, then fantastic... but as a coach, his record is frankly awful. With the resources at his disposal at the Gold Coast, he should have done much better. The side didn't evolve, and once other clubs figured them out, the copped a couple of beltings. And that another coach, in the same circumstances, would have put together a better side, that still may not have won the title, but played better football for the whole season and attracted fans. I think that Aurelio Vidmar and Gary van Egmond are far bigger losses to the A-League
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
To counter your point about the coaches, wages aren't a fair reflection of ability. the Dutch system has consistantly produced quality players since the late 60s, so clearly it is the methods that they use as opposed to individuals that gets the results. Spain have been the best side in world football for four years, and they have more coaches with the UEFA pro licence than any other country (the numbers are staggering, it is more than england, scotland, wales, n.ireland and r.ireland combined) in australia, ernie merrick has a uefa b licence (you need both an a and b licence to qualify for the pro licence), and as far as i know he is the highest qualified coach in the league. Vítězslav Lavička could possibly have UEFA quals, but i've been unable to confirm this.
Fear
Guest
Thanks for your concern about us football fans. Actually, being a RL person you are probably ignorant to the fact that we came up with State of Origin games. We've been there and done that. Problem is, since the league went national it made State games pointless as you get it every week. RL internationals are a joke. Who else in the world plays RL? They have a league in England, where there is a smattering of teams in the villages of Yorkshire and Lancashire but it is full of Aussies. Our game is great, because we get top shelf matches week in week out. Not like the NRL.
pompey657
Guest
I think GCU have the tag of the team that you love to hate. Last year Miron bagged us. We replied by belting them 6-0. Infact GCU have not taken a point of the Phoenix or even scored a goal. This year I see them getting the same treatment. Two years and they will be gone. No fans, no atmosphere, one brand of football and a moaning bitch for a coach... I hope they finish last and the wise muses of Miron are silenced for ever....
Brian
Guest
Miron's a good coach but more importantly he adds character to the HAL because he does often say it like it is. What annoys me is this constant idea from ex-players, coaches etc that if only we had millions to spend on coaches we could improve our standards. Good coaches help but its players that get on the pitch. If success was just expensive coaches Japan, Qatar and ngland would be brilliant. They're not Brazil and Argentina are world's best because of their players. I am sick of the FFA wasting scarce resources on coaches. Better to bring in quality players rather than overpriced coaches
Farqwar
Guest
I just think you are being a little harsh on Miron because of his ego. In the clubs 1st year the club came 3rd and were very unlucky not to come 1st, while the injured Brazilians probably weren't much of a loss I think Traore would have added a lot once he became comfortable within the set up. My point was mainly that, IMO, it was more the off field distractions of small crowds and Clives decision to cap the crowds that really interupted their season and not so much Mirons ego or lack of coaching ability. I also think the expectations placed on the team by Palmer, the media and to an extent Miron, was unhelpful. I wouldn't say their season was unsuceesful and I think at times they played some of the best football out of anyone, I just dont think Miron has failed as a coach, though I do agree that with the players at his disposle, sooner or later Miron needs to start bringing some trophies. Overall it was a solid first season but they need to concentrate on playing football, which again will be hard as the focus will like be on their crowds or lack there of.
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
My point was that being a character isn't nearly enough, Aurelio Vidmar (A-League and Champions League finals) and Branko Čulina (Turned around a very poor Jets side with no input on the squad) have both made outlandish statements that would also constitute "character", but have achieved much more on the field (ironically the Jets knocked out GCU in the finals). He fancies himself as the A-League's José Mourinho, but Mourinho delivers. Naturally it was their first season... blah blah blah... He has full control of coaching and recruitment (not a bad thing), and they were brilliant for the first five or six rounds, but once they were figured out, they had nothing. if he was truely a good coach, the squad he put together would have had the quality to go on with it, and he would have been able to change the tactics as the season went on to keep the opposition guessing. The resources at his disposal far exceed any other club, and frankly his ego got in the way of developing a balanced side. Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and the Wellington Pheonix managed to do it.
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
Yes, technically this is true, however the last was in 01/02, and the first only scrapes in at 99/00! They have also spent the last 8 years (if you want to be technical!) spending big dollars, and achieving very little, sacking managers who fail at the first attempt, even if they win la liga.
Farqwar
Guest
I guess it makes sense that the AFL gets good crowds, for half the year there is absolutely nothing happening in the AFL world even during the season nothing happens during the week, no representative games to watch, no leagues in other parts of the world to follow, no inter-club friendlies, so the AFL fans just sit around analysing Ben Cousins and Brendon Fevola, Yawn, and when the weekend comes around they must be itching to watch some actual games. Personally I feel a bit sorry for AFL fans, they are obviously passionate but most of the time they have nothing to do but sit around plotting world domination(once they can convince the other half of Australia to give up their choice and variety and just follow the VFL, I mean AFL).
It's over Coasters
Guest
Wake me up when the Gold Coast is done and dusted. It's just a matter of time for the joint, then the battle between NRL and AFL will unfold. Saw the Titans play someone last night on late night tv here in Melbourne and there was a lot of empty seats for a small stadium at Robina. The AFL does not appear to have much to beat.
Axel V
Guest
Real Madrid have won 2 European Champions Leagues in the past decade. As for Miron Bleiberg for Gold Coast, they were one of the more entertaining teams to watch last season and finished 3rd. Remember it was a 3 horse race for the title right until the finish? They lost in a penalty shootout to Newcastle. Miron is quite a character and makes me laugh alot, he reminds me of Mcbain LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDEuLXLNGBo
Farqwar
Guest
Interesting article Danny Mac, I don't mind Miron, I enjoy some of his comments. Some are a little arrogant while others are appropriately self derogatory. GCU were unlucky to not pick up an ACL spot last year, but I think most of their problems were because of off the field factors and playing to small crowds makes it hard to consistently motivate yourself, I think the home crowds are a factor that has really helped MV and to an extent SFC. Miron had GCU playing some good football at times and he certainly deserves an uninterupted season to prove himself. His character is just who he is and he shouldn't change but as you say if he can't deliver a succesful team it all means nothing.