So Harry Kewell has his first A-League goal and Mehmet Durakovic retains his job for another week. Good news for Melbourne Victory fans but what’s going on at the A-League’s real problem club?
“A quick review because you don’t need so many words with a game like this ” was how Adelaide United coach Rini Coolen summed up his team’s disappointing 0-0 draw with Newcastle Jets on Friday night.
At least the post-match press conference was quicker and arguably less painful than the 90-minute stalemate the 8,403 fans who turned up at Hindmarsh Stadium were forced to endure.
It was Adelaide’s smallest home crowd of the season – excluding the ‘home’ fixture Gold Coast United played at the compact venue – with the Reds shedding fans at the rate of about 2,000 per match.
That’s not surprising given the sort of football they’ve played this season and much of the blame lies squarely at the feet of Rini Coolen.
It was he who instigated a major clear-out of playing personnel, including the departures of playmaker Marcos Flores and former skipper Travis Dodd.
Flores left United because the club couldn’t match the wages offered by Chinese side Henan Jianye – but might they have come close without another reputed big earner in Andy Slory on the books?
The Slory story has become a personal nightmare for Coolen, who signed the Dutch winger because Coolen remembered him as “one of the best wingers in Holland.”
Sadly for Adelaide fans Slory will be remembered as one of the worst wingers in the A-League, with the former Feyenoord flyer seemingly more interested in his business affairs than anything happening on the pitch.
And given his recent pedigree, should that honestly have come as a surprise?
Slory was let go by Feyenoord after numerous disciplinary problems, was released by English Championship side West Brom after just five months at club and subsequently failed to crack the first team at Bulgarian outfit Levski Sofia.
Yet after signing Slory, Coolen told reporters “(i)n a normal situation he would probably sign for a bigger club.”
Really? Andy Slory too good for the A-League?
In 2006 at De Kuip Stadion in Rotterdam, I overheard something which shaped the way I think about the Dutch approach to Australian football.
I was standing next to some Dutch supporters when Luke Wilkshire was sent off in Australia’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, at which point one of the Dutch fans leaned over and said to me in English, “that’s not how you play football.”
And while I’m far from fluent in Dutch, I speak enough German to get the gist of what his friend said to him next.
“Forget it, he probably thinks this is rugby,” said his mate, before the pair broke into uproarious laughter.
But they weren’t laughing at full-time – in fact the Dutch fans were furious – and some of them weren’t shy in letting it be known they thought their team had been held by a vastly inferior opponent.
I just wonder if Rini Coolen hasn’t brought a similarly dismissive attitude to Australia.
He seems a nice enough fellow but after releasing Adam Hughes, Paul Reid and Dario Bodrusic during the off-season, how can he turn around and claim United are now in desperate need of replacement players?
The club is going backwards and not only do they appear to lack the backroom staff to change things, they’ve also managed to get offside with an increasingly hostile local media.
And all this under the auspices of Coolen, who at the start of the season signed a new four-year deal which locks him at the club until 2015.
Good luck to him and Adelaide United but at the rate they’re going, it’s hard to escape the feeling Rini Coolen is the weakest link at the struggling South Australian side.
Johnno
Guest
You made a great point when you pointed to dismissive and coolen. I'm very certain he thought australia would be a holiday cause he thinks we cant play football. hes turned the club and its players into a joke and he has been found out.
Ecko
Guest
And now we hear that Levchenko was self promoting himself on facebook after the 4 nil loss as a vegetarian sex symbol back in Holland. Safe to say these Dutch superstars have their hearts and minds somewhere other than Hindmarsh.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Certainly the football has been less than inspiring given the cattle on the pitch. Adelaide seems to take far too long to get into its stride.
j binnie
Guest
Mlike -Your interest in Dutch football and Dutch attitudes to how football is played is not a solitary thought just as your thoughts about Aussie administrators being "hoodwinked" are also too close to the truth for comfort, Professional football began in Holland in 1954 and by 1974 they had a team in the World Cup Final,a game they did not win but nevertheless a magnificent achievement for a 20 year old competition.It is here the questions should start. Who taught the Dutch to play such superb football in only 2 or 3 generations of kids. ????? This is where the surprise begins.Many credit Rinus Michels as the "beginning" but in fact he came under the influence of an English coach,Jack Reynolds who had been manager at Ajax over a period of 25 years.He went back to Ajax after the war and is credited with setting up the Ajax youth system in 1946. In 1959 another English coach turned up,Vic Buckingham,who, when in England has studied under Arthur Rowe who preached "pass&move football" as preferable to a long ball game.Michels, who at this time had retired as a player and had studied at a sports academy returned to a struggling Ajax in 1965 and introduced his beliefs to the club.However Feyenoord were the first Dutch club to win a European Cup under an Austrian,the superb tactician Happel, and It was after this Michels changed Ajax's "system" to the more mobile and safer 4-3-3 formation as used by Happel. So where did all the myth and glory emanate from. "Total Football" a name invented by the Dutch press who, no doubt being blessed with that "certain arrogance" you talk about decided to tell the world that it was Holland who taught the world how to play football some time after 1974. Ridiculous scenario is it not when one considers the great teams and players who preceded that time,Germany,Hungary,Brazil,Argentine,Sweden, Real Madrid,Manchester U. Celtic,Eintracht,AC& Inter Milan,Puskas,Kocsis,DeStefano,Best,Law,Charlton Skogland,Hamrin,Beckenbaur - I think you'll get my message. The Dutch HAVE made a measurable contribution to the development of the game over the years but no more than many many others.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK jb
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
I'm not suggesting a comment made by a couple of supporters has any direct bearing on Rini Coolen but I've always been interested in Dutch attitudes to the way football is played around the world. There's a certain arrogance behind the Dutch approach to football and it's served them well on the pitch. But I think some Australian administrators have been hoodwinked by the idea that signing a Dutch coach automatically guarantees some sort of "sexy football" will be played. And I can't see how that would be the case under a coach who lets Marcos Flores leave (but keeps Andy Slory) or who is troubled by a lack of depth when the likes of Travis Dodd and Adam Hughes are running around at a rival club.
Axelv
Guest
ROFL, I was scratching my head on that one myself.
Axelv
Guest
Kasey that's terrible news for Vidosic and Adelaide, I'm a big fan of Vidosic and has impressed me ever since his Nuremberg days. As for the topic in this article, I've been saying that Adelaide are one of the worst performing teams since round 2, don't say I didn't warn you :)
Walt
Guest
What a mess we have down at United. The likes of Vidosic, Slory, Cassio and Caravella were meant to win the whole thing for us. To be fair to Coolen, he has had a lot of injuries and player issues to deal with but his tactics have been negative and the crowds are beginning to get bored of it. The team got belted 7-1 in Brisbane but since then Uinted has drawn to Heart, Wellington (away), beaten Gold Coast and shared the points with Newcastle with 10 men. That kind of heavy defeat would kill most teams seasons but Ramsay and Djite have worked hard to try and get Adelaide back into contention. The best I can see for us is maybe 5th or 6th. A long way off the championship contenders we were pre-season. And for all MVs doom and gloom this year, they are third and United are only 2 points behind them... Adelaide have CCM and then Victory - two wins and we are back in the top 4 and the pissant bandwagon back on board.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
I have to admit, I too can't see the connection between two Dutch blokes having a go at the Socceroos and Rini's coaching at AU. My memory of the that pre-WC friendly against the Dutch is that they were clearly intimidated and put off their game by the aussies. They played the game as if they couldn't wait for the final whistle. In my mind - that's mission accomplished.
Kasey
Guest
latest news is that vidosic has a broken back. Geez, bad to worse for the Reds:( http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/soccer/broken-back-sidelines-vidosic/story-e6frectc-1226207967208
Kazama
Roar Guru
I heard he was in Sydney trying to get an A-League contract but I think I read in the paper over the weekend that he's signed for a club in the middle east, in Iran if memory serves correct.
Midfielder
Guest
Agree with Q ... you have made a very interesting obversation...
Melange
Guest
I was wondering about Paul Reid just the other day. Does anyone know where he's ended up?
Michael
Guest
Mike I thought the same thing at the start of the season, but at that time, everyone was saying how they would be challenging Brisbane and Melbourne for the title. Rini's coaching hasn't really inspired excitement.
TomC
Guest
I'm not sure I disagree with the article as such, but Mike aren't you engaging in stereotypes yourself? I mean, I don't really think that a comment made by a couple of Dutch fans in Rotterdam in 2006 has much to do with the attitude of a Dutch coach in Adelaide in 2011, apart from them being the same nationality.
Luke
Guest
Maybe it is worth spending some money to make some changes very soon. They don't want to lose their ACL qualifier matches and have the financial burden of playing in the AFC Cup.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
Very interesting comment Stevo----hard to disagree wth your points. AU letting Flores go is going to cost them dearly.
Stevo
Guest
Let's face it, the outside world thinks we're basically a quarry and a nice place to have a holiday but not much else. We're not known for football so the Dutch attitude in Rotterdam is probably the same as in many other countries. But the Flores issue is closer to home. MV forked out serious coin to keep Carlos, probably about the same as it would have taken to keep Flores at Adelaide. The attitude at AU was that we can let go of arguably the best player to have come to the A-league ??? Compare that to MV. And I rate Flores ahead of Carlos. The difference is that MV sees itself as a big club while (deep down) AU sees itself as a 'pis.ant' club. A state of mind and ambition.