Melbourne Victory’s position as the A-League’s biggest club was highlighted over the last week as interim coach Jim Magilton continued to make headlines.
From debate over his British heritage through to whether it is he or the players who should hold responsibility for recent results, it seems every aspect of the 42-year-old’s time south of the Murray is coming under scrutiny.
In the lead up to last week’s Melbourne derby, the discussion moved on to the Northern Irishman’s coaching past and what that says about the style of football he wants to implement at the Victory.
John Gorman, who was Magilton’s assistant at Ipswich Town and Queens Park Ranges, was positive when he described Magilton’s past teams to the Herald Sun’s David Davutovic.
“People still talk about the football his teams played,” Gorman said.
“We both believed in passing and playing out from the back.”
Philip Ham, editor of Ipswich Town’s twtd.co.uk website, emphasized this point saying “He’ll play football in the right way”.
A brief diversion, for those looking for some insight into Magilton I suggest you read Davutovic’s article, an interesting reading that further highlights his place as the best story breaker in the Australian football press.
Back to those quotes though, it’s not the first time I’ve heard the claim “he likes to play good football”. The issue is there’s a difference between wanting to and being able to.
I was told a story last week that, while it might be a tad apocryphal, apparently comes from Steve Pitts’ book 39 days of Gazza, which recounts Paul Gascoigne’s short-lived tenure as Kettering Town’s manager.
In it Gascoigne sits his team down in front of a TV and shows his players a video of Zinedine Zidane before explaining this is how he wants them to play. Naturally it didn’t work out.
While nowhere near as extreme or incompetent, the A-League and Australian national teams have their fair share of similar tales of coaches wanting to play good football without having developed the necessary skills to instruct their players on how to do so.
Thankfully this is slowly being rectified with improving coach education programs.
The only true barometer of a coaches ability is the football his teams produce and not whether he likes a “passing game”.
Across 90 minutes on that green patch of grass, there is no hiding behind words, no matter how well intentioned they may be.
Bondy
Guest
Axelv. With your astute knowledge of the game how many Australian Football supporters seriously new who Van't Schip was prior to him coming to Australia, what seven out of ten ? How many assistance do you look for on the bench at a World Cup ,I tend to concentrate on the football on the pitch or the odd glance at the coach, not for some assistant who we may get an odd camera shot of .
Adam
Guest
"Saying but not doing", what in 5 games. What is a man supposed to do inheriting a broken squad mid season. History says you give him at least a full season and then judge. This is getting ridiculous to be honest.
Realfootball
Guest
Magilton is having to work with a very ordinary squad of over the hill greats and workhorses, mixed with some relentlessly mediocre younger players. I could never understand the pre season trumpeting about the Victory squad - it was a poor squad right from the start. So many players 33 and over. And the younger players - what on earth has been happening with Victory's youth teams? Melbourne is a veritable hotbed of young talent. Are Foscini and Franjic really all Victory has to show for their youth program? (You can say the same about Sydney too, of course). I like Magilton's style, but he's on a hiding to nothing. Impossible to assess his coaching in the current context.
Axelv
Guest
Also Guardiola's situation is entirely different, he was already at Barcelona coaching their youth team and Barcelona were already one of the best teams in the world when Guardiola came in. They had won the Champions League only 2 years earlier and he already had the right squad to build towards even greater success, he did not inherit an aging squad of hopeless hacks that cannot pass the ball 2 meters even if their lives depended on it like we have at Victory ;) And most people that know their football have heard of Van't Schip, either as the Ajax youth coach or assistant coach to Marco Van Basten at the Netherlands national team. If you watched the Dutch in World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008 you would have seen him on camera many times.
jmac
Guest
excellent point tomc. knock it long / counter / get harry to go for the early defence-splitting killer pass every time. this suits the team right now. the jury is still out given the players at his disposal. if luzardo starts on friday and millsy pushes into MF to replace brebner, for example, then the look of the performance will be the best indication yet of whether JM is building towards what he is talking about. (notwithstanding that neither of these players may be here next year, but u get my point)
Bondy
Guest
It's a conundrem that the board have got themselves into remember Merrick was bumped then Durakovic couldn't play the "Brand" . And some expect Magilton to play like Brisbane in less than a month .Could Guardiola have delivered silverware for Melbourne in the same time frame as Magilton ? No. Lets face it if you've got half a brain about this sport you can rattle of all the cliches under the sun and if you have any form of C.V then your virtually in "I like to play fluent one- two touch football " they all say that "and I want to promote youth" those two catch cries will get you a job in Australian Football , Coolen ring a bell . The solution I would go with in the case of Melborne Victory next year possibly downgrading expectations and possibly going with a local coach, if not than nobody had heard of Vant schip three years ago . Melbourne cant just simply turn around and say there a big club so are Arsenal what do they win sweet f all.
Roger
Guest
Hey Axelv, now there's something we should all be discussing. The title race! But then, I guess the Premiership pales in significance to judging a coach inheriting a squad more than halfway through the season after a mere 5 weeks..... ;)
futbanous
Guest
Eagerly await this Sunday to confirm that the Roar are back to their old selves. Using the fanometer, the instrument that measures cold sweats & displays of irrational behaviour, like buttering the cat instead of your toast, the Mariners match showed the lowest reading for a few months.
Axelv
Guest
Magilton is as qualified if not more qualified than most A-League coaches, look at the squad and the condition that they were in that he has inherited. He needs time and all our questions will be answered, that is all. Now how about that title race, Brisbane played the Mariners off the park on Sunday, if the Mariners end up to somehow losing to Victory away on Friday all of a sudden their safe as houses premiership title is under threat! Brisbane look to be getting closer back to their old form, meanwhile Wellington and Perth are on fire. If Wellington finishes in the top 2, and wins the 2 legged playoff, we'll have an A-League Final in New Zealand ;)
Griffo
Roar Guru
Keep chopping and changing your coach and you will always be rebuilding, needing time for the team to gel. This is especially so mid-season. Ange got a pre-season; Gary van Egmond will/should get his. Kosmina probably will as well. It will be a bit unfair to all involved if Magilton doesn't get a chance at a pre-season. Otherwise, what was the point in hiring him in the first place?
eric
Guest
Forget what Magilton has done with MV;what has he ever done as a manager?
futbanous
Guest
Its hard to believe that we keep pinpointing Jim Magilton. As Fuss says what about the rest. Us Roar fans well remember the Ange Postenoclue jibes when he took over in season 5 & results weren't going our way. Slow football news day ,never mind we can always pick on Jim.
Roarchild
Roar Guru
One of those 5 matches was a mid week game as well which means there is not much a coach can do in that week as it is full of travel and you have to use a lighter training schedule. The latest Les Murray blog has a veiled go at Magilton too.... and finishes with Les plumping for Troussier a coach that just got relegated from the CSL. According to Ipswich fans he did keep get that team playing good football so he he does have the runs on the board.... maybe not quite a century but more than most of the alternatives.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Davidde I read the title to your article and expected to find a critique of all - or, at least several - A-League coaches to help validate your premise that: ""A-League coaches are saying but not doing". Alas, all I got was another veiled attack on one A-League coach, who happens to have been in the A-League the shortest time! Jim Magilton has been in charge of the team 5 matches - just on one month. Are there no other coaches that warrant your attention for "saying and not doing"? How's that Aussie bloke in charge of AUFC going at the moment? He arrived back at the club with a lot of bluster. Or, how about that Dutch bloke, who keeps telling us about the Ajax-system he's implementing. Is van't Shipp also saying but not doing? And, how about Ricki Herbert & Ian Ferguson - they kept saying things but the media kept attacking them. Look who has egg on their face and look who is laughing now!
Roger
Guest
Oh look, another article relating to Melbourne Victory that opens the door for a barrage of negativity. That's refreshing.
TomC
Guest
I don't think MV have a team capable of playing a passing brand of football. Most of their players, even their midfielders, are poor short-passers of the ball. It would be silly to try and make a team play a style that they're not able to play.
Rusty0256
Guest
There is yet to be any evidence of Magilton having transferred his apparent "liking to play good football" to the game-day reality. Magilton is however caught on the horns of a dilemma. His only obvious creative midfield link is Carlos Hernandez and due to the circumstances of lack of fitness and / or lack of interest (Carlos looks less than happy under the new regime) he seems less and less likely to be used. What I fail to understand though is that if you genuinely wanted your team to play creative, passing football would you not recognise the unique (at Victory) qualities Carlos has and then do EVERYTHING in your power to ensure he is up to the task to produce on game-day? Magilton's apparent readiness to drop Hernandez and move straight to a flat, deep lying 442 in the derby, leaving acres of space in midfield for the red team to exploit, speaks volumes. It tells me he might be able talk about good football, but not necessarily have the coaching skill-set to have his team actually play it. In terms of his British background and how that does or does not relate to the type of football that coach might have his team play, on the evidence presented so far, I think he is more Terry Butcher than Terry Venables.