I’m sure many Brisbane Roar players were disappointed when news filtered through that Ange Postecoglou had ‘not been invited’ by Brisbane Roar officials to their annual end-of-season awards night.
It was agreed that his defection to the Melbourne Victory would make the night uncomfortable with his presence.
From a player perspective, however, his attendance may have given the players the perfect chance to confront Postecoglou regarding the assurances he made to the playing squad throughout the season.
To make matters worse, Postecoglou even reassured fans that he was staying beyond the end of the 2011/2012 season when he said at the post-final ticker tape parade, ‘lets make it three’.
Was Postecoglou’s ambition not to make the Brisbane Roar an Asian confederation powerhouse? To pretend to commit your future and then hours later announce you are leaving the club is an absolute disgrace.
Take it or leave it, no matter how much loyalty a player or manager can express, it means absolutely nothing if they are offered a greater financial incentive somewhere else. It would be unfair to state that Postecoglou left for the money, but I can’t find any other reason as to why he would have left such a successful club.
Even more strange were the reactions by some of his former players, who safe to say were left in the dark following Postecoglou’s resignation.
One that grabbed my attention was from Roar defensive midfielder Erik Paartulu who vented his frustration believing Postecoglou had broken a promise that in hindsight effected his decision to reject a lucrative contract at Chinese Super League club Guangzhou.
“A lot of the boys had options to leave this year but chose not to. At least we all know where we stand now,” said Paartulu.
It seems that the only person who knew what Ange was going to do was Ange.
In a situation like this, was Postecoglou right to leave players who knowingly signed new deals in the belief that the former Brisbane Roar boss would be in charge?
Caricature by David Green. Follow his celebrity caricatures via this link: http://www.davidgreencaricatures.com.au/enews.html
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Joe Lolley was outstanding for the Sky Blues, scoring a brace as Sydney FC equaled their biggest ever victory.
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
The loser of the Sydney Derby will be under immense pressure entering the final three matches of the season.
Anthony Caceres is a player with immense talent and has a fantastic work rate, broke the deadlock against the Mariners in the 74th minute.
