While one swallow doesn’t make a summer, the recent 5 – 0 win by Brisbane Roar over the Melbourne Victory looks a lot like the Roar are picking up where they left off last year.
All power to Roar coach Rado Vidocic for bringing some new elements to the Roar’s game.
However, as a fan of the Roar, I was left pretty cold by the way Ange Postecoglou was treated in the lead up to, and during the game last Saturday.
The Brisbane media’s portrayal of interviews with players started the ball rolling, with stories which seemed to have a unsavoury motive behind them – painting Ange’s contribution during time as coach as irrelevant and already forgotten, as some sort of revenge against him having the gall to leave Queensland and coach elsewhere.
This situation was then compounded at the game by a few vitriolic fans who unfurled a banner directly insulting Ange. It was good to see security guards remove it, but not before more damage was done.
I for one don’t suffer from the apparent short memory of the media or some of the fans in this city. It’s no secret that before Ange came along, the Roar were a basket case – the easy beats of the A league, languishing at the foot of the table.
Ange’s efforts, assisted by current coach Vidosic, turned the club around completely and created a team that play exciting football and delivered a premiership, two grand final wins, a record unbeaten streak, two qualifications for the Asian Champions league and, importantly, more fans.
The Roar’s success also had the effect of raising the bar across the rest of the A-League and, as a result, made a huge contribution to improving the quality of football across the country.
I also believe Brisbane’s success outside of the Sydney and Melbourne centres contributed to further cementing the A-League in the Australian sporting landscape.
I contrast these achievements with the real possibility that if Ange hadn’t arrived when he did, the club may well have lost its major sponsor and folded, leaving Brisbane – and indeed Queensland – without an A-League team.
I still don’t understand why the media took the angles they did on their stories – perhaps they felt the return match against Victory was a State of Origin style affair and they figured generating some hate towards the ‘southerners’ might get a few more clicks on their websites.
Similarly, I don’t understand why some fans felt the need to insult Ange in the way that they did.
I for one don’t begrudge Ange leaving to further his coaching career – and I don’t recall the same treatment being dished out to Wayne Bennett by the media or the league fans when he left the Broncos to coach St George.
What I do know is Ange has done more for football in Brisbane and the A-League than anyone could have thought possible when he took over at the club.
I’m all for healthy rivalry but am disappointed at the rapid public degeneration of the relationship between Ange and the club, the Brisbane media and some of the fans and I hope it doesn’t last.
But the handshake at the end of the game between Rado and Ange said it all and I’d like to think if everyone had their time over again, it would all be done very differently.
Roar
Guest
two days after anyone else has replied you come up with this rant. unfounded claims, name calling, exaggerations - a victory fan telling others how they should act. thanks for the advice for broich on exactly what he should have done in your eyes by him saying rado had a brain. a wee bit sensitive there, just like ange. another example - some adelaide fans are bit peeved about flores being at the victory. but don't let facts stand in the way of your ranting. how many victory fans are there who are annoyed the roar are more successful than you now? don't let ange get a bad rap in any way now. that's blasphemous. please respond telling everyone the league can't survive without you and you are the biggest club, with only a population base of 4 million to survive on. victory fans telling others how to be a good football fan. wow.
Edo
Guest
The way the Brisbane fans went on only shows one thing, what a bunch of cry babies and losers they are. Brisbane may have won the game of football, but then again, people should not spit up or the spit may fall on their faces. The reality is that Ange has a reputation as a coach a senior team manager to keep. The angry rethoric about him leaving and all that is rubbish. Brisbane was a rubble when Ange took over, poor crowd, back team, a bunch of useless players who had no discipline or interest to do things the way a senior manager wanted them to follow. So, it was Ange who initiated the clean up, it was Ange the one who gave the Broich, Berisha and few other young ones an opportunity to learn and to apply new concepts. What appears to be a minority now are basking in the sunshine of what Ange gave them. Yes, Rado is just following on from where Ange left off but the discipline, which is the most important thing in any club is what Ange left the club with in addition to championships, unbeaten records, classification to the ACL. None of these things would have happened if it was not for Ange. So Ange achieved as much as he could achieve with Brisbane, why not to move on? What other challenge was left for him?. His legacy is there for all to see, he does not need to say or do anything. Broich had said something or if he was misquoted he should have called the media outlet that misquoted him and ask them to retract. By Broich coming at the last minute to say that he did not say anything appeared to be more like a "forced apology" rather than a genuine apology. If he was really unhappy about the issue when it first appear on the media a week and a half before the game, he should have been on the front foot and should have forced the media outlet to retract their statement. What else anybody wanted from Ange, to go and shake hands with a bandwagon full of people who had been bagging him for a week or so? It is possible for clubs to lose players, coaches etc without notice. Melbourne Victory at one stage had players leaving from one day to the next, for example FRED, then he comes back to Australia and enrol with the opposition team in Melbourne does anybody hate him for that NO, there is no reason to do so. Players and coaches are free to chase the money wherever the money is so I would say, nobody should get too attached to anything, no player, no coach and so there will not be dissapointments because soon or later they will move on. If one was in their shoes, probably one would do exactly that. Move always a step ahead rather than be passive and get railroaded by some Board member who dislike you or dislike what you are doing and get rid of you without much notice. Ask the many coaches that had been given the sack by Board members.
mahony
Guest
You see / you were going so well until you incorrectly stated Ange was under contract. Brisbane blew it - and Ange wanted to coach at a big club. He deserved better and your provincial attitudes got the better of you!
Roaring
Guest
Totally agree - I think it is not that he left but the way he left. Even two hours before his announcement he was still misleading us that he was staying.
clayts
Guest
Yeah AVictory. I could definitely see Victory supporters doing that if the shoe was on the other foot. They'dd all stand up politely and go wild for a coach defecting to the club that Brisbane supporters arguably hate the most. For sure. Come back to reality, it's nice here
Realfootball
Guest
Well that's a no brainer - of course a casual fan will recall the last club any player played for. Any serious fan will be well aware of their playing history. Brosque is different. He was only at Brisbane for a very short time 8 years ago. So your point is exactly what?
Realfootball
Guest
No, just the football isn't enough. The publicity is just as important. This perspective comes from 20 years in the screen media, including PR and advertising. A good product is one thing, but it doesn't count for much if you can't promote it to potential customers. This has been the A-League's core problem for the past 2 seasons.
Ian
Guest
for what its worth, i have massive respect for what he did at the club football wise. nothing should and ever will change that. the week leading up to the game was an unusual one, and its not the minority or just roar fans who think ange could have handled himself in a different manner. i see last night ange found the time to shake hands with all of Adelaide United's coaching staff. as for how he left Brisbane, just for a moment, consider it was Melbourne Victory he left for Melbourne Heart, just for a moment, some Roar fans felt let down by HOW he left, not THAT he left. you can't say its the minority of Roar fans that feel a certain way, you aren't a Roar fan. as i've said, nothing will change how he is viewed for what he did here. he also got elevated to almost legend status in the process with the help of a few people too. as for any insulting comments - if you can point out which comments made by any player were actually hurtful and attacking Ange to the core I'm happy to read them. if you think they were then that's just the minority view of Victory fans angered by Ange copping a bit at the game, as its been blown out of proportion and Ange didn't take the time to hear player's comments or accept clarifications from Broich. the fact is, the old coach didn't get derided, Ange took it that way. if you can understand this, its how he left, not that he left. and if you choose to forget he got applause before the game that's your choice. reasonable open minded people accept this, as you said to me.
Ian
Guest
fair enough. the results that year speak for themselves.
tk
Guest
I wasnt commenting on anthing post match and I agree Ange didn't cover himself in glory there. My comments relate only to the pre match and match events.
tk
Guest
To clarify I was referencing the season ange took over.
Evan Askew
Guest
Incidentally, I 've being to Normanby and I have to say that it is a bit feral. Give me the watering holes on Caxton St any day.
Evan Askew
Guest
Fair enough. Kruse can also be blamed for his own troubles that he experienced in his second and third seasons at Brisbane. No argument there. But it seemed to me that of the two players, Zullo and Kruse that Zullo was the more popular. And as good as Zullo is, (I have very confidence he can nail down a regualr first team spot at Utrecht) it seemed to me that Kruse was held in the lesser esteem of the two in that first season in which they broke out together because of a perception that he didn't work as hard as Zullo. And this in my opinion was due to cultural reasons, the tendency to appreciate the artisan rather than the artist in this country. And on that basis I put forward the opinion that the Brisbane public of the time didn't deserve him.
tk
Guest
That pretty well encapsulates the point.
JohnL
Guest
So the fact that the crowd did give him a cheer and warm reception before the game means nothing?
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
It was a shame we never saw bob Malcolm win the Johnny Warren.
AVictory
Guest
It's got zero to do with Victory, it's about respecting the man that has transformed your club into the best in Australia with the best club football that our nation has ever seen. There are quite a few Brisbane fans and sports people that are sensible and share this viewpoint, sadly they appear to be in the minority. You know that it's possible to support your new coach without deriding your old one? Actually yeah... boo him for leaving ! It's just a bit of banter hey? You never needed him in the first place... boooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Ian
Guest
again thats it in a nutshell. well said Roarfan.
Ian
Guest
i think the 2009/2010 season was already a write off when ange joined the roar. he couldn't do much with the roster halfway through a season and its the offseason where he could make his mark. same with the time he has had with victory when he left brisbane on april 24 and was coaching victory for the game against olympiakos mid may as i recall. i have no doubt ange has his eye on the national job. if he can get melbourne victory up to a higher standard he will be a front runner for the job after the next world cup. his chances may be tarnished if victory don't improve over the next two seasons.
Ian
Guest
ummm. its actually nothing like that at all. a minority of MV fans requesting the fans of another club that they provide a standing ovation for the opposition coach who is now employed by the melbourne victory to beat their team should receive a standing ovation at suncorp stadium and ignore their current coach and provide him no support? thanks for the laugh.