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It seems eons ago that Ange Postecoglou was mauled by Craig Foster after the failure of our national team to qualify for the 2007 Youth World Cup.
The locking of horns is illustrative of not only the mens’ trajectories as football brains, but of the wider view of coaching.
Postecoglou comes across as transparent about the shock failure of his team to qualify and his role in it. He offers a mea culpa while biting at some of Foster’s provocative barbs. It was great television, rivalling some of he nastier moments of reality TV.
What since? Postecoglou had a brief interlude in the Greek league with Panahaiki, returning to take over at Brisbane Roar post Frank Farina.
Coaching has a continuum of styles, with some clubs and coaches hellbent on instilling a style on players, others extracting the best from their inventory in a pragmatic approach to winning and confidence building.
Postecoglou learned from his past, instilled confidence from his players and overtook the A-League in a matter of two seasons. The 4-0 demolition of Adelaide in round 13 was his crowning moment, even surpassing the grind final breakthrough months later for his first A-League trophy.
With time, he gave the team confidence to play an entertaining, pragmatic yet possessive style of play that the remainder of teams took three seasons to unravel.
Foster waxes lyrical on the development of the European possession game as played by Barcelona, Ajax et al, as the way to progress for Australia. He espouses the concept of coaches as mentors and teachers, not just procurers of three points the next week.
His passion, as Postecoglou points out in the above stoush, is commendable. But surely the path he espouses has a natural latency in a country such as Australia, where the myriad styles from Scottish long ball to Latino short to feet reflect our multicultural footprints.
It takes time for players collectively to play in manner of Ajax or Barca.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou has lifted his latest project Melbourne Victory to a respectable third behind the juggernaut of West Sydney Wanderers and Central Coast Mariners.
But in a league that arguably has not lifted the standard of play any higher than the NSL, he has set the club up for future success. Players such as James Jeggo and Andrew Nabbout have thrived in their ascension into the big time from the youth squad.
Ange Postecoglou learns as his players learn from him. He has proven a competent pundit and writes intelligently on the game. He is a tough parent to his players, recounting how he had the cojones and good sense to tell Micky Petersen that his time was up at South Melbourne.
Craig Foster in contrast trumpets the need to reach this nirvana tomorrow while showering us with his knowledge on the UEFA Champions League hour today.
While many would deride a Foster foray into coaching, it would give him the chance to influence football in this country from a closer distance than behind a camera.
Who has learned more?
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