He is rightly recognised as one of the best managers Australia has seen, but Ange Postecoglou risks losing his lustre if Melbourne Victory go trophyless this season.
The two-time A-League championship and two-time National Soccer League championship-winning manager is seen as one of the frontrunners for the Socceroos top job if it becomes available in coming years, but that’s if he doesn’t first get a gig at the helm of a European club.
He built this reputation for himself after two sensational seasons at Brisbane Roar, during which he single-handedly raised the bar for the standard of football in Australia.
The style and success of Roar under the guidance of Postecoglou captured the attention and imagination of fans, players, pundits and anyone with an interest in the A-League.
A move then to Melbourne Victory, just days after his second grand final triumph with Brisbane, was seen as a match made in heaven.
A Melbourne-born managerial genius returning home to pair with the A-League’s biggest and best-resourced club – not just Melbourne Victory fans were expecting big things.
Yet after an embarrassing 2011-12 season for the club under Mehmet Durakovic and Jim Magilton, it would have been beyond expectations for Postecoglou to right the Victory ship as well as steer it to silverware in his first season.
But after a third place finish, he has successfully banished the ghosts of 2011-12 and now the ever-demanding Victory faithful have turned their eyes to the trophy cabinet.
As if the weight of the fans’ expectations wasn’t enough, Postecoglou himself has also piled on the pressure to produce the goods this season.
Put simply, you cannot ruthlessly cut players on the scale Postecoglou has and have any hope of maintaining your reputation, or even your job, if you do not win trophies.
Since he arrived at Victory 18 months ago, an incredible 21 players (not including three players on loan) have felt the kiss of Postecoglou’s axe.
Granted, Postecoglou would have preferred to hold on to players like Marco Rojas and Billy Celeski, but he saw the majority of them as dead wood and the total number of departures during his tenure is enough with which to make an entirely new A-League squad.
Postecoglou, in that time, has brought in 17 new faces as part of his radical rebuild.
The squad is now well and truly his and he must produce.
This is of course reminiscent of his beginnings at Brisbane Roar when he axed experienced veterans Craig Moore, Charlie Miller and Bob Malcolm, and froze out another in Danny Tiatto.
While those decisions initially drew much criticism, they proved to be absolute masterstrokes as the Roar went on to become one of the most celebrated and dominant teams Australian football has ever known.
This season will certainly be a critical one for Postecoglou.
Will he fall short and be exposed as a one hit wonder who just happened to do well at Brisbane?
Or can he justify his savage rebuild of the Victory squad and lift his already lofty reputation to new heights by winning silverware?
james
Guest
how is Ange a 1 hit wonder? he has won 4 national titles.
Roar Fan
Guest
I agree Clayt regarding the depth of various teams. I know I sound like a scratched record, but people are underestimating the depth and quality of the Roar squad as well as many other teams. Talent, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Following your club's youth team also gives you a fairly good understanding of your club's overall strength. I won't waiver from my assessment that Brisbane has one of the best and most versatile squads in the league including some of our top youth players like Yeboah, Borello and Liftin. Go Roar
Ian
Guest
Don't be sorry Clayts. Go Roar.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
I wish The Victory well Fuss until they come up against WSW of course :-)
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
I am looking forward to the Ange vs Gumby clash, should make compelling viewing.
mahonjt
Guest
I agree - but many MVFC fans are impatient and fans of other teams just simply hate us. This is the price of being the bigguest (and so far the most sucessfull in terms of trophies and business and club development) team in the A-League.
Clayts
Guest
Whine? Not whining at all, Fuss. Just presenting an argument that people seem to manufacture knowledge about teams every year in the a league despite every year learning the same lesson. Until we actually see the team play in the competitive games, we know little. This year it's, "Roar have a great first XI but nothing underneath." and "Victory have the most potent attack ever put together, and great depth." However when you dig a little further, there just doesn't seem to be much basis to it other than some 'expert' having a stab in the dark. Picking Victory as favourites for the title is kinda lazy i reckon. But have at it I guess, otherwise we'd have nothing to talk about, which is all I'm doing. Sorry if I actually had an original opinion
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Fair enough, Clayts. How about this: I think MVFC will finish bottom of the A-League, won't win a game & won't score a goal Hope that prognostication keeps you happy for the next 27 weeks, or will you find something else to whine about in relation to MVFC?
Clayts
Guest
I keep reading about this 'depth' in the MV squad. Who are you referring to as depth? The bench this week has Rashid Mahazi, Jesse Makarounis, Scott Galloway etc. I'd suggest that these players are still largely either untested in the A-League or pretty much on the same or similar level to most other team's bench players? I mean yes, as Victory supporters you probably know more about these players but the same could be said about Roar fans and the likes of Yeboah, Borrello and Corey Brown right? My point is that it seems that (like every year just about) the Victory are touted as world beaters. It seems they have a stronger squad than last year, but like I've said in other threads, so do most of the teams in the league. Also, in my opinion (which is likely to be howled down mind you, and I'm fine with that) when Milligan doesn't play, Victory are much weaker and easier to score against. I just think everyone is getting a little ahead of themselves. Ange is talking about silverware, the season hasn't started yet, but supporters are agreeing with him! A little crazy, even for Victory
TomC
Roar Guru
Gee, hopefully us MV fans aren't that demanding! Personally I think we're at least one more season away from silverware. Still a few holes in the squad to be plugged.
Football United
Guest
While the premiership (and eventually the championship when the race for the plate has been decided) should be our main goal during the majority of the season, once ACL season begins and if we qualify, i want to see MV have a real crack at it this time. With the depth in the squad this season, I want to see us start to make some serious inroads into Asia as well as keep things going domestically. Making it to the knockout stages of the ACL, let alone further into the competition is a much bigger challenge than winning two knockout finals and i would be just as satisfied with progress in the ACL as winning either trophy in the HAL. Nest season though, A-League teams will have up to 4 trophies up for grabs with the inclusion of the FFA Cup and i expect Ange to win at least one of them as a minimum.