Robbie Slater has backed new Brisbane Roar mentor John Aloisi to shine in his second senior coaching stint, saying he’s grown and gained greater perspective since he was sacked by Melbourne Heart.
Aloisi will oversee his first A-League match at the helm of Brisbane when the Roar face the Western Sydney Wanderers on Thursday night, nearly two years after his unsuccessful run at the then-Heart ended.
“I think John will do well,” Slater said of the 39-year-old legendary former Socceroos striker.
“He was very fresh in his first season with Melbourne Heart and he didn’t have a lot of luck.”
Ex-Socceroo Slater said Aloisi’s time working alongside him as a Fox Sports commentator had taught him how to better deal with the media – a valuable lesson for any manager.
“That’s one of the big things as a coach you’ve got to be able to deal with,” he said.
“He’s had a year in the media where he’s had to criticise coaches and players, now he’ll know it’s not personal.
“It’s a big challenge and he’s been able to step back, see the media side and that will help him deal with the media and to a large extent criticism.”
Slater said Aloisi’s chances at Heart had been cruelled by some factors out of his control, notably star Dutch signing Orlando Engelaar fracturing his leg during his pre-season debut and being ruled out for 14 winless rounds in 2013/14.
“I remember Orlando Engelaar came back into the Melbourne Heart team the week after John was sacked and then they went on a good run.
“That was the ingredient he missed and he couldn’t get that.
“I do believe if he had have stayed when Engelaar came into the team he would have been OK.”
Ian
Guest
Agree lads. I have been happy with JA so far and as any coach should be, he shall be judged on results most importantly but how he has handled himself so far in trying circumstances is pleasing. I hope he is given a decent amount of time and results to be judged fairly. Can't wait for 7pm tonight.
Waz
Guest
I agree - he'll be judged on what he does in the new season of course but I've been very impressed with his leadership through the crisis, his ability to keep all but Brattan on-board, and the connection he's shown with the fans. If he can Coach, Roar I think will find themselves to have been very lucky to have landed him
Waz
Guest
lol jb, well said. JAs time at Heart is largely irrelevant to how he might do at Roar other than the motivation to better himself in between roles (which he seems to have done over in Spain at some notable clubs) and the knowledge that any failure at roar is likely to end his management career, at least as head coach (listening to him the other night it might just be that he's make a great TD or Head of Football dept. if not a head coach). Time alone will tell, and the clock starts ticking tonight ..
Lionheart
Guest
Good luck to John Aloisi, that's what I say. Given the string of injuries at Roar last year, and already this year, he'll need it. His leadership has been noticeably strong during the pre-season, amid some tumultuous events. His players look motivated. He appears to have bought well. I'm not sure that his media experience is such a big issue. He was always pretty good with the media.
jbinnie
Guest
This opinion given by RS is more like a "let's get behind JA folks" plea than it does a factual description of JA's talent for the job at hand.. JA came across on our TV screens as a good looking,articulate, commentator but Robbie Slater is too well versed in the foibles of being a football manager to really believe those attributes mean anything once a team starts to perform on the 'big stage" over the coming weeks. Perhaps it would be much better for people like RS and co. to get off JA's back and let time, and his,JA.s actual application to the job, speak for itself.That unfortunately is the way the ""cookie crumbles" in football management,not on what happened to a player's leg some months ago.(More than half of Roar's supporters would not even remember Engalaar,never mind seeing him as an excuse for "failure").The next few weeks will let JA prove himself to fans, not reading opinions from people who should know better. Cheers jb