Watching Kenny Lowe impersonate a cork in the ocean as his Glory team took a ferocious beating from the ladder leading Sydney FC on November 13, got me thinking about the personas of the ten men guiding the fortunes of our A-League Clubs.
I’d be lying if I said I liked all of them, yet the interest and curiosity around them adds much to our league.
I loved a recent Twitter comment from Tony Tannous, well respected Roar writer and ‘The Round Ball Analyst’, when he referred to Jurgen Klopp as ‘half madman, half genius.’
This pretty much encapsulates the frustrating and insanely unpredictable business of football management.
Lowe is a good place to start, as no coach has caused more of a kerfuffle this year, after his pitch invasion and finger pointing of Round 3 against Melbourne City. It was a display of great passion and player loyalty, yet considerably misguided in its execution.
Watching Lowe squirm in the grandstand the following two weeks as he served his ban was interesting and the team looked good at times. His return pitch side, unfortunately, saw the Glory well beaten.
Lowe should probably try to kerb things a little, his gesticulations and arm flapping threatens to defy the laws of gravity and requesting his team ‘calm down’ as he was during the loss to FC is somewhat ironic considering his performance.
In direct contrast, Ernie Merrick’s side peeled off two wins in a row after the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Victory, the second of which was achieved with a weakened side due to international commitments.
Merrick is often portrayed as a veteran, an old pro; a seasoned type, devoid of personality; in essence, ‘old school’. The perception around younger managers is that they possess more innovation.
To label Merrick as such is narrow minded, as he has consistently shown the ability to mould and craft young footballers into hard running, modern players who compliment his style perfectly.
Kosta Barbarouses will be a perfect fit for the Phoenix and in combination with Roy Krishna, form an up-front pair with Merrick’s fingerprints all over them.
Quietly spoken and mellow, Merrick appears the ultimate realist when it comes to his team. When they win he appears honest in his pleasure at the performance. Contrastingly, he addresses questions frankly after a loss.
Merrick doesn’t see the need to grandstand in any way. Some might see him as boring, as Santo, Sam and Ed’s Total Football satirically presented, I tend to think he is just refreshing.
John Aloisi is also refreshing, particularly for my wife, who, as featured in More Sex Please Mr Aloisi, thinks he is very handsome.
Accessible to the media, open and honest in his assessment of matches, more knowledgeable and skilled as a manager following his hiatus after leaving Melbourne Heart, Aloisi has achieved some impressive things with a Roar team over the last two years despite off-pitch distractions.
Financial and recruitment issues along with waning membership have hampered the Club, yet Aloisi has used the tools at his disposal to build an impressive unit.
Despite a somewhat disappointing loss to the Wanderers at the second last hurdle, the Premiers Plate was a great achievement and there are enough signs that The Roar will be there or thereabouts in the New Year.
Guillermo Amor has continued to smile his way through a poor start to the Reds season (sound familiar?) and with the title of 2015-16 behind him, might just be even more laid back than twelve months ago.
Every question he answers seems to receive a response embedded in the plight of the players. He speaks of hard work, the chances they create and the need for patience as the goals will come.
He smiles, says thanks, and walks away. I wouldn’t mind seeing Amor and Lowe play squash together. The juxtaposition would be outstanding.
(Please note: article written before Amor’s altercation and subsequent suspension, something that does appear out of character.)
Tony Popovic presents a much more intense image and even more so as his team struggles through a lean patch, where insufficient chances and some woeful defending have been significant issues.
Kerem Bulut has not produced, Mitch Nicholls seems to be lone piper in terms of bubbly movement and energy up front and Jumpei looks great, yet without goals, is merely aesthetically pleasing to watch.
Popovic seems slightly off the mark with some of his post-match comments, ignoring some of the glaring flaws in the Wanderers’ start to the season.
Like a boxer claiming victory after a split decision in which he has been clearly outclassed,
Popovic’s rose coloured glasses need removing in order for Western Sydney to start to deal honestly with some of their deficiencies.
Crosstown rival Graham Arnold is as grumpy as ever, full of mind games, whinging and stubbornness. Where would we be without Arnie? After a very disappointing 2015-16, he looked to have righted the ship as FC rolled through the first six rounds.
Watching he and a certain mentor at the Melbourne Victory fire f-bombs from one technical area to another is one of the highlights of my A-League season. Post-game, Arnold looks like a man returning from war, rarely a smile, more often a scowl and the loosened tie and sweaty brow as he is interviewed, are remnants of the battle.
It is wonderful to see Paul Okon in Australia coaching, as well as having success. As the Mariners moved into the six on Thursday night, if only momentarily, the doomsday summations of the team at seasons launch now appear to be well off the mark.
He is poised and measured and his team is playing in the same vein. They have shown resiliency in grinding out draws and finding goals when needed. Most importantly, there have been flashes of class from the front three who have begun to threaten defences more often.
The Jets have hitched their wagon with local men in their bid to lift the Hunter back into contention this season. Mark Jones has the team playing well, yet injuries have cruelled their start to the season. In the most part, he has remained cool and the Jets look to have something to work with.
His passion for the Club nurtured though his playing days with the Breakers and his role as assistant in 2008 when the Jets won the league will ensure the drive is there. The prudent question is whether he has the talent at his disposal to lift the squad into the six at season’s end.
John van’t Schip is a handsome dude. Nice suits, cool, poised and decisive. With significant resources and financial clout behind him, he can afford to be. While externally appearing in control, the owners demand success and this Wednesday’s FFA Cup final will be the acid test for van’t Schip and a team that looks powerful, skilful and potent.
There is no doubt they have grown over the break and look League winners to many people’s eyes.
If van’t Schip maintains his poise and grace throughout the ups and downs of the unfolding season, it will be an achievement.
It will also be a direct contrast to the tenth coach, last and least, Kevin Muscat.
As grumpy as Graham Arnold is, this man is just flat out angry. My daughter told me I was showing too much passion and anger as Manager in her matches this year. I showed her some of Muscat’s ‘finest’ moments and returned to my former glory as Dad of the year.
Awkward and evasive interviews, vacuous selection analysis and purile spitting throughout matches make him difficult to take.
In his defence, that’s his style, his words and actions resemble the way he defended: ruthless, aggressive and unforgiving, seemingly without a care for the impression or perception he creates around himself.
They are all talented men, some blessed with the cattle to win this thing, others, perhaps not. As things unfold over Christmas, we will start to get a stronger feeling of who has moulded their squad most successfully in the pre-season.
From the sublime in Merrick to the ridiculousness of Lowe, they all will continue to add something to season 16-17.
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Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
