Roar Pro
Joined February 2017
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With a background in TV media and football administration, I choose to live and breathe everything sport.
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There was once a belief that to measure the success of Australian football, one had to look at how many Australians were playing in…
There is something deeply wrong with the way the administrators are managing the Australian Test cricket side. From the CEO to the selectors to…
Is there a more polarising figure in Australian football than Besart Berisha? Love him or loathe him, there is no denying that he is…
The fans want it. The FFA wants it. Ange Postecoglou wants it. A-League expansion has been on the lips of many in and around…
The Roar should be much better than they were in their last game, but Adelaide showed glimpses of promise last week. I’m leaning toward a draw.
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United: A-League highlights, live scores, blog
That heart shape might be an endorsement of the heart foundation.
Unacceptable. Any player who makes a heart shape with their hands should be banned for life, their club or country barred from competition for 2 years, and be forced to spend a day grocery shopping with David Gallop as punishment.
Tim Cahill's heroic moment sullied by alleged cash-grab celebration
When the “advertising” is so subtle, that to pretty much everyone the symbol is meaningless, there has to be some leniency, unless it can be proven – and even then who really cares anyway.
Whats the stop Jetstar from putting up a photo a player running with their arms outstretched and putting a caption that the player was being one of their planes?
Tim Cahill's heroic moment sullied by alleged cash-grab celebration
I wonder if Timmy’s boxing celebration is actually an endorsement for UFC.
I don’t think anyone really cares what he does. If he wants to make a (very obscure) corporate logo or pretend he is a teapot or whatever so be it.
Tim Cahill's heroic moment sullied by alleged cash-grab celebration
And sometimes when Ange is asked a critical question (such as should we be picking players not playing club football like Brad Smith when we have Gersbach, Goodwin and Becich) he goes all defensive and thinks we are attacking his selections and being unfair on him. All we want is an explanation, a plan, a reason, and we are giving him a chance to explain his tactical reasoning. Of course responding like that is only going to increase the pressure on himself. It’s a bizarre response. He is his own worst enemy.
Thanks, Ange, but it’s time to say goodbye
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to assess a performance.
My opinion should always be taken with a pinch of salt because I was an awful left back.
A-League rivals paying Sydney FC the ultimate compliment: Imitation
The media respected Ange at the start, it was only after he started making odd choices without explanation that it turned on him. Guus wasn’t really in the job long enough to be questioned, and his good results didn’t make anyone question his methods. If Guus stayed long enough and the results weren’t good enough, he would have been exposed to the same media furnace that Holger and Pim both went through. I would say Pim and Holger both had it much worse than Ange, and they at least had better results in the World cup qualifiers.
Thanks, Ange, but it’s time to say goodbye
I think its possible for a goalkeeper to be good in both situations. You could make a case that a goalie that doesn’t even have to make a save is doing everything right, and communicating well with his defence. In the same manner, a goalie that does incredible save after incredible save could also be amazing, even if they are conceding chances, because it could possibly the defenders don’t have enough skill to stop the attack. Its one of those existential questions where a debate could be had for either.
I think a better measure of a goalie could be the number of blunders they make. That could be cheap turnovers from kicks, moments where they failed to make a conventional save, positional errors (something which Lawrence Thomas is often guilty of) and instances where they should have caught the ball in the air (Janjetovic is very clumsy in this regard). Vuka hardly missed a beat on any of these metrics, so maybe that is the reason?
A-League rivals paying Sydney FC the ultimate compliment: Imitation
GK is a part of a defensive structure. They play a large role in organization not just at set pieces but also during open play. If a team is no conceding chances, then the credit goes to the entire defense, goalie included.
I thought Vuka was fine last season. His defense minimized chances against him (which he played a large role in, with Wilkinson and the entire defending unit), but when the chances did come he was able to pull of many good saves. He was also strong in the air at set pieces and made very few, if any, blunders.
It’s hard to quantify a goalies quality, but its a combination of all of these things. Vuka stood out last season, and with good reason.
A-League rivals paying Sydney FC the ultimate compliment: Imitation
It would have been very helpful if Ange had given some reason as to why he dropped Mooy. He didn’t communicate his intentions, and it has made the media and public draw their own conclusion – that maybe Ange was just being inept. If he had explained his decision and what he was trying to achieve, I think people may be more forgiving, instead of assumptions and guessing. You’re right, we never really got to see what his aim was. If he had told us why then maybe we’d have some insight into his decision making process.
Thanks, Ange, but it’s time to say goodbye
I can actually sort of understand why Mooy may have been left out. In the away game, Mooy looked absolutely wrecked by the end of it due to the humidity, so following on from that epic performance Ange may have had doubts he could last the full 90. Thankfully, Smith’s injury changed his plans and the team was better for it.
Thanks, Ange, but it’s time to say goodbye
I agree with that last paragraph totally. When you are a head coach dealing with the media, you almost need to be like a politician, and learn to effectively deflect negative criticism. Instead, he fought back, which only intensified the media storm. Its almost a PR issue in a way that’s blown out of control.
Thanks, Ange, but it’s time to say goodbye
I’m not saying our performances compare to Guus’s at all – just that Ange had a very similar level of posititivity from the media when he first started to old Guus, much more than Pim or Holger got. But the media and Australian public expect one thing from a coach – automatic qualification to the World Cup (rightly or wrongly). Hell, most of the time even that isn’t enough.
If you are head coach of a national team, you have to expect constant critique from all and sundry. Its part of the job, and has been the same for every previous coach (again, rightly or wrongly). It hasn’t got any worse. Ange knew this when he first took the job – he often sat on the other side of the fence himself. If his response is to quit instead of proving his doubters wrong means that maybe his heart isn’t in it, which is a mentality that will inevitably rub off on our players.
Ange has copped arguably much less negative media attention than either of our previous two coaches, so its odd for a coach who is used to this kind of thing to be reacting so badly to it. He shouldn’t expect club football overseas to be any different though – fans can and will be even more savage than the media has been to him.
Thanks, Ange, but it’s time to say goodbye
Ange himself used to spend time as a pundit before his Socceroos posting. He should know that criticism is part of being a coach in such a high visibility role. If he wants to quit because he cannot handle that, then perhaps he shouldn’t be a coach at all? Its not like he hasn’t received more than his fair share of praise since he took the job, he was greeted with the warmest of praise of any coach since Guus when he took the role. You have to expect some heat if the team continues to under-perform, and I don’t think the media has been that unkind to him, considering our results.
I can’t imagine taking a club posting in Europe is going to take pressure off him. If anything, club football in Europe can be even more unforgiving.
Thanks, Ange, but it’s time to say goodbye
Roar 1 – 1 Adelaide.
Wanderers 3 – 0 Central Coast
Victory 0 – 2 City
Jets 3 – 1 Glory
Sydney 2 – 1 Wellington
The Roar's A-League expert tips and predictions: Round 2
I think most people still gave their full support to Ange before the tinkering began. There were concerns, like the constant reliance on players not playing at club level, but he still was riding that Asian cup wave and not many were questioning his abilities.
Then he changed formations after the disaster in Thailand and our form dropped away very suddenly and dramatically. The results indicated that the tinkering wasn’t working, but Ange wouldn’t budge and stuck to his guns and that’s when the media turned on him. Ultimately its the performances that his job relies on, and its been only a downward spiral.
Ange Postecoglou to quit Socceroos in November
I think this seasons FFA cup has shown that the gap between the A-league sides and lower levels is closing. Sydney don’t look troubled as such, but the NPL clubs are doing a good job considering their budget and holding their own.
South Melbourne vs Sydney FC: FFA Cup semi-final live scores, blog
The only real legacy is his own personal one – how fondly he is remembered. No coach can have a lasting impact on the side, its up the the players to do that. I think if he were to go out in circumstances like this I think his exit could potentially overshadow his Asian Cup achievement somewhat.
Ange Postecoglou to quit Socceroos in November
I’ll do the job. My first order of business would be an immediate recall of Matt Simon. Our forward line needs an enforcer. Also, Muscat would be hired purely to abuse the 4th official, as he seems quite good at it.
Ange Postecoglou to quit Socceroos in November
I think its fair to critique him, its what the public does with any under-performing coach. Sometimes even the ones who are doing fine. Ultimately it’s not our decision whether he stays or goes.
What this news says to me (if it’s even true) is that Ange doesn’t have thick enough skin to handle to criticism that is being fired his way, and would rather run away than stick it out and prove his doubters wrong. It’s like he is no longer 100% invested in his job, and this kind of attitude will surely rub off on our players. I want my coach to me fully committed.
However, it remains to be seen whether this rumour is even true, as it could be a false rumour from Ange doubters to put pressure on him. Until we hear from either Ange himself or the FFA I’m taking everything with a pinch of salt at the moment.
Ange Postecoglou to quit Socceroos in November
Honduras it is. A banana skin waiting to happen
Ange Postecoglou to quit Socceroos in November
Syria know we are going to push forward like crazy in these last few minutes, its the Ange “all or nothing” mantra. It only takes one rapid counter attack for them to end our campaign in one decisive moment.
Socceroos vs Syria: World Cup Qualifier highlights, live scores, blog
Mooy is either buggered from the oppressive heat in the previous game, or carrying a niggling injury. I can’t imagine any other reason for Ange to want to bench our best player.
Though Leckie at wing back again is a massive risk – he clearly showed he is much better when pushed up the pitch in the last game, Syria will be licking their lips looking at our right sided defense.
Aaron Mooy relegated to bench for crucial World Cup qualifier
Well, Roar have come out firing! I’m interested to see if Adelaide can fight back, they need Blackwood to deliver. I thought he is a player of promise but failed to deliver despite getting many chances at Sydney FC. This is his chance to prove himself.
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United: A-League highlights, live scores, blog