Ange Postecoglou

This is something Scottish football fans can definitely relate to. You have multiple instances of TV pundits and journalists, the people who should be promoting our game, put it down consistently. You only have to watch Sky Sports’ coverage of our game to know they don’t care about it at all. Low quality rushed coverage, awful studio guests and analysis, using the wrong graphics for club badges. I’m sure there are plenty of other examples I’m not recalling. We need more people like Ange who are happy to champion their home grown product.

 

Wish we would do an all mics training days video for us again. Would be interesting to see now he's settled.

 

There was a video I seen of Bartley a couple of months ago before we beat the huns. Can't remember what it was for but he was waxing lyrical about Ange and the way we play back then as well.

 

Even that * Marvin Bartley is in awe of the big man

Think he’s been on here and seen my post but, *.

 

Yeah good post. A good example of the bs we have to put up with here. A fight on the crowd or flare at a game here and it’s nearly front page news…”soccer hooligans go nuts”. Worse incidents in the local Aussie Rules/rugby and there’s barely a whisper

 

Funnily enough we have that same double standard with rugby here too.

It's a classism thing.

 

Yeah it's a class thing in Scotland but not really in Oz. In fact, the profile of football in Oz is arguably bigger than rugby - the poster meant rugby league and Aussie Rules which are the two dominant codes over here.

Thing is, those two dominant codes have forever feared the potential of the world game and so have taken every opportunity to take a swipe at us. It even comes down to such matters as the police and security firms (notoriously Aussie Rules/league supporters) being much tougher on football fans at stadiums (than other fans) in an effort to spoil the matchday experience and dissuade fans from coming again. It really is that pathetic, and just another shot in the complex war for hearts, minds and athletes that happens across the Oz sporting landscape.

I don't mind league but I always used to be indifferent to Aussie Rules - an unbelievably boring game. My indifference turned to pure hate when I was told the following story by a publisher. When Oz applied to host the World Cup in 2022 (in about 2010) my publisher was invited to a secret meeting arranged by the AFL (Aussie Rules). There were about a hundred people in the room - all regarded as thought leaders and influencers (the publisher had published a football book but also a couple of Aussie Rules books). The session was led by two major personalities, one was head of the AFL - the other was a club president and media star - the two of them harangued the room to do everything they could to ensure that Australia did not get the World Cup. If football gets the world cup they said... our game will die.

That's obviously bullshit, their game is too big to die that quickly. But the AFL absolutely went out of its way to make things hard for the Oz bid - especially re the FIFA requirement that no other major code be played to clash with the dates of the World Cup. They drove a very hard bargain that meant any benefit from stadium development would mainly benefit them, and the whole sorry episode scored us a black mark from the Technical Committee. (Mind you, the Technical Committee recommended that Qatar's bid be disqualified for numerous reasons, so clearly the TC report only matters when there aren't mega petro-bux to fix it.)

We were never going to get the bid, given the nature of FIFA politics (even though we would put on a great World Cup - like we put on the best ever Olympics in Sydney), but that's not the point. The AFL went out of its way to * our chances, and I will never forgive them nor their abortion of a game.

 

It is time that competitions abroad take a closer look at coaches as well as players from Aus.. The mindset of a very good coach equates to being a real asset, regardless of where that person is from. For instance, Ange has some former apprentices around the place in Peter Cklamovski, Arthur Papas and John Hutchinson. Kev Muscat took over at Yokahama last season and came second in his first season. Things are looking positive in his second tilt at it this season.

Ironically, Kev took over previous from Ange at Melbourne Victory and with title success when Ange had to shift because the National Team calling came. There are plenty more coaches around including title winners in Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo and Sydney fc gaffer Steve Corica, both ex Socceroos. Another with plenty of skill is Ufuk Talay of Wellington.

 

Ange is that good he could get "neighbours " going again

 

Loved that. Sometimes you just know something special is coming. This man brings special. I'm * fully aboard the big aussie worship train. (Until he leaves the * )

 

Don’t get me started on the AFL hijacking the WC bid. Ironically they’d have been the first to capitalise on it had it come to fruition. Would have had no shame in chasing after Messi to get him to hold a Sherrin for a photo op.

 

He’s given the place a real lift since he’s been boss.



He’s a wonderful lad.

 

Open Goal interview later. Looking forward to that. Can listen to the man for hours

 

Hand on heart, the best club football I ever watched was at State League level in the 60s.

Australia was not recognised by FIFA because of some technicality at the time.
The game was very ethnically based and each team playing in the Victorian State League in that decade even had players of international level playing in their teams. Most migrants coming in those days were young and had played with clubs back home. Players in Australia were making better money than they would do at home.

Games between teams like South Melbourne Hellas (Greek), Juventus (Italy), Melbourne Croatia, George Cross (Maltese), Polonia, Melbourne JUST (Yugoslav), Slavia (Czechoslovakia), were like international games played in front of 20,000 fans. Flowers would be exchanged between captains at the coin toss, hand shakes and the Maltese fans would love to release 40-50 homing pigeons from baskets at the start of the game or when they scored a goal.

To a young lad like me going to the soccer with my dad and family friends at the time it was the magical highlight of the week for me. I was hooked for life.

The player I feared most was Billy Vojtek of Melbourne Croatia. Each time he play.ed against South Melbourne I feared the worst. He was a slight player but with great ball control, a strong shot with both feet, good passer of the ball and a creative and nippy attacking mid fielder. He played for Australia many times and was in the squad for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.

This is the type of football environment Ange grew up in.

 

Only just finding out about Ange and Puskas. That’s cool’s as *.