Why John Aloisi quit as Brisbane Roar coach
John Aloisi’s departure from Brisbane Roar was his own choice, but it was all but forced by the lack of support he received from the club’s owners, the Bakrie Group.
John Aloisi’s departure from Brisbane Roar was his own choice, but it was all but forced by the lack of support he received from the club’s owners, the Bakrie Group.
Aloisi, appointed as Brisbane coach in mid-2015 after being recommended to the Roar by the club’s former supercoach Ange Postecoglou, quit on Friday despite being contracted until 2020.
Darren Davies, who was a member of Aloisi’s coaching staff, was named interim head coach ahead of the Roar’s clash against Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium on Saturday night.
Aloisi’s brother and assistant Brisbane coach Ross Aloisi remains employed by the club.
Tears flowed among the playing group at the club’s Logan training base on Friday when Aloisi ¬ the Roar’s longest serving head coach ¬ advised them of his decision to quit.
Despite the Roar’s poor start to the season, which has them in second last spot on the ladder after four successive losses, Aloisi had the full backing of his squad.
It was a bond that was forged by the tough times that engulfed the club during Aloisi’s reign.
Late payments, failure to pay superannuation, and ordinary training facilities and support practices were among the problems that Aloisi and his squad were forced to overcome.
Despite such hurdles, the Roar finished third on the ladder in Aloisi’s first two seasons in charge, and again made the finals last season when they placed sixth after recovering from a disastrous start.
But a worn out Aloisi pulled the plug on Friday after another forgettable early season.
“For the past three-and-a-half years, I have given every minute of my life to make the Brisbane Roar a success,” Aloisi said.
“Upon reflection of the current situation, I have made the difficult decision to stand down effective immediately as I believe this is in the best interest of the playing group and football club.”
“Everybody knows the challenges of the past few years and I’m proud to have made the finals each season, qualified for Asia and have gone within a point of winning the Premier’s Plate amid all of that.”
Aloisi’s decision to walk away came as no surprise to the Roar’s former football director Craig Moore, who made a similar decision to cut ties with the three-time A-League champions last season due to frustrations with the club’s Indonesia-based owners.
“For me it’s down to the way the club is run,” Moore told The Courier-Mail.
“There’s a struggle with this ownership. They’ve thrown a lot of money in but at the same time they could throw another $200 million at the Brisbane Roar and I don’t think it would make a difference because there’s not a business in place.
“People that have either worked at this football club or worked with the club at a level, know the daily challenges of this football club.
“These daily challenges that Johnny has endured longer than any other coach, it wears you down.”
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Originally published as Why John Aloisi quit as Brisbane Roar coach
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