FFA boss David Gallop says Socceroos’ timetable will play major role in deciding new coach
FOOTBALL Federation boss David Gallop says choosing a successor to Ange Postecoglou will be broad and admits several factors will play a role in the decision.
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FOOTBALL Federation boss David Gallop admits the remit for choosing a successor to Ange Postecoglou will be broad, as he wrestles with the challenge of finding the right figure to take the national team forward.
Questions over how long the appointment will be for figure as highly as who the coach will be, given the timetable for the year ahead.
Assistant coach Ante Milicic is almost certain to represent the Socceroos at next week’s World Cup draw, and the next key date beyond that is a friendly in March.
The new man will be in place well before that, though much of the planning for Australia’s World Cup campaign has already been done including a training base and team hotel.
But the defence of the Asian Cup won by Postecoglou in January 2015 looms in less than 14 months, and Gallop confirmed he had to weigh up whether to seek a new coach for that period or for the whole four and a half year cycle to the next World Cup.
“Both options are open to us and it’s too early to say which one we’ll take,” he said. “We want to be successful in Russia, we need to continue a lot of the things already in place. But we also have to have an eye on the future too.
“As Ange said, we’ve got to where we’ve got to because we had an eye on the future four years ago. It would be really important to have that as one of our criteria as well.
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“Whether that means a short-term appointment to get us through Russia, perhaps through the Asian Cup, and then something after that; or someone who’s the full cycle now, it’s too early to say.”
On the thorny question of whether the new coach would be Australian, Gallop made clear his preference – but noted that circumstances might prevent that.
“We don’t play until March so we do have a bit of time,” he said. “It’s important we take that time to look at what’s out there.
“There’s enormous advantages in having an Australian in this position: a deep interest in the A-League, deep interest in the junior national teams and the pathways, an understanding of football’s place in the Australian landscape. All of that is important. But it doesn’t guarantee we can appoint an Australian. So we’ll take our time and make sure we get the right person for the job.”
Gallop had already canvassed the views of a number of possible candidates, aware that Postecoglou had made clear he would leave after the World Cup in July whatever happened.