Ross Aloisi to coach Brisbane Roar after signing a two-year deal

Having ‘evolved’ as a coach and a person, Ross Aloisi has returned to Brisbane to take charge of the Roar.

Ross Aloisi (left), pictured wit his brother John, is Brisbane Roar’s new coach. Picture: Mark Cranitch

New Brisbane Roar coach Ross Aloisi intends to restore the fallen Queensland club to its previous dizzy heights after signing a two-year deal with the three-time A-League champions.

Revealed in February by News Corp Australia as a leading contender to take charge of the Roar following the sacking of Warren Moon, Aloisi has been anointed as the man to lead a Brisbane revival despite club officials having also had discussions with German mentor Marco Kurz and former Socceroos defender Hayden Foxe.

It is a homecoming of sorts for 50-year-old Aloisi, who was a Roar assistant coach under his brother John and briefly Darren Davies for the best part of four seasons before departing in early 2019.

Since then he has served as an assistant coach at Adelaide United and Japanese club Yokohama F, Marinos, where he assisted head coach Kevin Muscat.

“Having “evolved” as both a coach and a person, Aloisi was thrilled to have the chance be head coach of an A-League club for the first time, and also insisted he never wanted to leave the Roar despite his brother’s less-than-amicable departure in late 2018.

Former Adelaide united assistant coach Ross Aloisi has taken charge at Brisbane Roar. Picture: Tom Huntley

“There were people here at the time who didn’t want me on the coaching staff, but there was never any nastiness or bitterness when I left the club,” Aloisi said.

“That’s part of coaching, and I’ve evolved as a person, and I’ve evolved as a football coach.

“It’s quite easy for me to settle straight back in, but we are looking to build the club back up again,”

Aloisi said he had “learnt a lot” working under a host of coaches, and was particularly grateful for having the chance to work in Japan for a year with Muscat, who led Yokohama to the 2022 J.League title.

“T want to play a high-intensity game, which means the training will be different,” Aloisi said.

“In Japan, the players work hard, they train and they want to get better. We need players of that same mentality, and that’s what my team will look like.”

Despite hailing from South Australia, Aloisi said he had the “Queenslander” mentality of “never giving up” and promised his Roar team would display those same “fighting” traits.

“I’m that type of person, and that’s the type of coach I am, so it’s a really good fit,” he said.

“It will be part of the implementation of a cultural change, club values, and team values, which are respect, professionalism and a few more.”

The Roar will start pre-season training late next month, with Aloisi hopeful of having his coaching staff settled by then.

The staff won’t include Nick Green, whose term as interim Roar coach finished with Brisbane’s 1-0 weekend win over Melbourne Victory. The win resulted in the Roar finishing eighth on the ladder and avoiding having to play off for an Australia Cup spot.

Originally published as Ross Aloisi to coach Brisbane Roar after signing a two-year deal