Club job, criticism spur Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou to quit before World Cup
WHEN the shock of Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou’s decision to stand down has subsided, the timing of his exit will come under fierce scrutiny says Tom Smithies.
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- Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou will quit in November
- Aaron Mooy admits he was “angry” at being benched
WHEN the shock of Ange Postecoglou’s decision to stand down has subsided, the timing of his exit will come under fierce scrutiny.
The hard facts of the international football calendar are that the Asian leagues close shortly, and appointments will be made for new coaches soon after. In Europe the same process will follow in May. All of it, in other words, well before the World Cup.
Clearly Postecoglou feels that staying on would stymie his hopes of landing a club job straight after the Socceroos gig, however Australia perform at the World Cup. By the time that adventure was over, few positions to covet would be available, if any.
To be frank, though, it hardly suggests a resounding confidence in his players’ ability to perform on the biggest stage, assuming they get there.
If their coach doesn’t share the misgivings of many observers about how the team might fare at a World Cup, particularly in the tactical system he has put in place, then it’s a funny way of showing it.
Those close to him say Postecoglou has been worn down by the criticism of recent months, and it’s true that those who hold such public offices — from coach of the Socceroos to captain of the cricket team — say it’s impossible to appreciate from the outside the all-consuming nature of them.
Yet it’s also fair to say that he has invited such criticism by his almost scornful response to questions over his tactics and methods, accusing critics of attacking him only because he is Australian.
His sensitivity to criticism has been obvious for a long time, generic questions often perceived as negativity over his coaching ability.
In the mind of many his success in winning the Asian Cup in 2015 laid to rest the images of his infamous interview with Craig Foster a decade ago, but the memory of that clearly still holds sway over the man himself.
The build-up from the debate over his methods seems to have gathered in his mind like silt in the mouth of a river. It’s interesting that a coach he talks to regularly is Ewan McKenzie, a man who also told his critics where to go and walked away.
It’s hardly the way he envisaged leaving, the players scrambling towards a World Cup and his methods under a harsh spotlight.
But Postecoglou always said he would do the job his way and his alone, and that includes the manner in which he leaves it.