Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis to put emotion aside in bid to secure away win
A man who once captained Adelaide United and ‘bled, sweated and cried tears’ for the Reds now wants to destroy them from the opposition dugout.
There will be no room for sentiment on Sunday night at Coopers Stadium for ex-Adelaide United captain Michael Valkanis as he plots the downfall of the Reds in his role as Brisbane Roar coach.
Valkanis played for the Reds for six years in the A-League and the old National Soccer League, and was appointed club captain in 2007.
After retiring in 2009, he later was appointed Adelaide’s caretaker coach in January 2013 before returning to an assistant’s role at the end of that season.
Valkanis departed Adelaide nine years ago but still has a soft spot for United.
“I haven’t been there since I left in 2016,” he said.
“I spent over 14 years there as a player, captain, coach, so I’ve done everything there.
“I’ve bled, sweated and even cried tears for the club. I enjoyed it immensely, my time there.
“I’ve got a good connection with the supporters as well, the ‘Red Army’, but now it’s time t fully focus on Brisbane Roar, and hopefully go there and take the three points.”
The Roar are chasing their first away win of the season. having picked up 10 of their 11 points on home soil.
Adelaide has also dominated teams at home this season, with the Reds’ nine points having come from three wins in front of their fans.
“It’s a tough environment to go into, especially when the supporters get behind the team,” Valkanis said.
“We’ve noticed that. They’ve had three wins at home with tough opposition – Western Sydney, Sydney (FC) and Melbourne City, but we believe (in ourselves).
“I’m quite content with going with a belief that we go there for three points, and so are the players. You can see that at training.
“I like these sort of challenges, and I think our players are up for it now as well. We just have to take it game by game.”
The Reds are intent on bouncing back from a disappointing 2-1 away loss to Wellington Phoenix last Saturday.
It was a performance Adelaide coach Airton Andrioli described as “inconsistent”.
“We probably didn’t play our best game ... but that’s behind us now,? Andrioli said.
“It’s good to be back home. Our form at Coopers Stadium has been excellent, so we’re just hoping the boys can replicate what we’ve been doing in the home games.
“Brisbane have been consistently strong, and are a very tough opponent to play against. We need to be ready.
Every game in the league is going to be tough this season. Judging by the results we’ve seen, any team can beat anyone on the day.”
Originally published as Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis to put emotion aside in bid to secure away win
Sky Blues go top after come from behind win
