Roar comments were distasteful: Postecoglou

Updated October 12, 2012 08:26:34

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou has described comments by some of his former Brisbane players before Saturday night's A-League showdown as distasteful and disrespectful.

The day after controversial Roar striker Besart Berisha declared his former coach was in his sights, star team-mate Thomas Broich said the club's new coach Rado Vidosic was the "brain" behind their two A-League titles under Postecoglou and would make Brisbane a "better team".

"I was actually looking forward to the trip (to Brisbane) but to be honest I've found the whole week a little bit distasteful from my point of view," Postecoglou said on Thursday night.

"I think it's been a little bit disrespectful.

"For two-and-a-half years I worked pretty hard up there with the players and the club.

"I never came out and said I was totally responsible for that (two titles).

"But certainly through the tough times, and there were plenty of tough times at the Roar, I was the person front and centre taking responsibility for all that.

"I was a little bit surprised by the comments coming out of the club."

Tactics Room: Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory

Postecoglou arrived at Brisbane in October 2009 when the club was on its knees.

When he left earlier this year they had won back-to-back A-League titles and been hailed one of the great sides in the league's history.

Under Postecoglou they set an amazing unbeaten streak of 36 games and they also went on the club's worst losing streak before recovering to beat Perth 2-1 in the grand final.

"I've got some fantastic memories from my time with the Roar. The supporters were great to me, the whole club was great," Postecoglou said.

"I thought I had great relations with the players but I guess times change, things evolve and people move on and I guess I need to as well."

Postecoglou, who has set about rebuilding the Victory, said his former club remained the benchmark of the A-League.

"We've got some work to do to get up to that level but it will be a good test for us," he said.

"Hopefully they will get a big crowd, which by all reports they will and it will be a cracking game for everyone."

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Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted October 12, 2012 08:21:20

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Postecoglou backing Victory to re-build

Updated October 04, 2012 14:16:16

Ange Postecoglou is confident Melbourne Victory's transformation from madhouse to powerhouse is on track.

And he believes the Victory will only improve on Friday night's first outing under his coaching.

After enduring the most turbulent 12 months in their history amid on-field disappointment last season, the Victory face cross-town rivals Melbourne Heart at Docklands with all eyes on them.

Not just because the match marks the official start of the A-League season, but for the first look at how Brisbane Roar's dual championship-winning coach aims to straighten out the Victory since arriving in the off-season.

"We've been going for four months, we're more than ready," Postecoglou said.

"We kind of needed it. We've made a lot of changes, not only in personnel, but the way we train and the way we play.

"If it was a traditional preseason of four weeks, I'd be pretty nervous right now. We'd be nowhere near where we are at the moment.

"Whatever we produce tomorrow night, we will improve. Tomorrow night's our starting point."

Postecoglou says he feels Victory have done enough work to be competitive first-up against the Heart in front of an expected 35,000-strong crowd.

Heart finished above the Victory last season, making the finals.

But they have also undergone big changes.

Ex-Socceroo John Aloisi now coaches a side that has lost young stars Curtis Good, Eli Babalj and Brendan Hamill, with Socceroo midfielder Richard Garcia their key off-season signing.

Aloisi is expecting a far different Victory team to the one which lined up under last season's coaching-go-round of Mehmet Durakovic and Jim Magilton, and failed to make the finals.

And while he expects elements of what Postecoglou managed at the Roar - expansive, passing-focused football - he does not expect an exact replica.

"I know they'll be a bit different to Brisbane, because they have different types of players," Aloisi said.

"You know with Ange it's going to be a good footballing game, a good passing game.

"They're a team that will always try to pass their way out of trouble.

"You know it's going to be exciting football and we're pretty similar in that we try to play a good style of football."

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First posted October 04, 2012 14:16:16

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Milligan couldn't resist Postecoglou factor

Updated July 12, 2012 15:49:04

Melbourne Victory recruit Mark Milligan says the chance to train under grand final-winning coach Ange Postecoglou played a big part in attracting him to the A-League club.

The Socceroo has signed a three-year deal with the Victory after spending time on loan at the club last season.

Milligan says Postecoglou, who coached Brisbane Roar to win the past two grand finals, is one of the league's best.

"I played under Ange in the young Socceroos and under-20s, and everyone knows what he was able to do up there in Queensland," Milligan said.

"So obviously to have arguably one of the best A-League coaches here in Melbourne now, that was a major factor."

Milligan started his A-League career as a young defender for Sydney FC between 2005 and 2008. He then played a season at Newcastle Jets before signed by Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

From there he spent two seasons in the Japan 2 league with JEF United Chiba. The Japanese club loaned him to Melbourne late last season.

Milligan, who has made 12 appearances for the Socceroos, is expecting Victory to have a strong season in 2012-13.

"Ange has made a few really good signings, so I think there's a lot to look forward to next season," Milligan added.

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First posted July 12, 2012 15:21:28

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Chill out, it's preseason: Postecoglou

Updated August 20, 2012 17:31:32

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou has told A-League clubs to take a chill-pill after two violent preseason flare-ups.

Four players were sent off after a brawl in a 'friendly' between the Jets and Phoenix on Saturday night at Weston, near Newcastle.

The incident came a week after rival fans clashed at a preseason game involving Sydney FC at Campbelltown.

With the season proper still more than six weeks away, Postecoglou says he is at a loss to understand what is going on.

"It doesn't reflect well, that's for sure," he told reporters in Hobart.

"I saw some vision of it (Saturday's brawl) and I don't really understand it.

"I think players and coaches and everyone involved should probably understand this is preseason."

The two-time A-League winning former Brisbane coach said ill-discipline would not be tolerated at the Victory.

"I'd be disappointed if it was my team doing that," he said.

"I think discipline's part of getting your team ready."

Football Federation Australia (FFA) was reviewing the latest incident, which resulted in Jets defender Tiago and Phoenix trio Manny Muscat, Ben Sigmund and Andrew Durante being sent off in the 3-1 win to Newcastle.

In Sydney, a six-year-old boy was among those injured when rivals fans of Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers clashed.

The Victory are in Tasmania for two practice matches, against a state XI on Tuesday in Hobart before Friday night's trial against Adelaide United in Launceston.

Postecoglou said all fit players would get some game-time against Tasmania, including a first hit-out with his new club for star signing Marcos Flores.

"We don't have any stars," Postecoglou said.

"We'll play everyone who's available.

"The season's slowly creeping up on us so it's really important that we keep progressing what we're working on.

"Our goal is to be ready to win on October 5."

Victory captain Adrian Leijer has begun training with the squad after groin and hip injuries but says there is no timeframe on when he will play again.

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First posted August 20, 2012 17:10:11

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Postecoglou backs Thompson for Socceroos duty

Updated May 20, 2012 18:07:36

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou feels Archie Thompson is ready to play a big part in the Socceroos' final stage of World Cup qualifying.

Thompson and Victory team-mate Harry Kewell were the only A-League representatives in a 26-man squad named by Holger Osieck last week for June's qualifiers against Oman and Japan.

With the Victory's A-League season having ended in March, there were concerns over the pair's match fitness.

But while Kewell is on leave, Postecoglou said Thompson proved his readiness in Saturday night's 4-1 friendly defeat against powerful Greek club Olympiakos at Docklands.

Thompson scored the Victory's sole goal from a penalty he earned himself.

"He looked sharp," Postecoglou said.

"We wanted to keep him out there for 90 minutes and he ran the game out pretty well, he still ran pretty hard at the end.

"When he got in behind them he caused them problems and got his (penalty) and maybe could have had one more, in terms of opportunities.

"He feels pretty good at the end of the game, so should he be required, I'm sure if there were any doubts about his fitness they'd be dispelled."

Thompson's form was a rare highlight for a mostly inexperienced Victory outfit, who were thoroughly outclassed in Postecoglou's first game in charge.

It was the ex-Brisbane mentor's first match since guiding the Roar to their second straight A-League championship in April.

The margin could have been much greater, the visitors narrowly missing several early chances and subbing off a host of internationals in the second half.

But Postecoglou was pleased his side kept trying to play the style he wanted.

He said it would have made more sense to play the game in July, when the Victory's preseason was underway and they had completed their squad.

"The timing of this one's a little bit out of kilter, to be honest," he said.

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First posted May 20, 2012 14:56:26

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Postecoglou dumps Covic, Brebner

Updated May 01, 2012 16:58:16

Reigning Melbourne Victory player of the year Ante Covic and dual championship-winning midfielder Grant Brebner have not been offered new contracts by incoming coach Ange Postecoglou.

The veteran duo were moved on less than a week after Postecoglou was named as the Victory's fourth coach in little more than 12 months.

Goalkeeper Covic was disappointed at being dumped, especially after winning the Victory Medal as the club's best player in 2011-12 - his first and only season with the club.

But with fellow shot-stoppers Tando Velaphi and Lawrence Thomas already contracted for next season, the 36-year-old Covic was the one to go.

"I was pretty happy with my season last year and was hopeful of getting another contract, but sometimes things don't work out that way in football," Covic said.

Brebner joined the Victory from Scottish side Dundee United six years ago and was a key member of the teams which won the premiership/championship doubles in 2006-07 and 2008-09.

"When I first came out from Scotland, it was a bit of a step into the unknown," he said.

"But, six years down the path, I've enjoyed plenty of success here and I'm even an Australian citizen now, so it's been a great experience."

Postecoglou said he was keen for the Victory's marquee player Harry Kewell to remain with the club for the final two years of his contract.

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First posted May 01, 2012 16:58:16

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Berisha affected by drama: Postecoglou

Updated January 22, 2012 12:19:30

Brisbane Roar striker Besart Berisha's hellish week has taken its emotional toll on the Albanian international.

So says Roar coach Ange Postecoglou, who has lamented the public outcry and penalty over Berisha sparking a post-match melee last week which earned him the ire of A-League officials.

Berisha hit back in style after his difficult week, saving his side with a second half equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

But he played the match with a one-game ban hanging over his head after challenging Sydney FC defender Pascal Bosschaart to a post-match fight in the tunnel the previous weekend.

Postecoglou admitted the ban threat and the publicity over the melee had affected Berisha, who missed a penalty during the Heart game before grabbing the equaliser.

"These guys are human beings. We just love hanging people. You can't make a mistake in today's society, people want their flesh and he's had a tough week," he said.

"He was pretty desperate to score and I think the way he took the penalty, he was taking out his frustrations.

"But that's the kind of guy he is. That's why we love him at our club, that's why the fans love him and he'll get through this period."

Heart coach John van 't Schip said the technicality in the rules which allowed Berisha to play on a seven-day stay of proceedings as Brisbane considered whether to appeal his ban was "part of the rules" and he and his club had to accept it.

"I don't think there is any use to comment on that, because those are the rules," he said.

"If the FFA says that he can play ... it's a rule, then we shouldn't complain."

Unusually subdued after the Roar's draw, Postecoglou was disappointed at his side having to again chase the game when it went a goal behind in the first half despite dominating.

But he does believe the Roar are showing signs of returning to their best, and expects better once those on the comeback trail from injury like midfielder Thomas Broich get more match fitness miles in their legs.

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First posted January 22, 2012 12:19:30

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Postecoglou won't bag boo boys

Updated December 10, 2011 14:51:47

Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou has refused to criticise fans treated to champagne soccer for the past two years for booing his players during Friday night's 2-1 A-League loss to Melbourne Heart.

Brisbane fans have not experienced a loss at Lang Park since January 2010.

Yet some of them turned on the players on Friday night, booing the team from the field after it trailed Heart 2-0 at half-time.

"I can feel the bandwagon getting lighter for sure," said Postecoglou when asked about the crowd's reaction.

"They'll jump off as quickly as they jump on.

"It's up to us to do what we do and get them back on the wagon again.

"We strive to be the best and if you want to be the best people will judge you harshly when you fall short of those standards.

"You've got to cop it on the chin and move on."

Brisbane will do that next week when it heads to Dunedin to play Wellington Phoenix, again without classy German organiser Thomas Broich.

After going 36 games unbeaten, Brisbane has lost its last two games without Broich (heel), but Postecoglou refused to concede his absence was a major factor.

"No, not really," he said.

"I thought in the second half we played like we usually do."

Heart goalkeeper Clint Bolton was one player happy Broich was not setting up the Roar's attack.

"No doubt he makes a difference, he's a class act, he'd make a difference to any team," said Bolton.

Postecoglou was not over-critical of his players, saying the way they played going forward left them susceptible to counter attacks.

The Heart did that extremely well in the first half to lead the defending champions 2-0.

"Little things we're good at we're not so good at right now and you pay the price for that," he said.

There's no doubt Brisbane's first home loss since January 2010 and its second straight after going a record 36 weeks without a defeat has exposed a few cracks in the defending champions.

And the Roar have a testing period ahead of them, with the game against the Phoenix to be followed by a grand final re-match with Central Coast Mariners on Saturday.

Postecoglou was careful not to make any bold statements with his side suddenly facing three straight losses.

"I always have to be careful what I say but we weren't good by our standards because we've set pretty high standards," he said.

"That's what we want to be measured against so there's no point in us making excuses.

"We shot ourselves in the first half and they (Heart) deserve credit for taking their chances."

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First posted December 10, 2011 14:46:59

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