Poppa Out

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I would honestly take Aloisi over Popa at this point.

At the moment I’m pissed that Popa justifies picking Brattan and Caceres over Triantis and Balard, but it’s actually a bigger issue causing longer-term problems for us beyond even Popa’s tenure i.e. I get that Popa is focussed on short-term results, but a player like Triantis could have had a 10+ year national team career with the Socceroos, and now that opportunity is gone due to a short-sighted manager who will ultimately be a blip in the history books of Socceroos managers.

Popa doesn’t get that this is bigger than him. He’s just another Holger tbh.

Couldn't agree more with this.

 

[tsf]

I don't like popa as a coach at all. But he has more than delivered so far.

Of course he is papering over the cracks. We are a crack based footballing nation that chuggs along with sticky tape from the $2 shop holding it together,

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I don't like popa as a coach at all. But he has more than delivered so far.

Of course he is papering over the cracks. We are a crack based footballing nation that chuggs along with sticky tape from the $2 shop holding it together,

Sad but true... 11th in a WC FFS... hahahahah

 

[Alex M]

Pim got Aus through as third team to qualify for SA in 2010. Even then some in the Aus media and fans criticised Pim's team 's playing style.

Pim won the group, the only time we've done so, and the timing of qualifying had more to do with the timing of matches than performance.

 

[Robbos]

I don't like popa as a coach at all. But he has more than delivered so far.

Of course he is papering over the cracks. We are a crack based footballing nation that chuggs along with sticky tape from the $2 shop holding it together,

Spot on!!!! sad but true

 

[Keeper66]

5 wins and 5 draws in 8 games, is pretty astonishing. We have had a share of good fortune, but it appears illogical to call for Popa's replacement, given his results and the team.

5 wins and 5 draws in 8 games is literally unbelievable

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

5 wins and 5 draws in 8 games is literally unbelievable

hahahah KNVB math works in other dimensions... lol

 

[Pasquali]

I don't like popa as a coach at all. But he has more than delivered so far.

Of course he is papering over the cracks. We are a crack based footballing nation that chuggs along with sticky tape from the $2 shop holding it together,

we love our crack

 

[Cunningstunt]

Some of the other comments have reminded me about the sickening favouritism and arrogance Popovic has displayed. Yes, he got results but the Japan win masks a grave situation. Interesting would've been the Indonesia game had they converted the penalty.

I get not liking the selections, I don't understand the extra step questioning his character. It seems the implication is he is purposely making choices to satisfy his ego to the detriment of the national team? It doesn't have the be a conspiracy, he just likes different players.

 

[patjennings]

I get not liking the selections, I don't understand the extra step questioning his character. It seems the implication is he is purposely making choices to satisfy his ego to the detriment of the national team? It doesn't have the be a conspiracy, he just likes different players.

Agreed - I'm sure he thinks he is doing the best for the team. That said he does have an enormous ego. It took him more than a decade to admit that Hiddink was right to take him off against Uruguay.

 

[Cunningstunt]

Agreed - I'm sure he thinks he is doing the best for the team. That said he does have an enormous ego. It took him more than a decade to admit that Hiddink was right to take him off against Uruguay.

All guys at this level have a massive ego. It is part of the package, they are wired differently.

As per Charles Barkley
"Everybody in the world has an ego. The only difference between us is we have a reason to have an ego".

 

[Decentric]

Pim won the group, the only time we've done so, and the timing of qualifying had more to do with the timing of matches than performance.

Pim’s was a good effort. Arguably we had better quality of cattle relative to the opposition though in the Pim era.

Asia is decidedly stronger now. This last group was tough for Aus.

 

[Decentric]

5 wins and 5 draws in 8 games is literally unbelievable

Ha ha!

I had already corrected it! Late night typo!

 

[Decentric]

I get not liking the selections, I don't understand the extra step questioning his character. It seems the implication is he is purposely making choices to satisfy his ego to the detriment of the national team? It doesn't have the be a conspiracy, he just likes different players.

Well said, CS.

 

[Robbos]

Pim’s was a good effort. Arguably we had better quality of cattle relative to the opposition though in the Pim era.

Asia is decidedly stronger now. This last group was tough for Aus.

Pim's team played some terrible football during that campaign & this was with the Golden generation.

 

[patjennings]

In defence of Popa, consider this? He is easily the most successful coach we have had in an Aus WCQ campaign in Asia. Or at least the most successful Aussie domestic coach.

Pim got Aus through as third team to qualify for SA in 2010. Even then some in the Aus media and fans criticised Pim's team 's playing style.

Popa has been more successful as a WCQing campaign coach compared to Ange and Arnie, who had to qualify through play offs. Popa has been more successful than Holger or Guus, who only joined the Oceania WCQ campaign late.

5 wins and 3 draws in 8 games, is pretty astonishing. We have had a share of good fortune, but it appears illogical to call for Popa's replacement, given his results and the team improvement.

Re style, when Popa was coach of Melb Vic, in Possession they often played a 4-3-3 attacking midfield triangle. Teague was the sole DM screener. Then later as he introduced Valadon, MV played a 4-3-3 defensive midfield triangle with 2 DM screeners. JV became the deep lying playmaker.

In many games I've seen them play under Popa, MV dominated possession and territory, but struggled to convert goals. They appeared profligate around goal as a team unit.

Again - that record is outstanding.

However, the big games for me is what I worry about. In both the semi and the final of the ACL there were some very dubious decisions favouring WSW - 2 red cards in the first leg of the semi and then at least six decent penalty claims knocked back in the final. Ante Covic, Anthony Golec and Brendan Santalab all should have had penalties against them appeared to handle the ball in the box in the second leg. This causes me to discount his effort here to some extent (still very impressive though - particularly when you look at the lineups in retrospect)

Yes decisions can always go two ways - but his big game record does not stack up. Is it 5 grand final losses now.

I disregard the record in his Socceroo tenure as being pressured. Firstly he always had at least one more round to make it and secondly there was no pressure on him at all. If he failed it was Arnold's failure.

The World Cup is a different beast and I'm afraid his tactical intransigence will be his (and our) downfall. I will be very happy to be proven wrong. I just fear I won't be.

To me he is the flip side to Ange's naive "I'm going to beat the best in the world playing aggressive football" and to a large extent ignoring defence. Popovic's answer seems to be I'm going to stop the best in the world scoring again us while hoping to scrape a goal.

 

[grazorblade]

I would honestly take Aloisi over Popa at this point.

At the moment I’m pissed that Popa justifies picking Brattan and Caceres over Triantis and Balard, but it’s actually a bigger issue causing longer-term problems for us beyond even Popa’s tenure i.e. I get that Popa is focussed on short-term results, but a player like Triantis could have had a 10+ year national team career with the Socceroos, and now that opportunity is gone due to a short-sighted manager who will ultimately be a blip in the history books of Socceroos managers.

Popa doesn’t get that this is bigger than him. He’s just another Holger tbh.

Will hold fire till after the friendlies, given the circumstances he took over, but he does have form with dads armies

Mooy of all people struggled to break in at wsw under poppa

 

[grazorblade]

My own take

- poppas results are incredible. Full credit to him
- poppas style is fine for me as a former cb I like an organized defense but im probably a minority. No problem parking a bus if the bus is a mercedes!
- poppa comes from an era where people paid for their own flights and sacrificed their career to play for the roos. I wish we had that again. Not sure how we get there but I see pros and cons on both sides of the debate
- poppa came in when we were in crisis I can live with getting results by any means necessary. Choosing players he has wprked with makes sense especially since his defensive tactics in particular are quite complex
- We still need to communicate to players that we value them. Sega not getting a call was strange to me
- poppa does have a history of boom and bust at club level, which probably comes from favouring experience over youth until the team declines. The friendlies this year will be crucial to see whethet poppa has learnt from the past. I remember when Holger referred to a 30 year old cornthwaite as a promising young player. Hopefully we dont get to that stage!
- poppas gf record is indeed a worry as pat jennings mentioned. If we face another knockout though its after we get out of the group stage which is already par. The asian cup will be more of a concern since Id like to win away from home

 

[Muz]

we love our crack

'Don't say crack Jez, yeah, please not now...'

 

[Muz]

To me he is the flip side to Ange's naive "I'm going to beat the best in the world playing aggressive football" and to a large extent ignoring defence. Popovic's answer seems to be I'm going to stop the best in the world scoring again us while hoping to scrape a goal.

Exactly this.