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Dan
Ice Man
This will be a season review as I played through the season and forgot to take screenies at the end of January. Sorry
2018-2019 Season Review
So where to begin!
Before the season even started I didn’t believe that this would ever happen. I had completely fallen out of love with this team and despite qualifying for the Champions League I had started to look abroad for other clubs to manage.
I had found a new club to manage with Orlando City ready to offer me the job, but the Brisbane board had set the compensation too high and because of this Orlando had offered the job to somebody else.
While all this was going on we went about our business and the FFA Cup and league season had already kicked off. I had taken a backseat role and was only concerned with bringing players into the club and picking the team. All the match day stuff I had left to my assistant manager.
Despite a rough start to the season including letting somebody else have a chance to win the FFA Cup things started to turn around and we went on an amazing run of wins. It was during this time that I knew that I was going to see the season out.
As the season went on we kept winning and before I even knew it we had won the Regular Season title. It was a truly special achievement as I didn’t feel that this team was as strong as last season but for some reason everything has seemed to fall into place.
We went into the Grand Finals high of confidence and even though we were playing in the Champions League (Individual Update coming) it didn’t seem to bother us and won the Grand Final with ease.
What a league season it was.
At the end of season we were awarded with 3 individual awards for the club. Our on loan goalkeeper Thomas Glover was rightfully awarded Goalkeeper of the Season. Left Back Callum Elder was awarded with the A-League Player of the Year after having an unbelievable year. Finally I was named Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and was also inducted into the Australian Managers Hall of Fame!
During the season I applied to take over the Australian Under 23 squad. The previous manager had been sacked after losing to Saudi Arabia in the Quarter Final of the previous Asian Under 23 Championships. We succumbed to a late equaliser against Oman but then smashed everybody else to top our group.
Ice Man
2019 Asian Champions League Review
So with the first half of the Champions League draw finished we can look back with immense proudness at just what we have accomplished. We were in a tough group with teams from Japan, China & South Korea, and were expected to finish last.
I however was quite confident that we could qualify and with 2 fantastic games to start us off I had this feeling that we could be onto something special. It turned out that surprisingly the Chinese team wasn’t very strong. When the groups were drawn I had expected these to top the group followed by Ulsan but I just couldn’t believe just how poor they were. The same could be said about the Japanese team Sanfrecce who weren’t as poor, but still failed to live up to expectations.
Ulsan were the toughest team and ended up topping the group. We lost a narrow home game 1-0 and then put up a brilliant fight away in South Korea to draw 2-2 after being 2 goals down. While I would have loved to have topped our group the most important thing is that we qualified for the knockout stages.
The second round knockout stage once again proved just how poor the Chinese teams were this year. Guangzhou have won the CSL (Chinese Super League) for 4 years in a row, but we made them look average at best. The first leg at home allowed us to lay a real marker down for the rest of the tournament and despite allowing Guangzhou to score an away goal we showed our quality and came away with a 2 goal cushion. In the away leg we got off to the perfect start scoring after just 6 minutes to erase their away goal. We went into half time at 1-1 and all to play for, but the second half turned into a shootout which resulted with us winning 4-3.
In the next leg we would get the chance to avenge our group stage loss to Ulsan. With the first leg at home I was hoping for a similar performance to that against Guangzhou and that is exactly what we got. The added bonus here was that we didn’t concede an away goal which would turn out to be crucial. A very clinical performance allowed us to take a 3-0 lead to South Korea which we surely couldn’t throw away.
Well we tried! Things started badly for us conceding in the 24th and 35th minute to go into half time 2-0 down but still winning 3-2 on aggregate. In the second half we started to get into the game a bit more and were guilty of not finishing the chances that we were creating. Things got very tense in the 70th minute as firstly we concede to eradicate our 3 goal advantage and draw level on aggregate. Not to worry as soon after we had scored the vital away goal thanks to star striker Soares. However this glee didn’t even last a minute as straight from kickoff Ulsan ran through the defense and scored to level the score on aggregate. We parked the bus and somehow managed to hold on for the last 20 minutes and advance to the Semi Final where we would play fellow Australians Adelaide United.
This was the perfect Semi Final draw for us and one that I was very confident about. I knew that we would and could beat any team from Australia and so these games proved as well. The first leg was once again at home, and yet again we showed just how important our home form has been. We won the first leg comfortably 4-2 despite being 2-0 behind after 20 minutes.
In an ideal world we wouldn’t have conceded the 2 away goals but once again we proved how strong our attacking force could be and once we scored 1 in knew that we would score 3 or more. The away leg looks a lot closer that in really was. We fell behind again in the 14th minute but were level shortly after and at half time things were looking good. After 80 minutes things were still looking good but then there was a mental 10 minutes which saw both teams score 2 goals. Adelaide scored first to lead 2-1. We leveled the score 3 minutes later and then another 3 minutes after that we were leading 3-2. Straight away Adelaide scored but the game was already over and we were into the Asian Champions League Final to play a very strong Al-Ahli side from Saudi Arabia.
So the Final! For the first time in the competition we would be playing the first leg away from home and we just had one simple task. Score a goal or 2. We did just that. It wasn’t a great game on our behalf. We were losing yet again after 6 minutes but stuck back straight away to level at 1-1. I would have loved to of ended the game right there and then but unfortunately we cant. Disaster struck both sides of half time as Brazilian striker Osvaldo scored twice to lead 3-1. We knew that we couldn’t concede again, but more importantly we just had to score again. We went very attacking for 20 minutes in the hope of creating chances and more importantly scoring. We did just that through our own Brazilian striker Soares. We couldn’t force another good opening but thankfully didn’t concede either and the game finished 3-2.
The all important home leg. It has won us so many games during this amazing run and it was vital to do it one last time. We started very quickly and jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, but once again our lack of ability to keep a clean sheet came back to bite us as Al-Ahli scored and made the score at half time 2-1.
A goal apiece shortly after the break made the score 3-2 and everything was level on aggregate. For some reason I hadn’t figured this out and was sure that we were going to lose on away goals. For the last 20 minutes I threw everything and everybody at Al-Ahli in the hope of scoring a late goal but it wasn’t to be. Imagine my surprise when I found out that we were heading into extra time! From devastation to utter elation.
This emotion was trebled during extra time. In the first half there was nothing to report on and at half time with 2 subs still to use, I was now thinking about bringing on my penalty takers. As the game was heading towards the 110th minute I was getting ready to replace my tired strikers with a couple of defenders who can take a decent penalty. Soon this wasn’t needed as out of nowhere we created a half chance and striker Dimitri Petratos smashed the ball past the oncoming goalkeeper and scored what would be the winning goal.
What an amazing competition this turned out to be for us. Somehow we had managed to qualify from our group and then go all the way and win the whole competition. Our home form was the real reason that we won. The games in the knockout rounds all depended on a great first game, and allowed us to play the away games in a way as not to lose, rather than going and having to win.
Throughout the tournament there were tremendous performances from this team but there was one standout performer. Brazilian striker Soares ended up being the top goalscorer in the whole competition and without his goals we simply wouldn’t have come his far. He scored vital goals but during the group stage his hat-trick away to Shandong was his best performance as he was simply unplayable. He obviously loved playing in China as he scored a further 2 goals in the 2nd leg against Guangzhou when things looked like they could be getting away from us.
Simply he was unbelievable.
Dan
Ice Man
Time to Say Goodbye
It is time to say goodbye to Brisbane and Australia. Having won everything there is to win here it is time for me to head to another continent. I was ready to resign straight after we won the Champions League but after looking at the available jobs I decided that my last game as manager of Brisbane would be the Final of the FFA Cup.
Throughout the season we had been playing a mixture of 2 teams. We had or main team who was mainly playing in the Champions League, but ended up playing around 12 of the league games. My rotation team played in all of the FFA Cup games and would almost play every other league game. I am very proud of this, as it showed what fantastic squad depth we have and something that at the start of my reign I would never have dreamed possible.
As you can see, I leave the club in a fantastic position with only Sydney as a challenger there is no reason that the new incoming manager shouldn’t continue the winning ways that I have established at this club.
What a way to leave. We smashed Sydney and it’s disappointing to concede our only goal of the competition this year. Sydney were never in the game and we were comfortably winning 3-0. A lack of concentration allowed them to score but in the end it didn’t matter and I leave on a very high note.
This is one thing that I am not going to miss. What a shambles. The club is losing money every year and the Chairman seems very happy to just sit there and let it happen. Throughout my time here we have always had the least amount of money from sponsorship which is a disgrace, especially when you consider that we have won the Grand Final twice in a row.
The stadium has a fantastic capacity and is the National team use it, then it is brilliant but for Brisbane it is completely pointless. We have never averaged more than 18,000 and that doesn’t bring in enough money especially when you add in the rent of £951k per year.
They need a new owner.
This is what I am going to miss most about this team. I have put together a fantastic team that offers great squad depth that and can also compete with the best teams in Asia. I can imagine that when Ieave the squad won’t stay together for long which is a shame as there are some real unsung heroes in this team.
GK: Thomas Glover | Benjamin Lyvidikos
DR: Jerome Polenz | Perry Cotton | Paulo Retre
DL: Callum Elder | Jim Gorman
DC: Luke DeVere | Rhys Williams | Sebastian Kippes | Daniel Mullen
MC: Javi Hervas | Matt McKay | Devante Clut | Gavin De Niesi | Brandon O'Neil | Jamie Ward
ST: Brandon Borrello | Soares | Jamie Maclaren | Dimitri Petratos | Julien Ngoy | Raf Naert | Blake Powell
There is some real quality in this team. Glover in goal is fantastic with the added bonus of being on loan from Tottenham without paying any of his wages.
In defense Cotton & Gorman are the future and both cost a combine fee of £0. I imagine that it won’t be long before the new manager succumbs and sells one if not both. They are covered at the back by the experienced pair of DeVere & Williams. They have formed a formidable partnership over the years and is one of the reasons we have been so successful. A big shout out must also go to Elder & Polenz who have both been unbelievable going forward with most of the assists coming from these 2. The unsung hero of the defense however is Paulo Retre who can play anywhere except center back and has filled in so many times when called upon and has never let the team down.
The midfield 3 has gone rather unchanged over the years. The experienced pair of Hervas & McKay have been the main stays of the midfield with Clut and De Niesi coming in to add the young attacking flair. Just like in defense Brandon O’Neil is the unsung hero in midfield and when called upon has filled in for all 3 and has never caused any problems.
Finally the attacking force. While at times we have struggled to find out the best partnerships the last couple of year we have seen what consistency and loyalty can do. Borrello, Maclaren and Petratos have all been here from the start but after teaching them to play upfront in a variety of roles it has paid dividends with all 3 scoring important goals and assisting each other numerous times. The main man however is Soares. The Brazilian/Australian forward came in on a free transfer and never looked back. Initially I wasn’t sure about him but after having him on trial and seeing him score 4 on his debut I knew that we had to get him. Somehow he became eligible for Australia and for some reason is yet to have played for them despite being called up for the latest squads.
A shout out must also go to players from other years. Mark Schwarzer joined on a free transfer and was our number one for 2-3 years. Defender Cameron Burgess and Forwards Azarias Molina & Ryan Hardie also deserve massive thanks. They all played a big part in helping us to win the Grand Final in 2017.
Following my exit, I was told that 4 staff members would be leaving as well. I am so grateful to these guys as they really helped me and improved the team no end. I would love to bring them all with me to my next job; however I would be very surprised if they have not all found new jobs by the time I find mine.
Finally a look at my stats before I leave. I am tremendously proud of my time here and what we have won as a club. The FFA Cup will always be a favourite of mine as the first competition that I ever won, but obviously the most impressive trophy that we won was the Asian Champions League. There was no way that a club as small as ours should have won and I feel for the next manager who has to try and retain it.
Dan