I'll start a thread on this topic, because Han Berger is supposed to finish in June.

There are innumerable candidates. FFA have anointed two. I'll even divide this into different posts, to look at coaches from different nations.

I'll start with England, because ATM Kelly Cross is the front runner.

England

Kelly Cross - Current number 2 in the FFA hierarchy to Han Berger. This guy is the likely successor to Berger, after Alistair Edwards sojourn to Perth Glory.

This guy came from England, a nation with a poor coaching methodology through their national football association, the FA. There are good English coahces, but they are the exception, not the norm. This is because they have a poor coaching system. Few of the top coaches in the EPL are English.

Cross came to Australia, in the embryonic days when there were few accredited coaches. He has done well out of every restructure in the national football association, when others have been axed, and made scapegoats, as the national association has manifested in different guises. Cross has a massive amount of control and influence in the FFA coaching milieu. He is accused of being associated with fostering an "Old Boys Network".

Some coaches, to the level of FFA TDs in some associations, have headed overseas, namely Asia, to be appraised impartially. This is because he has been alleged to have fostered the OBN. Some coaches believe they have already decided they are out of the loop, hence appraised very harshly in assessments in FFA Advanced courses. Very hard to find info about Cross on the internet. Why?

What is his track record? Has had a short stint with Blacktown. Not sure if this was state league, or NSL in his tenure. Not really associated with developing any first class talent to date. Cross is superb at writing modules of the curricula in Advanced Coaching courses. The problem is, is that he is a," Do as I say, not as I do," person. He has rarely been evaluated, rigorously, by significant coach educators . He wields a lot of power over others in Australia. Many reading this will nod their heads and agree, but will not comment in this thread for fear of retribution.

Many outside the OBN suggest Cross has achieved nothing to be FFA Technical Director. They have a point. This guy would be a disaster being appointed as FFA TD, because there are many coaches out there who know he has achieved nothing. Also, he brings nothing new to the table. The best option for him within FFA is to stay where he is. Since being retrained in the new FFA NC, which he co-wrote with about a dozen others, Cross has has not been responsible for developing players in national or state NTC programs, HAL senior or youth programs, W League, or even NPL programs. There is no evidence, empirically, that he can train footballers to play the type of football desired by the objectives of the FFA NC.

When big name KNVB coaches came to Australia, who were interested in longer term positions in Australia, Cross wanted them kept out of the country at any cost. They showed him up. Cross is far more concerned about preserving his position in FFA than seeing the country play improved football. Some of his sycophants and acolytes, will be livid reading this, but this guy needs to get out of his comport zone, and enter the real world of football to show he he can do what he says everybody else should. Appointing him as FFA TD would ensure some petty cliques can continue to flourish, when they need a new broom to rid FFA of some dead wood.



Ron Smith - Where is he now? Smith has been renowned as being the best of the development coaches in Australia, prior to 2005. He still writes contemporary football methodology for coaches on the internet, he has coached at senior level in the HAL, has been a former national TD, I think he has coached overseas, he has good interpersonal skills and is approachable.

Many former players, like Lucas Neill, and others I know off forum, say he was the best coach in the business prior to 2005. Has a sound pedigree with the Oz coaching fraternity. I'm not sure how he would go dealing with some of the recalcitrant coaches in Oz.



Mike Mulvey - Probably too early in his results based career. Nevertheless, has coached a team that he has value added to, Brisbane Roar, playing some of the best football seen in Aus at club level.

MM has also had success coaching HAL youth at GCU and has coached Victory in the W League. Presents well in the media on TV. Unlike Cross, the results of his coaching are on show every week in the HAL. He may not be able to write up training modules, but Cross can do that for him in his current role with FFA. Mulvey has a lot of street credibility in the Oz coaching fraternity.







Edited by Decentric: 7/4/2014 08:57:58 PM