anyone have access to this https://x.com/codesportsau/status/1837315814732747186

Former Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic is shaping as the top choice to replace Graham Arnold at the Socceroos and it is likely he was approached about it months ago.

An insider, who did not wish to be named, said Popovic was the first choice to take the job.

Another favourite and also former Victory coach Kevin Muscat has been reportedly ruled out of the running after extending his contract with his Chinese Super League side.

Popovic, who was the highest paid coach in the A-Leagues, guided Melbourne Victory to the grand final last season after a tough 2022/23 season.

In June the club announced it would part ways with the coach.

It is understood he didn’t extend his contract with the club because they weren’t able to match his wage.

At the time it seemed like a strange move – considering the financial struggles of the league and the fact Popovic didn’t have another job lined up.

Popovic has had a successful coaching career since retiring as a player. He has two A-League titles to his name – the first with Western Sydney Wanderers in 2012/13 and the second with Perth Glory in 2018/19. He was also the first coach to guide an A-League club to win the AFC Champions League – finding a new club willing to take on the former Crystal Palace assistant manager shouldn’t have been difficult.

Following Arnold’s decision to leave the Socceroos mid-contract, Popovic’s movements start to make a little more sense and begs the question if he had been told the job was his if he was willing to wait it out.

Arnold’s job had been on the line several times during his record six year tenure – especially since the Socceroos earlier than expected exit from the 2023 Asian Cup.

Football Australia boss James Johnson said in Friday’s press conference that a new coach would be appointed before the Socceroos faced China in Adelaide on October 10 in their must win World Cup qualifier.

It is a very quick turn around.

Especially when you consider the situation with the Matildas who are also without a head coach.

It was no secret that Tony Gustavsson’s contract would not be renewed following the Olympics – regardless of the result.

Yet a month after it was made official Football Australia are yet to appoint a coach – instead opting to rehire former Matildas coach Tom Sermanni on an interim basis.

Johnson said the reason they could move so quickly to hire a new Socceroos coach is that they had to be prepared – they were aware of the market and who was available.

The same situation should have applied to the Matildas – given it was known Gustavsson was leaving.

Johnson described Arnold’s departure as unexpected and a shock.

The CEO said the differing approach was due to the Socceroos being in the midst of their World Cup qualifiers and the Matildas being at the start of a new four-year cycle – with the Asian Cup still 18 months away.

Regardless – two weeks seems a very short time frame to approach a coach and negotiate contracts without first moves having already been made.

Perhaps Arnold’s “shock” announcement was more a matter of being the first to strike rather than waiting to be booted out the door.

Thanks! if arnie jumped before pushed maybe he saved the fa 3million

if they had months to find a coach and are going for poppa.....he is a good coach like arnie but very defensive which wont be a fan pleaser

More drab football to the another, could we have one coach for once that could get the team playing good football for once? 

next week young socceroos an interesting canary in the coal mine whether we can start breaking down an asian deep block in the future

Look I am in no way saying Poppa is a bad coach, he obviously has had some success locally, but...

I'm annoyed the FA seem to be taking the boring, safe, easy option in Poppa. It's Arnie 2.0, but more defensive. I think i would speak most when i say no one wants to see that.

This is the FA's chance to have a fresh start with a more attack minded coach. Instead, our next match will see Behich at rb, Ryan in goals, Irvine in midfield and Duke up top. 2 or 3 def mids against China, 5 shots on goal, 2 on target for a 0-0 draw.

The only silver lining is, like Arnie, Poppa would have a good chance to sneak some 1-0 at the world cup and get out of the group.

Yeah i guess thats the tradeoff, an attacking coach usually means quals more funs a defensive coach means better chance at winning a game at the wc

It is an even starker tradeoff for us since most of our players are better without the ball than with it

Watching replays of 2018 games we were timid against France and Peru. Had we played directly forward we'd have had chances. Annoying viewing. Opening 25 was decent against Peru and we should've scored. 

Denmark second half I still can't believe how hard we went forward. Quite exciting to watch again. 

Will have to rewatch the game v denmark!

Denmark with a remarkably poor record against us at wcs. Becoming our bunny

If Monty comes in we could see a strong Mariners cohort. They're already in there anyway so it's justified. With Popovic we might see some more of a MV swing. Brimmer? Teague?

Really curious to see if other coaches even rate certain players. I survived the Sainsbury drubbing only by good replacements so if newbies come in and do well then I'll be glad either way. 

Makes sense popa didn't renew his victory contract now. He was waiting like a guy in the friendzone

I fear the wrong foreigner will then just blame the set up and players if things go wrong. While correct in some areas, it's almost an automatic fallback position for some.

Simon Hill went to dinner with Holger when he came and he wasn't even particularly interested in Australian football. I doubt it'll be Klinsmann levels of indifference but it needs to be someone who'll really engage themselves in all of it. 

The fact that they said a new coach will be appointed before the window confirms an aussie as coach. There is no way a foreigner could get up to speed in that time frame.

If Popovic reportedly had the role reserved for him maybe he's already been planning.

When exactly did BVM come in? Ange left in November and the next game was the drubbing in Norway. BVM simply couldn't meet the players until then. 

Well if national coaches really do have influence over decision making here is my wish list

Out: lobbying for a home for socceroos
In: lobby for a home and away nyl, a league season extended to at least 30 rounds long (even if not h and a), an expedidatrd nst, p and r between nst and npl from year 1, australian u20, u17 and u23 national team coaches to have a record of club success

If poppa is chosen, I'm out.

I'll check scores, but that's it, I can't actively follow Popa.

He wins it'll be a loss for Australian football as it'll be perceived as vindication, he losses it move Australia further from its objective.

On a side note, the lack of commentators worried about the appointment makes me think they have knowledge it's an old boy. God, I hope I'm wrong.

Read elsewhere Muscat has said no, as has Montgomery so it's basically Poppa.

Blind freddy can see it, but the FA can't. If this happens it's just a shame. So many on here can see it.

Even the GG were going nowhere under Frank Farina & they brought Guus in & we had a wonderful period starting with Uruguay & then 2 wonderful weeks in Germany. Still with the GG, then Arnie had a horrid 2007 Asian cup.
We need a coach to teach to play football, someone who will take interest in improving the game here, this is not Popa, he's a result over flair man, someone on here, put it Physically over technique. This is Australia biggest problem & has been for so long. This DNA.
When will we ever learn.

So there's 10000 odd professional managers out there, and because it's not 2, its gunna be poppa. Like I said if it's poppa, I'm going out.

Popovic will be a huge mistake. We're already near unwatchable and that will get worse. That GF coaching performance was one of the worst I have seen. Shut up shop after our goal and invited pressure until we cracked. You could see it coming a mile away and no adjustments made. It's a recipe for disaster imo. 

I think Poppa could be an upgrade on the slow passing possession game Australia often served up.... and we could shit house our way through a tourney playing on the counter.

How a Poppa-ball team would fair against a low block I do not know although I believe players like Arzani are more of a chance to get a go.

Going from Arnold to Popovic seems like a complete waste of...everything. None more so than wasting the precious formative NT time of some of the key talents that we have brewing in the team. I was really hoping Monty would be a shout and come in freshly invigorated from being in Ange's inner sanctum.

I cannot stand popovic's football, and I don't rate him as a coach at all. If it was an interim basis I could understand why they'd go with him. Long term, no. 

Not learning is in our DNA :(

Imagine in 2007, Lowy decided, wow amazing what Hiddink did, can we get a similar coach with the charge to completely change our playing style to focus on touch, vision, Tactical nous at all levels, instead of just concentrating on making WCs only.

The DNA can come later.

Where would be now.:D

I would literally rather a random u18 NPL coach, somebody who isn't already indoctrinated with Football Australia. Like seriously Popa is the answer? It's the most sideway step I've ever seen. 

I don't think this is how it works. We have been playing attacking possession based football in our under ages since the NC. How we play for our senior team is largely irrelevant as most the development has already been done.

Looks like Poppa will be announced tomorrow. Clearly the FA have had him lined up for a while. A very uninspired decision.

Will watch the first few games to give him a chance, but im expecting a continuation of what we have seen during Arnie's reign.

I don't get it really, we have shown we can pay decently well for the role, so go and get someone with some pedigree, and maybe change a few things. 

The Holger reign has well and truly scarred the FA from taking another chance on a foreign coach.

Starting with 3 DM on the park is not attacking football.

We have been playing possession for possessions sake, under Popa we will be organized into a defensive unit. Defense hasn't been an issue for years.

Well i guess if the choose popa ill be the roos only fan :D

I think he is fine and will do a decent job as long as you dont mind watching defensive football. I tend to get more upset about our poor selection of youth coaches and lack of pathways, since it probably doesnt matter who we get unless we fix that. I do hope we one day get more of a crowd pleaser coach