Originally published at: Yokohama F Marinos coach Muscat on legacy of Celtic boss Postecoglou
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou and his footballing legacy are still an integral part of Yokohama F Marinos and their identity, says new boss Kevin Muscat. Muscat, who played for Rangers in the early 2000s, replaced Postecoglou at the J League side. A fine job he’s doing too, having just received Manager of the Month honours…
From a Down Under perspective it’s fantastic to see Australian managers making big strides overseas.
Muscat as a player is probably best remembered in the UK as a ‘hard man’ (some would use much hasher words). He was at Melbourne Victory as a player, assistant manager and manager (he replaced Postecoglou when the big man took the Socceroos job) from 2005 until 2019, leaving a legacy of great success at the Big V.
Ange has spawned other young Aussie managers now leaving their marks. Two of Ange’s assistants at Yokohama FM, Peter Cklamovski and Arthur Pappas, are now in the hot seat - the former at J2 League outfit Montedio Yamagata, the latter at A-League club Newcastle Jets.
There are also other Australian managers from outside of Ange’s orbit on the up. Former Crystal Palace captain Tony Popovic has tasted continental success, having won the Asian Champions League with Western Sydney Wanderers (2014). He’s had two short stints overseas (Turkey and Greece) with less favourable outcomes. Now the boss at the aforementioned Victory, he maintains ambitions to go to bigger leagues overseas.
Another is Sydney FC gaffer Steve Corica. After lots of success as a player, assistant and manager at the Sky Blues (from 2005 to present) he is primed to take his talents overseas. Rumours abound that various J-League clubs are watching him closely. Corica, like Popovic, had a stint as a player in Japan - playing under the late Scots-Aussie Eddie Thomson (Hearts, Aberdeen as a player).
Another worth keeping eyes on is Paddy Kisnorbo (Hearts, Leicester, Leeds). He won the A-League title at his first attempt with the City Football Group-backed Melbourne City. His side turned heads playing easy-on-the-eye attacking football.
Ten to fifteen years ago Australia was producing players that featured in big European leagues: Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton, Vince Grella, John Aloisi, Mark Bresciano, Lucas Neill etc. The production line of top players has, sadly, slowed down considerably. However, thanks to the efforts of our man Ange Postecoglou, managers from Down Under are now been taken seriously. That can only be a good thing for football in Oz.
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