Few supporters who witnessed the gallant deeds of the 1991 Australian World Youth Cup squad as they progressed to the semi finals of the tournament – only to be eliminated by the host nation Portugal via a Rui Costa piledriver – would question the squad’s claim to being our greatest ever youth side.
The names just rattle off the tongue with talent like Bosnich, Kalac, Popovic, Muscat, Okon, Seal, Stanton, Corica, Bingley, Sorras and Babic directed by the coaching supremo, Les Scheinflug.
Significantly, Brad Maloney, the current Joeys coach, shared that wonderful journey with his team-mates in the Class of ’91.
All those years may have past but Maloney still carries the tradition of the famous squad in his DNA and is looking forward with great confidence to the Joey’s first Asian Cup match against Saudi Arabia on June 16 in Thailand.
At stake in this series is a place in the World Cup later this year.
In this interview with Roger Sleeman, Brad Maloney discusses the squad’s preparation for the tournament and his expectations, the realities of Australian youth football and his commitment to the Australian game after his eight-year coaching stint in Malaysia.
ROGER SLEEMAN
Was it a hard decision to return to Australia after all those years in Malaysia and Asia?
BRAD MALONEY
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Asia working with some great people and for eight years I was fortunate to work with national teams at all levels from youth teams to the senior squads.
To come home was a pleasant surprise for me as it’s always good to work in your home country and I really enjoy the task with these young players we have here at the moment.
R.S.
Harking back to the 1991 World Youth team, what are the emotions which are evoked?
B.M.
Great memories I’ll never forget and the team, camaraderie and spirit were unbelievable.
The quality of the players in the squad was fantastic and our achievements from humble backgrounds – going to Portugal and reaching the semi finals in front of 120,000 home supporters against the likes of Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Joao Pinto who all had magnificent careers, was unforgettable.
It would be nice to replicate such success with the current youth teams.
R.S.
Is the 1991 success the benchmark which you would set for yourself in your current position?
B.M.
Had a similar conversation with somebody the other day about previously reaching the semi finals of the u/20 competition in 1991 and Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
We’ve done it in the past and I would like to recapture that glory and perhaps go one better.
R.S.
From the very outset when you were appointed to the role last August, what was your initial strategy to get things right?
B.M.
I cut my stay in Malaysia and came back to Australia as soon as I could, scouting players and identifying even more talent. We had a monitoring list which had been put together but I knew I had to build on that and widen the net for talent which has happened in the last ten months or so.
Therefore, the squad we’ve assembled for this Asian Cup is competitive and with good preparation in the next few weeks and good acclimatisation, I believe we can achieve something.
R.S
Realistically, can you really be happy with only 16 days preparation?
B.M.
A lot of other nations in Asia are already full-time at this age, even some from the age of 12 meaning by this tournament stage, they’ve been together full-time for 4-5 years.
We could do things differently but at the moment players are with their clubs.
R.S.
Talking about preparation, do you think the players have had adequate development in their formative stages and up to now?
B.M.
We’re relying on A-League and NPL academies to influence the player’s development and it would be great to have the best players playing together in a full-time environment against high-level opposition.
Unfortunately, at the moment a lot of these players aren’t playing at senior level or in first team football.
R.S.
Are you happy with the technical level of our players?
B.M.
Every country brings its own culture of playing styles and a number of the Asian countries are technically gifted, but I don’t think we’re too far off.
Physically we have a presence which we try to combine with technical aptitude.
R.S.
Are you happy with your current coaching staff?
B.M.
I am and they were in place when I took up the role – very knowledgeable, loyal and there is a great respect amongst us.
Moving forward we could add more expertise but at the moment we’re doing well.
R.S.
Who are the key players in the squad, those who could make the difference?
B.M.
Nestory Irankunda is a huge talent with all the headlines he’s made in the last few months and he was involved early in our qualification phase.
He’s now ready to be involved in a big way in these Asian Cup matches and the other key players are the Central Coast pair Miguel de Piccio and Anthony Pavlesic and Sydney F.C.’s Mitch Glassen.
Also, the core group we’ve had up to now know what to expect from me. Hopefully, the squad will jell in the lead up to the first game.
R.S.
If you were Carl Veart would you have started with Irankunda in the return leg of the semi-final against the Mariners?
B.M.
That’s the coach’s decision.
Obviously, Carl knows his capabilities and how to manage his abilities because he works with him every day and when he has come on the pitch he’s made a massive impact.
R.S.
What do you know about your opponents in the Asian Cup and how good are they based on your advanced information?
B.M.
The Saudis have played about a dozen friendly matches leading into the tournament and we expect them to be good quality and very tough.
We met China in the qualifiers, and though we got a result that day, we do expect improvement from them and another challenging match.
Tajikistan were actually in the finals last time when they met Japan and will also be hard to beat. Luckily, two viewings of their matches before playing us will be a big help for our chances.
The top two teams qualify for the quarter finals and our crossover group is Japan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and India. The winner of the quarter final will qualify for the World Cup.
R.S.
Beyond this, what are your short term to medium term plans in coaching?
B.M.
I love working in national team setups as I’m now familiar with the landscape, particularly in Australian space. My fervent aim is to achieve with this current group.
R.S.
Would you return overseas?
B.M.
I’d never say never and I’m still in contact with the people I worked with in South East Asia, but at the moment my focus is to achieve success with Australia.
R.S
Looking back to 91, so few of those players are involved in the game. How can we change that?
B.M.
There’s not a lot of opportunity, illustrated by only Popovic, Muscat, Okon, Corica and I working full-time in the game.
However, I’m definitely all for fast tracking Socceroos but you have to have the right people for the right job in the right environment.
R.S.
Your opinion of the A-League?
B.M.
I’ve seen many matches since I’ve been back in the country, including the Sydney derbies and the final series.
I believe the overall standard of football is high.
R.S.
Your former team-mate Steve Corica has a wealth of young talent at Sydney F.C.
Isn’t it time he cleared the deck of older players and gave these youngsters their chance, just as he was given a break to play senior football at Marconi all those years ago?
B.M.
Steve is a very experienced coach and I’m sure he’ll make the right calls.
