Australian Women’s National Team Thread - Our best chance at a World Cup

While I’m reluctant to jump on the “PC gone mad” bandwagon, I think that high performance sport is pretty much entirely at odds with the kind of regulations which apply to a cosy predictable 9-5 office job.

It is a deeply competitive environment where the key part of the job - the match - is unforgivingly adversarial and is biased towards a certain type of character. I’d be surprised if any successful football manager out there wouldn’t have at least part of the squad feeling unhappy or alienated, e.g. Poppa’s sending of senior pros to train with the youth team to try and force them to leave before contract end.

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ESPN reporting Staj is considering legal action.

If it is true that he failed to act as a leader in a dressing room environment that included homophobic slurs, bodyshaming young players, and bullying then that is fucked.

Not to mention Staj made some weird calls in just friendly matches. Sending a lot of very young players, and keeping experienced ones at home to play England and France only to not perform well isn’t great tournament prep.

Hopefully it all blows over and we can all have a pint at the Winchester.

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This seems counter to the complaints about working them too hard though? If players are playing too many matches (per Bossi article)… Well maybe 15 or so of those 50-60 were for the Matildas, so whose fault is the overload?

It’s just such an unsatisfying situation.

FWIW, I think that on the pitch it has all gone a bit flat since after the triumphant series vs Brasil and China at the end of 2017 after the Tournament of Nations win. Results in 2018 were mixed with some really average ones (Portugal, Chile, France).

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It definitely sounds like it was worth giving him the boot. A shame things have turned out like this, as we have improved immeasurably during his tenure, although last year was a bit of a blip in said progress.

There was constant talk of players needing to be nurtured through a busy year leading up to the World Cup. I’m with Rory Bunk. I don’t know if the coaches can be blamed much for that. Of course, there is the issue that the elite players should be paid appropriately and there may be little other option for them. Sad, but the money pressures are probably still real for many of them.

Brilliant reference.

You’re overweight, you need to lose 3kg before I’ll consider selecting you.

BoDy ShaMinG!!!;&*^&

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t mens players get dropped and told off regularly for returning from off season overweight, etc.

Isn’t that more or less body shaming as well? (Genuine question)

See Fornaroli, Bruno.

I’m speculating based on nothing, but maybe the difference between “you need to lose a few kilos before you get on the pitch as you aren’t fit”, to “do you want another pie before training you fatty”?

Possibly not to those extremes

Yeah pretty much what @Simo said. It’s the difference between handling it professionally and belittling someone for it.

Well it’s unlikely we’ll ever know the full story unfortunately. I’m pretty disappointed with the whole situation as an Australian football fan.

And FWIW I don’t doubt for a second men’s players aren’t belittled and bullied for being overweight at different times too. Let alone from the fans in the stands (and on various forums including this one) to what goes on behind the scenes with coaches and teammates.

FFA lost the womens world cup yesterday,thanks Gallop,ya did a great job with the Mungo League job and now your lack of talents are retarding Soccah!

Many of the senior players seem to have come out in Stajcic’s favour/support as have very senior members of the women’s football coaching and representative brigades. Sam Kerr was denied the opportunity (by FFA) to comment publicly. Gallop’s fingerprints appear to be all over this (we pay you marquee wages, we own you.) Not sure what Kerr was going to say but would be interesting to know.

Gallop has no feel for our game as a social environment or culture. He also appears to be bone lazy. He just responds in a knee-jerk way to the calls from what he sees as significant influencers that may cause his cushy, vastly over-paid job to be held up to scrutiny in the media: Alan Jones et al over the RBB hooliganism furore, Tim Cahill over FFA lack of ambition ("pay me big bucks to live where I want to live), Bozza over VAR ‘ruining the game’, and now this. Given that so many authoritative voices have back Staj, I wonder who the significant influencers are this time?

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Sam Kerr is the only player with enough weight to come close to ousting the coach on her own. Very interesting to see what comes out when she’s given her support, as a number of other senior players have.

Much like with emotions, where women can express theirs easier than men, they also receive and process criticism very differently. It is for this reason that criticism accepted and successful in mens football could have the opposite impact in the womens game.
Women will generally take criticism more personally than men even when not aimed directly at them. A public dressing down of 1 player or staff member (male or female) could have an unintended negative effect on the females in the group. Even if precautions were taken to deliver the criticism privately like face to face in the office or via phone conversation but overheard, this could happen. Staj could have told GVE that he wanted to drop Emily, GVE defends her but the conversation descends into an argument that is overheard.
Men, especially in a very competitive environment, have been raised where any negative response to criticism is “harden up and take it like a man”. This is changing eg. Mourinho’s public belittling of his players no longer works like it used to but that culture still lingers.

The bit that makes no sense to me is that Staj has worked very successfully in Womens football for years now without reported incidents or culture issues. Why, after what he’s built over the last 4.5 years and the very real prospect of going deep into a world cup, would he allow this environment to build? As the Manager even if he was unaware of, didn’t participate in, or turned a blind eye to, the issues ultimately he is responsible. From the outside it looks very much like he’s been the victim of knifing more commonly associated with being the PM in this country.

One thing is for sure though, his side of the story is going to be very interesting.

Its also worth pointing out many current Matildas played under Stajcic at Sydney FC. I think the FFA’s point is that while Stajcic may not have necessarily been responsible directly, he was responsible for showing the right example and showing the kind of behaviour we’re hearing about is completely not on.

The full Bossi article for those without a SMH login

How routine review spiralled out of control and cost Stajcic his job

Dominic Bossi

By Dominic Bossi

19 January 2019 — 8:30pm

When the players’ union suggested Football Federation Australia conduct a review into the welfare of Matildas players, they hoped to simply improve workplace standards around games, training loads and recovery periods. Two months later, that review spiralled into the shock sacking of coach Alen Stajcic.

The Professional Footballers Association was concerned by a spike in playing commitments, moving from part-time players to a non-stop calendar of W-League, overseas club and international football, and increasing commercial duties. Following a slump in the Matildas’ on-field performances from 2017 to 2018, the FFA was only too happy to begin the review.

After rising to No.4 in the world, the Matildas’ tactics became predictable. They mustered just one win in last year’s Asian Cup. Individual performances masked pedestrian team displays and a soaring injury rate raised further eyebrows.

A quick glance at the players’ workload explained why. Some were now playing between 60 and 70 games a year between club and international fixtures, offered little rest by the Matildas’ hierarchy who, according to sources, ignored medical staff about training loads and game schedules.

The FFA was quick to dismiss speculation Stajcic’s sacking stemmed from a protest by an influential, yet rogue element of the squad. While players revolted in 2014 to oust Hesterine de Reus as Matildas coach, this coaching change was different.

Firstly, many players wanted Stajcic to remain, several expressing their dismay and shock at Saturday’s decision on social media. Privately, however, there were several more relieved that change had arrived.

Much of that has to do with the development of a toxic culture within the team. Following the PFA’s review, a damning report undertaken by Our Watch, an organisation tackling abuse and violence of women, alleged incidents that bordered on harassment. It is understood it flagged cases of bullying, intimidation, retribution and even body shaming towards some younger players and even suggestions of flippant homophobic insults regularly made by unspecified staff members.

While the FFA did not say Stajcic was directly responsible for any such behaviour, it deemed that, as head coach, he was ultimately responsible.

While many revelled in the achievements of Stajcic’s Matildas, others became fearful, withdrawn, humiliated and isolated, prompting the FFA’s intervention on the grounds of welfare. The organisation remains tight-lipped on the exact nature of incidents, but what is clear is they weren’t satisfied with whatever answers Stajcic provided when he was grilled on Friday.

Furthermore, whatever he offered as a solution going forward was insufficient.

“We no longer have confidence that Alen is the right person to lead the team and staff,” FFA chief David Gallop said.

However, Stajcic is unlikely to be the only change. It is believed a rift between Stajcic and his assistant, Gary van Egmond, has further divided the squad. The Matildas assistant is understood to be the next to be hauled in front of the FFA board to answer the hard questions.

There is a strong chance he won’t remain for the rebuilding of the squad, which will begin on Monday when the players convene in Coogee for two days of team-building exercises.

So large are the fractures that have emerged between some players and staff that the FFA felt forced to act now. Had they not, they believed they would have been asking some even harder questions in June after a failed World Cup campaign.

well nice that GVE just wont be the next in line for the job from that article then