It could be the media brought that on itself, or it could be a change of attitude...but current Ange comes off as the opposite of what he once was.

Stubborness and self-belief are essential for coaches but so also is knowing when to be dogmatic and when to be pragmatic. Pragmatic doesn't have to mean parking the bus – it can be just working with the best tactics to suit the players currently available...and even just admitting you've got something wrong.

The media pressure on Ange became intense after news of his exit was leaked. If Ange did not want that leaked, he simply shouldn't have told ANYONE about it until after the final game.

Maybe he's tired. Club football will be more tiring. Maybe he wants a new challenge. The World Cup would have surely provided that though. Maybe he misses week-in, week-out football. Maybe he was sick of the FFA hierarchy - but they could all be out of a job by next week.

Or maybe he was determined never to be browbeaten out of a job again like he was by Craig Foster when he was Joeys coach all those years ago – and was determined this time to leave on his own terms?

But if he thinks the media pressure is tough in Australia, he's got a shock coming for him if he ever lands up in a high profile job in a country that is more football-focused than us.

A new coach will now come in and rip up Ange's tactics and do things his own way. So what was the point of the switch to the back three?

In qualifying, Ange only lost two games which is a fantastic record. That, though, was not the problem. The problem was the games we should have won – but drew, and even the games we did win but didn't keep a clean sheet which ultimately cost us automatic qualification on goal difference.

We could have wrapped up qualifying much earlier in the campaign if it hadn't been for the draws in a few games and where we copped soft goals, late goals and goals which exposed our self-imposed defensive frailties.

For the third time in four World Cups, a new coach will have at most seven games to make his mark on the Socceroos before the tournament starts, probably less. Someone like Arnie will beef up that backline to a more conventional back four, probably with Milligan and Jedi screening, with a 1-2-1 attack. 

It will be robust and conventional. It will probably hammer out more draws and snare the odd win while losing by a slim margin to top teams.

Gone will be the style and glamour Ange brought. Gone will be his unpredictability, his innovation, his belief in youth and willingness to make sacrifices now for rewards further down the line.

I don't know about you, but that's not what I wanted. I just wanted him to listen, talk to us more, play three quality centrebacks in the back three if he insisted on doing that, or develop the gameplan that had got him victory in the Asian Cup and that let us dominate in early stages of World Cup qualification.

I can't say enough how disappointed I am in Ange for quitting. I can't believe he can truly see himself watching Australia play in Russia without him on the bench. Very, VERY few coaches ever get to take their national teams to two World Cups in a row.

I think he'll regret this decision.

The best was yet to come. With a weak World Cup missing Italy, Holland and Chile, there is literally no telling how far we could have gone in Russia under Ange if we land a favourable group stage.

I miss him already – but I suspect it will be nothing compared to how much Ange will miss his chance to shine on football's biggest stage.

Thanks Ange. I'm sorry it came to this.