Former national youth team coach Ange Postecoglou says Gold Coast's impressive start to the season has taken many teams by surprise.

Postecoglou, now a pundit on Fox Sports, says that in the first three rounds of the A-League - in which Gold Coast have won every game, scoring 10 goals and conceding just one along the way - opponents have not been intimidated by the glitter strip club.

He argues Roar, Fury and the Reds have tried to attack and beat the A-League newcomers.

Over time, he says this will change as games against the current league leaders will become more about containment than of two teams trying to win the game.

"I think come the second round, teams will have worked on strategies to stop them and slow them down," Postecoglou told au.fourfourtwo.com.

"They are a really good quality side, of that there is absolutely no doubt. But we haven't really had a good look at them. They are catching teams by surprise because of the kind of game they play.

"I think they play at a higher tempo but I don't necessarily think it's better [than the rest of the A-League], they just play at a higher tempo."

Postecoglou adds Gold Coast have raised the bar for all in the A-League. And with marquee signing Jason Culina leading the way with extra training sessions at the club, it's something that the rest of the league can look towards if  they want to improve.

He added: "It's been a bright start this year and certainly Gold Coast are playing their part in that."

But can Gold Coast United go on to become a genuine dynasty in the A-League?

Here are five clubs who have etched their names in Aussie club football history.

Perth Glory

NSL champions 2003, 2004

Minor Premiers 2004, 2002, 2000

NSL grand final runners up 2000, 2002

The most professional club in the NSL's final decade, Glory finally made good on their promise winning the last two NSL grand finals on offer.

Never the most attractive side, under coach Mitch D'Avray the team was remodelled into an efficient unit with a killer edge up front courtesy of one of two strikers the likes of which we may never see again - Damian Mori and Bobby Despotovski.

Few defences - including many in the A-League - could have shackled the Mori/Despotovski partnership. At times they were unstoppable. During these years Mori bagged 77 goals and Despotovski scored  62. That's 139 goals between them.

Backed by the "Chicken Dollars" of owner Nick Tana, Glory cherry-picked the best talent without a salary cap restricting their ambition.

Simon Colosimo, Tom Pondeljak and Jade North all headed west at various times. What's more, the best and biggest support base in the land made playing at the old Perth Oval a real European experience.

It's a well-worn cliché but true - these were Perth's glory years.


Wollongong Wolves

NSL champions 2000 and 2001

The 2000 Grand Final was hands down the greatest ever finale in Aussie club history. A 3-3 epic won on penalties by the humble south coast club in Perth against Glory in front of a 40,000-plus gallery at Subiaco Oval.

It also launched a dynasty years in the making under Nick Theodorakopoulos. But it soon fizzled out when the part-time club lost credentialed names such as Scott Chipperfield, Paul Reid, Sasho Petrovski, Alvin Ceccoli, Matt Horsley and Stuart Young.

Like Gold Coast, Wolves were very easy on the eye. Many argue that from a "jogo bonito" viewpoint, this was the best team to watch in NSL history.

They passed the ball with a technical ability rarely seen, they were able to transform defence into attack deftly and score with relative ease from across the playing group (80 goals in 28 games in season 2000/2001).

In short, they played remarkably like Gold Coast United. Money, or the lack thereof, better opportunities elsewhere and an NSL that was withering on the vine contributed to the downfall of this unlikely south coast dynasty.

But for two years there, we all revelled in the magic that was Wollongong Wolves. In their pomp, few teams even in the A-League would have contained them.

South Melbourne

NSL Champions 1998 and 1999

NSL grand final runners-up 2001

NSL Minor Premiers 2001, 1998

Oceania Champions 1999

Club World Championship 2000

For Jason Culina, insert Paul Trimboli. For Shane Smeltz it was John Anastasiadis and for the star quality of Tahj Minniecon, South had their own magician: Con Boutsianis (coincidentally Gold Coast based these days).

A solid all-round unit that won the double in 1998, South were backed by a much bigger fan-base than currently seen at Skilled Park. They were coached by then up-and-coming manager and former club favourite Ange Postecoglou.

The Lakeside club's golden era also reaped a memorable visit to Brazil for the Club World Championship. They only lost 2-0 to Manchester United and by the same score to Brazilian power Vasca Da Gama. A 3-1 loss to Necaxa of Mexico gave the Aussie club their first goal at the famous Maracana stadium. 

Like Wollongong, many of their best players left or retired over the ensuing few seasons as the gloss wore off the Blues' golden era.

 Melbourne Knights

NSL Champions 1995, 1996

NSL grand final runners up 1994

NSL Minor Premiers: 1995, 1994

The Knights were a mean machine. Very mean. Oiling it were some of the NSL's most technically gifted players such as Joe Simunic (later to play at a World Cup for Croatia) and a midfield featuring at various times A-League hero and grand final talisman Tom Pondeljak, his brother Oliver, silky skilled Croatian star Kresimir Marusic and Slovakian linkman Lubo Lapsansky.

Upfront, a young strapping lad called Mark Viduka was the league's leading scores in the 1993-94 season with 16 goals. The following season 18 goals won him the same gong. He soon left but his partnership with Joe Spiteri was a wonderful feature of the Somers St club's glory years.

Behind this beauty were the beasts: defensive bulwark David "Shovel" Cervinski (later to play in Wollongong's golden era), Andrew "Stabber" Marth, Ante Kovacevic and the highly under-rated Vinko Buljubasic (injury sadly curtailed what could've been a stellar career).

In Melbourne, the debate still rages as to the better side in the 1990s: Knights or South? What is for sure, for a side restricted within the limitations of the old NSL, this was a unit that would scare the pants off most A-League sides.

 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Hakoah

NSL winner: 1977 (no finals, first past the post)

NSL grand final winner: 1978, 1979

NSL northern conference grand final winner: 1985

NSL Minor Premiers 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985 (Northern Conference)

NSL grand final runners up: 1980, 1982

NSL Aust Conference Minor Premier: 1984

NSL Australian Conference grand final runners up: 1984

NSL Cup winner: 1986

You want a benchmark dynasty? This is it. For nine seasons spanning the 1970s and 1980s, the sky blues reaped extraordinary success.

It was a a team stacked with the best players that money could buy. To name a few over the course of their dynasty: Frank Farina, David Mitchell, Tony Pezzano, "Jinky" Joe Watson, Murray Barnes, Gerry Gomez, John Kosmina, Steve O'Connor and Jim Patikas.

The club was backed financially by Frank Lowy and the Hakoah club. City eventually folded by 1986, but at its peak, the club was the benchmark. In an era of no salary cap restrictions, they proved that money could buy success.