EXCLUSIVE: Australia has produced talented managers who’ve made their mark at World Cups, Club World Cups, Asian Champions Leagues, A-Leagues, NSLs and Asian Cups – we rate them from ten to one. But this was no easy task as most if not all managers found success in different competitions over different times with differing sets of squads – and resources – at their disposal. It was tough to lock down the final ten with some well-known names just missing out. So here it is… but what do you think?
4: Zoran Matic
Once spoken of as a possible Socceroo manager in the 1999s, Matic oversaw the Adelaide glory years with City in the early to mid-90s. Like Merrick, personable away from the game but in the dugout, his tough exterior was reflected in his teams’ super-organisation and discipline. It worked well.
Matic was twice voted NSL coach of the year and he mentored the likes of Alex Tobin and Aurelio Vidmar during around a decade at the Zebras, where his side became finals regulars.
He won the NSL national championship in the 1980s after taking over a struggling Adelaide City. By the 1990s, he’d taken out two more NSL grand finals and finished runner-up a further two times.
Not bad considering he divided his time between football and his building business. Matic survived an industrial accident in 2006 and retains links with City at board level while continuing to work outside of football.
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