Latest news with #MichaelValkanis
Daily Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
A-League: Michael Valkanis excited by Brisbane Roar challenge
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News. New Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis will relish the challenge of restoring the fallen giants to their former glory, saying it had been 'sad' to see the demise of the three-time A-League champions. Once the toast of Australian football in playing a brand of football never previously seen in the A-League and winning titles, the Roar have almost become irrelevant. Poor results over the past two seasons has finally led to the sacking of coach Ruben Zadkovich, with former Adelaide United captain and ex-Socceroos defender Valkanis given the task of lifting Brisbane out of the doldrums. News Corp Australia reported last month that 50-year-old Valkanis was set to become the Roar's new coach, with the club confirming on Tuesday the departure of Zadkovich and his assistant Chris Coyne after Brisbane won just five of its 26 games this season to only finish above cellar dwellers Perth Glory. The Roar's woeful form also led to a further drop in attendances, with the club's average home crowd at Suncorp Stadium falling to 5463. New Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis wants to restore the club to its former glory. Picture: George Salpigtidis 'We've got to take certain steps and need to recreate what once upon a time existed here,' Valkanis told News Corp on Tuesday. 'Playing for Adelaide United and coming here, it was pretty special because it felt like a European game, and having been following the A-League lately, I was just sad to see how Suncorp Stadium was just empty. That can't be so. 'We need to create an environment that's going to allow the people to do their best work in, become better players, become better people and all have one shared vision of where we want to take this club. 'We need an identity that the Roar previously had in terms of playing an entertaining brand of football that's going to excite people, and it's very important that we reconnect with the community, bring people back to Suncorp Stadium, make that place exciting and create not only an intensity through the way we play, but having that intensity that the supporters brought as well. 'That's the challenge, and it's a challenge that we can meet and be able to turn things around.' Valkanis – whose most recent coaching job with Turkish team Adana Demirspor lasted less than three months before he parted ways with the club in September last year – has spent the best part of the past eight years in Europe after having cut his coaching teeth in the A-League as a caretaker boss of Adelaide United and Melbourne City. Ruben Zadkovich has departed Brisbane Roar. Picture:He had head coaching roles with Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) and Eupen (Belgium) and was an assistant to ex-Melbourne City coach John van't Schip at Dutch clubs PEC Zwolle and Ajax, and the Greek national team. 'The one thing I've leant in Europe is the coaches and the staff work bloody hard, and enough is enough,' said Valkanis, whose has brought with him to Brisbane a Spanish assistant coach, Borja Lema, and a Greek analyst, Nektarios Grija. 'This coaching group will outwork anyone. The values I believe in, we live by, and the players will feel it.' Valkanis and his staff will need to hit the ground running, with the Roar in action next Wednesday night in an Australia Cup playoff against Wellington Phoenix in Darwin. 'This game is about next season and is of super importance,' Valkanis said 'We have to finish off this season on a good note and show our intent for what we're going to try to create next season.' Originally published as New Brisbane coach Michael Valkanis keen to return Roar to A-League summit
The Advertiser
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Is Valkanis the man to get Brisbane roaring again?
Michael Valkanis has woken to air-raid sirens that ended his historic coaching stint in Israel, earnt the ire of the nation when overhauling the Greek national team, helmed Dutch giants Ajax and experienced life as a financially hamstrung manager in Turkey.
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Fresh start for Brisbane Roar doesn't yet mean a change of venue
Brisbane Roar is intent on bringing fans back to Suncorp Stadium but believe a 'hybrid' situation of also playing games at a boutique venue is needed to ensure the struggling club's long-term viability. Yet another fresh start in the club's chequered history is taking place with the appointment of new coach Michael Valkanis and the expected mass overhaul of an underachieving playing squad ahead of the 2025-26 A-League season. Once the most feared team in the competition, the Roar has become irrelevant to the point where they averaged only 5463 to their games this season at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium. It's not only embarrassing for a club that has won three A-League titles but also financially crippling for a franchise that has been forced to work on a shoestring budget despite having billionaire owners in Indonesian conglomerate the Bakrie Group. 'We believe that a boutique stadium or a tier-two stadium is the right move for Brisbane Roar … but Suncorp (Stadium) will always be our home because we genuinely believe that the day will come when the crowds will pick up here, and we'll fill this stadium again,' Roar chairman and chief executive officer Kaz Patafta said on Wednesday. 'We know that it's going to take a big effort from everyone on-board. We're all committed to that journey, so we don't want to ever leave Suncorp. We believe that for our fans, there's a really good and really strong attachment to this place. 'The club has had a lot of success here and a lot of great memories, so if we are able to have some sort of hybrid situation in the future with our own tier-two stadium, with the ability to also continue to play at Suncorp, that's an ideal situation for the club.' Patafta specifically had an upgraded Perry Park, which has a capacity of 5000, in mind, while Ballymore, the home of the Queensland Rugby Union, could also be an option. 'The question is 'how quickly can we get access to a Perry Park type of venue'?' said the Roar chief, who confirmed that the club would remain at Suncorp Stadium next season. And that's fine with former Adelaide United captain and ex-Socceroos defender Valkanis, who wants to turn the famous Milton venue into a fortress. 'We're all willing to work hard, roll up our sleeves and make something special that everyone will enjoy and hopefully bring back everyone to Suncorp,' said Valkanis, who has replaced axed coach Ruben Zadkovich. 'I used to come here with Adelaide United. It was never easy because the Roar were intense, they were a great team, always playing really good attacking football and the intensity of the crowd and the passion of the crowd … it was always good to come and play here because you felt like you're in Europe. 'We want to bring that back. It doesn't happen overnight. It takes time, it takes work, and it takes a certain way of doing things, and we will do that.' Low crowds haven't only been a Brisbane problem, with a host of A-League clubs suffering from falling attendances. However, Valkanis – who has held a variety of coaching roles in Europe since 2018 – was confident the competition's future was bright and urged for a positive outlook. 'We need to back it. We need to think of all the positive things that come out of the A-League as well,' he said. 'All of us have to help it get back up there, and I'm excited about that. 'We're all custodians of the game, and … wherever you go, leave a print, leave something behind, make it a better place in whatever way you can.' Patafta promised that the Bakrie Group would bump up its spending to aid Valkanis' bid to turn the Roar's fortunes around. 'There will be more investment into the men's team, but it will be done with diligence,' Patafta said. 'It will be done carefully, and it's not going to be reactive.'
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
New Brisbane coach Michael Valkanis keen to return Roar to A-League summit
New Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis will relish the challenge of restoring the fallen giants to their former glory, saying it had been 'sad' to see the demise of the three-time A-League champions. Once the toast of Australian football in playing a brand of football never previously seen in the A-League and winning titles, the Roar have almost become irrelevant. Poor results over the past two seasons has finally led to the sacking of coach Ruben Zadkovich, with former Adelaide United captain and ex-Socceroos defender Valkanis given the task of lifting Brisbane out of the doldrums. News Corp Australia reported last month that 50-year-old Valkanis was set to become the Roar's new coach, with the club confirming on Tuesday the departure of Zadkovich and his assistant Chris Coyne after Brisbane won just five of its 26 games this season to only finish above cellar dwellers Perth Glory. The Roar's woeful form also led to a further drop in attendances, with the club's average home crowd at Suncorp Stadium falling to 5463. 'We've got to take certain steps and need to recreate what once upon a time existed here,' Valkanis told News Corp on Tuesday. 'Playing for Adelaide United and coming here, it was pretty special because it felt like a European game, and having been following the A-League lately, I was just sad to see how Suncorp Stadium was just empty. That can't be so. 'We need to create an environment that's going to allow the people to do their best work in, become better players, become better people and all have one shared vision of where we want to take this club. 'We need an identity that the Roar previously had in terms of playing an entertaining brand of football that's going to excite people, and it's very important that we reconnect with the community, bring people back to Suncorp Stadium, make that place exciting and create not only an intensity through the way we play, but having that intensity that the supporters brought as well. 'That's the challenge, and it's a challenge that we can meet and be able to turn things around.' Valkanis – whose most recent coaching job with Turkish team Adana Demirspor lasted less than three months before he parted ways with the club in September last year – has spent the best part of the past eight years in Europe after having cut his coaching teeth in the A-League as a caretaker boss of Adelaide United and Melbourne City. He had head coaching roles with Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) and Eupen (Belgium) and was an assistant to ex-Melbourne City coach John van't Schip at Dutch clubs PEC Zwolle and Ajax, and the Greek national team. 'The one thing I've leant in Europe is the coaches and the staff work bloody hard, and enough is enough,' said Valkanis, whose has brought with him to Brisbane a Spanish assistant coach, Borja Lema, and a Greek analyst, Nektarios Grija. 'This coaching group will outwork anyone. The values I believe in, we live by, and the players will feel it.' Valkanis and his staff will need to hit the ground running, with the Roar in action next Wednesday night in an Australia Cup playoff against Wellington Phoenix in Darwin. 'This game is about next season and is of super importance,' Valkanis said 'We have to finish off this season on a good note and show our intent for what we're going to try to create next season.'
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
New Roar coach has lofty ambitions
New Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis will relish the challenge of restoring the fallen giants to their former glory, saying it had been 'sad' to see the demise of the three-time A-League champions. Once the toast of Australian football in playing a brand of football never previously seen in the A-League and winning titles, the Roar have almost become irrelevant. Poor results over the past two seasons has finally led to the sacking of coach Ruben Zadkovich, with former Adelaide United captain and ex-Socceroos defender Valkanis given the task of lifting Brisbane out of the doldrums. News Corp Australia reported last month that 50-year-old Valkanis was set to become the Roar's new coach, with the club confirming on Tuesday the departure of Zadkovich and his assistant Chris Coyne after Brisbane won just five of its 26 games this season to only finish above cellar dwellers Perth Glory. The Roar's woeful form also led to a further drop in attendances, with the club's average home crowd at Suncorp Stadium falling to 5463. New Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis wants to restore the club to its former glory. George Salpigtidis Credit: News Corp Australia 'We've got to take certain steps and need to recreate what once upon a time existed here,' Valkanis told News Corp on Tuesday. 'Playing for Adelaide United and coming here, it was pretty special because it felt like a European game, and having been following the A-League lately, I was just sad to see how Suncorp Stadium was just empty. That can't be so. 'We need to create an environment that's going to allow the people to do their best work in, become better players, become better people and all have one shared vision of where we want to take this club. 'We need an identity that the Roar previously had in terms of playing an entertaining brand of football that's going to excite people, and it's very important that we reconnect with the community, bring people back to Suncorp Stadium, make that place exciting and create not only an intensity through the way we play, but having that intensity that the supporters brought as well. 'That's the challenge, and it's a challenge that we can meet and be able to turn things around.' Valkanis – whose most recent coaching job with Turkish team Adana Demirspor lasted less than three months before he parted ways with the club in September last year – has spent the best part of the past eight years in Europe after having cut his coaching teeth in the A-League as a caretaker boss of Adelaide United and Melbourne City. He had head coaching roles with Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) and Eupen (Belgium) and was an assistant to ex-Melbourne City coach John van't Schip at Dutch clubs PEC Zwolle and Ajax, and the Greek national team. 'The one thing I've leant in Europe is the coaches and the staff work bloody hard, and enough is enough,' said Valkanis, whose has brought with him to Brisbane a Spanish assistant coach, Borja Lema, and a Greek analyst, Nektarios Grija. 'This coaching group will outwork anyone. The values I believe in, we live by, and the players will feel it.' Valkanis and his staff will need to hit the ground running, with the Roar in action next Wednesday night in an Australia Cup playoff against Wellington Phoenix in Darwin. 'This game is about next season and is of super importance,' Valkanis said 'We have to finish off this season on a good note and show our intent for what we're going to try to create next season.'
