Popovic to hang up his boots

[MattSimon]

Jaza have a Bex and a good lie down

 

[FFC Mariner]

Heard him on 2UE sports show tonight.

They asked him if he was there to replace Kossie. He was v good and laughed but as he is doing his Coaching Badges in Europe and knows the squad, he would be an obvious part of any succession plan for when Kossie loses it/chokes/underperforms etc

 

[midfielder]

I like Popa ....who can ever forget the coat-hanger he put on Recoba in the 2005 WCQ would have made any RL player proud......then Guss brings him off - Kool comes on, has the miss kick off a Dukes pass and Bress scores ..... Ahhhh great stuff.  He played many games in the green and gold and always gave his best ....... never the best player we had but always played with passion ..... I think he accepts his time has come and next year he can go and join the Ryde or Castle Hill over 35's ..... the only mistake was going to the Choppers and playing under King Hacker ..... but he has my over all respect as a very good player and I hope he continues in some way in coaching as he has heaps of experience to pass on ..... and IMO would have heaps more knowledge than Hacker and could make an excellent assistance coach ...... and take on the reins at the Choppers...... then I will hate him with all I can but until then ....... I wish Popa good luck.

 

[ryan]

I'll always remember his elbow on Recoba. He was lucky not to get sent off but it sure made a point and set a platform for our dominance in that game. Good Socceroo career. Well done Tony.

 

[Part_Timer]

at least he never did a vidmar...

 

[Blackadder]

Good luck to Pop in retirement, but have to wonder if this was brought on by Grumpy Smurf going public questioning his players.

 

[tuftman]

Good luck to Pop in retirement, but have to wonder if this was brought on by Grumpy Smurf going public questioning his players.

I think grumpy smurf going public might have been the final nail in the coffin as far as his decision to.

 

[serious14]

From today's SMH:

WHEN Tony Popovic told his Sydney FC teammates yesterday morning that his 35-year-old body could no longer hold up to rigours of the big time and that he was quitting the game he loved, silence gripped the room.

His stunned teammates could scarcely believe their ears. Their captain, who had recovered from a hamstring injury to play against Wellington Phoenix just days earlier, telling them to forge ahead without him.

"They thought maybe I would have done it at the end of the year, and they didn't see it coming. It was very quiet afterwards," Popovic said. "It felt like an uncomfortable dressing room, so I just sort of walked out and left them in there.

"But they'll get over the shock of it and that's why Kossie [coach John Kosmina] and I wanted to get it over with early in the week. Over the next few days, the boys will dwell on it less and less and they'll focus more on the big game in Adelaide."


Says it all really......

 

[Ted]

Good luck to Pop in retirement, but have to wonder if this was brought on by Grumpy Smurf going public questioning his players.

I think grumpy smurf going public might have been the final nail in the coffin as far as his decision to.

You would think it was the final death knell. It's bad enough being injured for any player, but to scathed by your coach for not 'stepping up' when you were injured for 'stepping up' wouldn't help at all.

 

[ponno]

Corica is captain for the remainder of the season

 

[Bex]

. Now, they're standing back, blaming the players and asking them to leave rather than taking some blame, reworking the strategy and helping the players adjust. The more things change, the more they stay the same.......

What?!

WTF are you on about?

The guy is 35yrs old and has been struggling with soft tissue injuries for years. Since Crystal palace he's had up-and-down hamstrings. He's decided he'll do the team a favour and not play injured.

How the hell does that compare to what you've said? You're insane.

:
Actually, if you read what I wrote, you would realise that I have no problem with Popa retiring. Here is the relevant bit:

The decision comes after Sydney FC chairman Andrew Kemeny told players to either stand up and be counted or move on after the defeat against Wellington Phoenix on Friday.

Way to build team spirit when, IMO, the majority of blame should be aimed at Kossie - especially his spoilt brat attitude and his poor decisions during the game.

 

[FFC Mariner]

As a respected player, possibly an icon of the local game, Popa probably heard the way this seasons Chairman and this season manager are blaming the players (forget 4 years of management f**k ups) and thought to him self "I dont need this shit".

As a player, Kosmina wasnt fit to lace his boots

 

[clarence]

TBF Greenpole, what was important when you were 20 often isn't the same when you are 35.

You are possibly right, maybe he did think, 'oh stuff it, it is a lot of work and input - bugger that I have a way out here'. It may well have been the final straw, he has admitted that he was struggling.

Maybe he thought, going into this season, that with Aloisi, Colosimo, Bridge and Musialik coming into the team, that he'd be able to sit back a bit and just do what was required. But with the roll call of injuries and inconsistent form, and the public slangings, you can speculate he'd had enough.

 

[FFC Mariner]

QFT - probably ok for money, in pain every time he plays and working under a complete tactical f**kwit.

I'd probably jack it in too