By ROY WARD
SOMETIMES when you lose, you also win – Oakleigh Cannons could well be in that category after signing former A League coach Miron Bleiberg to lead the side for the rest of the Victorian Premier League season.
Bleiberg took charge of the Cannons in an “interim” capacity against Dandenong Thunder on May 17 with the Cannons losing 1-0.
The former Gold Coast United and Brisbane Roar coach said the persistence of Oakleigh officials and his dented pride at losing to the Thunder helped convince him to take the role for the rest of the season.
“At first it wasn’t meant to be and then the friends of Oakleigh convinced me to stay,” Bleiberg said.
“First I said no, then coached for one week. Funny enough the people are nice and the players eager to learn, so I have kept coaching.
“The funniest thing is that we lost that first game and it hurt my pride and I decided to stay. It could be that if we hadn’t lost then I may not have stayed.”
With all A League coaching positions filled for the next season, Bleiberg said he would be able to coach out the VPL season before looking to future opportunities in elite football.
Bleiberg also admitted he was concerned taking the Oakleigh role could tarnish his reputation at professional level.
“It was a difficult decision from a few points of view. The first point was that I’m moving here from interstate and the second point is that from a professional point of view, you consider yourself an A-League coach and on the fringe of getting your next coaching job, so having an involvement in Oakleigh, whether we win or lose, doesn’t do anything to help me.
”Sometimes in football you need to be selfish in that way, but I felt that in this game and in my life I can do what I want to.”
Coaches have moved between the national league and VPL in past seasons. Former Cannons coach Arthur Papas moved from the VPL to become Newcastle Jets youth league coach after the 2011 season and former Thunder coach Stuart Munro became Perth Glory assistant coach.
â– Dandenong Thunder lost 2-0 to Pascoe Vale in their VPL clash at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday. The match was the fifth and final Thunder home game to be played behind closed doors.
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