But having the ability to get a disparate group of newly-recruited individuals to buy into an overarching vision and learn the minutiae of defensive and offensive structures in a short time frame is not quite so easy.
But it is something Popovic and his lieutenants Luciano Trani and Fabrizio Cammarata have been able to achieve so smoothly that Victory is not just hosting the Cup final,but has climbed to the top of the A-League men’s ladder.
After two horror seasons,the board,headed by chairman Anthony Di Pietro,knew that radical steps needed to be taken.
Hiring the right coach,who could galvanise every facet of the Victory operation,was vital,and signing Popovic has so far proved to be a masterstroke.
Broxham has played under every person to have ever coached the Victory and enjoyed success,particularly under Ernie Merrick and Kevin Muscat.
Popovic,he says,brings a level of intensity,scrutiny and attention to detail that has been transformational this season.
“He has brought in players he knows and trusts. It’s all come down to the boss,his demands,his understanding of the league.
“He’s firm but fair,but the demands are there to produce what he wants. The attention to detail is high. There’s a lot of other stuff that comes outside[of] training. But when we are training he is right into it.
“He tweaks every little thing to get the best out of the guys. All the one-percenters that you might not think matter much,you have a nutritionist,sports psychology ... He has demanded it and provided it for the team.
“He was a defender,himself,so he can give the fine details of things I have never been coached before as a midfielder or a defender - where a foot should be,what your body positioning should be,where you should be at a certain point when the ball is here,where you should be when it is there.
“We had to prioritise action over words. You can’t cut corners. If you do,you are just lining up for mistakes and failure. Past experience teaches that.”
Melbourne Victory football director John Didulica
“He gave us some time to understand it and get on board,[and] now he expects it as second nature.”
Di Pietro has been a director since 2006 and chairman since 2011.
“Getting in the key people at the top was critical,” he said.
Di Pietro and his colleagues opened the purse strings after a frugal few seasons and believe that the platform for sustained success is being built.
“Over the journey we have always been respected ... those who didn’t support us might not have liked us,but they respected us. That was challenged in the last few years. We let ourselves down in so many ways. Now we are putting it right.”
For Didulica,a former players union chief and Melbourne Heart executive,the turnaround is due to a handful of key decisions.
“We had to prioritise action over words. You can’t cut corners. If you do,you are just lining up for mistakes and failure. Past experience teaches that.
“We have also been very purposeful in our minds about what our goals are - short term,and long term.
“Another key element was winning back the trust of our membership. The only way we could do that was to demonstrate our intent by actions over words,showing purpose in everything we did. It’s easy to talk,but harder to show that you are serious.”
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