PERHAPS it is the perfect fit; a club fighting for credibility after an ordinary season and horror off-field turmoil being guided by a man fighting for his coaching career.

Only Western Sydney Wanderers fans would have begrudged John Aloisi a winning return to life as an A-League coach, this time as Brisbane Roar boss.

The man who won the heart of every Australian football fan in 2005 by scoring the decisive penalty in the shootout that sent the Socceroos to their first World Cup finals tournament in 32 years had a rough introduction to coaching at Melbourne Heart.

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Almost everyone wanted “Johnny A” to succeed, but there’s not much room for sentiment in football.

Aloisi went without a win in his final 17 matches in charge of the Heart, losing 13 and drawing four.

It was a record that had a host of fans questioning the Roar’s decision in May to appoint him as coach.

But in adverse conditions and unruly circumstances during the Roar’s tumultuous off-season, Aloisi has shone.

You would hardly have blamed him if he had regrets about accepting the Roar’s offer as the club stumbled from one disaster to the next in recent months, such was the financial mess left by the previous administration.

It wasn’t what he had signed for and he certainly wasn’t expecting to lose one of his best players, Luke Brattan, because of the Roar’s failure to pay superannuation on time.

Maybe he would have been better off had he remained an expert commentator at Fox Sports, where he was carving out a solid media career, and had stayed in Melbourne in his role developing the all-conquering Victory’s youth and NPL players.

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But rather than spit the dummy, Aloisi rolled up his sleeves and made the best of a sticky situation in Brisbane.

He has the trust of the Roar players, not always an easy task, and is starting to win over the club’s hardcore supporters judging by the reception he received at last Tuesday’s fan forum.

The Roar’s 3-1 win a couple of nights later over the Wanderers further endeared him to the Brisbane faithful. It’s only one match, but a great start to the season will quickly overshadow the problems of the past few months.

Brisbane’s win was part of an unpredictable first round of the A-League.

Hands up if you tipped all of the round’s three winners, the Roar, Mariners and Jets.

It’s looming as another nightmare season for tipsters, but for Aloisi and the Roar, the dream is seemingly alive and kicking.

@marcothejourno

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