AS A new dawn breaks for Melbourne Victory, Ron Reed talks to rookie coach Mehmet Durakovic

RON REED: Has the board articulated its expectations -- or is it leaving you to do the job as you see fit?

MEHMET DURAKOVIC: It's the biggest club in Australia and there is expectation. But my expectation is just to get the boys playing the way I want them to play, to my philosophy in football. That will be my strength. If they can do that I will have achieved my goals. I'm pretty sure it will be successful.

So it's more than just results, it's the way they go about it?

Definitely. I was given the job for five games of the Asian Champions League and, to their credit, the boys grabbed their opportunities. OK, we didn't qualify for the round of 16, but with a bit more luck, if decisions had gone our way, we should have. They fully understood the way I wanted them to play and I was quite happy with their performance.

You refer a lot to your philosophy. What is it, exactly?

As a footballer I have always wanted to play short, sharp, passing games with midfielders coming through, technically gifted players on the ball, just play attacking football. I love that kind of play. Everyone is going to know their position, through the seniors, the youth team, the juniors. If we have injuries and another player comes in, he knows exactly what his role is. I want guys to be free to express themselves. Like Carlos (Hernandez) -- if you give Carlos the freedom he wants he's a magician on the ball. If he wants to go and attack, just go. I want everyone to just enjoy themselves. It brings out the best.

Will this philosophy represent a major change from what has gone before at a club that has been very successful?

In all honesty, Ernie (Merrick, coach for the club's first six years) has done a fantastic job, winning two championships. I'm privileged to be part of this club but I have my own brand of play and I implemented that in the ACL. Hopefully I will get as much success as Ernie got.

But will people see something recognisably different from what Ernie was putting out?

Definitely. Ernie had his style which was successful and I have mine. I've got really good young talent and good experienced players, so it's a good mixture. I'm happy with the team we have and the way we are moving forward.

Has there been a need for a change of style for some time -- was Ernie's way getting stale?

Everybody has an opinion. It's going to be a different style.

Clearly self-belief is one of your strengths. What are your others?

My biggest strength is the passion. I've had three years at the Victorian Institute of Sport and three years in the Youth League so I have a few premierships under my belt. Also, I've learned a lot from other coaches. But my strength is my belief in the way I want to play football. It's nice if you can communicate with the players and instil a sense of family where it's all about us, not about me. That's an important part of being a part of any sporting environment -- we all succeed together and we all fail together. I'm big on that.

You and Kevin Muscat go back a long way and he has played an enormous role in this club's short history. As assistant coach, how important will he be?

Very. He's been here since day one and been a leader on and off the park. I've known him 25 years and he's a very good friend. I think we're going to have a fantastic relationship.

As a player he had a take-no-prisoners approach. Is that what you want in the team?

I will be judged by the way the team plays. Just go out there and express yourself, especially these young kids coming through. Be free. If you're a character with a strong will, you don't want to get that out of them but you also want them to play football technically the way I want -- free-flowing. Kev has been invaluable to this club and he will be invaluable to me, with his experience.

You talk about "pure football" as played by Barcelona and Arsenal. What do you mean?

Not just Barcelona and Arsenal. I just think in world trends you see it's all about passing and moving, people expressing themselves. A lot of shape as well. It worked quite well for us in the short time I had in the ACL. I don't want to use anybody else's philosophy.

Francis Awaritefe, the new director of football, has spoken about his visions of how the club should develop. Are you singing from the same sheet music?

Definitely. We are all on the same page. Whatever we do -- signing players -- we all make the decisions.

Inevitably there are disagreements in any organisation. As director, he gets the final say?

We make the decisions all together, it's not one person. If I want a player we'll sit down and talk about it and then we'll go and get (him).

Do you pick the team or will there be a selection vote?

I'm the head coach so I pick the team, simple as that. Responsibility for buying players is shared.

Speaking of buying players, if one H. Kewell does arrive, what role do you see for him given you are well-off for strikers already, even after losing Robbie Kruse?

Harry would be fantastic. He would bring his professionalism, what he has done overseas, what he would teach my young players. It would be invaluable to me, the club, the supporters, the A-League. This is the best time for him to come. He's not over the hill, he's still at his peak. He could bring fantastic revenue, professionalism -- helping everybody, off the pitch as well. Every club is chasing Harry so there's a lot of water to go under the bridge.

You say he's still at his peak -- do you see him as still an out-and-out matchwinner?

Definitely. He'll be part of the squad like everybody else and have a role to play, but I'm sure he'll bring a lot of expertise to our philosophy. I played alongside him in his first game for Australia, when he was man of the match against Chile.

It would be quite a spectacle watching him and Archie Thompson waiting together for the ball to arrive?

Absolutely. We will have a fantastic strike force with very experienced players such as Archie.

Is the A-League getting better, harder to win?

It's getting stronger. The players are getting more professional and the Australian coaches, such as Graham Arnold and Ange Postecoglou, are getting better, learning every day.

Which coaches inspired you?

I've been very fortunate. You can't go past the legendary Ferenc Puskas, who I played under at South Melbourne. He was a father figure. He was the best player in the world so it was an honour just to meet him. Also, the late Eddie Thompson, Frank Arok, Terry Venables -- then there's Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson. I love watching how they do things. You learn a lot.

Have you spent your whole life in football?

Yes. I'm 45 and have had a wonderful career starting at Port Melbourne at seven or eight. I played five years in Malaysia, had the pleasure of meeting a lot of world-class footballers and I just want to give something back to the game that has brought success for me and my family. What better way to do it than at the biggest club in Australia?

So you're excited?

Very. Hopefully my passion can rub off on the players.

reedr@heraldsun.com.au

Originally published as New dawn breaks for Melbourne Victory