Dragan Skočić Appreciation Thread!

[Futbaldoost]

^ Voldemart character was at least smart, hardworking and capable, Wilmotzaster was/is neither.

Go TM!

[Doctor DOOM]

You know, I watched the AFCON final and gotta say, with all the talent both teams have the play was painfully underwhelming. Egypt was literally just Salah trying to create something from nothing and getting close a number of times. Senegal was PGPL style bezan ziresh despite how stacked they are.
When I see Iran play I realize AT LEAST we try to play with something resembling a system. And when you watch our highlights we actually get plenty of goalscoring chances but nobody fucking finishes lmao. Iran is objectively less talented than Senegal and that's not debatable, but if we were to play Senegal we'd give them a serious fight for their money solely because of our style of play. Skocic is a lot better than most people give him credit for, we genuinely could have ended up with way worse (and did... may that useless Belgian's name never be spoken)

^ oh I may be able to debate that.
talent wise I dont think we are behind most of these teams.
problem is EXPOSURE and familiarity with the Dos and Donts of professional football where the africans, thanks to their mass presence in european football are more familiar with all that, while most of our players are ether newcomers to it or just arent familiar at all.

once we become more familiar to the pro world attitude, I wld say we stand just as much chance as the next top african or maybe most of south american nations

[Altamonte]

^ oh I may be able to debate that.
talent wise I dont think we are behind most of these teams.
problem is EXPOSURE and familiarity with the Dos and Donts of professional football where the africans, thanks to their mass presence in european football are more familiar with all that, while most of our players are ether newcomers to it or just arent familiar at all.
once we become more familiar to the pro world attitude, I wld say we stand just as much chance as the next top african or maybe most of south american nations

Senegal's players are better than ours lol (on average)

[Leicester City]

Dragan Skočić Interview with Nacional

DRAGAN SKOČIĆ: 'Iran is an important national team and we are prone to underestimation'

Dragan Skočić is the coach of Iran, the national team he took to the World Cup in Qatar when few expected it. For Tempo, he talks about life in Iran, expectations in Qatar and Rijeka, his former club

When Dragan Skočić became the coach of Iran in February 2020, that national team was in an unenviable position in the qualifications for the World Cup in Qatar. In the first four games, they won only six points and the former coach, Belgian Mark Wilmots, left the leadership of the Iranian national team. Iran has played in the previous two World Cups and in a country where football is extremely popular it was unthinkable that it would not qualify for Qatar. That is why they decided to appoint 53-year-old Dragan Skočić, a former player and coach of Rijeka who has led four teams in Iran since 2013 - Malavan, Foolad, Khooneh be Khooneh and Sanat Naft. Thanks to him, the Iranian national team entered a series of victories and at the end of January secured first place in its group and a place in the World Cup. Iran has to play the last two qualifying matches at the end of the month, but they will not bring any changes. When we talked to Tempo, Skočić told us that he was aware that people in Croatia underestimated the Iranian national team. Still, by the last ladderFIFA Iran is in 21st place, more and more of its players are playing in strong European clubs, and Skočić hopes that Iran will succeed in the upcoming World Cup in a way that has never happened before, and that is to pass the first round of the competition. He enjoys living and working in Iran immensely, but if he really succeeds with Iran in Qatar, it is easily possible that he will return to Europe to run some, probably Spanish club. Apart from Rijeka, Skočić played for Las Palmas and Compostela.

TEMPO : Football euphoria reigns in Iran, many journalists write that with some structural changes, their national team could be among the top 10 in the world. Is it an exaggeration or a realistic assumption?

Iran is a great country and has huge potential. People love football, the talent base is big. I think working with young people is quite neglected and that is something that could make Iran bigger than it is. In Asia, we cannot be bigger than we are because we are the best, which can be seen in the results and the fact that Iran is continuously participating in the World Cup. The potentials are great, there are a lot of talents and with better work with young people, that potential would be more pronounced.

TEMPO : The work of Croatian coaches in Asian clubs or national teams is often not considered a special success.

It is logical that European football is being watched more, but Asian football is becoming more and more prominent. After coaching in Rijeka and the Slovenian Interblock, I came first to Kuwait, to the Al-Arabi club, and then to Saudi Arabia, to an even bigger club, and that was Al Nassr. It is the largest club in Saudi Arabia. After working in Iranian clubs, I became the selector of the Iranian national team, and little is known about it in Croatia. It is a national team that is important not only in Asia, it is 21st on the FIFA rankings-e. Take into account that Serbia is 25th on that list, and Russia is 35th, not to mention other national teams. On the one hand, people do not follow the events in Asian football, and on the other hand, we tend to underestimate others who are considered exotic. And when you look at the stadiums in Croatia, you can see that it is exotic in our country.

TEMPO : It is enough to see that before you, the Iranian selectors were Carlos Queiroz, the former Real Madrid coach, and Marc Wilmots, the former Belgian coach.

In our country, this is quite underestimated. In general, a lot of great coaches work in Asia. We are prone to underestimation, but we also have a reason for that, considering that we are a small country and we are extremely successful in sports. Iran is both an important country and an important national team in Asia, it always strives to be at the biggest football festival, and it is not easy to win even bigger national teams than Iran. Given the importance of football in Iran, this is to be expected. Just look at the problems in Europe for some big teams.

TEMPO : You have coached four clubs in Iran for the past almost ten years, obviously the results have been good enough to offer you a menu position.

I spent a little less than 10 years, it was not continuous, but the results were good. I think I have left a mark in most of these clubs and that people have recognized that they can lead a national team in qualifiers that are not only important for football, but also for the country. When you find yourself in one country, then you find yourself in the market. It is difficult to come to Iran, but when you come, when they see that you are good and start appreciating you, then you position yourself in that market. At the same time, you are a little less visible in some other markets, so it all has pros and cons.

TEMPO : When you became the coach of Iran, you hired only two associates from Croatia, assistant coach Mario Toto and goalkeeper coach Mladen Žganjer. Does that mean that you are so well acquainted with the situation in Iranian football that there was no need for more assistants from Croatia?

In fact, I have always brought a lot of people from Croatia with me, but in Asia you have a lot of coaches who want to help, who want to educate themselves, so I have a mixed staff. In my staff are such big names as Vahid Hashemian, a former Bayern Munich footballer, and Karim Bagheri. They are legends in Iran. If necessary, more assistant coaches can be hired, but in this situation there was no need to force. I worked with some people in Iran a few years ago, I knew they were quality, so there was no need to bring people in order for the sake of it. I'm not for hoarding people. I love our people, our experts, I am close to them, but I do not like to bring people of order for the sake of order.

'Iran is a big country and has huge potential. People love football, the talent base is big. With better work with young people, this potential would be more pronounced '

TEMPO : Vahid Hashemian played for Bayern, but also for HSV , did you want to bring German discipline to the national team with him?

I wasn't guided by that. I knew Hashemian had European understandings of football, I thought he was good enough for our staff and that’s it.

TEMPO : Iran hired you after Marc Wilmots left the national team because he achieved bad results in the first four games of the World Cup qualifiers. Given that at that time almost no one believed that Iran would be placed, how much pressure did you feel because of that impossible mission?

I never think about it. I’ve tackled it because I think I’ve matured and I’m good enough. We achieved these results from the minus. It was a situation in which we had no right to make a mistake, in which we were not allowed to drop a single point in the qualifiers. I am not someone who calculates anyway, I am not for compromises, I have something of my own. I believed we could do it, I believed in myself and the staff, we have a good national team, so I didn’t think about taking over the Iranian national team at that point was a risky move. I saw it as a good thing for myself, I believed I was good enough to do it.

TEMPO : Have you thought that with the eventual success in the qualifiers with Iran you could get the opportunity to work in one of the European leagues? You have already said that, if you could choose, it would be Spain.

I didn't think about that either. The Iranian national team is at the level of what I have been striving for all my life. The Iranian national team is big enough to satisfy my appetites and I am proud to be the selector of such a national team. And what you're asking me, about that later. The goals are to be good and to stay on one level and to lead great teams and national teams. I didn’t think about how Iran is a springboard. You yourself said that great coaches are coming to Iran and I think that this job satisfies my appetites.

TEMPO : Iran has never passed the first round of the World Cup. Do they expect Iran to succeed in this for the first time with the national team, is there already pressure on you?

They don't need to pump it, I pump. Our goal was to go to the World Cup, and no one can put pressure on me the way I can put pressure on myself. We are all changing, striving for the better, so it is normal for me to have a bigger goal than it is. One goal has been achieved and if I am not looking for a new goal, then it is not me.

TEMPO : Is there anything in which the Iranian national team is better than it was in the two previous World Cups, when it was close to passing to the second round?

Now a lot of players play abroad and there is a lot of experience that can come in handy in such a big competition. However, we have players who play in big clubs, Mehdi Taremi is in Porto, Sardar Azmoun recently moved from Zenit to Bayer Leverkusen, Alireza Jahanbakhsh is in Feyenoord, we have players in England, Belgium, and all this brings experience that can result in higher quality.

TEMPO : Do people in Iran remember former selectors Miroslav Blažević and Branko Ivanković?

They remember, of course, Ivankovic, who was the coach of Persepolis a few years ago. They remember everyone else, Stanko Poklepović and Blažević. I think that the Croatian coaching colony has done a lot in Iran, not only in terms of sports, Croatian coaches have brought the two countries closer. I think that the Iranians, at the expense of us coaches, love Croatia very much.

'When they see that you are good and start appreciating you, then you position yourself in the Iranian market. At the same time, you are a little less visible in some other markets. '

TEMPO : It seems that this is important to you as well, at least according to your posts on Instagram, where you emphasize the sports and political connection between Croatia and Iran. According to these announcements, you really enjoy Iran.

I enjoy Iran. I think a bad image of Iran has been created over the years, and Iran is something else entirely. Iran has a great history, hospitable people, I have a completely different view of that country. I don't look at it through news that is often like this and that, but I look at Iran the way I know it. I have talked to a lot of our people who have been to Iran and they have the same impression. Two books have been written about Iran, I think Iranians have much more than how they are represented in Croatia.

TEMPO : Given the Iranians' concern for football, how were the victories against Iraq and the UAE celebrated , after which Iran officially became a participant in the World Cup in Qatar?

The stadium in Tehran was not full due to the crown, but after those victories, people took to the streets and celebrated. In contact with these people, after the games played, I saw how much it meant to them. I spoke then with the Croatian ambassador Drago Štambuk, who told me that he did not watch the match, but he heard the joy from the neighborhood at the moment when the goal was scored. There are similarities with the celebration of the success of the Croatian national team. Since the crown drove people away from the stadium, we were not aware of the celebration of the people at the game, we only later, in contact with people on the streets, realized this.

TEMPO : You went to Iran in 2012 after being the coach of Rijeka for only 43 days. Did you even go to Iran out of resentment then?

I went to Asia for the first time in 2009, before that I won the cup with Rijeka in 2006, and then the cup and super cup in Slovenia with Interblock. Then I went to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. And then I came to Rijeka again, where I went more with my heart than with my sanity. It's not a problem, I would do it again, it's my club after all. In my career, wherever I was, I achieved success, except when I tried to help Rijeka, but it didn't work out. There was a bitterness that I overcame.

'I think Rijeka should work more on identity. Through all these years, there were few players from Rijeka in the team, maybe that part is not ideal '

TEMPO : Later, Rijeka was privatized. How do you see Rijeka now, when it is privately owned, compared to the old days?

I think that Rijeka has gained a lot in image through the results. I think that Rijeka should work more on identity, maybe that bothers me a little. Through all these years, there were few players from Rijeka in the team, maybe that part is not as ideal as I imagine. But considering everything, I think that privatization helped, who knows what situation Rijeka would have been in if it hadn't happened. To repeat, a lot has been gained on image, a little less on identity. Maybe that catches my eye, as a citizen of Rijeka.

TEMPO : However, privatization in most European clubs brings the same thing, results are achieved and money is earned at the expense of identity.

I agree with all that, but I have my opinion. And that money does not come from the resale of players, but from the sale of domestic players. I think that's where the money lies. Many times players who are not of that caliber come to be better than domestic players. It may be utopian, but that's the way it is. Maybe he would make more money with the home players and achieve more interest.

TEMPO : One thing stands out in your career so far, and that is that, while you were the coach of the Slovenian Interblock, you coached the then young Josip Ilicic, later one of the best players of Atalanta.

Even then, it was obvious that Iličić was talented, but at that time he was not so competitive as to play and had significant minutes in that team, which was good. As a 20-year-old, we brought him from the Bonifika team from Koper. I’m glad he made such a career because he’s a great player.

https://www.nacional.hr/dragan-skoci...odcjenjivanju/

[taremiscores]

Is this guy fighting for friendlies, preparations etc.?

May be in over his head.

[peiman92]

You time is slowly running out.

16 games, still 0 tactics.
You played Azmoun so out of position that even he couldn't save you today.

It was clear from the 3-0 victory vs Iraq that you have 0 tactics, only relying on the individual talent from our great players to win games.
Since then it has become more and more obvious, how clueless you are as a coach.
Your best performance was against Syria, when you were sitting on the stands.

It's so sad that we have to lose a game for people to realize this guy is not good enough, to even be considered for TM coach job.
Still better late than never, and i'm glad people are realizing this.

Having this guy as our coach in the WC will be the biggest khianat and khodzani in the history of TM football.

[naderb94]

I've said it many times.. Wait til TM plays quality opponents to really judge on Skokic.. Unfortunately, Korea is on a prelude to what will happen at the WC.
Skokic never has impressed me.. He beat bunch of Arab teams that have never qualified for a WC.

I'm 50/50 on riding him out to the WC, but man I miss CQ being the manager.. Things were much more under control under him. Never during his time did I ever see TM get absolutely dominated like I saw today.

[Nokhodi]

I've said it many times.. Wait til TM plays quality opponents to really judge on Skokic.. Unfortunately, Korea is on a prelude to what will happen at the WC.
Skokic never has impressed me.. He beat bunch of Arab teams that have never qualified for a WC.

I'm 50/50 on riding him out to the WC, but man I miss CQ being the manager.. Things were much more under control under him. Never during his time did I ever see TM get absolutely dominated like I saw today.

Nader jan, are you being serious?

Go watch TM versus Korea in both legs of the 2014 qualifiers. We were absolutely dominated, and were lucky in both cases to get the points.

Again, as many members have said we only dominated Korea once - in the Tehran leg in 2016 or 2017.

[O-ZoNe]

I've said it many times.. Wait til TM plays quality opponents to really judge on Skokic.. Unfortunately, Korea is on a prelude to what will happen at the WC.
Skokic never has impressed me.. He beat bunch of Arab teams that have never qualified for a WC.

I'm 50/50 on riding him out to the WC, but man I miss CQ being the manager.. Things were much more under control under him. Never during his time did I ever see TM get absolutely dominated like I saw today.

Bosnia 2014 and Japan in AC come to mind.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Tapatalk

[naderb94]

Nader jan, are you being serious?

Go watch TM versus Korea in both legs of the 2014 qualifiers. We were absolutely dominated, and were lucky in both cases to get the points.

Again, as many members have said we only dominated Korea once - in the Tehran leg in 2016 or 2017.

2014 was still in the early stages where we didn't have the talent like we do now.. I'll give you the Japan AC matchup since we have much of the current talent but overall we did great against Korea in 2014 with the talent we had then.

[mbaizai]

I'm not sure what's the road map for WC preparation under this IFF. Feeling helpless .

[PSGman#19]

I'm not sure what's the road map for WC preparation under this IFF. Feeling helpless .

It's to provide more botox for Estili

[kaebi kabab]

I am awaiting for an apology from so many members...

[Babak_Shirazi]

We were missing 6/7 starters, what are people expecting? Chillout, we are good

[PSGman#19]

Some people should be very happy wity this logical loss they waited since 2 years. However, all those who wants skocic head don't give any credible and better alternatives.

You want golmo, a guy that couldn't keep his calm during a mickey mouse derby? Someone that will favor every random 30 yo players in TM, like he did with PP where young players were left out. Others Iranian coaches that are worse and more emotional than skocic and golmo?

A realist alternative would be someone like stratamacioni with Gabriel pine as assistant. But will they accept and last with banking sanctions? Will they favor SS players? Are they motivated to fight for Iran?