Originally Posted by
The Dunster
It's always been the case and nothing specific to the A-league. it makes sense as well - players are going to have more respect for someone that's played at or coached at that level than those that haven't. The Special One is a bit of an outlier - and a few great players have failed as well - but I still think going from a player straight into coaching ranks at a similar level is the way to do things.
In the top leagues overseas maybe starting a tier down - but not in Australia - the gap is too big [money, ego's, sponsors, player skill, training, personal managers, the media's influence ...almost like a different game].