Golden Soft Sombrero Moment with Frank Arok

Four Diegos Profile:   

Socceroo coach 1983 - 1990

NSL Clubs (coaching):           

St.George, Marconi Stallions, South Melbourne, Gippsland Falcons

Green & Gold Honors:            

World Cup campaigns: 1985 & 1989

Olympic Games: Seoul 1988 (quarter finalists)

Golden Sombrero wins include: Argentina (at the time reigning 1986 World Champions- 1988) Saudi Arabia (Asian Champions – 1988), Yugoslavia (Olympic Games 1988), Nigeria (Olympic Games 1988), Glasgow Rangers (Scotland - 1984), Juventus (Italy – 1984), Tottenham Hotspurs (England – 1985), Udinese (Italy – 1985), Vasco da Gama (Brazil – 1985), Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia – 1985), Israel (Away leg World Cup qualifier – 1985), Morocco (1987), Chile (1987), 

Diegos Verdict:                       

‘Madder’ than any of the ‘Mad Dog’ Socceroo squad that he lovingly nurtured in the 1980’s.

Arok put the ‘self –esteem’ back into the Socceroos, the ‘worry’ into world football and the ‘let’s get the Israelis’ into Gary McDowell.

Congratulations Frank. You’re a Four Diegos legend amigo.

Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with Frank Arok

Arok on the ‘Mad Dogs’…

Diegos: "Let's reminisce for a moment and talk about your Socceroo coaching days.

We recently interviewed one of the original Socceroo 'Mad Dogs', Ken Murphy and he suggested that of all the Mad Dogs of the 1980's you were probably the maddest of all.

Arok: "It's very important that if you're a coach you're seen to be leading. You mustn't hide. My way of doing things was to 'brainwash' people.  When I talk about 'brainwashing' I mean it in a positive manner. The aim is to bring out the very best of your squad. I tell my players repeatedly that the opposition has two arms and two legs. All of them have heads but not too many of them use their brains. I believe if my players use their brains they are every bit as good as the other guy.

The Mad Dogs started to prove this to the whole world.  We played some incredible games against the World champions, European champions, African champions and Asian Champions. We beat them all so I think that everything is in the mind. Young people with determination and a real love for the game and for their country can achieve extraordinary things if they put their mind to it."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Diegos: "Did you ever use the 'Mad Dogs' reputation leading up to games as a psychological ploy against an opponent?"

Arok: "We used it a lot especially against Israel in 1985. They were very naïve and we used that to our advantage.

They tried to match us physically but forgot about their strength and that was to play with the ball. We beat them in that famous game over in Tel Aviv 2-1 in 1985 as a result of this.

In the six games we played against Israel during that period they never won a game against us."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Arok on ‘big’ games and ‘special’ moments…

Diegos: "Throughout the 1980's there were three games that were particularly memorable performances by the Socecroos.

The 2-1 victory over Israel in the World cup qualifier in Tel Aviv in 1985; the 4-1 win over Argentina in the Bicentennial Gold Cup in 1988 and the 1-0 victory over Yugoslavia in the Seoul Olympics also in 1988.

Is there any one special performance that you believe was the Socceroos best while you were coach?"

Arok: "Those games were all special but you have to also include the game against Scotland in Melbourne in 1985.

It finished 0-0 but it should've been 2 or 3 -0 for us. I still can't swallow that bitter pill.

Some other really important results were the wins and draws against Juventus and also Glasgow Rangers in 1984. The win against Nigeria in the Seoul Olympics was also special too.

There were so many magic games at that time. The biggest joy for me was watching players who initially never ever thought they could get such fantastic results prove everyone wrong and beat some of the biggest teams in the world. That was the highlight for me."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Diegos: "In the 112 times you lead the Socceroos as coach was there one single special moment that stands out?"

Arok: "Again there were so many of them.

On a not so positive point, I felt that our administrators didn't always support the team and me as much as they should've. For example I often had to pay my own way to scout the opposition. I did this before we played Yugoslavia in the Olympic Games. We also never received our medals for the Bicentennial cup. We finished second behind Brazil but in front of Argentina, the then world champions, and Saudi Arabia the reigning Asian Champions.

These are just some of the things that occurred that would always eat away at me.

But if I'm feeling particularly low for whatever reason I put on the tape of our 4-1 win over Argentina and watch it and soak up that incredible atmosphere. "

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Diegos: "Tell us how you felt when Charlie Yankos scored from all of 30 - 35 metres out in that game?"

Arok: "Everyone seemed to laughing at the time but I remember screaming out to Charlie to have a shot. He said, 'what do you mean do you want me to score from 'downtown' and I said, 'don't worry if you connect it will go in'. History tells us it went in and proved that sometimes dreams come true."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Arok on training…

Diegos: "Prior to the Seoul Olympics you set quite a punishing training program for the boys.

Sessions of two 30 minute runs, six by 1500 metre runs, ten by 800 metres, twenty by 400 metres, fifty by 200 metres, one hundred 100 metre runs and two hundred 50 metre runs.

The Diegos even get tired asking this question…why so hard Frank?"

Arok: "Anything I introduced at Socceroo level I tried out on my St. George team beforehand.

It worked well for St. George so why wouldn't it work for the national team. The times my St. George youngsters were achieving easily beat the times run by the Socceroos. It was important that if the Socceroos wanted to be the best in the world they had to be able to run with every opponent they meet. I was convinced that any shortfall of skill that we had could be compensated by supreme fitness and organisation."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Arok on today’s generation of Socceroos…

Diegos: "During your reign as national coach you refused to consider three Australians playing overseas - Craig Johnston at Liverpool, Tony Dorigo at Aston Villa and Eddie Krncevic in Belgium who you believed weren't entirely committed to the cause.

What do you think about the overseas-based players in this generation only making themselves available for some games and not others?

Arok: "In the case of the above three players their circumstances were all different.

I meet Craig in Newcastle at the time and he agreed to play the only problem was that he wanted weekly payments equivalent to what he was getting at Liverpool. This was over $7,000 per week so I told him that this was impossible for us to pay. It disturbed me that we couldn't get him for one or two games at least because we needed his leadership and profile but he was adamant that he wanted that money.

I met Dorigo in England to try and get him to commit himself. He was adamant that first he wanted to try and get into the Italian national team. If he failed then he wanted to try the English national team, then Scottish, then Welsh, then whatever so I said to him thank you very much and forget it.

Eddie was different. We originally had some misunderstandings but afterwards he committed himself.

Overall I didn't get much value from the overseas players. We at different time got back Patikas, Mitchell, Farina and Krncevic and they didn't score one single goal in five games."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Arok on Eddie Thomson…

Diegos: "Your assistant during the 'Mad Dog' era Eddie Thomson has gone on record saying that he learnt 'absolutely nothing' from you in his time with the Socceroos.

What are your thoughts about that?"

Arok: "I really don't give a dam. The only thing that I have to say is that if someone says that they have not learnt anything from anyone else must be stupid or have absolutely no capacity to learn.

If he said I learned what not to do I'd accept that because that is a learning process."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Arok on banning his wife…

Diegos: "The Diegos Research Department tells us that you won't allow your wife, Gordana to attend any of your team's matches because you believe that she brings bad luck.

Is this true?"

Arok: "It is true. She has seen only three or four games in my life. One when I was still playing that we lost 3-0. The other two she attend was when I started coaching and we lost each one 3-0. So I said 'lady for God sake stay at home'. 

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Arok’s advice to young kiddies…

Diegos: "What's Frank Arok's advice to all the Four Diegos soccer playing 'Kiddies' out there?"

Arok: "If you can't dream stop playing immediately. Dreams are the only things worthwhile to live for and if you're dreaming you'll automatically work very hard."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996