Are you happy with the choice of 'Dragan Skocic'???

[Nokhodi]

To be fair, this was the weakest Korea team I have ever seen. China and Qatar beat this Korea team in the WCQs 2018 too. Our group in the final round of WCQs 2018 was much weaker than other group. If we were in the other group, we would have finished third most likely below Japan and Saudi Arabia and had to go to the play off. However fortunately we got the weaker group in the final round of WCQs 2018. Korea should be thankful as well that they were in the weaker group of final round WCQs 2018.

I'm sorry, but this is all nothing but opinion tainted with an anti-CQ bent (I assume).
Iran's group was incredibly difficult. We just had a very prepared TM that made it look easy.
When you do things well, it looks easy.

The other group had a decent Japan, that's about it.
The same South Korea you call weak, actually played respectably in the World Cup.

[diz]

Skocic, if you're on our forum and reading this, this is how we want Iran to play vs. the opponents:

I'm sure Dragan has already analyzed this game. It was a clinical demonstration of creating changes. What a great highlight video and amazing footage:

-Sardar's goal was sublime: one touch flick to send it flying past the keeper
-CQ pumping up the crowd
-Nekounam and CQ discussing tactics on the sideline in SPANISH
-Andranik coming on as substitute Captain
-Taremi playing with the SK defenders in the box in the dying minutes

Wow, LOVED it. Can't wait to see more in the Fall. All for TM!

[M.U.F.C]

I agree that South Korea was not at their best that year. But I disagree about us finishing 3rd below Saudi Arabia. Our team was first and foremost mentally prepared, and would have finished 2nd had we been drawn in the other group. The other group wasn't all that tough to be honest. Besides Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia weren't amazing. if anything Australia was an absolute mess, more so than South Korea was in our group. Saudi Arabia was handed 2 victories by the referee who called 2 ridiculous penalties in their favor (1-0 wins).

The flock of talent under Queiroz that year, as well as how well they were doing in their respective clubs helped us qualify to the World Cup. It wouldn't have made that much of a difference if we were in the other group in my opinion.

I did not bring up Australia because they were in the same seed with us for the final round of WCQs 2018.
Saudi Arabia beat Iraq twice (Historically only Saudi Arabia can claim that beating Iraq is easy for them in the WCQs), beat Thailand twice, beat Japan by outplaying them at home and got 3 points out of 6 points against UAE. So realistically Iran would have finished below Japan and KSA in the final round of WCQs 2018 if Iran was in the other group. Our team was not as talented as you think. No player in top 5 Europe league. I am pissed that we do not have 4-5 players in our team at the same level of Daei, Bagheri, Azizi, Abedzadeh, Nekounam, Mahdavikia, Hashemian, etc.

[M.U.F.C]

I'm sorry, but this is all nothing but opinion tainted with an anti-CQ bent (I assume).
Iran's group was incredibly difficult. We just had a very prepared TM that made it look easy.
When you do things well, it looks easy.

The other group had a decent Japan, that's about it.
The same South Korea you call weak, actually played respectably in the World Cup.

What I said had nothing to do with CQ. I did not think about CQ when I gave my honest opinion. WC is totally a different tournament than WCQs. The better teams in the WCQs may perform worse in the WC or vice versa. The group we got in the final round of WCQs 2018 was similar to the group we got in the ACQs 2007 where we got Korea, Syria, and Chinese Taipei in group. GN topped that group. The truth is that we got much weaker group in the final round of WCQs 2018.

1. Iran, Australia
2. Korea < Japan
3. Uzbekistan < Saudi Arabia
4. China < UAE
5. Qatar < Iraq
6. Syra > Thailand

[M.U.F.C]

Do not mistake. I am not taking anything away from CQ and the good performance of the team in the final round of WCQs 2018 but if we are honest which we should be, our group in the final round of WCQs 2018 was fortunately much weaker than other group.

[M.U.F.C]

IMO one of the Morrocan fans gave the best opinion regard CQ before start of the last WC. Do not have time to go into Bigsoccer to find the link.

He said CQ is a good coach and his overall results with most teams he coached prove that. So he is a good coach but not a top class coach. Despite good overall results with most teams he coached, he never achieved anything notable as head coach such as reaching continental final, winning titles in club/international level, etc. Recently we all saw his Copa America results were similar to his AC results. Unlike the coaches like Lippi (won WC, UCL, Serie A, and ACL), Hiddink (Reached WC semi-final with Netherlands and Korea, and second round of the WC with Australia, won Uefa cup with PSV) and Jorge Luis Pinto (Reached top 8 with Costa Rica in the WC), he is not a legendary head coach.

IMO the only notable achievement of CQ with Iran was qualifying to the WC 2014 by topping the group with one of the weakest squads we had in history. Winning the final round of WCQs 2014 with that squad was overachieving where Korea and Uzbekistan were in much better form compare to WCQs 2018. Other than that, IMO he did not achieve anything notable with us.

[kian_khosh]

To be fair, this was the weakest Korea team I have ever seen. China and Qatar beat this Korea team in the WCQs 2018 too. Our group in the final round of WCQs 2018 was much weaker than other group. If we were in the other group, we would have finished third most likely below Japan and Saudi Arabia and had to go to the play off. However fortunately we got the weaker group in the final round of WCQs 2018. Korea should be thankful as well that they were in the weaker group of final round WCQs 2018.

BELOW SAUDI ARABIA?!?!? Russia literally dicked on them so hard. They dont have any players abroad, not even 1. Which means a lot because teams bring in some players from foreign countries to expand their tv revenue and shirt sales (like wu lei in espanyol). We would destroy saudi

[Medzdidz]

Plus with that logic we had the team in our group who a couple of years later would go on to become Asian Champions so we qualified over the ‘best team in Asia’ ( I don’t think that at all by the way, hence the inverted commas).

Back to topic with Skocic he seems as If he is very serious about the role, has a good relationship with the players and understands our country and our culture. He will know now as well with his time working in Iran the red tape that he has to work with so this will not be new to him.

[Bladsville]

IMO one of the Morrocan fans gave the best opinion regard CQ before start of the last WC. Do not have time to go into Bigsoccer to find the link.
He said CQ is a good coach and his overall results with most teams he coached prove that. So he is a good coach but not a top class coach. Despite good overall results with most teams he coached, he never achieved anything notable as head coach such as reaching continental final, winning titles in club/international level, etc. Recently we all saw his Copa America results were similar to his AC results. Unlike the coaches like Lippi (won WC, UCL, Serie A, and ACL), Hiddink (Reached WC semi-final with Netherlands and Korea, and second round of the WC with Australia, won Uefa cup with PSV) and Jorge Luis Pinto (Reached top 8 with Costa Rica in the WC), he is not a legendary head coach.

CQ is one of the best things that has happened to Iranian Football, period. Iran isnt Morocco. Morocco doesn't have major kit manufacturers pull their sponsorship days before international tournaments because of political turmoil and sanctions. No shit CQ isnt a Legendary manager, but he isn't no scrub either.

IMO the only notable achievement of CQ with Iran was qualifying to the WC 2014 by topping the group with one of the weakest squads we had in history. Winning the final round of WCQs 2014 with that squad was overachieving where Korea and Uzbekistan were in much better form compare to WCQs 2018. Other than that, IMO he did not achieve anything notable with us.

So qualifying for consecutive WC and AFC doesnt mean shit? Or the clean sheets that we had between the end of WC2018 and AC2019 didnt mean shit? Or all the legionnaires he brought onto our team? Or the opportunity he brought for so many TM players to go to Europe?

I dont get why some people hate on CQ. Dont bite the hand that feeds you.

[Keshwardoost]

CQ is one of the best things that has happened to Iranian Football, period. Iran isnt Morocco. Morocco doesn't have major kit manufacturers pull their sponsorship days before international tournaments because of political turmoil and sanctions. No shit CQ isnt a Legendary manager, but he isn't no scrub either.
So qualifying for consecutive WC and AFC doesnt mean shit? Or the clean sheets that we had between the end of WC2018 and AC2019 didnt mean shit? Or all the legionnaires he brought onto our team? Or the opportunity he brought for so many TM players to go to Europe?
I dont get why some people hate on CQ. Dont bite the hand that feeds you.

He is legendary as Iran coach though. The state our football was before he joined us, imagine if we got Wilmotz back then instead of CQ.. we would be worse than chinese thaipey and andorra by now. ( not that wilmotz did us any great later on but atleast we can recover with a great amount of luck and hopefully good coaching. Should have sticked with CQ or atleast gotten Renard after CQ

Scokic is hopefully as good as a coach as he is sending the signals of being.. looks like atleast we have some hope for the moment now.

[eerooni]

Let me tell you how I feel by telling you an old Russian joke:
An old, poor man and his wife are living in a one-room shack and are having a very hard time. So they go to their Rabbi and tell him our living condition is horrible. We do not have any room. We cannot take it anymore. What can we do?
The Rabbi says, go ask you mother-in-law to live with you. The man says, how is that going to help. The Rabbi says just do it. So the mother-in-law moves in and a week later the man goes to the Rabbi and says, it didn't improve things. Its worse now. The Rabbi says, go and ask the neighbor to move in with you. Just do it.
SO the neighbor moves in and after a week, the man goes back to the Rabbi and says, it is much worse now. We don't have any room to breath now. The rabbi says, go bring your cow inside the shack as well. Just do it. The the man brings the cow inside too. After a week he goes back to the Rabbi and say. That's it. I cannot take this anymore. I am going to kill myself. Then the Rabbi says, now go back and throw your mother-in-law, your neighbor and the cow out. The man goes home and evicts everyone.
When the Rabbi asks him how he feels, he says, "I am so happy, we have so much room now.
==================================
Is Skocic the ideal candidate?! No. Was he my first, second, or third choice?! No. But after the shit-show that is IFF, and after Wilmots and a few months with no coach, and after a few half-acceptable domestic coaches refused, he is the best we can do. Definitely better than no coach at all.
So, I am so happy with Skocic.

100% logical ANSWER!!!

[teammelli91]

I've said this before and I'll say it again.


Dragan Skočić is one very, VERY lucky mother scooter.. If he plays his cards right, he may even get bigger job offers after his time with Iran.

Dragan Skočić, you better do right by our Team Melli and give it your all. Especially seeing the talented group of players you will have at your disposal this coming Fall and onward into the future. Don't mess it up.

[Kiarash]

Are you happy with the choice of 'Dragan Skocic'???

Skocic has no single excuse to not make it out of this round considering the potential of this group, Azmoun and Taremi being two 2 EU topscorers and the rest of the team mainly playing in decent EU sides. Queiroz didn’t have this luxury at the beginning of his job.

[The]

This will probably be most talented Asian team in history not to make it to the world cup.
Skocic or not, it's an improbable position Iran finds its self in, and nothing short of winning all remaining games will guarantee Iran's getting out of this group, which is very unlikely considering we have to face Iraq... A team even C.Q struggled against.

[perspolis#1]

This will probably be most talented Asian team in history not to make it to the world cup.
Skocic or not, it's an improbable position Iran finds its self in, and nothing short of winning all remaining games will guarantee Iran's getting out of this group, which is very unlikely considering we have to face Iraq... A team even C.Q struggled against.

It will be tough but we've survived more dire circumstances with less talented squads.
As long as we treat every game like a final we have a fair shot I think