- Mehmet Durakovic
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Mehmet Durakovic Personal information Full name Mehmet Durakovic Date of birth October 13, 1965 Place of birth Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia Playing position Manager (former Defender) Club information Current club Melbourne Victory
(Manager)Youth career Budućnost Titograd Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1985–1988 Brunswick Juventus 61 (2) 1989 Footscray JUST 25 (1) 1989–1995 South Melbourne FC 138 (5) 1995–1998 Selangor FA 1998–1999 Sydney Olympic 21 (0) 1999–2000 Gippsland Falcons 25 (0) 2000–2004 South Melbourne FC 98 (1) National team‡ 1990–2002 Australia 64 (6) Teams managed 2003–? Port Melbourne Sharks 2005–? VIS 2008–2011 Melbourne Victory Youth 2011 Melbourne Victory (Caretaker) 2011– Melbourne Victory * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 August 2007.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 27 August 2007Mehmet Duraković (born 13 October 1965) is a retired Australian-Yugoslav soccer player and currently serving football manager. As of June 2011, he is the currently serving head manager of Melbourne Victory. Born in Titograd, Yugoslavia, nowadays Podgorica, Montenegro, he spent most of his playing career as a defender and played in Australia in the National Soccer League, with a brief stint in Malaysia with Selangor FA, as well as serving as an Australian international player for the Socceroos. On 21 June 2011, he was appointed as head coach of Hyundai A-League club Melbourne Victory.[1][2]
Contents
Club career
Brunswick Juventus
From 1985 to 1988, Mehmet Durakovic played as a defender for Brunswick Juventus, making 61 appearances and scoring 2 goals for the club. He was part of Juventus' 1985 NSL Championship winning team. A grand final winner with Brunswick in 1985, he also won a championship with South Melbourne in 1991.
Footscray JUST
In 1989, Durakovic spent a brief stint with Footscray JUST, making 25 appearances and scoring a goal.
South Melbourne FC
From 1989 to 1995, Durakovic played with South Melbourne FC, making 138 appearances and scoring 5 goals. A prominent defender, Durakovic was a legend for South Melbourne. He was part of South Melbourne's 1991 NSL Championship winning team. A grand final winner with Brunswick in 1985, he also won a championship with South Melbourne in 1991.
Selangor FA
From 1995 to 1998, Durakovic played for Selangor FA. A prominent defender, Durakovic was a legend for the Malaysian outfit Selangor FA, where he played alongside compatriots Joe Biskic and Dave Mitchell.
Sydney Olympic
In 1998, Durakovic returned to the National Soccer League of Australia, signing with Sydney Olympic. He played for the club from 1998 to 1999, making 21 appearances, but failing to score a goal.
Gippsland Power
In 1999, Durakovic returned to Victoria, signing with the Gippsland Power. He played from 1999 to 2000, making 25 appearances but failing to score a goal.
Return to South Melbourne
In 2000, Durakovic returned to South Melbourne FC, the team he had previously won a championship with in 1991. He ended up playing out his career with the club. He played with the club from 2000 to 2004, making 98 appearances and scoring a goal. He is South Melbourne's oldest player to date, taking the field when he was 36 years and 146 days old against Adelaide City Force in March 2002.[3]
International career
Durakovic had a lengthy and distinguished career with the Australia national football team from 1990–2002, playing in several FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. He is well remembered for scoring against Canada to level the tie on aggregate in a 1994 World Cup qualifier, setting up a tie against Diego Maradona's Argentina. In his 12 year career with the Socceroos, he made 64 appearances and scored 6 goals.
Managerial Career
Port Melbourne Sharks
Mehmet Durakovic's managerial career began when he was appointed the new manager of the Port Melbourne Sharks Association Football Club in 2003.
Victorian Institute of Sport
After he left the job of Port Melbourne Sharks Manager, Mehmet Durakovic became the manager of the Vicotrian Institute of Sport's football team.
Melbourne Victory Youth
In 2008, Mehmet Durakovic was appointed the inaugural manager of the Melbourne Victory Youth Team. He stayed in the role until 2011, when he was appointed the caretaker manager of the Melbourne Victory senior team, after Melbourne Victory sacked manager Ernie Merrick after a horrific 5-1 loss to Gamba Osaka in the Asian Champions League.[4][5]
Melbourne Victory
On March 12 2011, Mehmet Durakovic was appointed the caretaker manager of Melbourne Victory, temporarily replacing the sacked Ernie Merrick while the club attempts to find a new manager.[6][7] He had an impressive tenure as Melbourne Victory Manager, achieving one Asian Champions League win and drawing every other Asian Champions league match he managed. This impressive run of results prompted Melbourne Victory to sign Durakovic as full-time manager. He was signed by Melbourne Victory as their new manager on 21 June 2011, with Francis Awaritefe signed as the club's football manager on the same day.[8][9] As Melbourne Victory's manager, he signed Isaka Cernak[10], Tando Velaphi[11], Marco Rojas[12], James Jeggo, Jean Carlos Solórzano[13], Harry Kewell[14], Fabio[15], Lawrence Thomas[15] and Ante Čović. These signings prompted many to belive that Melbourne Victory were going to be serious contenders for the A-League Championship and the A-League Premiership, and possibly the new champions or premiers.
However, during the season, Durakovic and his players came under heavy pressure, as they failed to score a goal in their first three games and they lost a game to fellow underperformers Adelaide United. A 2-1 win in Round 5 against Wellington Phoenix and a heroic 2-all draw against reigning champions and premiers Brisbane Roar in the next round appeared to relieved the pressure, only for it to be repiled after a lackluster nil-all draw against the Central Coast Mariners.
Melbourne Victory FC – current squad Australia squad – 2002 OFC Nations Cup Runners-up Costanzo • Juric • Milicic • Mori • Anastasiadis • De Amicis • North • Petkovic • Porter • Durakovic • Blagojevic • Kisnorbo • Trimboli • Middleby • Chipperfield • Despotovski • Horvat • Pondeljak • Coach: Farina
References
- ^ http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1061605/Durakovic-gets-Victory-role Durakovic gets Victory job
- ^ Courier Mail http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/mehmet-durakovic-to-be-named-melbourne-victorys-new-coach/story-e6frep5o-1226078808073
- ^ South Melbourne FC Club Honours
- ^ Foxsports Australia http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/a-league-giants-melbourne-victory-sack-coach-ernie-merrick-after-asian-champions-league-disaster/story-e6frf4gl-1226020259849
- ^ Sportal http://www.sportal.com.au/football-news-display/victory,-merrick-part-114976
- ^ Foxsports Australia http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/a-league-giants-melbourne-victory-sack-coach-ernie-merrick-after-asian-champions-league-disaster/story-e6frf4gl-1226020259849
- ^ Sportal http://www.sportal.com.au/football-news-display/victory,-merrick-part-114976
- ^ http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1061605/Durakovic-gets-Victory-role Durakovic gets Victory job
- ^ Courier Mail http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/mehmet-durakovic-to-be-named-melbourne-victorys-new-coach/story-e6frep5o-1226078808073
- ^ "Victory Swoop For Cernak". FourFourTwo Australia. Haymarket Group. 20 October 2010. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/186352,victory-swoop-for-cernak.aspx.
- ^ "Velaphi Move To Victory Sealed". FourFourTwo Australia. Haymarket Group. 8 February 2011. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/News/195720,velaphi-move-to-victory-sealed.aspx.
- ^ "Victory secure Rojas signing". A-League Official Website. 11 March 2011. http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=39311.
- ^ "Victory snare Roar's Solorzano". A-League Official Website. 28 March 2011. http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=39421.
- ^ Smithies, Tom (20 August 2011). "Harry Kewell signs three-year deal with Melbourne Victory". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney: Nationwide News Pty Limited). http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/harry-kewell-signs-three-year-deal-with-melbourne-victory/story-e6frexni-1226118523187.
- ^ a b "2011/12 Playing Squad Nearing Completion". Melbourne Victory. 15 September 2011. http://www.melbournevictory.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=40973.
External links
- Mehmet Durakovic at National-Football-Teams.com
- OzFootball profile
Categories:- 1965 births
- Living people
- People from Podgorica
- Australian soccer players
- Australian expatriate soccer players
- Australia international soccer players
- National Soccer League (Australia) players
- Brunswick Juventus players
- Footscray JUST players
- South Melbourne FC players
- Sydney Olympic players
- Expatriate footballers in Malaysia
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