Under fire Brisbane Roar coach Ruben Zadkovich insists a plan is in place to restore the fallen A-League Men giants to prominence despite a 1-0 loss to Western United earning them the unwanted piece of league history.
Mired in a club-record losing run that stretches back to last season, the Roar were condemned to their seventh defeat of the 2024-25 campaign by Hiroshi Ibusuki’s 44th-minute penalty at Ironbark Fields on Sunday, keeping them anchored to the foot of the table.
Their two points are the equal fewest any side has taken from their opening nine games in ALM history, tied with the 2018-19 Central Coast outfit.
But Zadkovich - declaring that “it wasn’t about me” when queried on his future - believes the club is moving towards a turnaround.
"I feel like for us to get out of this space as a football club we have to have a longer-term vision,” he said.
“(Have) a clear plan on what we can build and what foundations we can create for us to get out of this and make it more sustainable as a business and a club.
“A hundred percent it (a plan) is there. That's a big part of my job. It's a big responsibility to be the person that creates that vision for the team and the club.
“It's very early doors in that process and it's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of resilience and a lot of perseverance for us to get to where we want to be as a football club.”
Frustratingly for the Roar, they created the better of the chances throughout Sunday’s contest, only for Ibusuki’s penalty to land an ultimately telling sucker punch.
Awarded when Antonee Burke-Gilroy collided with Angus Thurgate on the edge of the box, the penalty was “very soft” and “didn’t look like a penalty”, according to Zadkovich.
His counterpart John Aloisi was adamant it was “clear”.
His side now up to fifth and on a three-game winning run, the United coach was frank in admitting United hadn't reached the same level as their previous triumphs over Sydney FC and Auckland, but believed the scrappy win would benefit his young group.
“These games can throw a banana skin at you, especially for the younger players,” said Aloisi.
“I thought that we found a way to win today, and that's a step forward for us.”
