Ange the man for Socceroos and a legacy awaits, writes Gerard Whateley Ange Postecoglou is a front-runner for the Socceroos job. IN the coming days Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy will call a good man to the service of his ­nation. It will require sacrifice, to leave a home that is not yet ­fully built or fortified and abandon ambitions unrealised. But it is the offer that can't be refused or compromised. The next man's footballing ­legacy lives in his coaching tenure of the Socceroos. Every moment of Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou's devotion to his sport has led him to this cusp. The same would be true for West Sydney Wanderers" Tony Popovic. Central Coast Mariners" Graham Arnold has been there, but at a different time, in a different era. These are delicate contemplations for FFA beyond identifying the preferred candidate. The international branch of its business is haemorrhaging as the home front roars with unprecedented momentum. The notion a coach could hold both national and club positions underestimates the urgency and scope of the job with the Socceroos and the necessity for singularity of ­focus and purpose in the best coaches. In its actions FFA risks leaving its newest and most vibrant club - the Wanderers - without its foundation coach in just its second year; taking the ­marquee man out of Melbourne; or pinching the championship-winning coach just as the Mariners finally prevailed. When last it prioritised country over club, the A-League was left to flounder with all attention and resources directed toward the ultimate folly of a World Cup bid. Equilibrium was some time coming and not without substantial casualties. Postecoglou was a pivotal force in re-energising the competition when he produced a Brisbane Roar team to play the best local football most could recall. That two-year orange empire did not sustain beyond his presence. You could make a compelling case that the central figure in this incarnation of Victory is the coach. It's a key trait when the priority of system is implemented above the boasts of talent. Just as Ross Lyon is to ­Fremantle, Postecoglou is to Victory. Apart from his well-proven coaching capabilities, Postecoglou is an eclectic figure admired and respected ­beyond the parochialism between the football codes. It is a unique standing that gives him the potential to be a uniting figure through a potentially tumultuous time, further opening the sport to the affections of the nation. It would be a tough cop for Victory to lose him before the first month of the season has expired. But, while FFA would rightly offer compensation, it should take Postecoglou without hesitation or apology. Gerard Whateley can be heard on ABC Grandstand.