Dragan Skočić

Dragan Skočić

Skočić in January 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1968-09-03) 3 September 1968
Place of birth Rijeka, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Foolad (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1987–1991 Rijeka
1991–1993 Las Palmas 44 (6)
1993–1996 Compostela 11 (0)
1996 Rijeka
2001–2004 Novalja
Al-Ittihad Kalba
Teams managed
2005–2006 Rijeka
2007–2008 Interblock Ljubljana
2009–2010 Al-Arabi
2011 Al Nassr
2012 Rijeka
2013–2014 Malavan
2014– Foolad

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Dragan Skočić (born 3 September 1968) is a Croatian football manager and former professional player who currently manages Foolad F.C. in the Persian Gulf League. He formerly managed Rijeka, Interblock Ljubljana, Al-Arabi, Al-Nassr and Malavan.

Prior to his coaching career, Skočić started his playing career with his local club NK Rijeka, and became this first Croatian footballer to go abroad when he signed for UD Las Palmas in Spain.[1]

Playing career

Skočić, a midfielder, played professional club football in Croatia for Rijeka and NK Novalja,[2] in Spain for Las Palmas and Compostela,[3] and in the UAE for Al-Ittihad Kalba.[4] He was the first player from the Croatian football league who went abroad to play professionally.[5]

Coaching career

Early career

After his playing career, Skočić went on to complete the Football Academy at the Croatian Football Academy and the Coach Education and Training Department at the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, receiving a UEFA-PRO Coach diploma and a Professional Bachelor of the Coaching Profession.[6]

Rijeka

He became manager of his home club, Rijeka in 2005. Skočić secured two trophies for Rijeka, both times by winning the Croatian Cup for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons.[7]

Interblock Ljubljana

Skočić with Interblock

In 2007, he became the head coach of the Slovenian club Interblock Ljubljana. While the club was in a difficult situation on the league scale. Only two years after the club was founded and under the management of Skočić, the club achieved outstanding results in the Slovenian PrvaLiga. Not only did they manage to stay in the first league, but they also won two trophies in the 2007–08 season, the Slovenian Cup[8] and a Super Cup.[9]

Al Arabi

Skočić took a year long sabbatical from coaching following his time at Interblock Ljubljana,[10] and in the 2009–10 season, he took over the management of the Al Arabi club in Kuwait. Under his leadership as head coach, Al Arabi played in two finals, the Crown Prince Cup and the Federation Cup. Also under Skočić, Al Arabi played in the AFC Cup quarterfinals.[11]

Al Nassr

Following Kuwait, in the 2010–11 season, Skočić was engaged by the Al Nassr football club from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of the most prominent football clubs in the Arab world. Under Skočić, Al Nassr qualified for the third round of the AFC Champions League, after having played a successful season of competitions within the group. Skočić was sacked after a disappointing 4-1 loss to 2010 AFC Champions League finalists Zob Ahan, and was replaced by Portuguese boss Eurico Gomes[12][13]

Return to Rijeka

In March 2012, Skočić returned to take over the management of his home club Rijeka by replacing Ivo Ištuk as head coach, and became the third coach to take charge of the club in the In the 2010–11 Prva HNL season.[14] Skočić inherited a defensively frail side that was 2 points off the relegation zone and was tasked with saving the team from relegation.[15] Upon a 2-0 defeat to HNK Cibalia, the club fell to 12th place in the league.[16] After just 43 days in charge,[17] Skočić was relieved of his position, following a series of poor results, and was replaced by his assistant, Mladen Ivančić.[18][19][20]

Malavan

On 26 May 2013, Skočić was announced as the head coach of Malavan for the upcoming season. He signed a two years contract with the club.[21] He led the club to the seventh place, their best league finish since 2005.[22]

Foolad

On 23 May 2014, Skočić was named as new head coach of Iran Pro League title-holders Foolad[23] on a one-year contract, replacing Hossein Faraki who resigned on the following day.[24] In May 2015, Skočić received the award for coach of the month and signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the club util July 2017.[25] In November 2015 after poor scores with Foolad, Skočić was linked with the vacant head coach position at Sepahan F.C. but the job went to his compatriot Igor Štimac.[26] After unsuccessful transfer saga to Sepahan, he remained as Foolad's head coach according to his contract.[27][28]

Honours

Skočić winning the Croatian Cup with Rijeka

Managerial honours

NK Rijeka[29]
Interblock Ljubljana[29]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dragan Skočić.
  1. ↑ "Dragan Skocic". globalsportagency.com.
  2. ↑ "Footballdatabase.eu profile". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  3. ↑ "Skocic, Dragan Skocic - Footballer". bdfutbol.com.
  4. ↑ Alaric Gomes. "Al Arabi coach is a relieved man after 2-0 win". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  5. ↑ "Cijeli HNL izvan Hrvatske: od 1992. otišlo je preko dvije tisuće igrača! - Sportske novosti". Sportske.jutarnji.hr. 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/20140929232355/http://dragan-skocic.com:80/trofeji-diplome. Archived from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ "Rijeka na korak do obrane Rabuzinovog sunca, a Vugrinec do reprezentacije". index.hr. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  8. ↑ Tina Pertoci. "Skočić: Osvojeni pokal smo si nadvse zaslužili". Planet Siol.net. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  9. ↑ "Skočić, Zahora, Jukan i Rendulić nakon penala sretniji od Domžala!". jutarnji.hr. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  10. ↑ https://www.dnevnik.si/1042282945
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "FIFA Club World Cup archive". FIFA.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  13. ↑ "Al Nassr sack coach Dragan Skocic after AFC Champions League defeat". Goal.com.
  14. ↑ Tomislav Ćuto. "Nikad nisam bio kukavica, uvjeren sam u bolje dane". sportcom.hr.
  15. ↑ "Dragan Skočić smijenjen – Moja Rijeka". Moja Rijeka.
  16. ↑ "Nova smjena trenera u Rijeci: I Dragan Skočić dobio je otkaz". www.24sata.hr.
  17. ↑ http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/dragan-skocic-smijenjen--kantrida-ce-ove-sezone-dobiti-cetvrtog-trenera--najkasnije-do-srijede/1025135/
  18. ↑ sp. "Skočić novi trener Rijeke!". rijekadanas.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  19. ↑ "HNK Rijeka - Smijenjen Dragan Skočić". nk-rijeka.hr.
  20. ↑ "Skočić više nije trener Rijeke, momčad će voditi Ivančić". Večernji.hr.
  21. ↑ "Latest Football News, Transfer Rumours & More". Goal.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  22. ↑ "Iranski izbornik ima 4 mil. € plaću, a momčadi su pečat dali i Hrvati". Večernji.hr.
  23. ↑ "Iran Sports Press - Dragan Skocic Replaces Foolad’s Faraki". Iran Sports Press.
  24. ↑
  25. ↑ "Tinta Amarilla - El ex amarillo Dragan Skocic dirigirá dos años más al Foolad iraní". tintaamarilla.es.
  26. ↑ "Dragan Skocic parts company with Foolad". tehran times. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  27. ↑ "خبرورزشی: اسکوچیچ بیخ ریش فولاد!". Khuzestan Sport. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  28. ↑ "اسکوچیچ در فولاد ماند / سپاهان کماکان بدون سرمربی". ISNA news agency. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  29. 1 2 "Noticias EL DIARIO - Primera página". eldiario.net.
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