I KNEW TOM WOULD END UP RON TOP
MENTOR Ron Smith knew Tom Rogic had the potential to reach the top after watching the Aussie take his first steps in the game.
So he’s thrilled to see the playmaker make such massive strides at Celtic that boss Brendan Rodgers is tipping him to become one of the best in Europe.
Smith, a Londoner who moved Down Under in the 1970s when his hopes of making it big with Spurs were ended by a knee injury, knows all about Australia’s elite talents.
He was in charge of the country’s most important development programme at the Institute of Sport from 1986 to 1996.
Among those Smith brought through were former Rangers stars Craig Moore and Kevin Muscat as well as ex-Celtic and Leeds hitman Mark Viduka.
So when he says Rogic has the potential to be up there with the best, he is worth listening to.
The veteran coach said: “Tommy was always a standout. Even as a young boy he could glide past players.
“He always had something about him and although you never know how they will progress when they are that young, you knew he had so much ability.
“I had a friend who was coaching an Under-11s team and he asked me to take a few sessions and see what I thought.
“There were a few that had something about them but Tommy always looked like he could be special.
“He was tall and gangly – he was 6ft by the time he was 14 – but had not grown into his body and often seemed to get injured.
“He was born in mid-December so was always one of the youngest kids in his age group and in junior football that does make a difference. But he was able to overcome that.’’
Smith’s main role in the Rogic story came when he was asked by Nike to be the chief Australian scout for their talent-spotting series The Chance.
He said: “The Australian finals were down in Melbourne and they said to me that if I knew any kids from Canberra who I thought might be good enough to be considered I should include them.
“Of course I brought Tommy along. We were playing a trial game and I had Danny Hay (the ex-Leeds centre-half and New Zealand captain) playing and after about 10 minutes he came up to me with a big grin and said, ‘That’s the kid you’ve been telling me about isn’t it?’”
Rogic earned the chance to spend a year at the Nike Academy in England when he was voted among the top eight in the world from 100 candidates.
But Smith said: “He would get invited along for a trial with clubs but he had a problem with getting a work permit.
“He was at Reading but came back and developed his game with Central Coast Mariners in the A-League.’’
His displays for Mariners earned Rogic a move to Celtic in 2013 but it’s only in the last two seasons that the midfielder has shaken off a series of injuries.
And Rogic was left heartbroken when he failed to prove his fitness in time for the 2014 World Cup.
But Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou called Rogic up for the World Cup qualifiers last October.
Postecoglou said: “Tom has a really good temperament.
“Every time he’s played this year he’s made an impact – whether that’s with a goal, he’s got quite a few from infield, or assist, or just being extremely influential in the game.”