Such is the pressure on coaches in Middle East football that sometimes success can merely be viewed as a prelude to failure.

Branko Ivankovic did what his adopted country demanded by taking Iran to Germany. But such is the expectation of a football-crazy population, that is no longer enough.

One minute he is feted for his achievements - no mean feat in a region as increasingly competitive as Asia - yet the next he is fearful of the axe.

Quite how the situation can arise seems risible at worst and disruptive at best.

Iran made light work of their first round of matches, scoring freely in the process, but found the going harder in the second group phase.

Pitted against Japan, Bahrain and North Korea, Iran got the results but did not provide the performances their ever-critical fans craved.

The Iranians notched only seven goals in an admittedly low-scoring group and had to settle for second spot behind Japan, whom they beat 2-1 in Tehran.

Cue pandemonium on the streets of the capital as the nation's most popular sport hit new heights, and the countdown to 2006 began in earnest.

For Ivankovic, whose side had performed with verve at the 2004 Asian Cup, qualification then became the problem.

If he failed to get Iran to their second successive World Cup finals he would have been out of a job immediately.

But in getting to Germany, he has made a rod for his own back by handing the population a belief which has subsequently been shaken by some disappointing post-qualification friendly results.

The Croatian had taken over from countryman Miroslav Blazevic in January 2002, having been his assistant for a year.

Ivankovic's number two role was one he reprised from the 1998 World Cup - in which Croatia finished a brilliant, unprecedented third.

After Iran failed to secure a place at Japan and South Korea in 2002, Ivankovic decided to turn to youth for his long-term planning.

Four years down the line, he is reaping the rewards of continuity - according to Ali Azim-Araghi, director of news at Iran Sports Press.

"Ivankovic has more or less used the same core of players since he took over," he said.

"He put together a young squad when he was elected as coach, most of them being Under-23 players who played in the 2002 Busan Asian Cup.

"This has meant that a good understanding has developed between the players, and they are familiar with their roles in the national team."

Ivankovic, who holds a PhD in physical education, staked his reputation on a crop of players he had got to know and understand while coach of Hannover in 1999/2000.

The trail was blazed by Karim Bagheri and Ali Daei. But the first truly successful Iranian footballer abroad was Medhi Mahdavikia, who had turned a promising World Cup at France 98, into a career in Europe with Bochum - and later Hamburg.

Today, there are a number of Ivankovic's Iranian side in the Bundesliga - the most high-profile of which is Ali Karimi, the increasingly influential Bayern Munich midfielder.

But as Azim-Araghi argues, it is his loyalty to the same group - including the visibly ageing striker Ali Daei - which undermined confidence in his tenure when results dipped.

"Many of the current players are out of form. Despite this, Ivankovic has been using the same starting XI for months now - so although the players are out of form, they still get to be in the Iranian squad. This has affected the team as a whole.

"Another reason is that Ivankovic has stuck to the same team formation. The opposition is now quite familiar with this system and can easily find a way to neutralise the key players in the Iranian team, such as Karimi and Mahdavikia."

Criticism built on the former NK Varteks boss after a string of defeats since qualification was assured in June 2005.

Fielding his first-choice team, Ivankovic saw his hosts lose 2-1 to a weakened FYR Macedonia side in a four-team tournament in November.

A 2-0 defeat of fellow World Cup finalists Togo, and then a bronze medal at the West Asia games in December with a youthful squad, ensured the knives were not sharpened further.

Still, Azim-Araghi underlines why Ivankovic's quip that his bags are always packed should he be fired has more than a ring of truth about it.

He said: "There has been a lot of pressure on him from fans and the media.

"Some are also saying that an Iranian coach should be in charge of the Iranian national team at the World Cup."

Ivankovic knows he will be out of the door at some point - but a draw pitting his side with Portugal, Angola and Mexico is not one to be feared.

The second round is not beyond a side ranked 19th in the world, and that would go a long way to meet arguably excessive expectations.