New Central Coast coach Alen Stajcic heads to Europe in bid to arrest Mariners five-year A-League slide

Free of the caretaker role, Alen Stajcic has wasted no time getting his feet under the desk at the Mariners, already off on a European scouting trip to reverse the A-League strugglers’ ailing fortunes.

Alen Stajcic is not wasting any time after his fulltime appointment.

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Alen Stajcic has wasted no time getting his feet under the desk at Central Coast, already off on a European scouting trip to reverse the A-League strugglers’ ailing fortunes.

As revealed by News Corp Australia a fortnight ago, Stajcic has signed up for three years to coach the Mariners following six games as caretaker, which included two wins.

It makes the former Matildas boss the fifth full-time coach since Graham Arnold’s exit in 2013 closed the door on the Gosford club’s most successful era.

Having already agreed to a deal and with a number of players already confirmed to be departing, Stajcic flew abroad after last weekend’s final regular-season round to scour the continent for foreign talent he hopes can help arrest the club’s slide.

Alen Stajcic is not wasting any time after his fulltime appointment.

“For us to become a successful club again, we need the support of the whole community and we need to show mental toughness and resilience to once again become the proud symbol of the Central Coast,” Stajcic said.

“We all know that it’s been a tough few years and nostalgically we look back to the glory days, but we need to reflect on the past few years and think about how we can rebuild.”

Stajcic’s predecessor Mike Mulvey famously declared the club’s “age of mediocrity was over” when he signed in the lead-up to last season and signed a mass of new players.

But the Brisbane Roar title-winning coach, despite having access to increased resources, was sacked in March after an 8-2 loss to Wellington Phoenix and with one win all season.

The club soon later picked up a third wooden spoon in four seasons.

It’s unclear whether Stajcic will be afforded more financial support, though Mike Charlesworth promised the 45-year-old he’ll dip into his pockets for the right players.

“The board is now working very closely with Alen to ensure that he and his staff have access to the resources needed to build a competitive squad for next season and beyond,” Charlesworth said.

“Next season’s squad recruitment is already in full swing. Alen is currently in Europe scouting potential players for next year’s visa spots.”