Sydney FC boss Graham Arnold set to bring key backroom staff with him in Socceroos switch
Sydney FC boss Graham Arnold is set to poach the Sky Blues’ key backroom staff to take with him when he takes over the Socceroos. PLUS, another whirlwind week for Sam Kerr.
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THE outline of Camp Socceroo after the World Cup is starting to take shape, with tentative agreement reached over the first members of Graham Arnold’s backroom staff once the Sydney FC boss succeeds Bert van Marwijk.
Sydney’s conditioning coach Andrew Clark will be the first addition if all goes to plan, with the strong possibility that Sky Blues video analyst Doug Kors could be making the switch to the national team set up as well.
Clark’s relationship with Arnold goes back years while Kors is a far more recent ally, but both illustrate Arnold’s desire to have people he can trust around him once he assume the Socceroos role and has to quickly prepare for the Asian Cup defence.
We hear the Sky Blues are now planning for life beyond Arnold, having realised their coach wants to have another crack at the national job.
OUCH: Suwon send Sky Blues crashing back to earth
THERE’S talk Jets duo Andrew Nabbout and Dimi Petratos could be in the mix for Bert Van Marwijk’s Socceroos squad next month — and with good reason. We understand Newcastle were asked to submit medical and training data specifically for Nabbout and Petratos.
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THREE arrivals at Sydney Airport next week will mark the latest stage in the interminable drama of who has what power in Australian football.
A trio of officials from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation will arrive on Tuesday to try to reboot the gridlocked Congress reforms that have so bitterly pitched FFA against the A-League clubs.
Two are familiar faces in Ravi Kumar from AFC and FIFA bureaucrat Nodar Akhalkatsi, both of whom came on the last such mission in September. But the third is FIFA’s head of Member Associations, Luca Nicola, a powerful figure very well connected in world football.
MELBOURNE City leftback Scott Jamieson might be due a note of thanks from Sydney FC, for his inadvertent role in smoothing over the aftermath of Sydney’s Asian Champions League choices.
We hear Jamieson, who loves a bit of banter, spent much of last week’s clash winding up Jordy Buijs about his omission from Sydney’s ACL squad — which is why Adrian Mierzejewski made a point of celebrating his goal in Jamieson’s face.
That support appears to have mollified Buijs, predictably upset by missing out on the ACL, and he was outstanding against City. It still seems unlikely he’ll take up Sydney’s offer of a new deal, though.
IT’S been yet another whirlwind week in the life of Sam Kerr. The Matildas star rubbed shoulders with football royalty at the Nike launch in London, before returning to Sydney to attend the local launch of the new Nike Mercurial 360 boot.
Kerr will stay in Sydney for Sunday’s W-League Grand Final, where she will be part of Fox Sports coverage alongside former Matilda Kate Gill. It’s not exactly where she had hoped to be on grand final day, with the striker admitting she’s disappointed not to be on the field.
“I hope no one wins”, Kerr joked, but admits the decider between Sydney FC and Melbourne City is too close to call. The whole Matildas squad, along with coach Alen Stajcic, will be at the game.
PREVIEW: Sydney and City chasing record
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FRENCH TV channel Canal + has sent out crews to Australia for an in depth look at the nations France will be competing against at the World Cup. As part of their 10-day trip they will spend time with the Western Sydney Wanderers and will attend Friday night’s match against the Newcastle Jets.