A-League: Carl Veart can guarantee himself the Adelaide United coaching gig with a win over Sydney FC
If Adelaide United can continue their good form with a win over Sydney FC, Carl Veart will be appointed permanent Adelaide United coach.
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Carl Veart is an upset win away from securing the Adelaide United coaching job.
If the Reds can continue their good form by beating Premier’s Plate winners Sydney FC on Thursday night, interim coach Veart is considered a certainty to be appointed on a permanent basis.
United football director Bruce Djite told News Corp Australia last month that the frenzied July-August end-of-season period was a “dress rehearsal” for Veart, who took over for the rest of the campaign after Dutchman Gertjan Verbeek parted ways with the club during the A-League’s enforced break.
A United spokesman on Wednesday went further, saying the permanent job was Veart’s “to lose”.
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However, even if Veart guarantees himself the gig with an Adelaide win over the Sky Blues at ANZ Stadium, the Reds won’t make an immediate announcement, but instead wait until the completion of their campaign.
The Reds are unbeaten in three games under Veart since the competition resumed, grabbing seven from a possible nine points to remain alive in the race for a top-six spot that brings with it finals football.
But the former Socceroos striker continues to play down talk that he will be Verbeek’s permanent successor.
“I’m here just to concentrate on getting us to the finals and doing well” Veart said.
“Then after we’ve finished in the hub that’s when it's time to talk about what’s going to happen going ahead.”
Sydney will be Veart’s toughest test despite their dip in form since the A-League’s return.
The Sydneysiders have lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season and will be desperate to avoid a hat-trick of defeats.
“We’re really looking forward to challenging ourselves against Sydney,” Veart said.
“They’re top of the table, they’re eight points clear ... I know they’re going through a little bit of a slump at the moment but you don’t get eight points clear unless you’re a very good side.
“They’ve got some fantastic players that it we give them too much space and time they will cause us trouble, so it’s important that we stay disciplined and keep playing the brand of football that we’ve played for the last three games.”
Veart has recalled young gun Al Hassan Toure to the Adelaide squad after he not only recovered from a hamstring injury but also met fitness expectations the Reds had set him.
“We set a goal for him as well that he to drop a little bit of weight, and he has done that,” Veart said.
“He’s trained exceptionally hard in these last two weeks so he comes back into the squad.
“We knew Al Hassan made a small mistake and we’ve given him the opportunity to redeem himself, and he has.
“He deserves that chance to come straight back into the squad.”
Originally published as A-League: Carl Veart can guarantee himself the Adelaide United coaching gig with a win over Sydney FC