Central Coast Mariners coach calls out Melbourne City skipper’s retirement

A decision from Melbourne City FC skipper to announce his retirement in grand final week has not gone down well with the opposition.

Scott Jamieson after announcing he will retire after the A-League Grand Final (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Central Coast Mariners coach Nick Montgomery has fired the first shot in A-League grand final week declaring Melbourne City captain Scott Jamieson should have waited until after Saturday’s game to announce his retirement.

Jamieson made his announcement last weekend, which was devoid of any football after the A-League opted to have a two-week break before the decider which will be played in Sydney.

As the build-up to the clash began on Monday, Montgomery was forthright in declaring he was “not interested” in the storyline around the City skipper and that in his opinion it was poorly timed.

“No disrespect but I‘m not really interested in Scott Jamieson retiring,“ Montgomery said.

“For me, that‘s not something that we should be talking about leading in to a grand final.

“Maybe he should have waited until after (the grand final) and then said he‘s retiring but that’s not my choice.

“I don‘t think anything this week should take any headlines other than two good teams, Melbourne City and the Mariners, playing in the grand final.”

Nick Montgomery coach of the Mariners (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Jamieson, 34, has made 374 appearances in all competitions for five different A-League clubs, as well as stints in England and Sweden with Bolton and Goteborg respectively.

He was doing his own press conference on Monday and held court for nearly 20 minutes talking about his coaching ambitions ahead of City’s tilt at a second A-League title in three years.

Jamieson said a second title, having made four consecutive deciders, and winning the past three premiers plates, could make City the best A-League team ever.

“I hope so,” he said.

“But the narrative of us having a lot of money and being backed by the City group can sometimes cloud people’s vision of what we have actually done.”

Montgomery’s attack on Jamieson comes as he takes on underdog status for his team, painting Saturday night‘s decider as a battle between the haves and have-nots.

“I have got total respect for Melbourne City,” he said.

“They‘re a fantastic team. Very, very good high-profile players. Big club, big organisation.

Scott Jamieson of Melbourne City talks to the media on Monday. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

“It‘s great for Australian football, you have got the biggest team in the competition and the smallest team playing in the final.

“People wrote us off.

“We sold a lot of players at the start of the season ... it‘s easy for people to question whether we would be able to do what we did last season, that was finish in the top six and we got to a cup final.

“We haven‘t finished the season. We haven’t achieved anything yet because we set out to get to the grand final.

“And you don‘t go to a grand final just to compete in it. You go to win it.”

Montgomery conceded his young squad could be a “little bit nervous” but would had experienced high-pressure games in youth leagues and cup finals.

“It‘s not just another game but ... the whistle goes and it’s 11 v 11, it’s all about on the field and it’s going to be a neutral venue,” he said.

“Everybody involved in both dressing rooms will be a little bit nervous before the game but excited as well, and that‘s normal.

“What‘s important is when they step on the pitch, they’re ready and prepared.”

Originally published as Central Coast Mariners coach calls out Melbourne City skipper’s retirement