New Gold Coast United coach Kristian Rees starting with a clean slate at NPL club

HE’S been burnt by football on the Glitter Strip before but Kristian Rees insists he will start with a clean slate as Gold Coast United’s new men’s NPL coach.

HE’S been burnt by football on the Glitter Strip before but Kristian Rees insists he will start with a clean slate as Gold Coast United’s new men’s NPL coach.

A member of the Gold Coast United A-League squad that collapsed under Clive Palmer in 2012, Rees was yesterday unveiled as United’s replacement for Brisbane Strikers’ 2017 premiership-winning coach Sean Lane.

The 38-year-old has been based on the Coast since joining United’s inaugural A-League squad in 2009, spending three years at Palm Beach/Gold Coast City as a player before serving as an assistant coach.

Their demise led him to Gold Coast Knights, where he worked under coach Grae Piddick this season.

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New Gold Coast United men’s NPL coach Kristian Rees at Cbus Super Stadium. Picture: Richard Gosling

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Despite his run of bad luck, the Adelaide product said he would not be driven by the pain of previous failures as he fights to turn United into an NPL force.

“I would like this club to be a success because I think we need it on the Gold Coast for these boys to come through. The fact they’re Gold Coast United and I was part of it (previously) is just an added bonus,” Rees told the Bulletin from outside Cbus Super Stadium yesterday.

“Speaking to the board and the way they want to go about things is more aligned to my views on football so that’s what excites me. It’s not just about bringing players in on big money, it’s about actually developing these players and bringing them through our system to try and push on if that’s their aspiration.

Rees in action for United in the A-League in 2012.

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“We’ve got what I believe to be one of the best TDs (technical directors) in the country in Craig Midgley. I’ll really be putting a focus on bringing through these young players and as far as I’m concerned if they’re good enough and mentally prepared to step up I’ll be pushing them through (at senior level).”

While Lane’s departure was sparked by a failure to see eye-to-eye with Midgley, Rees said he would bring his own style to the club.

“As a coach I want to pass on that knowledge of the game to the players and adjusting to situations in a game, as opposed to just giving out instructions on how to play. It’s a bit of a balance there but it’s a challenge and something I’m really looking forward to,” the 117-game A-League veteran said.

Outgoing United coach Sean Lane.

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“Sean’s done a great job and unfortunately he’s not with the club anymore and that’s where I come in. This happens in football, coaches come in and coaches leave.

“(I) feel I’m ready to take control and coach a team.”