A-League: Newcastle Jets aiming to do a Leicester City in title race

A month out from the start of the A-League, it was fair to say the Newcastle Jets were a club in turmoil.

Steven Ugarkovic of the Jets, left, celebrates scoring against Brisbane Roar at McDonald Jones Stadium.

No coach, no assistant, a bunch of angry players, their key visa signing struggling with injury, fans threatening to boycott the club. A month out from the start of the A-League, it was fair to say the Newcastle Jets were in turmoil.

Having not made the finals since 2010 and given little hope of making the six again this season even without their pre-season dramas, the alarm bells were ringing for the Jets and a proud Newcastle footballing community was rapidly losing heart.

The controversial sacking of coach Scott Miller last month after just 12 months in the job had stirred up a tidal wave of emotion and resentment. Furious fans, who had seen Miller restore some pride in the Newcastle jumper the year before, could not believe the club could make such a decision so close to the start of the new campaign.

A large group of players were bitter about the decision and railed against assistant Luc Trani, who followed Miller out the door a few days later, as the Jets sought to limit the damage by looking for a fresh start.

Jets chief executive Lawrie McKinna, who had helped bring a new owner to the club and was less than four months into the top job, wondered what he had let himself in for as he “put on my fireman’s hat” to attend the numerous spot fires that flared on and off the field.

The phones blazed with angry fans ringing to say they would not be renewing their memberships. The Jets, it seemed, were heading for disaster — one some suggested would probably go close to destroying the club.

But Newcastle soccer is a ­resilient beast built on tradition, pride, passion and character.

Strong belief and community spirit are the hallmarks of a Hunter region that has produced many sporting greats such as Les Darcy (boxing), Clive Chur­chill and ­Andrew Johns (rugby league), Alan Davidson and Belinda Clark (cricket), Mark Richards (surfing) and soccer’s Reg Date, Ray Baartz, Craig Johnston and Cheryl Salisbury.

Even so, given the circumstances of the pre-season, you would have been a candidate for being certified insane had you suggested the Jets would be ­unbeaten after the first three rounds of the season and sitting second behind Sydney FC, their opponents at McDonald Jones Stadium today.

It is even more remarkable when you consider their fixtures in the opening weeks — an ­unlucky 1-1 draw with defending champions Adelaide United, a 4-0 whitewash of Brisbane Roar, who were one game out of the grand final last season, and a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with ­championship runners-up, Wes­tern Sydney.

For McKinna it has been one hell of a ride. Coming from the Central Coast, the bitter enemy of Newcastle, the former Mariners coach and mayor of Gosford had a lot of convincing to do when he linked with the club. The pre-­season controversy made life even more difficult.

“It was tough, real tough,” McKinna told The Weekend Australian. “But I had to take it on the chin. It (Miller’s sacking) wasn’t planned but we had to deal with it.

“We got hammered from everywhere. I had fans wanting to cancel their memberships and, in between, I had to find a new coach and an assistant. Everyone was unhappy. I brought in Mark Jones (as coach) and Clayton Zane (as assistant) and there was still ­plenty of angst. If I had appointed Alex Ferguson there would have been some still unhappy!”

As he showed during his days with the Mariners and in politics, McKinna is someone who speaks his mind. He is a man who is ­always upfront, who likes to get out among the punters, listens to them and takes the messages on board. It is why he worked the phones, ringing every person who had said they would cancel their memberships.

“In the end, we lost just one member,” he revealed. “You do what you have to do. You deal with things the best way you can. If you are open, honest and transparent then I think that ­really helps. I think the fans ­appreciate that.

“Have I been accepted? Yes, I think I have. The people here are magnificent. They are different class, just like the people of the Central Coast.”

McKinna, however, gets ­uncomfortable with the recognition. For him, the credit goes to Jones and Zane, two men who would bleed for Newcastle.

“I know it is just three rounds in but what they have done so far has been fantastic,” he said. “Clayton took the reins for a few weeks when Miller left and he kept things together.

“When Mark came in, to his credit, he kept the base Miller set but worked on things defence-wise. They have gone about their business with a minimum of fuss. They have not made big promises, just gone about their work in a professional manner.”

So can Newcastle Jets be the A-League’s version of Leicester City, the club that rocked the soccer world when they won the English Premier League last season, overcoming Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United?

“Why not?” McKinna fires back. “Leicester did it. The Central Coast Mariners did it (in the A-League in 2013). And in saying that I am not putting pressure on our boys. But Leicester showed anything is possible in sport.

“Look, we are only three rounds into the season and people will laugh. But we have done great with such a difficult start to the season on and off the field. Maybe our depth will be tested later in the season but the Jets have shown over the past six weeks that we are not a club that lies down.

“You can throw everything at us, but we will keep fighting.”