A-League: Stajcic accepts Mariners challenge

Alen Stajcic’s appointment as interim coach of A-League club Central Coast could not have been scripted any better.

Alen Stajcic has accepted the poisoned chalice of coaching the Mariners

Whether by coincidence or design, Alen Stajcic’s appointment as interim coach of A-League club Central Coast could not have been scripted any better.

Just hours after the official launch in Paris of the Matildas’ strip for the World Cup finals in June, the man who helped them get there was thousands of kilometres away signing on to a job many have described as a poisoned chalice.

As revealed exclusively on The Australian’s website yesterday morning, Stajcic will take the reins of the hapless Mariners for the last six games of the season, starting with the M1 Derby against the Newcastle Jets in Newcastle on Saturday.

After 20 years in the women’s game, where he achieved so much, and a little over two months after Football Federation Australia inexplicably terminated his contract, this will be his first attempt at coaching a senior men’s side.

He could not have been thrown into a tougher, more volatile environment, with the club down and out after a horrible season that has seen them win just once in 21 games, get the wooden spoon for a third time in four seasons and culminated in an embarrassing 8-2 loss to Wellington Phoenix that ultimately cost Mike Mulvey his job.

The Mariners moved quickly to install Stajcic following Saturday night’s debacle, with revelations the two parties spoke as early as Sunday.

It is a remarkable turnaround for Stajcic, who was left devastated after losing the Matildas job a little less than six months out from the World Cup finals in France.

The contrast in mood when the 45-year-old faced the media several weeks after his sacking to his appearance at yesterday’s announcement in the Mariners’ offices in Tuggerah could not have been more eye-opening.

Beaming with pride, Stajcic spoke passionately, eloquently and with plenty of hope while declaring he has nothing to prove in light of the situation with the Matildas.

“This is a great honour to be involved with a club with so much tradition, history and success in the A-League. It’s an opportunity and a real challenge for me,” Stajcic said. “I’m not sure what to expect because anything can happen in football.

“But I watched the boys train and there was a real buzz around, a real lift and an aura. You could almost sense the desire and determination to finish off the season on a positive note.

“Is there hope? There’s always hope. This is a proud club and there is good quality in the squad. You don’t lead in nine or 10 games without there being something decent there.

“The best part is knowing there is enough quality here and that it is not a team that doesn’t have enough ability to be able to compete with the best teams in this league.”

Stajcic is adamant that proving a point is not part of his make-up and not the reason he has taken on the job.

“That is not my motivation and for me to drag any of my past into this scenario would be wrong,” he said. “There’s a group and club that needs to focus on what needs to be delivered moving forward.

“There’s a big challenge to try and pick this club up and give the fans and the players hope and set a really good foundation.

“For me to drag my baggage into this environment would not be productive. I have got to clear my mind, and I have done that. Everything is in the past and it is time we all moved forward.”

Whether Stajcic, who will have his former Matildas assistant Nahuel Arrarte by his side at the Mariners, will be considered for the gig full-time remains to be seen and will likely depend on what he can do in the next six games.

If he can manage to squeeze some good results then he could put himself in pole position. But, it is likely the Mariners will go out in the market place at the end of the season to see what is available. They are certain to be inundated with resumes.

Stajcic is not going to get caught up with the “what ifs”.

“It is not something that I’ve thought about,” he said. “It’s a difficult time and it is more important to focus on the now … to provide a good foundation for the team and for the club moving forward. It is going to be hard enough for the rest of the season, let alone worrying about what is going to happen in three, four or six months’ time.”