Alen Stajcic promised backing for Central Coast Mariners overhaul

Mariners owner Mike Charlesworth has promised to throw the full support of the club behind Alen Stajcic.

Handed a three-year contract to coach Central Coast Mariners, Alen Stajcic has already turned his attention to rebuilding the squad. Picture: Liam Driver

Central Coast Mariners fans have heard it all before, but owner Mike Charlesworth has promised to throw the full support of the club behind Alen Stajcic following his appointment as full-time coach.

As foreshadowed a month ago by The Australian, it was ­announced yesterday that Stajcic has formally been handed the position with a three-year deal after serving as interim coach for the past six weeks.

Now comes a major rebuild of a club that has suffered through some extremely tough times over the past four or five years.

And with that Charlesworth says he and his board are working closely with the new coach to ensure he has the proper resources.

Charlesworth said: “Alen boasts years of success as a coach and, in his short period with us, he has made a very strong and positive impression with his attention to detail, hardworking ethics and his drive to be successful.

“The board is now working with him to ensure he and his staff have access to the resources needed to build a competitive squad for next season and beyond.”

However, Mariners fans could not be blamed for being sceptical about the promises made by Charlesworth, who has come under fire from the club faithful for his failure to properly invest financially into the club.

It is no secret the club does not spend the entire $3.063 million salary cap, and Charlesworth has presided over several cutbacks in other areas of the club.

However, Charlesworth is trying to move the club in the right direction, having brought in two board members in Anton Tagliaferro and Kamran Khan to help ease the pressure on him.

Stajcic is now in Europe on a scouting mission as he looks to bring in some quality visa players, which is an area where the club has fallen down badly in recent times.

While he will be on less money than he was being paid as coach of the Matildas, the job he lost in controversial circumstances in January, Stajcic said he is privileged to have been given his first chance at coaching a senior men’s team.

Stajcic said: “Now that I know that I am going to be here for the next three years we really need to set our mind on building this club back to where it used to be.

“We all know that it’s been a tough few years and nostalgically we look back to the glory days, but we need to reflect on the past few years and think about how we can rebuild.

“For us to become a successful club again we need the support of the whole community and we need to show mental toughness and resilience to once again become the proud symbol of the Central Coast.”

It has been a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Stajcic, who was at a low point in his life after losing the Matildas job just six months before the World Cup ­finals over unfounded allegations he oversaw a toxic environment in the Australian squad.

His axing came despite overwhelming support for him from many areas in the game, including from most of players within the Matildas squad.

Stajcic took the reins of the Mariners with six games left in the season, winning twice and impressing with his tactical ability and work ethic.