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Just over two weeks ago Central Coast Mariners looked to be in the doldrums of despair. They had just sacked their coach Phil Moss the day before a game and on the day of club legend John Hutchison’s celebratory testimonial lunch.
The Mariners under their new executive structure decided to put technical director Tony Walmsley in charge until the end of the season and appoint a new full-time coach at the end of the season.
This puts Walmsley, the man who alongside new appointed executive vice chairman Peter Storie will choose the new head coach, in a ideal position to see first hand where deficiencies are and where the strengths lie.
However the Mariners as of Round 22, sit in eighth position on 20 points – much lower than what the club have been used to.
The glory days of the Graeme Arnold/ Lawrie McKinna era are over and the club must find a way to rebuild. Rebuild the squad, rebuild their form and rebuild the clubs relationship with it fans.
Rebuilding the squad has somewhat already begun, with the club now looking ahead to next season, young players are starting to be blooded.
Let’s not forget Central Coast are the club who has made a living on developing players and selling them on to bigger things in Asia or Europe.
Players such as current Socceroos, Mile Jedinak, Trent Sainsbury, Alex Wilkinson and Matt Ryan have all played for Central Coast. All these players were sold on to Asian or European teams for a profit.
Central Coast have to come back to this policy if they are ever to break out of financial trouble, they can bring young players through for very little cost, reap the benefits of them as players and gain financially once there sold.
Youngsters such as Antony Kalik, Liam Rose and Jacob Poscoliero to name a few all have the potential to fulfil this policy and make a big impact on the team given the chance.
To rebuild form is something which is slightly harder to do currently, as the new coach has not yet been appointed and they would have their own ideas when it comes to the teams structure, formation and personnel.
However if Tony Walmsley as technical director is able to implement a club-wide ethos of how to play and how to recruit with the new head coach, then this could bring about results.
Brisbane who sacked A-League-winning coach Mike Mulvey after six games this season, did so because they wanted to keep playing in the Brisbane way. Central Coast too need to find their way of playing, this would be a key way to make sure their youth policy stays productive and their form can be judged to certain level.
If a squad has a blueprint of how to play football then this can allow a team to plan, develop youth, bring in the staff who fit this ethos and bring stability to a club. Central Coast need to find their blueprint as a small club cannot afford to change their ethos every time they sack a coach.
Rebuilding the relationship with the fans is something that a small boutique club like Central Coast have to do. Unlike the bigger city clubs which can rely on a good turn out each match, Central Coast must strive to engage the local population of Gosford.
Earlier in the season Central Coast played Melbourne Victory at North Sydney Oval, in a game which was designed to attract more people from the northern suburbs of Sydney. However this game ended in a loss for the supposed home side and the football on offer was hampered by the surface.
These games in North Sydney are ones that the Central Coast ownership are hoping can attract more fans, but playing games 71 kilometres away from your traditional fan-base and home stadium just doesn’t make sense. Even more so when the crowd at North Sydney Oval was no better than their normal average.
The Mariners are Gosford, they are not a third Sydney club. They are the team who have the smallest population to draw from, but this should not be seen as a negative.
A smaller population gives Central Coast the chance to engage with their fans and the local population on a more personal level which is something the big city clubs cannot.
Central Coast are the team who have been to four grand finals and they are the team who has produced many Socceroos. They are the success story of the first nine seasons of the A-League, it is important that they don’t lose sight of that and stick to the principles which has made them who they are.
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