Former Socceroos captain Paul Okon’s appointment as co-coach of new A-League franchise Gold Coast United comes with the prospect of taking over the top job, possibly after one season.
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Gold Coast head coach Miron Bleiberg said today if United finished in the top four in either their first or second campaign, he would immediately step aside for the 36-year-old Okon and take up a role in operations.
“I’ll be happy to step aside after one year. But if it takes two years (to make the top four), then the door will be open for Paul,” Bleiberg said.
“We are planning ahead. Unlike Aussie Rules, we think different in football.
“So I’ll be the coach for the first season and set things up.
“(But) living in football you can’t plan for too long because tomorrow Paul could get an offer from another club to be head coach.”
Okon said he would be concentrating more on performing well this season than thinking about the possible head coaching role down the track.
“I’ve been around long enough in this game to know that things change from day to day,” Okon said.
“Coming up here I’m going to look at it the same as if I was coming up here to play: to work hard, to learn, hopefully have success and not look too far forward.
“I know I’ve got a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to learning alongside Miron.
“I’ve been out of the game for just over 12 months and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t starting to feel the itch to get out there and be amongst some football.
“But if Miron asked me to come up here and be a waterboy I would’ve jumped at the opportunity.”
Okon began his career with Marconi in the old National Soccer League before heading overseas to play as a defender at top European clubs Lazio, Fiorentina, Middlesbrough and Leeds United, as well as earning 37 caps for Australia.
Bleiberg said his primary reason for selecting Okon was because the two shared a similar preferred playing style.
“Unlike 99 per cent of the defenders that played in New Zealand and Australia, (Okon) was one of the few that was renowned for his good passing from the back, in what you call the transition game,” Bleiberg said.
“That’s the style of game I like to play and if you’re going to work together you need to think together.
“Like all of us, when we chose our wife, our girlfriend, you get a gut feeling and you think, this is the right man to work alongside you.
“The last reason is that hopefully Paul will coach the Socceroos one day and hopefully he will remember that I gave him the first opportunity and I will get some tickets for free.”
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