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John Kosmina’s sensational resignation from Adelaide United must act as a massive wake-up call for those who run the club.
The explosive comments Kosmina made in announcing his resignation offer a brief insight into the behind-the-scenes running of the club.
There have been many whispers about the administration of the Reds in recent years, and it seems Kosmina has decided martyrdom is the best way of exposing the problems he sees with the club’s management.
The 56-year-old did not hold back in his attack, saying he had “absolutely no regret” in leaving a club that “lacks trust”.
“There is far too much whispering in corridors and around corners,” he said.
“I can see no clear direction. There is no vision.
“Decision-making at management level is reactive and impulsive at best, and there is no consistency in managerial procedure.”
Kossie’s constant reference to an environment void of trust is damning, and he is not the first Adelaide United head coach to do so.
In fact, all three of its coaches have bemoaned the lack of faith from club management.
Rini Coolen said he was shocked when he was sacked in 2011, with the board declaring it had lost confidence in him and his plan to develop South Australia’s juniors.
“I was shocked by that because I always thought that the board and I had a good relationship of trust,” Coolen said.
“There had never been any indication of concern at my program and my management. I was very disappointed and surprised by that.”
Coolen last week agreed to a $400,000 settlement payout from the Reds after declaring he would sue the club over his messy departure.
But before Coolen was one of the biggest indicators of a club in crisis the A-League has seen.
Following a 4-0 semi-final drubbing at the hands of Melbourne Victory in February 2009, then coach Aurelio Vidmar launched into his infamous “pissant town” post-match tirade.
“There are too many people in this club with hidden agendas,” Vidmar said.
“That’s the problem. That 4-0 result tonight was politics, nothing else. Whether you are involved directly or indirectly you have an effect.”
“Things change very quickly in football clubs. If someone’s not happy with something, they do whatever they can to fracture it. That’s what they do. Whether it’s jealousy or ego, whatever it is, it certainly smacks of that at our club at this point of time.”
Vidmar surprisingly didn’t lose his job after the outburst.
But, like Kosmina, it was something he was more than prepared to cop if it led to changing the troubled club culture.
“I couldn’t give a damn about my future,” he said.
But there was one comment that sprayed forth from Vidmar’s lips that night which now stands out as being incredibly prophetic.
“Because of a pissant town, this club will never win anything until you get rid of that crap,” he said.
Since then, despite a change of ownership, the “crap” remains and club has failed to get its grip on any silverware.
The consistent breakdown of relationship between coaching staff and the board is one that cannot be allowed to continue.
Melbourne Victory was perceived to have similar problems when new management cleaned out two-time championship-winning coach Ernie Merrick and football manager Gary Cole in 2011.
The instability that followed meant Mehmet Durakovic and Jim Magilton found it very difficult to garner the full faith of the board.
Only after Ange Postecoglou came in and commanded respect, trust and control, have the Victory recaptured the stability to return them to the top of the Australian game.
But there are very few A-League level coaches who are capable of this.
So it falls to the powers that be at Adelaide United to be the change the club so desperately needs.
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