Former Dutch international Frans Thijssen will take over as interim coach of the Brisbane Roar after the reigning A-League champions dumped mentor Mike Mulvey.
Roar managing director Sean Dobson has announced that Thijssen will face the media in Brisbane alongside captain Matt Smith at lunchtime.
Mulvey, last season’s coach of the year, became the first A-League coach axed this season when he paid for his team’s dreadful start to their title defence.
The Roar have five losses and one win from their first six matches.
Dobson announced Mulvey’s sacking on Sunday evening, saying it followed a board review of the club’s off-season activities – presumably including disappointing recruiting following some big departures – as well as the team’s season start.
Roar CEO Sean Dobson told SBS “We made the decision to part company with Mike Mulvey based on the football style and philosophy of the club.
“Those are the key tenets in terms of how we approach the game. The strength of the club off the field in terms of the support from chairman Chris Fong and the Bakrie Group means we can make a hard decision such as this for the benefit of the club.
“It’s about looking to the medium and the long-term and not having a regard for the financial implications … we accept the responsibility that comes with these decisions and just want the fans to continue to support the lads out on the field.
“They have been putting in every single shift and they are hurting the same as everybody else. The boys need the support and we all believe we, as a club, can turn things around this season.
“We think our squad is good enough but we are keeping an open mind on possible signings and will see how things unfold in the next few weeks.”
Mulvey’s departure has proved a shock to meny, after two successful seasons at the club.
j binnie
Guest
Eraserhead -The reason for a salary cap can be construed in many ways but I prefer to think that the originators of the ides had in mind a guaranteed passage into professional football for local youngsters,surely a worthwhile aim in any book.Whether that has happened or not is another discussion point altogether but there is little doubt that when an HAL team seeks immediate improvement in it's overall team performance their thoughts still immediately turn to overseas.Whether that is a good thing or not is another hugely debatable issue for there is evidence of a double reaction to this thinking and that is best noted at Sydney FC where a current Austrian international player has been lured to the club but so too has a "veteran" Australian player who has returned,obviously a more mature player than when he left. Now that could also be constued as an Australian player shutting off a possible place for a local youngster,but surely a balance has to be reached when debating that issue. Inevitably we get brought back to "the million dollar question",are we,as an emerging football nation, capable of "manufacturing" the quality of player that would see the need for 'imports" reduced to nothing more than a trickle. Your thoughts? jb
Eraserhead
Roar Rookie
Easier said than done mate...we were already within 2% of the cap while they were here and both were being paid perhaps half of what a liberal market would determine. In a salary capped league you almost have to shuffle the deck completely in the hope of stumbling across a few unpolished gems. 'Legacy' is a frustrating omission from the footballing dictionary in this country.
bobbym
Guest
They just need to replace Berisha and Franic
Franko
Guest
Hup Hollandia!!!!
The Bear
Guest
Welli I expect all those on "golden"contracts (amidst 5 year incl North Smith Broich ... Others?) to be cranking it up a gear. Still think it may not save them if Bakries are not overly bothered by financial constraints.
JohnL
Guest
Welcome to the club.... Don't stuff up.