On November 2 last year, the Newcastle Jets were sitting bottom on the A-League table. They had lost three of four games, shipping in eight goals. This year could not be more different, with the club sitting equal second having already played three genuine title aspirants.
The Jets have rediscovered an important trait that has been missing from the club over the past few seasons – pride.
New manager Scott Miller has installed a wonderful camaraderie within the squad, and the work is translating on the pitch.
The fans have responded, too. An average of more than 11,000 fans have turned up to Hunter Stadium for the first two home games, up on last year’s average of less than 9000.
Despite a lack of finals football for longer than most fans care to remember, an impressive 8000 have signed on for memberships, the fourth highest behind Melbourne Victory and the two Sydney teams.
As Newcastle local Ben Kantarovski recently quipped – “The Newcastle Jets are back, watch out”.
The disastrous Nathan Tinkler saga behind them, the Jets are ready to re-embrace their status as an over performing underdog, and it is fantastic to see. Finals are a real possibility, though it is only four games into the season.
If they do not make the finals, fans will be disappointed, but they will still be able to once again wear their jersey with pride, something which had sadly become near impossible. There is no reason why the club cannot look to match the crowd average of 14,000 from 2007-08, the year they won the A-League championship.
Miller has been crucial to the transformation, and the early season predictions that the 34-year-old rookie would struggle in his first main post have been swiftly dispatched.
His first task was reuniting a fractious dressing room, one which in 2014-15 saw three players bail mid-season and another five sacked. That job has been an undeniable success, with local boys Nigel Boogaard and Jason Hoffman returning to help the transition.
“It’s pretty lively (in the camp), but lively can’t become overconfidence,” Miller said recently.
“We’ve got to stay realistic and ambitious, that’s the word I suggested to the team last week – I want them to be more committed than they’ve ever been and show more ambition with the ball.
“I haven’t seen a group like this since the early days at Fulham when everyone was on the same page
“It was more than football, they were friends and they cared for each other – I think that’s our strength.”
Equally important has been a revamped media department, with Benny O’Neill reestablishing ties with local media that were treated with disdain during the Tinkler era. Through those renewed relationships the publicity for the Jets has not been better, and that is translating into increased fan engagement and rekindled interest.
On the field, the Jets have now recorded three wins against Wellington Phoenix (1-2), Melbourne Victory (1-0) and Melbourne City (2-3), while losing to Sydney FC with a legitimate goal ruled out for an incorrect offside flag.
Slowly, they are starting to adapt to Miller’s gameplan, which is continually evolving with the help of former Victory assistant Jean-Paul de Marigny.
Installing a 4-2-3-1, Miller has concentrated first on making the Jets a compact and organised defensive unit. They have sacrificed possession and frustrated opponents, relying heavily on counter-attacks to create goalscoring chances.
The defence plays deep and looks to close down space in the middle of the field, forcing opponents onto the wings. Newcastle are more than happy to accept that a large amount of crosses will be directed into their box as a result, confident that they can deal with aerial threats.
Their four opponents have sent in on average almost 28 crosses per match.
Yet while their tactical approach has been defined by their defensive attitude, that is slowly changing. More focus is starting to be concentrated on attack, and that was most apparent in a 3-2 comeback win over City in Round 4.
Going two goals down in the first 20 minutes will always force a team to become more ambitious, but what was promising was that the Jets executed the comeback while still holding their defensive shape.
The Jets’ first three games saw them average just 39 per cent possession, with less than 300 passes attempted per game. Against City they increased possession to 49.7 per cent and made 424 passes, a significant rise.
Meanwhile, their passing accuracy jumped from a three-game average of 67 per cent to 77.4 per cent, and their long balls also decreased from about 20 per cent to 12 per cent.
Miller’s decision to push Kantarovski into the No.10 role was a masterstroke, allowing the once highly touted midfielder to assist the transition into attack. His headed goal sparked the comeback, Milos Trifunovic then scoring with a fortuitous penalty and well taken winner.
The move which highlighted that this team can play arrived between the second and third goals.
Kantarovski sprayed the ball out to Enver Alivodic, who cut inside and found David Carney. The former Socceroos then hit a perfect side-footed cross for Trifunovic, who really should have scored. It was a wonderful passage of play, and proof there are more goals in this team.
The introduction of a pressing game has also produced results for Miller.
Against Victory they employed an impressive press against the defending champions, Miller probably observing how effective it was for City in the second half of the Melbourne Derby.
Their two imports, Leonardo and Trifunovic, along with Carney, Alivodic and Kantarovski, were particularly busy, pushing up on Victory and forcing a few mistakes. Trifunovic should have scored from a one-on-one with Danny Vukovic early in the first half.
Leonardo and Trifunovic’s ability to acclimatise to Australian football will be crucial, and as they gradually improve their fitness the Jets will be able to impose an increasingly intense gameplan.
The deep defensive line was still the base for their win, however, with the press impossible to sustain for 90 minutes. Thankfully, Victory’s final ball was again lacking, an uncharacteristic pattern so far this season.
There are concerns, however. The tactics could prove to be unsustainable.
The Jets have conceded the most shots in the A-League – 68 over four games, with 41 inside the box. They have benefitted from wasteful finishing, but have also concentrated on limiting clearcut chances.
It should be noted that both City’s goals came from deflections, only Bruno Fornaroli’s individual brilliance created a true genuine goalscoring chance in the second half.
At the other end, the Jets have made on average just 9.5 shots per game, and have only placed a total of 12 on target.
From 12 shots on target, they have scored six goals, an extremely impressive success rate, and one which is surely unsustainable. When you consider Trifunovic has missed two or three sitters, those stats are even more remarkable.
It is likely Miller will gradually move towards a more attacking mindset, but concentrating on the basics first has been an astute move, while grabbing results has helped vindicate the approach.
“I wanted to play the big teams in the first six games because it gives us a benchmark, an idea of where we’re at physically and how we can compete physically against them, but also tactically. I think we’re doing very well,” Miller said.
“Every performance is giving us a great framework to continue our development as a team and rebuilding of the club.”
A mixture of smart, simple tactics, a renewed enthusiasm and determination in the dressing room, and a rekindling relationship with the Hunter community has elevated the Newcastle Jets into finals hopefuls.
To see the players head straight for the away support at the final whistle against Melbourne City, led by Miller, was heartwarming.
It is a refreshing change for the football-mad region, which has had to put up with mediocrity for too long. It is also nice to see a non-capital city club once again challenging the status quo.
This is not the end of the Miller-led Newcastle Jets tactical revolution on the field, there is much more to come from the promising coach, and his work off the field will keep this group of players grounded.
It is only four rounds in, but the reinvigorated mood in Newcastle should push the Jets back into relevancy.
Fadida
Guest
Teams do not continue to score 50% of their chances (historical data supports this completely). When the average drops to the usual 30% or less the challenge is to create more chances, or you stop scoring. Stats back this up, similarly with shots conceded. Eventually numbers even out, shots that hit your post start going in, narrow wins become draws, draws become defeats. Check the win-loss column then
madmonk
Guest
Tired you have just shot down pretty much any analysis of sport. We (pundits, fans, critics) look at these measures to try and predict the future. Will my team keep winning? Can they turn the corner? Are they heading for a fall? Wins and losses are about the past and you can comment on those with 100% accuracy but its not very interesting. Finding reason to predict the future is the nature of any sport analysis.
Tired
Guest
I do find it amusing that with the Jets finally playing better and winning a few, virtually every story draws attention to the number of shots, or passes or tackles. I draw your attention to the ONLY statistic that matters in football, the Wins Vs Loss column. As the saying goes there is no room in the Win column to put in how you won, that's done for a reason. Newcastle fans want a team to be proud of, One that will fight for the shirt and show some pride, these are not statistics that can be measured, so we will stick with Wins & Loses.
Fadida
Guest
I'm really happy with the results, even happier for the locals who take such pride in their club. It's a very working class region and Jets fans want a club they can be proud of. Miller has restored the work ethic and the pride. On the performances, 2nd half v City was fabulous. Prior to that they were poor (and lucky) v both WP and MV, poor and a little unlucky v SFC. As pointed out they are scoring with an unsustainably high percentage of shots and relying on keepers making a lot of saves. Ultimately without improvement this won't last. The current back 5 are very solid and Cowburn Is a real prospect in cover. The midfield is sorely short on creativity, hence the low number of chances created. Leonardo is unconvincing (no surprise give lack of game time in the last 12 months. It also lacks depth. Watson is very average. Goals remain a real concern. Trifunovic looks like he'll get goals, my preseason YouTube scouting suggested he'd be a good acquisition. Otherwise options are very limited. There is nothing in reserve and the midfield are workmanlike rather than prolific. They'll need to keep a lot of clean sheets to win games. Great start results wise, fabulous that the region ha a club they aren't embarrassed about, but far too early to talk about finals. Having given a reality check, there is a touch of season 1 WSW about them ...
Griffo
Roar Guru
Cheers AZ. Hope you enjoy the trip. With a win you guys will be confident. Am looking forward to the game. A win for us at home is going to get the city fired up. More importantly will be looking at how our game will change; sitting back and absorbing pressure with possession isn't going to get us far, nor impress the region. Too many years of that under the bridge ;-) Yes I think Miller is going to be one of those coaches who isn't afraid to make changes mid-game, and the players will be ready for it, too. Looks like there was some discussion about coach vs player influence on FoxSports. From my experience and understanding most of the game is planned on the training pitch leading up to the game, with that little bit extra coming on game day from the coach. I think the difference between Miller and say van Egmond was the way the different game strategy was explained to them (my assumption, given how they have responded so far), the players willingness to trust the coach, the older players leading on the field (due to trust in the coach), and their ability to understand what is going on around them in the game. Perhaps we have a few players better able to understand the changes mid-game than a few seasons ago? Hoffman, Kennedy and Kantarovski are probably best placed to answer that. Will be interesting to see...
Griffo
Roar Guru
Amen madmonk. Yes I've heard it said that Miller and JP are a bit peeved at having a couple of players on the books for another season still. Perhaps some movement in January, especially if new owner are sorted then and have some change to spare. I think at least Haliti's injury replacement will arrive then. Berisha earnt his reputation here, Trifunović will have to do the same. He reminds me a lot of a typical striker: the tail is up and the form is hot when the goals are raining in, otherwise it's the sky falling in. I think his touch is a little too over zealous because of a bit of confidence problem; his side foot volley attempt last weekend could well have been contender if his confidence got a boot to it at the right time. We may yet see some more vertical play through the middle, but we are still setup as a wing-attacking side - completely agree on Lee bring further quality balls into the box from the sideline.
madmonk
Guest
One of the best things about he Jets is that the results are ahead of the performance. We have not seen a 90 minute performance yet. Miller's man management is interesting, last week he was putting pressure on Trifunovic, this week he is pumping up his tyres. Comparisons with Berisha are way off the mark though, I am yet to see the work rate, I am not seeing the effort to retain possession and despite the goals he has missed some straight forward ones. The pen showed he has character and the header was good but we will want more. The word is JP and Miller are ruthless in their man management. Its telling how the substitutions and even bench spots have been handed out. Friday had Cowburn, Jackson and Watson on the bench. In effect 3 players for defensive roles. Cowburn is a youth player picked ahead of attackers Lundy, Brennan and Baresi. It looks like a number of fringe players are on notice. Of these Muata-Marlow and Brennan appear to have had their file marked not ever. Depth will remain the issue. Lee playing showed how much they missed him the previous 2 weeks, Cooper was disappointing and the moving Kantarovski to 10 looked like a master stroke that would have been pilloried if it had not come off. Still after so many seasons of disappointment its nice to be a fan with 9 points in the bag after 4.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Good stuff, Griffo. Happy for you and your club. Looking forward to driving up on Saturday for the match. Obviously, I'll be going up to support my boys but part of the reason I'm making the trek to Newcastle is to watch you guys play. Really enjoy what I've seen so far particularly Miller's ability to get you guys to change plans when something isn't working. It takes strong tactical nous from the coach and solid tactical awareness from the players to execute that. We've been beaten twice already this season but I think Saturday will be our biggest test to date.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Depends on who you believe but the main thread is that the finer details are being sorted...still. That little bit of cynacism might just wonder if the price is being re-negotiated a little with such a positive start, but you would expect that not to go down too well. -- Agree Franko, early days. We have had a few seasons of promising starts before a slow slide down the ladder and out of final-six contention at the last round. A good point to check is the end of the second phase of 9-games: if we are in a good position and playing well still, it will be a good sign.
Lionheart
Guest
Thanks Griffo. He seems an impressive character and so refreshing to have a young coach like him in the A League. You can bet that if he does well he'll be sought after by a couple of southern clubs with big thick wallets. Have the ownership of the Jets been sorted out as yet?
Franko
Guest
It's still very early on but I guess green shoots are better than no shoots. It is surely not going to hurt with the sale to Mr Thompson that the side *appears to be headed up by a gun coach.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Except for the later part of last season after the mass sackings, fans turning up haven't been that great a problem. Not having a toxic relationship between club, fans and the media also helps.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Ambition - that sums up the self-confessed EPL-looking young coach. You only have to hear him talk about the tactical thinking into matches to know that there is an educated mind lurking at Hunter Stadium. Like a competitive player he hates to lose as well. He backs his players and as yet doesn't appear to delve into favouritism like another former Jets coach was rumoured to do. It will be interesting to see how the team and tactics evolve over the season. It was a little concerning to see the 4-2-3-1 early on with apparently few creative opportunities - even understanding the need to reverse 55 goals-against - with so many shots against. What was more concerning was the low passing accuracy. With such a low possession and few scoring opportunities you don't want to be turning the ball over too easily. Even against City there were a few turnovers in our defensive third. It is probably a good thing that the defense is being worked on and gaining confidence this early in the season while the other teams are still getting their eyes for goal. It is good to see a more agressive build up play coming through than just straight counter-attack. The fences at Hunter Stadium are under threat if the team can put a few of those types of goals away. It is often said a good coach has a good deputy and JP may just be that extra ingredient needed for success. Whether or not JP has his own ambition to coach it may make some a little uncomfortable having a younger coach in charge. So far it seems that they are working well together. After so long of lost hope and a little cynacism creeping in during the early rounds, a positive vibe is growing. Plenty of history to keep it in check this early in the season but the hope isn't fading. The local paper had a story on how Trifunović could be the find of the season. If the Jets story keeps on the rise, the headline might be on Miller being the coach of the season. Early days but stranger things have happened.
Liam Sheedy
Roar Guru
Certainly have been the surprise packet so far. Engaging with the community is one of the most important things the club had to do, good to see the fans starting to turn up again.