Managing the embattled Central Coast Mariners was one of the last things on Alen Stajcic’s mind when he turned up for work on the 19th of January 2019.
No doubt the then Matildas’ manager believed his presence at FFA headquarters was most likely required to discuss issues pertinent to World Cup preparations and the upcoming matches against Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand.
Instead, Stajcic was dismissed, with player surveys providing the weight behind the decision. Loose and tenuous accusations of player unrest were raised and in one fell swoop, the supposedly intimidating and imposing reign of Stajcic – where players and staff were fearful of asking for assistance – was over.
The sacking was veiled behind the notion of a ‘toxic culture’. What played out in the days following became somewhat absurd at times, with some supporters of the decision insisting that judgement and opinion should be held back until the sordid details became public knowledge.
To this day those details have yet to see light and the Matildas themselves took to social media in support of the man who had taken the national team inside the top ten-ranked nations in women’s football.
Alen Stajcic. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
The subsequent hush around the event has been telling, with legal action rumoured and Stajcic remaining tight-lipped about the entire affair. Aside from conveying the pain and hurt that the decision had caused both he and his family, Stajcic has said little and now finds his energies channelled into another and perhaps even greater challenge: rescuing the Central Coast Mariners.
And rescuing they do need. Englishman and ex-Brisbane Roar championship-winning manager Mike Mulvey took over the reins in Gosford for 2018-19, after a broom had been put through the playing ranks of the club.
Sadly, it appeared just a few matches into the season that those charged with administering the broom had done little to improve the Mariners’ playing stocks. Disregard any consideration of what the team looked like stylistically or any perceived potential that suggested a much-improved showing later in the season; the Mariners stank.
By week four of the competition, they were last on the ladder. After an embarrassing 8-2 loss to the Phoenix in Round 21, the manager was shown the door. With just a single victory and four draws to show for his efforts, Mulvey probably smiled when the tap on the shoulder finally came, such was the tragedy that the Mariners’ season had become.
Days later, Central Coast announced Stajcic as the interim manager with six matches remaining in the season.
On one level, his appointment could have been interpreted as one of the riskiest and most foolish decisions in the history of the A-League. Stajcic, a man sacked just two months prior for overseeing a horrendous, inappropriate and intimidating culture with one of Australia’s most successful national teams, was obviously a bully and a thug.
He must have been right? Surely the FFA made the call on his future with a full understanding of his role in the issues that the nasty surveys had raised? You would think so.
With that in mind, the Mariners could potentially have been accused of employing a man with limited skill in overseeing a professional, united and acceptable team culture and asking him to do just that in Gosford.
Mariners fans. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
What has occurred since Stajcic’s arrival has been the polar opposite, with captain Matt Simon citing the clear change in attitude and mood at the club. Whilst that is easy to say, results on the pitch speak far louder and Stajcic has brought immediate success.
Within days, a second win of the season had been nabbed against old foe Newcastle. Perth proved a nut too tough to crack, yet a close loss in a winnable game against the Victory in Round 25 clearly showed that something had indeed changed.
Last Saturday, the full extent of the shift in form and attitude was on show when Central Coast spanked the recently impressive Wanderers 3-1.
The fact that 5,059 people made the trip to Central Coast Stadium to farewell the team in their last home match of the season spoke volumes about the Mariners’ recent performances.
Just 3,703 fans had made the trek on that fateful night against the Phoenix, yet some Stajcic magic has brought a few back already.
The Mariners will still run a comfortable last in the long race that is a professional football season and that result is no less embarrassing despite some better play under the new manager. However, negotiations are underway and the likelihood of the 45-year-old being employed in a full-time capacity grows.
The workload ahead will be enormous, with another huge turnover of players likely, yet the fans seem keen on and happy with the softly spoken manager.
How intriguing that a man accused of failing to create and foster a positive and supportive team environment has taken over what appeared to be a basket case and righted the ship immediately.
Stajcic never thought he would be managing the Central Coast Mariners by Easter. His year began with eyes focused firmly on a World Cup in France, yet fate has presented a rather unexpected employment opportunity to him and thus far, he has done a fine job.
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - Asking for, and getting complete control over all football matters, is no guarantee to success as you have pointed out here. There has to be the know how, with a personality to match, to carry out this task successfully (the Brian Clough / Peter Taylor "partnership" jumps to mind as to how these reponsibilites can be "split") ,and it is this factor that ensures CV's and experience have to be included in the criteria used in the overall selection process. (The Yanks call it good cop / bad cop) Does Robbie have the necessaries?, we don't know, and so we have to give him a chance but let us hope the Aloisi "experiment" is not again re-visited, for if it is I'm not so sure the club could outlast the effects it has suffered these last 3 seasons. We must hope. jb.
josh
Guest
They can have him, he's just not up to A League level. Blasting shots wide, way over the bar - you name it. He's ridiculously fast though.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Maybe it got something to do an article by Gatty in the Oz over the weekend... this is the article as it sits behind a paywall. RAY GATT SPORTS REPORTER In the current climate of Australian soccer, you have to have a crazy streak or to have lived in another universe for much of the past 10 years or so to want to be involved in the A-League. Amid dwindling crowds and terrible television audiences, and with club owners having lost millions of dollars since the league’s inception in 2005, it is little wonder it is in need of urgent repair. None of that, however, seems to scare off Anton Tagliaferro, whose passion for the sport knows no bounds and who is now looking to help resurrect the fortunes of Central Coast Mariners. The investment director for successful Australian funds management company Investors Mutual, Maltese-born Tagliaferro was recently invited on to the board of the Mariners by owner Mike Charlesworth. Charlesworth spends most of his time back home in England and Tagliaferro says he wants to help by being “the owner’s man on the ground” in Australia and is determined to do his best to lift the Mariners out of the doldrums. The Mariners are staring at a second successive wooden spoon this season. Fans have deserted them and there are fears about their future. Tagliaferro understands the angst and disappointment among the Mariners faithful, given his involvement as president and main sponsor of Maltese Premier League club Balzan FC. It is why he doesn’t mince his words when talking about what needs to be done if the Mariners are to get out of the terrible predicament they find themselves in. So why throw himself at something many believe is a lost cause? “I am a football tragic and I want to help the club,” Tagliaferro tells The Weekend Australian. “I have always wanted to be involved with a club here and try and make a difference. “The Mariners fans are frustrated and I don’t blame them. It has been a tough and frustrating last three or four years. “I won’t make any bones about it, there’s a lot to do at the club. “From what I have learned from helping run a football club you have to plan thoroughly and plan ahead. It feels to me the Mariners have jumped from season to season without a lot of planning. “The Mariners, when you look back the last two or three seasons, have made particularly big mistakes with recruitment, particularly with their visa players. “That is one area where I can help through my connections in Malta because we have contacts in places like Serbia where there is some excellent talent.” Despite the outside negativity, Tagliaferro says he, along with another new board member Kamran Khan, is optimistic he can help bring about significant change. He says, however, you “just can’t click your fingers and make it happen”. “I’m optimistic we can do better because we have all the things in place needed for a successful football club, including some excellent facilities and a very loyal fan base,’’ he says. “I strongly believe that with better planning and recruitment we should be able to have better seasons ahead.” An example of what can be achieved with some nous and forward thinking, Balzan climbed from the third division to the top tier in Malta. Tagliaferro says: “Last year we played in the Europa Cup qualifiers and beat Slovan Bratislava in the first leg 2-1 at home before succumbing 3-1 away and being eliminated by the narrowest of margins,” he says. “Balzan are now among the best teams in Malta, after coming from nowhere.” Tagliaferro is also a Mariners sponsor. But is he prepared to go further and buy a stake in the club? He says: “I have been a sponsor for the past 18 months and I am looking at exploring the option of doing a bit more. I am trying to help Mike because he is a very good guy and has been carrying the club on his own for along time. “Maybe we can see if anyone else is interested in joining us in turning around the club’s fortunes and we will see what we can achieve from here.”
Midfielder
Roar Guru
A lot will depend on the budget given .... my hope is we can spend the cap and maybe a little more ...
Midfielder
Roar Guru
yep i agree
Waz
Roar Rookie
You hit a nail on the head the other day when you said Ange asked for and got total control of the football department, that worked. Aloisi demanded and got the same (presumably after chatting with Ange), and that didn’t work. Hopefully they’ve now returned to a more structured football department and are clear on the type of player they want at the club.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
He certainly isn’t doing poorly so I’d assess that he has done well. Semantic difference really but the club are obviously happy with the deal is pending apparently. Players happy too. I’m really pleased for him.
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - Not to split hairs but one must ask who is responsible for poor coaching and recruitment? Have you ever put yourself in a chairman's position and asked ,"what criteria are we using when ,(1) appointing a coach,or (2) supervising on- going recruitment?" By the looks of things this criteria hasn't changed much over the last 4 or 5 years,or even longer when one considers the CV's of men employed in the coaching position at Roar. Davies, Mulvey, Thijssen, and Bleiberg had little or no experience in an HAL's head coach role,Farina and Postecoglue had mainly National team and national youth team experience, Radovic in assistant coach roles, Aloisi with experience, albeit not too successful at Heart,and now we have to see Robbie Fowler with 4 months coaching experience in Malaysia, who has to be included with those first 4. Now we all hope Robbie is a roaring success but-------remember,we are discussing criteria here. The recruitment supervision criteria speaks for itself when one considers the number of ex Roar players who are presently playing against Roar in other HAL teams. Cheers.jb.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
I just saw they've signed Majok, so nothing has changed. Another NPL quality signing
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Too early to say he's "doing well" Stu. Far too early. 3 spoons is I'd argue down to cut price recruiting and coaching . There was no hint of a"toxic" environment with Walmsley. He was just way out of his depth. Likewise Okon ,though less out of his depth
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Agree Waz. Underperforming isn't the same as toxic
Waz
Roar Rookie
Roar are struggling due to poor recruiting and poor coaching.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I wouldn’t be using a win over WSW as any kind of bench mark at this stage. Yes they managed a few results of their own but seriously, the club is in a mess from top to bottom and a coach that cannot lift the motivation of his players to beat the cellar dwellers leaves a bit to be desired imo. I hope he does well at CCM and they shut the critics up that have been calling for their removal from the league, but ask again this time next year - better time to make a pertinent call.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Stanjic has brought a meat and potatoes approach. The irony is the admirers Stanjic has because he got sacked by the FFA are more of the dreamland Ange philosophy school. Milicic has shown what you get when you aren;t practical, the good opposition dumps on you big time. The ref was lenient with the Mariners so by the time they got someone set off , as the Wanderers had used all their subs, the Wanderers had a few guys hobbling to even it up. Matt Simons free kick , he struck fear into the Wanderers, he just made it clear he was going to blast it through, and hitting it at about groin height they were jumping in the air to avoid the impact in that region not to stop Matt Simon beinding it over the wall.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
All true Fad but three spoons in four years suggests there is something culturally wrong. I found Simon's comments laden with criticism of Mulvey. There are definitely been more of a focus on defence and a change in attitude. Whether than can be defined as toxic I'm not sure but how interesting that a man with supposed issues in that department is now called in to do some repairs. Sacking someone for not doing their job, only to see them move laterally and do their job perfectly well elsewhere, suggests their may have been something wrong with the job rather then the person doing it. Still we wait!
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
As Fadida says above, i think it's too early too suggest whether Stanjic has fixed the Mariners culture. Meanwhile, there is a player announcement happening at Glory HQ at 12:00 AEST. I think its Djulbic retiring
David V
Guest
You're right on one thing - a coach alone can't change a club's culture, it starts from management at the top. Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and now Perth Glory have been successful because they recruit well and are run by people who understand football. Western Sydney Wanderers, Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar are floundering because they have none of that.
jbinnie
Guest
Mid- despite everything that Stuart and Campbell have said the silence from high places is still deafening. Cheers jb.
Campbell Ross
Roar Rookie
A good article Stuart and 'to the point'. How people work effectively together and in what situations those relationships can bloom is impossible to predict! While it would be nice to know the juicy details of dismissals like Stajcic's, I prefer to be left in the dark and let him get on with the next chapter of his professional career. Surveys such as the one that led to his firing can push aside qualities of true leadership and expertise, replacing them with a contest for popularity. I enjoyed your article. Keep up the good work.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
It's too early to claim anything has changed. Another "toxic" club, Manchester United looked to have turned it around totally post Mourinho. Instead it was simply a " new manager bounce". The same lazy, underperforming players are again lazy and underperforming. Let's not forget that for the first 10 or so games the CCM were very competitive, with a number of brave but narrow losses, just like the MV one you speak of Stu. Stajcic got lucky v the Jets, 25 shots to 5 and the Jets somehow lost (see Merrick, E). They then lost at home to a poor Adelaide side in an impotent performance, were thrashed by Glory, plucky v MV in losing and beat a flimsy and unmotivated WSW in a meaningless end of season game. Has the "toxicity" gone? I'd argue there was none to start. CCM problem is, and had been for at least 3 seasons, they own the worst squad in the league. A bunch of at best NPL quality players; Clisby, Hoole, Melling, McGing, Kennedy, Graham (loan), Shabow Promising but not yet good enough; Aspro, Rowles, Mallon(loan) Experienced but not outstanding; Hiariej, Karacan, Simon Jumped the shark; Gamiero, McGlinchey, Oar Wanted by others; O'Neill (loan), Millar (gone), Paine (gone) That really is a very poor group of players. The challenge is to clear out the deadwood (10 players minimum) and attract players who have both quality and the physical ability to play in the league. Stajcic must do this to have any chance. Sack whoever is the "talent spotter" as he clearly is a fool. Toxic is an overused word, a throw away, cover all, generic term. The challenge isn't to change the culture, it's to recruit well and win games.