After more than a year after his sacking from MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps, Carl Robinson looks poised to take the reins at A-League side Newcastle Jets.
Robinson watched on from the stands as the Jets went down 2-0 to Melbourne City on the weekend. The result left them firmly rooted to the bottom of the ladder, with only nine points collected from their opening 13 games.
It was this wretched form that cost Ernie Merrick his job, two years after he lead the Jets to a grand final appearance.
Despite initial speculation linking former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson to the position, it seems certain Newcastle CEO Lawrie McKinna will plump for the Welshman to lead the Hunter Valley side out of the doldrums.
A combative midfielder in his playing days, Robinson had spells at the likes of Wolves, Sunderland and Norwich before he made the switch to the MLS, signing for Toronto FC in 2007.
He wasn’t the only Brit to cross the Atlantic in that January transfer window though, with David Beckham famously joining LA Galaxy in a move that shocked the footballing world.
While his signing didn’t quite make the same seismic waves as Becks, Robinson enjoyed three years at Toronto, then hung up the boots in 2011 after a brief spell with New York Red Bulls.
The following year after a short time as assistant coach, the man who won 52 Wales caps during his playing career took charge at the Whitecaps.
In his five years in British Colombia, he guided the side to three play-off final appearances, before indifferent results saw him lose his job in September 2018.
(Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
One thing that stands out from his time in charge is Robinson’s ability to get the most out of limited resources. He’s likely to encounter the same problems with the Jets, who won’t leave an open cheque book on his desk.
Some Vancouver fans bemoaned what they saw as a conservative approach under the 43-year-old, who favoured playing one lone attacker during his tenure. But clinching three finals spots would suggest he had the Whitecaps punching well above their weight.
Others spoke of a great man manager whose players would be willing to run through walls for him. Robinson will need all of his motivational skills on show to lift a Jets side who have lost their last three matches and have the worst attack and leakiest defence in the competition.
The Welshman has been linked previously to vacancies at Adelaide and Melbourne Victory, so he might be a little more up to speed with the A-League than some may think.
The Jets have endured some rotten luck on the injury front, losing Irish import Wes Hoolahan almost immediately to ankle ligament problems. Robinson will be itching to see the the former Norwich star return to the field soon.
In addition to Hoolahan, the Jets have also been denied the services of skipper Nigel Boogaard and Panama striker Abdiel Arroyo. No doubt losing this trio has played its part in their woeful first half of the season.
Robinson can probably spend the remainder of this campaign as a free hit as he begins to attempt to lift the Jets from their malaise. The next few games will allow him to assess his current squad and get to know his new charges.
Unlike his British compatriot Robbie Fowler in charge at Brisbane Roar, his coaching credentials are proven already.
There should be some quiet optimism among Newcastle fans that he can lead this Jets side to fulfil their potential.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
It’s a bit underwhelming. would be happy to see a leading nsl cosch to be given a chance
Coastyboi
Guest
Not Okon. The guy has a reputation for simply walking away from a club.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Totally agree Fad. If Talay is not The poster boy for Australian coaches I don't who is
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Wax I don’t know about this Robinson fella. I have a gut feeling this is going to end in tears, but my comment about the US/China trade war and the Jets Chinese owner is probably the catalyst for this choice underlined by funds available.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
When will the FFA select owners that are serious about the club they are taking on. The word about Newy is that the China/UD trade war has hit the Jets Chinese owner hard. The result being that they virtually have no ability to make use of opportunities for player acquisition. So how do you compete against the likes of City, Victory, the Smurfs and even Western and Adelaide when your in that position and with.more casualties than Royal North Shore Outpatients
Griffo
Roar Guru
Apart from Robinson, the other five on the shortlist are a closely guarded secret...sorry but Mori could be next to sit with Lawrie :silly:
AndyAdelaide
Roar Rookie
Griffo: any local word if mori or anastasiadis has been approached? Mori spoke after training last night (i play for his club here in adelaide) and he assured staff and players that hes not going anywhere. Was wondering if it was all smoke and mirrors though lol
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Relevant? Absolutely. It's on Kayo so I've watched bits and pieces of the group stages and all of the QF. Piscopo and Glover have been very good. But, as has become an Aussie tradition, the passing out of defence is terrifying, and the lack of ideas up front is frustrating to watch. Baccus has been pretty ordinary, compared to his WSW form, losing the ball a lot. Devlin would be better. The biggest 'if only' = if only Buhagiar's touch matched his pace. He blitzed the Syrians with speed when he came on but couldn't do anything much with the ball when he was clear. Maybe he lacks game time. South Korea will be a real challenge.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Griffo, the maddening part is that there are many (cheap) good young Australian players getting valuable minutes who could have improved the Jets had Merrick not had an obvious older and physical bias.the likes of Cam Devlin at the Nix is a great example. There are a few kicking around not getting much time who'd be much better options than Kanta and Hoff. Najjarine comes to mind immediately. It just takes someone with a good networķ of connections
Griffo
Roar Guru
It would not surprise me at all, with a higher budget spend in the future, that Kanta could be moved on before his next two year contract expires. A number of positions are needed to be refilled in the off-season. Regardless of budget we cannot be too static this time round.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Kanta getting an extension as reward for his mediocre efforts is truly frustrating. Hoffman works very hard but lacks any of the qualities an attacker needs
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Comes back to the inferiority complex we have about our own coaches, and the overestimation we have of foreign coaches, based on playing reputation or foreign accent. Babbel's record at WSW was terrible. I suspect an Australian coach would have been sacked earlier
Griffo
Roar Guru
Well Lawrie has driven Carl back to Sydney airport so potentially the search continues - or at least Carl wasn't here to sign on but have a sort of extended, two-way interview and review. I think there should be a look at any CV on the shortlist of Aussie coaches. Word is that Edgie's Zane doesn't have the required coaching licence for the A-League which probably doesn't help matters either. Why invest in coaching education if the first action is to look for an overseas coach? Second Division is needed more than ever for this alone. Jets took a punt on Miller and giving someone an A-League gig doesn't always mean success of the Talay and Rudan variety, although we wish it did. Coupled with a potential 20% purchase of the Jets licence, now more than ever is a good time to get the coaching appointment right, but an appointment that should have an outlook and plan over the next 3-5 years, and hiring a coach to match.
Griffo
Roar Guru
I really thought Kanta was gone after this season. Hoffman is better suited to a defensive role and hasn't ever had a good season as an attacker (except for six goals in the GF season) but signing them both seemed to be using a local product saving. I'd also argue the Emerging Jets might need a bit of a review. Some investment over the years but we should really be producing a few players to go into the first team (if given the chance) and selling a couple more. We import youth more than produce them which isn't going to be feasible over the next 5-10 years.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Robinson is well known in coaching circles, more do than Fowler that’s for sure. Hopefully he’ll be good for Jets, just needs more money to spend on the squad.
Adam Cattell
Roar Pro
Yep I’ve had one eye on the Olyroos. Would expect something to feature on The Roar :thumbup:
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Nothing against big name O/S managers who have good contacts to good foreign players, but local managers are now up to speed with football tactics, recruitment and more abreast to local conditions than any second rate O/S foreign manager. Your new O/S manager is not very convincing in any criteria. Anyways good luck to him and the Jet fans.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
When Freddy Montero left Sounders and went to Whitecaps they started to fire. Essentially it was get the ball to him and he’d do the rest.......he scored plenty and got them to play offs.
Onside
Guest
Adam, Australia U23's play Korea tomorrow in a semi final that's the h to the Olympics. Never made the semis before, huge effort so far. The U23's represent the games future. Some good coverage in The Australian but print media results are couple of days late. Is the story relevant enough for Roar readers.
AndyAdelaide
Roar Rookie
italiano or the kid as GK? i forget the kids name, is it noah? something like that