It was announced last week by Football Federation Australia (FFA) that Phil Stubbins will not coach the rebranded Newcastle Jets in the 2015-16 season despite having one year remaining on his contract.
Stubbins finished the 2014-15 season with just three wins to his name in 27 matches. In fact the 17 points accumulated was the lowest seen in the A-League since season one when the New Zealand Knights only managed six. That is all in the past now and the Jets get a chance to press F5 and start on a clean slate with a new manager.
But who will be that man? Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp and Mick Malthouse have all joined the unemployed list in the past fortnight but the FFA will need more luck than Steven Bradbury to attract the formers while the latter will need more than six months to adapt to a new sport.
So who are the contenders? Will the FFA look overseas to find a new manager or is the next Jets coach right in front of our eyes?
Mark Rudan
The former Sydney FC championship-winning captain has been managing in the NSW Premier League since 2011, a year after he retired from professional football, and has enjoyed some success since joining junior club Sydney United 58 in 2013. He won the minor premiership in his first season at the club and took his side to the Round of 16 of last year’s FFA Cup – where they were eliminated by the Sky Blues – and they are on course to qualify for the Round of 32 this year.
While Rudan may not have the biggest or most impressive resume, he had a successful career in the A-League and abroad and this experience will serve him well in the A-League. Last week it was reported by The Daily Telegraph that the 39-year-old has already been interviewed for the job by the FFA.
Paul Okon
Similar to Rudan, Paul Okon started managing soon after his retirement but has yet to land a job at senior level. However, it is his experience as a player that puts him in contention. Okon had an 18-year career where he played in Belgium, Italy and England. He made 28 appearances for Australia and actually finished his career at the Newcastle Jets in the second season of the A-League.
The 43-year-old has slowly made his way up the coaching ranks at international level, coaching the Australia Under-18s in 2009 before becoming the head coach of the Young Socceroos in 2012, a position he still holds to this day. The FFA is already familiar with the former Leeds United defender and would not have kept him in his position if it did not rate him as a manager. His experience with coaching young players will also benefit the younger players in the squad.
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar has all the qualities and qualifications as the first two candidates but he has one thing Rudan and Okon do not have, and that is coaching experience in the A-League. Long before the days of tika-taka-esque under Josep Gombau, Adelaide was managed by one of its favourite sons. Vidmar held the reigns from 2007 to 2010, where, in that time, he worked with the axed Phil Stubbins and also made the 2008 A-League grand final as well as the 2008 Asian Champions League final.
Since departing Coopers Stadium, Vidmar has worked with the Australian national team on both junior and senior levels. Whether he will leave his position with the Socceroos for a full time gig in Newcastle is yet to be seen but is still a worthy contender.
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