A-League Coaching Merry-Go-Round Begins

A-League Coaching Merry-Go-Round Begins

http://www.theworldgame.com.au/a-league/coach-shake-up-on-the-cards-285182

Coach shake up on the cards

1 February 2010 | 16:31 - SBS EXCLUSIVE

Embattled North Queensland coach Ian Ferguson is set to be the loser in an A-League coaching reshuffle which could result in Graham Arnold taking charge at Central Coast next season and current Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna at Fury.

It is a chain reaction that has been sparked, in part, by first-time coach Ferguson's failure to man-manage Fury star Robbie Fowler and McKinna's inability to steer the Mariners to the finals this season.

While McKinna has a year to run on his current deal, he has only been offered a community development role at the club next season and may not be able to resist a move north to take the reins from Ferguson, his former assistant in Gosford.

Fury boss Don Matheson is thought to have become disenchanted with Ferguson's style of leadership but will have to come up with a severance package in the region of $300,000 to terminate his contract, which has two years remaining.

The final straw for Matheson, according to sources from within the club, was Ferguson's fall out with Fowler which culminated in the Perennial strugglers Liverpool legend deciding to sit in the stands rather than the bench when he was told he would be a substitute against Brisbane Roar in round 23.

But the Fury chief played a straight bat on Monday when asked whether Ferguson would be at the club next season, insisting: "Some of the speculation over his future is despicable and doesn't help the club or the coach. He has two years left on his contract and we expect to honour that."

The club's subsequent bid to turn the row into a love-in between the pair has highlighted the fact they are incompatible. Fowler may also be on the way out a year before his deal expires with his wife Kerrie believed to be unhappy with life in Townsville.

McKinna is in the mix for the role along with John Paul D'Marigny - the current Australia Under-17 coach, and former Socceroos striker Damien Mori, who is coaching Adelaide City.

Fury is understood to be losing up to $60,000 a week and could be the next recipient of a rescue package from the FFA, which already bankrolls Adelaide United.

Mariners majority shareholder Peter Turnbull refused to comment on McKinna's future when approached on Sunday but TWG sources claim the club feels he has taken them as far as he can and it's time to move in a new direction.

They are eighth, seven points adrift of the play-offs, and left with nothing but pride to play for this season after a horror run which has seen them pick up four points from a possible 30.

While the community development job offer appears to be something of a token gesture to a loyal servant who took the Mariners to a premiership and an Asian Champions League berth, McKinna won't hesitate to head to the tropics once the messy Ferguson situation is resolved.

The Mariners vacancy, once it is rubber-stamped, has been earmarked for Arnold, whose contract with the Socceroos expires after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Arnold has made no secret of his desire to return to the local football landscape he left in 2001 after a three-year stint with Northern Spirit in the National Soccer League.

The one-time interim Socceroos coach has worked under the tutelage of Guus Hiddink and Pim Verbeek and is viewed by the Mariners as an ideal replacement for McKinna.

personally I think Ferguson is doing a decent job. It's NQF's first year in the league, so not finishing last is already a great achievement.
McKinna could probably get the chop. In the end he didn't do the job he was paid to do.

Yeah cutting Fergusson is a bit harsh for me, I guess it is the Fowler thing at work though. He put together a competitive side with a squad on paper that doesn't look much, and doesn't he have 3 of his first choice back 4 out with injury and has had for most of the season? Dodd, Stefanutto and (insert name here)...

Sack Merick.

Honesty, they all should have a swap around of all the coaches in the middle of the season to makes things interesting. That way all the clubs have a new coach and all the coaches will still have their job into the first half of next season. I think that they should randomly select the coaches name out of a lotto machine.

Graham Arnold couldn't coach a tomato vine over an outdoor sh*thouse!!!

He'll beep test the tomato vine too.