Welcome Paolo! Paul Okon is CCM's new coach

[Forum Phoenix]

Welcome Paul.

You certainly have your work cut out for you. Really hoping you're up to the challenge.

Personally, I really hope you address the fact that for any of our remaining senior players, it's been a very hard two years under inexperienced/unproven coaches and receiving a huge amount of criticism and ridicule.

If I was a player with you coming in, I'd desperately want things to turn around and for things to be amazing, but I'd also be rightfully fearful of yet another unproven coach at this level coming in and floundering and the team along with you. And as a fan I feel very much the same way. I want you to turn our fortunes around, but I have considerable trepidations about our third inexperienced coach (at this or a similar or better level) in a row.

You might also want to suggest the club seriously lay off the "entertaining brand" jargon.
Because in the clubs case it's very much been a case of...

If they want to REDEEM the brand, then suggest they focus on phrases like... building from the back... happy to grind out a result... we won every second ball tonight... well drilled and organised.... incredibly hard to break down... we gave it our all... they worked their guts out...etc...etc...

And build from there.

My guess would be that 99% of members would be thrilled merely by being genuinely competitive all year.
Consistently winning ugly would be much much more than acceptable.
And if we win pretty against squads that are outspending us 3 to 1...
Well, you will be hailed as a genius, and then promptly poached by another club, take our best players, and our support staff, and we'll need to start again. Again.

So I'm forced to conclude that winning ugly is probably the go for our long term health.

 

[Gratis]

Okon: Ange is my mentor
New Central Coast boss Paul Okon says Caltex Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has been his mentor and hopes to implement similar methods at the Mariners.
Speaking at his unveiling on Monday, Okon was excited about the future in Gosford and confident the club can return to their glory days.

And the 44-year-old says the influence of the current Caltex Socceroos boss is part of the reason he feels he's ready to step into his first head coaching role in the Hyundai A-League.

Postecoglou is a fan of Okon’s coaching ability and gave his backing to the Mariners to appoint the former Lazio, Fiorentina, Middlesbrough and Leeds midfielder.

“Ange has been a mentor not only for myself but also for a number of other young Australian coaches. To hear that [praise] come from him is fantastic,” Okon told reporters on Monday.

“I think he revolutionised the game a number of years ago when he took over the Brisbane Roar and hopefully at some stage I can have the same pathway as Ange and be as successful.

“I think we both have the same thought process on the way we want to play football, so I’m delighted to have Ange as a mentor.”

As part of his previous roles as coach of the Young Socceroos and as an assistant to the Olyroos, Okon says he has learned a lot from Postecoglou as part of the national set up.

“Part of the last four-and-a-half years in the national teams we followed what the Socceroos were doing on and off the field. Their preparation, training methods and playing style.

“If I’m honest I do feel they have the same playing style and now it’s up to me to implement that here at the Mariners and I’m confident I can achieve that.”

Okon steps into the Mariners hot seat with just over a month until the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season gets underway.

While admitting it’s not an ideal situation, he dismissed suggestions the Mariners would start behind some of the other clubs.

“Where I’m coming from working in national teams, I’d see the players for three days and then I wouldn’t see them for another three months,” Okon said.

“Five weeks, any coach will say it’s not enough but I’m confident in that five week period I can get across what I want to see on the field.”

And he hopes that will translate to exciting, entertaining and – most importantly – winning football for the Central Coast members, fans and community to enjoy.

“We really want to give our members a reason to come and watch us play. We want to play an exciting, dynamic brand of football which I believe will give us the best opportunity to get results,” Okon said.

“Football is a business, it’s entertainment so no doubt we want to win football games but certainly I want that when people turn up to watch the Mariners play, our members know what they are going to get.”

Okon will take charge of his first training session with the Mariners on Tuesday.
http://www.ccmariners.com.au/articl...j4gp0k0w2orf1ll34oxlcblhg#EHUjLpq2L7Q1WAtd.99

 

[scottmac]

f**k i hope we commit to this long term. Okon will learn alot of lessons over the next 24 months and we may not see the what he is capable of until 2018/19 season. A team cycled through 2 years of playing to his style, 2 yrs to tweak and improve that system as he learns, and building a team of his own rather than being handed the most talented youngsters.
I think this is one of the most brave appointments in Australian football for a while and im f**king excited. If its Viddy as assistant then f**k . We'll not be missing any of the passion from Hutcho if that's the case.

 

[localpom]

f**k i hope we commit to this long term. Okon will learn alot of lessons over the next 24 months and we may not see the what he is capable of until 2018/19 season. A team cycled through 2 years of playing to his style, 2 yrs to tweak and improve that system as he learns, and building a team of his own rather than being handed the most talented youngsters.
I think this is one of the most brave appointments in Australian football for a while and im f**king excited. If its Viddy as assistant then f**k . We'll not be missing any of the passion from Hutcho if that's the case.

Agree. Think we will improve this year, I guess that's the only way we can go anyway. But if we have some consistency with coaching and players over the next 3 or 4 years then I think we can give the comp a shake again before too long. The key will be getting the best youngsters coached the right way and holding on to them long enough that they can have an impact. With Paolo, and hopefully Viddy at the helm they will have all the right contacts.

 

[Shaun Mielekamp]

For what it is worth I can confirm that this was on the money, the coffee at Jimmy Gs is very good:

AtomicWell-Known Member
Timing is everything... I had breakfast with a mate this morning and he swore he saw Shaun having a chat with Okon at Jimmy Gs at West Gossie earlier in the week. This was all before Gatty's news broke.

Hand on heart!

 

[Wombat]

Now Shaun, did you have a coffee with a new CB and AM?

 

[Holy]

Anybody seen Shaun there with Viddy?

 

[Timmah]

Unlikely @Holy - the club today confirmed Ivan Jolic as Okon's assistant.

 

[Gratis]

Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou says new Mariners mentor Paul Okon will have a full knowledge of Australia’s top young players

Tom Smithies, The Daily Telegraph
August 30, 2016 9:28pm

NEW Mariners boss Paul Okon will have a gilt-edged advantage in pursuing young Australian talent, according the man who played an influential part in Okon’s appointment.

Ange Postecoglou recommended Okon for the role of replacing Tony Walmsley at the Central Coast, with Okon quitting as coach of the Australian U20s side after four-and-a-half years to move to Gosford on Monday.

The Socceroos boss drew parallels with his own experience of coaching the national youth sides before going into club management, which he said provided an encyclopaedic knowledge of which players to pursue..

“I found when I got out of my stint as youth coach, one of the greatest strengths I had was that I knew just about every young player in Australia between certain ages,” Postecoglou said. “Not just as players but people. I was able to use that when recruiting at Brisbane and Victory, and I use it now.

“I had Mile Jedinak as a 17-year-old, so when I was thinking about first selecting a captain for this (Socceroos) squad, even though I was new to the role, that information helps. I’m sure it’ll help Paulo.”

Postecoglou said he wanted to see young Australian coaches play a role in lifting the standards of the A-League, with Okon joining John Aloisi and Scott Miller in that vanguard.

“I want the level of football here to improve,” Postecoglou said. “I’ve worked closely with Paulo for the last few years and he can get his team to play in a certain way in really tough international conditions when you only have limited time. Working with players day in day out I’m sure he’ll be able to get his point across and I think it is exciting.

“The more teams we have trying to play good positive football will benefit the game. Im rapped he’s got it and I think the Central Coast have made a really good decision. I have no doubt he’ll make a good fist of it.”

 

[dibo]

It's disappointing that a journo doesn't know that the word is 'rapt' (related to feeling rapture that Ange feels) rather than 'rapped' (relating to bustin rhymes about life on the mean streets of the FFA national teams unit with P-Dog).

 

[Luca Brasi]

the club today confirmed Ivan Jolic as Okon's assistant.

Interesting choice, cant say I had heard of him before today. Positives are he was a recent assistant at Melb City, he was a defender in his playing days, and from his twitter appears to be a deep thinker on the game.

 

[VicMariner]

So the next coach joins near the start of the season. Up against it straight away.....
All the best to him.

 

[Wombat]

Could have been a lot worse.....credit to Harry and Storrie I think...........for pushing MC to be real for a change.

 

[Gratis]

It's better now than 6 weeks into the season

 

[Big Al]

Ok we are going to play like the Socceroos but our squad is way out of balance for it.

Socceroos play 1 DM either Milligan or Mile it's usually one or the other. We have a lot of DM's but little attacking mids.

Who do you go with and how?

Who plays As Mooy, Masimo or Rogic?

Can Taveras push up and let Monty be DM where he is best suited or does Monty have to play CB and we go with Taveras And Rose with Powell the most attacking mid? Then have Monty and Berry as next men in.

I think the style will really suit Fab and he could have his best year yet if the mid's can win the battle.

I think Pain Fab and Budgie will be really suited and should have good years.

 

[Wombat]

I think they are planning on playing Powell as our AM.

 

[scottmac]

Powell won't do IMO. There needs to be a specialist there. He's got room for someone. If it's not a decent cb it must be a first 11 CAM.

 

[Rowdy]

Agree, may be best to move this convo of signings over to the Mariners Squad - HAL 12 - 2016 - 2017 thread,

as rumor of Shayne D'Cunha (a RB) being Okons first signing would of been better spent on a young AM, as it seems he's getting the cash for a new CB anyway/as well.

 

[Tevor]

https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-squires

A good cartoon on the CCM new Manager appointment.

Hope it works, my first attempt at a link.

 

[localpom]

I think they are planning on playing Powell as our AM.

I think that was Tony's plan. Not sure it will be Paolo's?