Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond has taken the news of Sydney FC's decision to look for a new coach next season warily as the team prepare for a pivotal Hyundai A-League clash at the SFS on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond has taken the news of Sydney FC's decision to look for a new coach next season warily as the team prepare for a pivotal Hyundai A-League clash at the SFS on Sunday afternoon.
The Sky Blues announced on Friday that coach Vitezslav Lavicka will be leaving at the end of this campaign and van Egmond reacted to the news cautiously as the Jets look to continue their recent run of good form that included their first win away from home this season, a gritty 1-0 victory in Brisbane.
"It can work either way. Whenever the skipper announces he won't be staying and now Viteslav is not staying on it can galvanise a team," van Egmond said.
"They have plenty of football left in them this year and they are in the top six at the moment, so they have lots to play for."
"But it can also be detrimental because it can be a distraction to the players because they know the coach is not going to be there next season."
"But it gives the players an opportunity to show they should be still at the club. I-m not sure they have announced a new coach, but they are obviously going to be put on notice from now until the end of the year, to get a contract to stay at the club, so it can work either way."
"But we have to worry about the things we can control which we have been doing well."
Newcastle have their tails up after four points on the road following a 1-1 draw with Adelaide in Bathurst and a gritty 1-0 win over the Roar in Brisbane and the Jets coach said the points had boosted confidence in the club.
"You always take confidence from a win especially in the position we were in where we hadn't won away from home for a while and where we sat on the ladder - you get a win and you go up a few places and it definitely gives the lads some confidence and the feeling is better around the club," van Egmond said.
"It was more like a gorilla (rather than a monkey on the back). It was good to win but we still have a lot of football to play this season and if we are to make the six we have to be mentally strong and tough."
"We did really well with the three games in a short space of time but we are going to have some real testing time between now and the end of the year. But we have to make sure we keep working hard and get results."
The Jets coach said the big wet throughout New South Wales recently would play into the hands of his team's fast-paced game, but admitted that his side would have to play better than the last time these teams met in December when Sydney came from behind to register a 2-1 win in Newcastle.
"The first half we controlled the game and then we stopped playing," recalled van Egmond of the Round 11 loss.
"We got involved in putting the ball long, so for us it is paramount that we keep trying to play our style of game. They have some game breakers in people like Nicky Carle and (Mark) Bridge and Bruno Cazarine, people who can change the game through individual brilliance so we have to be on our game. "
"The pitch should be fine. In some ways it speeds the pitch up and will increase the ball speed and assess people's touch and technically we have a good bunch. It is not a bad thing."
"I would like to see the pitch watered before every game because we have a high tempo game that is playing at a speed that is uncomfortable for oppositions."