Forget James Holland, Newcastle might just have the Socceroos best of hope of future success on the bench.
Gary Van Egmond’s performance over the past two seasons has been nothing short of remarkable.
It’s not unheard of for manager’s to experience a honeymoon after arriving at an underachieving club, but this season’s success pales the impressive 2007 run.
Van Egmond arguably had the hardest lot of this season’s manager’s in recreating and improving on the Jets’ 2007 success.
Losing key playmaker Nicky Carle and popular forward Milton Rodriguez left the squad seemingly without the inspiration to progress.
Yet Van Egmond’s ability to have not only got the best out of existing players, but bring in a new crop of youngsters has been the foundation for the clubs grand final win.
He should also receive credit for tactically outthinking many of his opponents. Most notably was his side’s domination of the Victory (unbeaten against them in five) and coming back from the setback of giving up a 2-0 lead in the second leg of the major semi-final.
With the heavy smattering of Jets players in both the recent provisional Socceroos squad and new Olyroos squad, the argument for bringing Van Egmond into the national coaching setup is even stronger.
The 42-year-old clearly has a promising future, but already faces a struggle for 2009. With grand final goalscorer Mark Bridge set to move harbourside and Andrew Durante heading across the Tasman, the promising coach will have to move into the transfer market to replicate this season’s success.
But with the promise already shown, it might not be out of his reach.
Gary Van Egmond’s performance over the past two seasons has been nothing short of remarkable.
It’s not unheard of for manager’s to experience a honeymoon after arriving at an underachieving club, but this season’s success pales the impressive 2007 run.
Van Egmond arguably had the hardest lot of this season’s manager’s in recreating and improving on the Jets’ 2007 success.
Losing key playmaker Nicky Carle and popular forward Milton Rodriguez left the squad seemingly without the inspiration to progress.
Yet Van Egmond’s ability to have not only got the best out of existing players, but bring in a new crop of youngsters has been the foundation for the clubs grand final win.
He should also receive credit for tactically outthinking many of his opponents. Most notably was his side’s domination of the Victory (unbeaten against them in five) and coming back from the setback of giving up a 2-0 lead in the second leg of the major semi-final.
With the heavy smattering of Jets players in both the recent provisional Socceroos squad and new Olyroos squad, the argument for bringing Van Egmond into the national coaching setup is even stronger.
The 42-year-old clearly has a promising future, but already faces a struggle for 2009. With grand final goalscorer Mark Bridge set to move harbourside and Andrew Durante heading across the Tasman, the promising coach will have to move into the transfer market to replicate this season’s success.
But with the promise already shown, it might not be out of his reach.
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