CARL Robinson has the best record for the opening 10 games of any coach in Jets history. It wasn't enough to seal a miracle berth in the finals, but it has laid the foundations for a mouth-watering 2020-21 campaign.
JG - You have 14 players under contract for next season. Will there be a big turnover in personnel?
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CR - There will be conversations with the out-of-contract players and also with some players in contract this week. There are areas of the team I want to improve. There are areas where I need to move players on to improve as well. It is not just re-signing our out-of-contract players. Can we possibly do bits and pieces with other players. There is lots of communication to be had this week, but we are still waiting on the collective bargaining agreement to be finalised. We are making contact with them and letting them know what we would like to do in a perfect world. There will be a salary cap reduction and, with that, salaries might reduce which impacts on players you can or can't sign.
It's not just as easy as me sitting down with Nige. If it was, he would have been signed last week.
- Carl Robinson
JG - Captain Nigel Boogaard is one of the players yet to be re-signed. Where does he sit?
CR - I have told Nige that I want to keep him. I have said that all along. But it is not just me wanting to keep him. It's about whether we can agree to a deal that suits everyone. There are a number of factors. It's not just as easy as me sitting down with Nige. If it was, he would have been signed last week.
JG - You have previously identified the wing as an area you would like to strengthen. Is that still the case?
CR - I need to bring in a little bit of flexibility to the squad. I can't have every player the same. If I could bring in a natural wide player, that would certainly help. Bernie Ibini and Nick Fitzgerald can play out there but I look at them more as inside players. And I want a little bit more pace in the team. We have fast players but we don't have naturally pacey players who can change a game.
JG - You have been impressed with the young talent in Australia and, given the likely reduction in the salary cap, is that where you will focus your recruitment?
CR - There are three or four young players I have on my shortlist who I would like to acquire from other clubs in the A-League. It will depend whether clubs will be willing to release them or loan them out, but I have targeted three, possibly four. It's an area that I'm looking to strengthen because I think we have a good nucleus of a squad. If I can add one or two different type of players and incorporate three or four younger players to go with Johnny [ Koutroumbis], Connor [O'Toole], Angus [Thurgate], Steve [Ugarkovic], Matty [Millar], Kosta [Petratos], Makis [Petratos] and Jack Simmons then we have a very talented, balanced squad.
JG - What traits are non-negotiable when you are looking for a young player?
CR - First of all I look at their mentality - the hunger and desire to succeed. When I invite them into training, they can't feel inferior. They have to feel like they belong there. Then I look at the technical side and how they cope with the ball and without the ball. The tactical side is the last thing because it's my job to teach them. The mentality and technical ability are the most important things and not being afraid to play, to make mistakes. Lucas Mauragis is the perfect example of that. He has come in at the left wingback position with no fear. He is not scared of anyone. He will tackle, he will run ... and that's why he has been given a chance.
JG - Has there been a shift towards becoming a development club?
CR - It is about finding a balance. You can say your a development club and play the young ones. But football and sport is about winning. No one can write off one or two years to be a development club. The easy thing for me would have been to say it will take 12 to 18 months for me to rebuild. My job is to try and get results. I had to find a quick fix and I found one which I thought was suitable to the players. They were good players but had just lost their way a little bit. That happens in football. When I first came in the expectation I put on the players was high. I didn't need to say I need 12 months to rebuild. Sometimes people use that as an excuse to buy themselves time.
JG - Has the squad's progression occurred quicker than you anticipated?
CR - When I came in we were bottom of the table, but there was a good group of players here. Only 18 months earlier, they had been in the grand final ... When I came in, my job was to tap into the players' minds and give them some ideas about how I could help them based upon their strengths. There are a couple of ways to look at. You can say they lost four games in a row or you can say we have lost four games by the odd goal, so we just need to tighten up defensively. I thought they were very close and if two or three of those results had gone the other way, then I may not be here. I didn't change too much because there was a lot of good stuff that had previously been done. I reaffirmed a number of things and I made clear two or three tactical elements I wanted within the game. From that I built their confidence. When you get a result it's good, when you get another result it's good ... then momentum started swinging. Did it happen quicker than I thought? No, not really because I back my own ability to tap into people's minds and work tactically. Have my expectations changed?. No, I came here to win. Do we need some added help? Yes. Will there be some added investment? Hopefully because with investment you get better players. If there is not, no problem, I will go with younger players. The expectation will probably be slightly lowered externally, but internally it won't be because we have set standards.
JG - What is the next phase in the Robinson revolution?
CR - The big focus for me was how I want to play. People talk about styles of play and clearly we are a possession team. Within that dynamic, you need to have different facets. Our first goal against Wellington involved 22 passes. That is what we are about. But the second and third goals were what we need to be about as well. As the game opened up and Wellington were pushing, we were able to hurt them in transition as well. We hadn't done that prior because we had been possession focused. What we need to do is find a balance. I want to dominate the ball, and we do, but I also need to make them aware of the transitional moments and not to turn them down. Even though we won 3-0, in those transition moments we lost three opportunities. If we take care of that, then we are talking 5-0 or 6-0. That is the development of where we need to get to.
JG - The players are on holidays until October 1, but there is no rest for the coach. You plan to be working with the academy and watching the youth team and NPL competitions in the next month.
CR - I am trying to streamline everything. I could say I want the youth team and the academy to play exactly the same as the first team. I lot of managers do that. The reality is that managers can leave after 12 months or 18 months. Then the academy is run based on the previous manager's system and style. You have to be open minded. I have said - this is how we play. There are principles within the foundations that we have that will always be there irrelevant of the system, whether it is a back three or back four. That doesn't change. Our job as a staff is to get out and watch the youth team, get out and watch the academy teams and obviously help. I need to know what is going on and if there are any special talents who are good enough, not in the next six months or year but in 18 months, two years. If you are strategically planning you know there is a space for a talented youngster if you believe they are good enough. Then you have to track their development. You can't say he was good enough two years ago but he isn't now. I have to find out the reason he hasn't progressed. Or if he is progressing, can I fast track him. I need to do more work in the off-season than I do in the season. Managers will tell you they need a break. Managers don't get a break. They just shift focus into the next port of call. My line of work is not just watching our youth team and academy but also watching other NPL teams to see if I can find another gem. There are a number of A-League players who have come from NPL teams after they weren't given a chance. Based upon the salary cap and the financial constraints we might have, I have to find another one or two of them. The only way to do that is by getting out on the ground and watching players.
JG - Outside of Joe Ledley and Abdiel Arroyo, are you looking at signing other imports?
CR - That is always open. The easy thing to do would be to sign five foreign players because I can. That is not what I want to do. If I can have a team full of Aussies, I will. People tell me the difference between teams in the A-League is the foreigners. That might have been the case when the salary cap was x y z. Now that it is changing, we might not have the money to sign a Diego Castro or Alessandro Diamanti. If we haven't, I need to find my own, but I'm not going to be paying six, seven, eight hundred thousand dollars. Can I find a player who is unknown? That might be an 90 or 100 thousand dollar Aussie. That is an even better story. I will back my own ability to do that and give him a chance. That is what I am looking for. First is the Australian market and New Zealand.
There is no reason why we can't push for the top four.
- - Carl Robinson
JG - What about players going the other way. Dimi Petratos is on the verge of being sold to Saudi Arabian club Al Wahda. Do you expect players like Steve Ugarkovic to attract overseas interest?
CR - I know there is interest in a number of players, not just Stevie. Stevie has had a fantastic 10 games since I have been in. It's credit to him. I have made him a key cog to how I want to play. Of course, I believe there will be interest in him and there should be. By the way, there is interest in Johnny Koutroumbis, there are talks about Angus Thurgate, Matt Millar ... there have been other players who have been mentioned in some quarters. I'm OK with that. That means I am doing my job and they are doing their job. I actually like that. We know what is going on with Dimi. There is potential for him to move. That is great. That means they have seen something in Dimi and given him that unbelievable contract. I wish him all the best. I know at some stage Dimi will want to come and play for me again based upon the relationship I have with him. I would never stop any player from going. If it's right for them and their family, especially in the current climate, you have to respect that. The one thing you can guarantee, there are always players. You can always find players.
JG - Was that part of the framework behind Bernie Ibini committing for another season?
CR - Bernie just needs to enjoy his football and get back to playing regularly. If he does that, Bernie will score goals and create goals. What we need to do is get him healthy, keep him fit and get him free-flowing. That is why it is important that he gets a good preseason under his belt. If he does that, I'm sure like Stieve, like Matty, like Johnny, there will be lots of interest in him.
JG - Your wife Laura and 12-year-old son Milo are in quarantine in a Sydney hotel, once they join you in Newcastle will it start to feel like home?
Yes. Happy wife is a happy life. My son needs me. We need to find a house. Once we have found a house we can settle a bit more. I have given her ideas but she will dictate where we live. I'm OK with that. She is very low maintenance.
JG - Will you get a chance to have look around NSW and relax at all?
CR - I will work for a week or two and then try and take a week off. Even if we get around NSW to have look, I will still be working. With the CBA, budget and salary cap, there are are a number of things moving. I need to be prepared and ready to go.
JG - There is a lot of water to go under the bridge, but you said earlier that you want to win a championship, is that achievable next season?
CR - Based on a 12-team league, you have to be realistic. Am I aiming for the top six? Yes. Am I aiming for the top four? Yes I am. Do I think we can get in the top two? That will be dictated by how well we play and how consistent we are. There is no reason why we can't push for the top four. I'm not naive enough to say we are going to finish in the top four because there is a lot of work that needs to be done. Circumstances at different clubs will be totally different. Some will have more financial backing. Based upon where I believe this club can go and what these players can do with a few additions, I aim quite high. If you are in the play-offs, who knows?
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