Rhys
09-10-2006, 03:00 PM
Newcastle axes Theo
NEWCASTLE coach Nick Theodorakopoulos is the first casualty of the A-League this season after being sacked by the Jets yesterday.
Newcastle officials will hold a press conference this morning to confirm the axing after telling Theodorakopoulos to not turn up at training.
Despite suggestions that former Australia coach Frank Farina and Peter Tsekenis were in line for the job, former Socceroos player and Jets assistant coach Gary van Egmond will take over bottom-of-the-table Newcastle in a caretaker role.
Another former Australia player, Mark Jones, will be his assistant.
Theodorakopoulos has paid the price for the Jets' poor start to the season.
He took over at the start of the season from Englishman Richard Money, who guided the side into the top four in the inaugural A-League season.
But Theodorakopoulos encountered big problems with player departures, injuries and suspensions. At one stage he had a squad of just 12 players for a pre-season match.
The club was also restricted by a goalkeeping problem.
It has contested the season with only young Ben Kennedy in its ranks and no replacement keeper on the bench.
The Jets are understood to be looking to sign Ante Covic, who was the Socceroos' third-string goalkeeper behind Mark Schwarzer and Zeljko Kalac at the World Cup finals.
The Jets have not won in 13 matches this season - six in the pre-season cup and seven rounds of the competition.
They have managed just three draws in the championship, the latest a 2-2 result against Sydney three weeks ago.
Despite giving Theodorakopoulos his "full support" late last month, Newcastle owner Con Constantine, who has bankrolled a Newcastle side in the old national league and now the A-League over the last decade, decided to act after the Jets were beaten 2-0 by runaway competition leader Melbourne Victory on Sunday.
Speculation was rife during the week that the coach would be sacked if the Jets did not beat Melbourne.
In a city renowned for its love of sport and history in soccer, fewer than 5000 fans attended the match, something that did not sit well with Constantine, who is thought to have lost $2.2 million last season.
When contacted last night, a shattered Theodorakopoulos would only say "I am a career coach".
He has had a fine career as a club coach, guiding Wollongong Wolves to a record-breaking NSL championship victory in the 2000-2001 season, when they came back from 3-0 to level before beating Perth Glory in a penalty shootout at Subiaco Oval.
Former Australia coach Farina, whose name has been linked with the Jets position over the last three weeks, denied he was a candidate for the full-time position.
"I've heard the rumours, too, but I have not heard from anyone at the club," Farina said.
Tsekenis was also aware his name had been bandied about as the pressure continued to mount on Theodorakopoulos.
Tsekenis, who has coached Bankstown Lions in the New South Wales premier league for the past two seasons, said he had not been contacted by club officials.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20552593-23215,00.html
Poor Nick, not really his fault :(
NEWCASTLE coach Nick Theodorakopoulos is the first casualty of the A-League this season after being sacked by the Jets yesterday.
Newcastle officials will hold a press conference this morning to confirm the axing after telling Theodorakopoulos to not turn up at training.
Despite suggestions that former Australia coach Frank Farina and Peter Tsekenis were in line for the job, former Socceroos player and Jets assistant coach Gary van Egmond will take over bottom-of-the-table Newcastle in a caretaker role.
Another former Australia player, Mark Jones, will be his assistant.
Theodorakopoulos has paid the price for the Jets' poor start to the season.
He took over at the start of the season from Englishman Richard Money, who guided the side into the top four in the inaugural A-League season.
But Theodorakopoulos encountered big problems with player departures, injuries and suspensions. At one stage he had a squad of just 12 players for a pre-season match.
The club was also restricted by a goalkeeping problem.
It has contested the season with only young Ben Kennedy in its ranks and no replacement keeper on the bench.
The Jets are understood to be looking to sign Ante Covic, who was the Socceroos' third-string goalkeeper behind Mark Schwarzer and Zeljko Kalac at the World Cup finals.
The Jets have not won in 13 matches this season - six in the pre-season cup and seven rounds of the competition.
They have managed just three draws in the championship, the latest a 2-2 result against Sydney three weeks ago.
Despite giving Theodorakopoulos his "full support" late last month, Newcastle owner Con Constantine, who has bankrolled a Newcastle side in the old national league and now the A-League over the last decade, decided to act after the Jets were beaten 2-0 by runaway competition leader Melbourne Victory on Sunday.
Speculation was rife during the week that the coach would be sacked if the Jets did not beat Melbourne.
In a city renowned for its love of sport and history in soccer, fewer than 5000 fans attended the match, something that did not sit well with Constantine, who is thought to have lost $2.2 million last season.
When contacted last night, a shattered Theodorakopoulos would only say "I am a career coach".
He has had a fine career as a club coach, guiding Wollongong Wolves to a record-breaking NSL championship victory in the 2000-2001 season, when they came back from 3-0 to level before beating Perth Glory in a penalty shootout at Subiaco Oval.
Former Australia coach Farina, whose name has been linked with the Jets position over the last three weeks, denied he was a candidate for the full-time position.
"I've heard the rumours, too, but I have not heard from anyone at the club," Farina said.
Tsekenis was also aware his name had been bandied about as the pressure continued to mount on Theodorakopoulos.
Tsekenis, who has coached Bankstown Lions in the New South Wales premier league for the past two seasons, said he had not been contacted by club officials.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20552593-23215,00.html
Poor Nick, not really his fault :(