THE appointment of three-times caretaker coach Craig Deans to the full-time role at the Newcastle Jets is a win for the underdog, and fitting reward for a clubman who has shown he has the attributes to give his players the best possible chances of success on the field.
In October, during pre-season, with the Jets in financial distress, previous coach Carl Robinson departed to Western Sydney Wanderers.
His assistant Kenny Miller went too, followed soon after by star recruit Bernie Ibini. In early January, midfield stalwart Steve Ugarkovic was confirmed as a Wanderers recruit from 2022.
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At the same time, Chinese businessman Martin Lee was stripped of his A-League licence and the club was bailed out by a consortium of rival teams.
After an opening run of four straight defeats, the new owners were looking elsewhere for a coach. But the results started to improve.
Glowing endorsements flowed from team members and influential figures including former Socceroo Robbie Slater.
Yesterday, the apprentice finally became the master, with Deans confirmed in the job until the end of next season.
Deans, who turns 47 in May, hails from Perth and played for Perth Glory and other western teams before arriving in Newcastle in 2003 to play for Newcastle United.
He made two appearances for the Jets between 2005 and 2007.
As well as his three interim stints with the main Jets squad, he has coached the youth team and the women's W-League: 18 years of invaluable experience, giving him an insider's view of the club and its players.
With the A-League well off its peak popularity even before COVID-19 battered all professional sports to some degree, appointing Deans as a suitably qualified - and trusted - "local" is the sensible decision.
It is often said that Newcastle sporting fans want one thing, at heart, from the town's two main teams, the Jets and the Newcastle Knights: an honest performance.
That may be so, but nothing beats success on the field.
With two wins and a draw since their initial four losses, the Jets have gone from rock bottom, 12th, to eighth position in a cramped ladder.
If such momentum continues, they could easily make the finals.
Whatever happens, though, the town has a competitive and enthusiastic team carrying its hopes, turned out on game day by a popular choice in Craig Deans.
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