December’s Isuzu UTE A-League Coach of the Month nominees are in: pick your winner TODAY!

The nominees are IN – and now it’s your time to have your say on who takes out Coach of the Month honours for December in the Isuzu UTE A-League!

Australian Professional Leagues (APL) have partnered with Football Coaches Australia (FCA) for the second season running to produce four monthly nominees for fans of the Isuzu UTE A-League to pick from as Coach of the Month.

This month’s nominees are…

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Four coaches will be nominated monthly by the FCA panel, consisting of:

  • Catherine Cannuli
  • Sarah West
  • John Kosmina
  • Ian Greener
  • Gary Cole

Each member of the FCA panel votes for four coaches each month, granting four votes to their pick for Coach of the Month, three for their second-choice, two for their third and one for their fourth choice.

The FCA panel will also vote for Liberty A-League Coach of the Month on the same voting schedule.

A fan vote will decide each Coach of the Month award, and will then be a factor of the APL’s end-of-season process to determine Coach of the Year.

This season’s voting began with a combination of October and November, with Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano picking up the honours.

Italiano is nominated once again for Coach of the Month in December, along with Melbourne Victory boss Tony Popovic, Melbourne City’s Aurelio Vidmar and Central Coast Mariners’ Mark Jackson.

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December voting, top four – FCA

  • Tony Popovic (Victory): 15 votes
  • Aurelio Vidmar (City): 5 votes
  • Mark Jackson (Mariners): 5 votes
  • Giancarlo Italiano (Phoenix): 4 votes

Cast your vote for Isuzu UTE A-League Coach of the Month below, or via A-Leagues Facebook and Twitter.

Tony Popovic – Melbourne Victory

December record

  • Games played: 5
  • Wins: 3
  • Draws: 2
  • Goals scored: 11
  • Goals conceded: 5

Victory went unbeaten through five games in December, and 11 rounds into the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign remain the only unbeaten side in the competition.

Popovic’s side kept three clean sheets in December, scoring 11 goals and conceding just five, defeating bitter rivals Adelaide United and Sydney FC, and keeping a clean sheet against Melbourne City in the derby.

Tony Popovic.

Aurelio Vidmar – Melbourne City

December record

  • Games played: 5
  • Wins: 3
  • Draws: 2
  • Goals scored: 15
  • Goals conceded: 5

Aurelio Vidmar oversaw an unbeaten December as City climbed up the ranks on the Isuzu UTE A-League table.

City’s statement result came on December 28, when Brisbane Roar travelled to AAMI Park to get dispatched by Vidmar’s side in an 8-1 triumph to the Victorian outfit.

Aurelio Vidmar.

Mark Jackson – Central Coast Mariners

December record

  • Games played: 5
  • Wins: 3
  • Draws: 2
  • Goals scored: 16
  • Goals conceded: 7

The Mariners have shaken off a poor start to the season and have found their feet under Mark Jackson, who oversaw an unbeaten December which included three impressive victories, just seven goals conceded and an impressive 16 goals scored as the likes of Ángel Torres, Marco Túlio and Josh Nisbet led the reigning Champions back into finals contention.

Mark Jackson with Mariners star Josh Nisbet.

Giancarlo Italiano – Wellington Phoenix

December record

  • Games played: 5
  • Wins: 3
  • Draws: 0
  • Defeats: 2
  • Goals scored: 7
  • Goals conceded: 6

Wellington Phoenix earned three wins in December, keeping clean sheets in each of their three-point displays, but a pair of defeats to Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets blemished head coach Giancarlo Italiano’s otherwise spotless record. The two December defeats were Wellington’s first under Italiano’s watch this season.

Giancarlo Italiano.