No matter which way you look at it John Kosmina has never enjoyed much success at the Sydney Football Stadium and he is well aware of the irony of making his return at the home of Sydney FC, the second club to sack him.
It seems fitting that John Kosmina’s first match in charge of Adelaide takes him back to the venue where he coached his last game in the Hyundai A-League.
Kosmina was announced as the Reds coach for at least the remainder of the season following Rini Coolen’s departure and what better way to start than a clash against the Sky Blues in Sydney on Thursday night.
The 55-year-old coached Sydney for 15 months before being axed in January 2009, after failing to take the Sky Blues to the finals for the first time in their history.
It was the second time he had been sacked by an A-League club, following Adelaide’s decision to terminate his contract after the 6-0 loss to Melbourne Victory in the 2007 grand final.
But after spending the past three years working in the media and more recently coaching in the South Australian Super League, he will make his return to the top level in what promises to be an entertaining clash against his former club.
His last match in charge of Sydney was a 4-0 hammering of Newcastle at the Sydney Football Stadium and Kosmina admitted it will be a strange feeling when he returns to the dugout and wouldn’t be surprised if the home fans jeered him.
“It’s bizarre, this whole thing is bizarre,” he told Adelaide radio station 5AA.
“I never had a lot of joy actually for either club at the Sydney Football Stadium. First season at Sydney was good, the second one we struggled a bit but yeah, I am looking forward to going there.”
“The Sydney fans are good, they’re pretty passionate, so yeah look it’s part and parcel of sport, it’s a strange irony of sport.”
“My phone’s gone ballistic with calls and text messages and I can’t work out if I’m such a popular guy how come I got into such trouble.”
Kosmina was never victorious at the SFS while in charge of Adelaide with his three matches against Sydney resulting in three defeats.
While he did manage to win his opening match when coaching the Sky Blues, his overall record of six wins, three defeats and six draws wasn’t great.
Kosmina has enjoyed a colourful history during his time in the Hyundai A-league, but his second stint at Adelaide is perhaps his toughest challenge yet.
Languishing in ninth place with just two wins, the Reds have been one of the biggest disappointments this campaign, but a Kosmina-inspired revival could be just what the club needs heading into the new year.
