The nominees are IN – and now it’s your time to have your say on who takes out Coach of the Month honours for October in the Liberty 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 Liberty A-League to pick from as Coach of the Month.
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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 Isuzu UTE A-League Coach of the Month on the same voting schedule.
The October voting includes Rounds 1-3 in both competitions, with the third round taking place in the early days of November. The November voting follows the same three-round schedule with the Isuzu UTE A-League overlapping into early December before the January – April schedule which will occur entirely within the month in question.
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.
Note: Garrath McPherson was initially voted as the fourth October nominee, but his departure from the role of Brisbane Roar head coach has ruled him ineligible for the monthly and end-of-season award. Melbourne Victory head coach Jeff Hopkins collected the fifth-most votes and has replaced McPherson in the four-coach October list.
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October voting, top four – FCA
- 13 votes: Alex Epakis (Perth Glory)
- 7 votes: Dario Vidosic (Melbourne City)
- 4 votes: Paul Temple (Wellington Phoenix)
- *4 votes: Garrath McPherson (ineligible)
- 2 votes: Jeff Hopkins (Melbourne Victory)
Coach of the Month nominees: October, 2023-24 season
Alex Epakis – Perth Glory
October record
- Games played: 3
- Wins: 3
- Goals scored: 6
- Goals conceded: 2
Perth Glory’s winning run lasted four games to start the season – and two of those early triumphs came in October against Western United and Newcastle Jets.
Alex Epakis’ side kept a pair of clean sheets in a solid start to the new campaign, before winning against Canberra United away from home for the first time in club history with an enthralling 3-2 victory.
Dario Vidosic – Melbourne CIty
October record
- Games played: 3
- Wins: 2
- Draws: 1
- Goals scored: 5
- Goals conceded: 3
A gutsy 1-0 win on the road over Wellington Phoenix in Round 1 from Melbourne City has become all the more impressive in the weeks that have followed, considering Wellington’s brilliant form since that opening-day defeat.
Vidosic oversaw wins over the ‘Nix and Canberra in October before a 2-2 draw with Western United in Round 3, in which his side trailed 1-0, then led 2-1 before Western’s late leveller.
Paul Temple – Wellington Phoenix
October record
- Games played: 3
- Wins: 2
- Losses: 1
- Goals scored: 5
- Goals conceded: 2
The Wellington Phoenix revolution is taking place under Paul Temple, who bounced back from an opening-round defeat to City to notch a very convincing 3-0 win against Western Sydney away from home in Round 2. Wellington then returned home to play an in-form Brisbane Roar – and stunned the Queenslanders in an impressive 2-1 victory.
The ‘Nix are building something special under the new boss at the helm.
Jeff Hopkins – Melbourne Victory
October record
- Games played: 3
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 2
- Goals scored: 4
- Goals conceded: 4
Melbourne Victory have built into a strong run of form after a pair of slender defeats in October. Hopkins oversaw 2-1 losses to both Brisbane Roar and Western United in the opening two rounds of the season, before a momentum-shifting 2-0 win over Adelaide United in Round 3.
