The nominees are IN – and now it’s your time to have your say on who takes out Coach of the Month honours for January 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 Liberty A-League to pick from as Coach of the Month.
Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano won the fan vote for October/November Coach of the Month, and Central Coast Mariners boss Mark Jackson collected the December honours. Both Jackson and Italiano are in the running in the January vote after the FCA panel’s monthly polling.
This month’s nominees are…
Eligible coaches are 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 three coaches each month, granting three votes to their pick for Coach of the Month, two for their second-choice and one for their third choice.
The FCA panel will also vote for Liberty A-League Coach of the Month on the same voting schedule.
January voting, top four – FCA
- Mark Jackson, Central Coast Mariners
- Giancarlo Italiano, Wellington Phoenix
- Tony Popovic, Melbourne Victory
- Ufuk Talay, Sydney FC
Mark Jackson – Central Coast Mariners
January record
- Games played: 4
- Wins: 3
- Draws: 1
- Defeats: 0
- Goals scored: 6
- Goals conceded: 2
The Mariners took their unbeaten league run to 10 games by the end of January, registering three wins and one draw from four games throughout the month. Mark Jackson’s side kept clean sheets in wins over Western Sydney (1-0) and Brisbane Roar (2-0), while drawing 1-1 with Melbourne Victory and defeating Melbourne City 2-1.
Giancarlo Italiano – Wellington Phoenix
January record
- Games played: 4
- Wins: 2
- Draws: 2
- Defeats: 0
- Goals scored: 9
- Goals conceded: 7
An unbeaten January included two wins and two draws for Giancarlo Italiano and Wellington Phoenix, beginning with a 2-2 stalemate with Adelaide United on the road. The ‘Nix defeated Perth Glory 4-3 in a breath-taking Unite Round battle before drawing 1-1 with Victory and ending the month with a 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets away from home.
Tony Popovic – Melbourne Victory
January record
- Games played: 4
- Wins: 1
- Draws: 3
- Defeats: 0
- Goals scored: 6
- Goals conceded: 5
Melbourne Victory are yet to lose in 2023-24, and that streak continued through January as Tony Popovic’s side beat Perth 3-2 on the road before three consecutive 1-1 draws against Central Coast, Wellington and Sydney FC.
Ufuk Talay – Sydney FC
January record
- Games played: 4
- Wins: 2
- Draws: 1
- Defeats: 1
- Goals scored: 10
- Goals conceded: 6
After a lacklustre start to his tenure as Sydney FC boss, Ufuk Talay began to turn the tide around Christmas and by the New Year the Sky Blues were on a roll.
Talay’s side began January with a road win over Brisbane and although a 4-3 loss to Adelaide United next time out halted momentum, Sydney roared back into life with a 4-0 win over Newcastle Jets.
A 1-1 draw in the Big Blue rounded out the month; Sydney were 10th in mid-December but ended January knocking on the door of the top six.
