Former Melbourne Victory midfielder Grant Brebner will take the reins as Head Coach of the club ahead of the 2020/21 Hyundai A-League season, the club announced on Monday morning.
Brebner’s position was made official after his stint as interim Head Coach of Victory after the Hyundai A-League restart through to the end of the 2019/20 regular season.
The 42-year-old won two Championships with the club as a player and spent six years in Victory’s academy setup before assisting former interim boss Carlos Salvachua.
Brebner oversaw four losses and one win – a 4-0 thrashing of Finals Series contenders Perth Glory – throughout his time as interim Head Coach of the club.
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Speaking to the club website, Brebner says the first step forward for Victory under his guidance is to build a highly competitive squad.
“I am extremely proud to be appointed the Head Coach of Melbourne Victory,” Brebner said.
“The club has been a huge part of my life, and the experience of coaching the team over the past couple of months really fuelled my desire and belief that not only did I want the opportunity to secure the role full time, but that I had the skills and expertise to do so, and to do it well.
“I have made no secret of the fact that I feel like the club had strayed from its football identity and culture, and I want to help lead the solution.
“Everyone who loves this club wants to see us back playing the Victory way, and I want our members and fans to be proud of how we go about our business.
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work but I’m excited about the challenge. The first step will be to build a highly competitive squad.”
Victory Chairman Anthony Di Pietro says the club took necessary time to find the right person for the job, and are delighted to appoint Brebner who sees the club’s footballing vision and cultural philosophy.
“We are delighted to appoint Grant as Head Coach of Melbourne Victory,” Di Pietro said.
“As we said from the outset, we would take the necessary time to find the right person who aligned with both the club’s football and cultural philosophy.
“Working through the recruitment process amidst the backdrop of COVID-19 certainly had its challenges, but we are excited to have someone who bleeds blue at the helm, and strongly believe Grant is the right person to lead our A-League program.
“There’s plenty of hard work ahead as we prepare for our AFC Champions League campaign and the upcoming 2020/21 A-League season, but it is exciting to finalise Grant’s appointment, so we can now look to collectively build our squad and the required support staff, to position our Club for success.
“Grant is clear in the style of football Melbourne Victory want to play, and most importantly he has already started building the foundations and culture he believes will help us return to delivering the on-field results expected at our Club.”
