Tony Popovic says the limited time frame before the start of the season won’t affect his recruitment decisions for the new Sydney club, with the importance on attracting the right players to fit the club’s vision and values.
Tony Popovic says the limited time frame before the start of the season won’t affect his recruitment decisions for the new Sydney club, with the importance on attracting the right players to fit the club’s vision and values.
After weeks of speculation, Popovic was officially unveiled as the new Hyundai A-League franchise’s head coach for the next four years.
Along with the club’s inaugural executive chairman Lyall Gorman, who was also announced in his role, they have just over a month to assemble a squad before pre-season training begins on June 25.
Former Socceroos defender Popovic conceded he faced a huge challenge to build a competitive squad from scratch but is confident the new club are on the right track to be a force in the Hyundai A-League.
With their debut season less than five months away, Popovic said his main focus would be on finding players that are the right fit for the club and the area.
“Although we’re tight for time, we won’t just make rash decisions and bring in a player for the sake of it,” Popovic told reporters.
“They must bring a skill set that we’re after and even further to that we want someone to feel a part of the club and bring in the core values we believe in.
“They have to embrace that and it’s something we will look at closely. We don’t have any players at the moment but we still need to carefully choose the right ones.
“We know we’ll get there, we’ll have our bumps along the way but we have a clear vision for the club and I’m confident we’ll achieve that.”
Popovic denied he held talks with former club Sydney FC about taking on their head coaching position, and said the opportunity to start a new team was behind his decision to leave Crystal Palace.
“Just building something from scratch, and it’s something I spoke a lot about with Lyall, to be out in the west where I started my football was an opportunity that was very hard to turn down,” he said.
“I have a lot of respect for my former club Crystal Palace, they really backed me on this decision. Once they gave the all clear, it was a pretty easy decision.
“Certainly, it’s a great challenge, but one that I can handle.
“We are short of time but we’re confident we’ll get a good team, a competitive team from the outset and one that’s well prepared. That’s the challenge we face.”
Popovic said he was confident the region would be proud of the club, and had no doubts they could have immediate success.
Asked what he would bring to the role, Popovic said: “Hopefully a lot of leadership.
“Knowing the area and growing up in the area, I know what the people of the region expect.
“They’re hard-working people, they work hard for their dollar and they want to see a reflection of that in their team.
“We want to bring that along with a good brand of football that the A-League will be proud of, and that the people of western Sydney will be proud of.”
Gorman revealed the club are hopeful of having a name and their colours announced in the next fortnight.
