Phoenix head coach Darije Kalezi speaks to the media in December. Photo / Photosport
Phoenix head coach Darije Kalezi speaks to the media in December. Photo / Photosport
First things first. Darije Kalezic needs to go.
Now.
After Thursday's announcement that he won't be staying at Wellington Phoenix beyond this season, there's absolutely nothing to be gained – for Kalezic, and certainly for the club – by him sticking around for the next six weeks.
Similarly, how can the players be expected to give everything – or anything – for a man who has his bags packed?
It's certainly the club's position that he should go immediately. It appears it's only Kalezic himself digging his heels in. This needs to be brought to a swift and decisive end.
Once that's done, someone has to be brought in to get a steady hand on the wheel and guide the side through the last six games of the season. While the playoffs are out of reach, there's plenty still to play for. Professional pride is a powerful motivator. So too, is a contract extension.
Fortunately, the Phoenix have a Mr Fix-It on staff. Twice before, Chris Greenacre has taken the reins after the premature exit of a coach and both times he's emerged with credit. If he's willing, he should be given the caretaker role again while the club search for their next permanent Head Coach.
Chris Greenacre. Photo / Photosport
Which brings us to the crux.
There's no crime in making a poor hire. The Phoenix certainly aren't the first A-League club to employ the wrong man. For every Graham Arnold, there's been a Mehmet Durakovic; for every Ange Postecoglou, a Tony Walmsley.
But the trick is to learn from your mistakes.
Kalezic's history made him a risky choice at best, his CV littered with short stays at various different clubs and bust-ups with colleagues. Sadly, if not unpredictably, this has ended in the same way.
He also came bereft of knowledge when it came to the A-League and its players. Assistant coach Rado Vidosic was supposed to fill that gap, but the two couldn't work together and Vidosic left, along with son Dario, midway through the season.
As time went on, things got worse. Kalezic stated publicly his players weren't good enough. He spoke of 'natural selection' in the renewal (or not) of their contracts. He rubbed too many people the wrong way, falling out almost irreparably with the side's best player.
Dissatisfaction grew. Rumours swirled. The players looked defeated. It was a mess.
The Phoenix can't let that happen again. They simply can't afford to make another bad decision. The next coach of the football club needs to tick a number of key boxes.
He must have an understanding of the A-League and the realities of assembling a competitive squad in a salary-capped framework.
He must realise that it's hard to get Australian and overseas players to come to Wellington and yet find a way to convince them to come anyway.
He must see the club's crucial role in the overall framework of the game here in New Zealand.
And he must buy completely into the culture of togetherness and unity the club was built on.
Already names have been thrown into the ring as possible successors. Ramon Tribulietx, inevitably, is one. Former Adelaide United mentor Aurelio Vidmar is another. There'll be more to come.
Ramon Tribulietx is (again) being mooted as the next Phoenix head coach. Photo / Photosport
Whoever is chosen needs to fulfill the criteria above and more.
In all honesty, it's hard to regard it as anything other than an abject failure.
He chopped and changed his tactics, flitted between formations and alienated many of the players, who became disillusioned with his approach and felt distanced by his gruff nature.
He leaves the club in worse shape that he found it, and that's never a good sign.
In reality, it's difficult to see this season as anything other than a wasted six months.
And at a time when the sceptre of metrics and their bearing on the very future of the Phoenix are ever-present, and the noises about the club's future refuse to die down, the club can't afford to waste a single week, let alone an entire year.
