Australia News'Lawrie Switch Came Too Late' |
EXCLUSIVE: One former Mariner favourite believes the decision to move coach Lawrie McKinna upstairs at Bluetongue should have been made earlier in the season.
Andre Gumprecht has told au.fourfourtwo.com that he felt the decision to move McKinna upstairs was left too late in the season and led to the side's failure to qualify for the A-League play-offs.
"In football you have to make decisions if something's not working. It's way too late," the 35-year-old German born midfielder said.
"That's the way it's always been at the club. It's always the 11th hour. It's a poor decision doing it now, it's too late."
Gumprecht left the club last season after a dispute with McKinna but remains a popular figure among the club's fans after being a regular starter for the first three seasons at Bluetongue - including playing in the inaugural grand final side.
He is now preparing to play in the 2010 NSW Premier League with ambitious Sydney Olympic.
"The decision was too late for me," he added.
Appearing on Fox Sports FC on Tuesday night, McKinna told the show he hadn't been pushed from his job to take on the role of Football and Commercial Operations manager.
And he stressed he would not undermine new first team manager Graham Arnold when it comes to team matters- although how the pair work on football operations issues is yet to be revealed.
McKinna also told au.fourfourtwo.com he will continue to update fans at the popular www.twitter.com/LawrieMckinna even after he's left the Bluetongue dugout. In fact, McKinna twittered today's announcement of his job change.
However, the future of Mariners' assistant coach and Socceroo legend Alex Tobin is still unclear.
The club did not respond to requests for information on who would be Arnold's assistant - although the pair did play together for many years in the national team.
The Mariners leave for New Zealand today (Wednesday) with a youthful squad for their final game of the season against top six side Phoenix in Wellington.
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