WESTERN Sydney Wanderers captain Dylan McGowan has labelled new head-coach Carl Robinson and his coaching-staff as a “breath of fresh air” for the A-League.
Robinson has made quite the splash in Australia and caused head-waves since making the move from the Newcastle Jets to the Wanderers this off-season including the last-minute signings of Bernie Ibini, James Troisi and Ziggy Gordon.
McGowan spoke about the admiration he has for his new boss and also his assistants former Wanderers forward Labinot Haliti and Scotland striker Kenny Miller.
“I think the players he has recruited, how he has recruited them and the fact they all want to come play here speaks volumes of the manager he is,” McGowan said on Breakfast on FNR.
“We’ve got Laby (Labinot) Haliti still here who’s in the DNA of the club and he has brought Kenny with him who was a fantastic player who I’ve known a lot from my time in Scotland,
“To watch him work close up and see first hand the detail they go into is invaluable for us players and I think they are a real breath of fresh air in the league.”
Joining the Wanderers in a few weeks will be Jordon Mutch who has spent most of his career playing in England.
The former Crystal Palace and Birmingham midfielder will join the squad when his quarantine finishes and McGowan is excited to welcome the 29-year-old who will bolster a talented list of new signings.
“We’ve recruited well this season,” McGowan said.
“If you look at the signings we’ve made, a lot of them are international players whether it be Graeme Dorrans, Jordon Mutch, Troisi and Ibini who are Socceroos in their own right, Ziggy Gordon is a proven asset in this league,
“From a recruitment stand-point we’ve only strengthened from last season and we needed to because no one will tell you last season was good enough.”
Western Sydney tackle Robinson’s former team Newcastle on Friday night as they look to record their first win of the season.
Their opponents have had an extremely difficult off-season and are also eyeing off their first points after a disappointing defeat to Central Coast on New Year’s Eve.
“I think they’re a good side,” McGowan said.
“Last season they were under a different coach but towards the end they were one of the top teams in the competition and that has not changed much in terms of personnel,
“They’ve kept a lot of their core together including O’Donovan, Boogaard, Topor-Stanley and they’ve got experience,
“We are well aware there will be other factors in this game, crowds and other sub-plots going on but that is only good for the A-League in my opinion… the more sub-plots and the rivalries is only the better.”
