Mariners forward Roy O’Donovan

Last season’s cellar dwellers, the laughing stock of the A-League — the Central Coast Mariners. Their last campaign is clearly one to forget with it being the worst in the clubs proud history…but will things change for them this year?

It has to change, right? 3 league wins in 27 matches saw many frustrated faces on the Central Coast last season, but things will be different this time out. Here’s why.

They have a new manager

The failed experimental “entertaining” football adopted by former coach Tony Walmsley will be gone this year under new manager Paul Okon. Okon’s experience playing with the Socceroos, tied in with his managerial work alongside A-League championship winning coach Ange Postecoglou makes for an exciting resume which makes fans optimistic for the season ahead.

Central Coast Mariners new manager Paul ‘Paolo’ Okon

‘Paolo’ has been utilising the same 4–2–3–1 formation so far in pre-season, but wishes to develop a different style to last campaign. As it was well-documented, Walmsley’s soul intention was to “entertain” the fans, which turned out to have quite the opposite impact come the end of the season. However, Okon has expressed his desires to play a patient passing or possession based brand of football this season.

With the midfield he has at his disposal, it will be interesting to see if he can make it work. Mickaël Tavares, Liam Rose and Adam Berry all have the quality required on the ball, but it’s getting the help from the rest of the team which could prove critical to the success of the Mariners this season. The Coast faithful hope this campaign will be more “entertaining” and rewarding than the last.

Russel Crowe in “Gladiator” (2000)

They’ve recruited well

The acquisitions of ex-Sydney FC trio Faty, Tavares and Necevski will add great depth and experience to a youthful Mariners squad. Importantly, that experience is in the form of defensive players. The Mariners were the leakiest of all defenses last season, conceding a whopping 70 goals in 27 league fixtures. They also scored the second least amount of goals (33) only to be out-done by their rivals the Newcastle Jets (28).

New signings Jacques Faty (Left) and Mickaël Taveres (right) in training at the Centre of Excellence

In an attempt to fix this, the Mariners signed former Melbourne Victory winger Connor Pain and have promoted a promising youth attacking midfielder Adam Berry, as well as signing former Wellington Phoenix striker Blake Powell. These signings should see a more well-rounded squad, proving experience in key areas as well as some quality. Tavares was arguable Sydney FC’s best player on the ball in the opening rounds of last season before falling out of favour with the gaffer, Graham Arnold. If Tavares can re-discover his touch and form from his early Sydney days, he should prove to be one of the most influential signings of the year.

Adam Berry after signing his first senior contract

They’re experimenting in the right areas

Unlike last seasons “entertaining” football experiments, the Mariners are going for a different kind of experimentation this year. For the first time ever, members of both the Mariners and the Jets will gain free entry to each F3 Derby, regardless of where the match is played. i.e. Mariners members will gain free entry into Hunter Stadium for the Derby, and vice versa with the Jets into Central Coast Stadium. This initiative is important for the future of both clubs, as the F3 Derby has become very lackluster for the fast few seasons. The attempt to get as many fans through the gates is a step in the right direction.

On top of this, their Academy sides are competitive, and their facilities up at the Centre of Excellence in Tuggerah add to a promising list of potential for next season. The Mariners hope these facilities will not only improve the professionalism of the club, but will have an effect on profitability. The Mariners were one of the only clubs to gain a profit from the 2015/16 A-League season, which seems unbelievable considering the shocking year they had on the pitch. The profit is largely due to the residual revenue from Mat Ryan’s transfer to Valencia. However, Charlesworth and co. remain optimistic for what the Centre of Excellence holds, with it being the main business centre of the club.

The burning questions

How do they come back after the year they had? Will their youthful outfit be better off because of it or will they still show the scars from last season? These questions can only be answered on the pitch. However, I believe Paolo as the new head coach mixed with the experienced heads now in the locker room will provide the youngsters on the Coast with a fresh start. Although it’s not going to be all bells and whistles for the Mariners this season, I’d be very surprised if it turned out any worse than the last.