Head coach Gary van Egmond is looking for his team to bounce back from last weekend’s loss and is hoping to see his players leading by example.
Actions will speak louder than words for Head coach Gary van Egmond as his team works towards turning around last weekend-s 5-0 loss to Melbourne.
This weekend-s FIFA Match Day break offers the Newcastle Jets a chance to move on from the defeat and focus on the forthcoming NSW blockbuster against rivals Sydney FC on Saturday, 13 September.
Much has been said about the Jets- loss to the Victory, but the reigning Hyundai A-League Coach of the Year is only interested in seeing his team manifest the type of form that saw them crowned Hyundai A-League Champions last season.
“It-s good to talk about it, it-s good to discuss things, it-s good to identify things, to give the players information and knowledge, but it-s the response that we-re after. It-s all well and good to be talking about ‘this is what we should have done- or ‘this is how mentally I should have approached the game- but it-s the response that-s really the important part of it.”
”Training has definitely been sharp, the effort has been fantastic but the effort was good before the Melbourne game as well. So it depends how the response is against Sydney FC on Saturday night,” van Egmond said.
Captain Jade North and goalkeeper Ante Covic were the only Hyundai A-League players selected in Pim Verbeek-s 27-man Socceroos squad currently in Europe, and the pair may return home as late as the day before the Jets- Round 4 clash against Sydney FC. Van Egmond today stated that no decision would be made about their selection until after their National Team commitments were complete.
“We-ll ascertain their state of fitness mentally and physically, and if we feel that it might be too much of a short turn around we-ll go with the players here,” he said.
For now van Egmond will run his men through their paces on the training pitch with the team-s focus already squarely on the next game and moving forward in their Championship defence.
“You get hit for five and you want to right that wrong as soon as possible. Come next Saturday you-ll see a vastly different Newcastle to the one that you saw against Melbourne,” stated van Egmond.
Tickets for the Newcastle Jets- clash against Sydney FC on Saturday, 13 September are available from www.proticket.com.au, or by calling (02) 4915 2345.
