Coolen shafted, Kosmina returns

Adelaide United’s Rini Coolen has been sacked as coach by the struggling club on Sunday, with Coolen replaced by former coach John Kosmina.

Adelaide are sitting in ninth on the table following an inconsistent start to the season that has seen them record just two wins, despite the club enjoying numerous home matches.

But last Friday night’s 3-0 loss to last-placed Gold Coast was the final straw for Adelaide United management, with chairman Greg Griffin calling a hasty press conference early on Sunday afternoon to reveal the decision to replace Coolen with prodigal son Kosmina.

“I’ll be honest, it’s pretty humbling the whole thing and probably emotional,” Kosmina told FiveAA radio.

“It’s not often you get a second chance at things and I had my first chance … (but) that’s in the past, it’s history now,” he said, referring to being sacked by Adelaide at the end of the 2006-07 season when the Reds lost the Grand Final to Melbourne Victory 6-1.

“But having said, that it’s a challenge that I couldn’t knock back and after qualifying for two champions league campaigns, maybe a little bit of justice there, maybe a bit of karma.”

“But like I said, I’m really humbled by the whole situation, it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.”

“I do love this club,” he added. “I was here from day one.”

“It’s sad, being at the game on Friday night and I’m not trying to hammer the dead so to speak, but I didn’t like what I saw on Friday night and not just from the team’s point of view, I don’t like to see the punters as upset as they were.”

In a significant demotion 44-year-old Dutchman Coolen will reportedly take up the role of overseeing Adelaide’s youth development program as he has over 18 months remaining on his current contract with the club.

It’s a massive blow for former FC Twente coach Coolen, who presided over 15 wins in his first season at Adelaide during 2010-11, taking the Reds to third on the table, although they bowed out of the finals in the second week.

But the post-season departures of talismanic players Travis Dodd and Johnny Warren medallist Marcos Flores, along with injuries to marquee man Dario Vidosic and key striker Sergio van Dijk, has seen the Reds struggle this term, their only wins coming against Melbourne Victory and Gold Coast United earlier in the campaign.

Kosmina also worked as Sydney FC coach, but was removed at the end of the 2008-09 season after his side failed to make the finals.

Since leaving Sydney, the 55-year-old former Qantas Socceroo Kosmina has been working as a commentator for newspapers, television and radio in Adelaide.