Smith buoyed by Mulvey re-appointment

Injured Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith has backed Mike Mulvey to lead a resurgence after his re-appointment for another two years.

Injured Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith has backed Mike Mulvey to lead a resurgence after his re-appointment for another two years.

Despite a record of only three wins from 10 matches in all competitions since taking charge in December, Mulvey has been guiding the Roar in the right direction, according to Smith, who is out for the rest of the season after a hip operation.

Having Mulvey locked in as coach for next season would allow everyone around the club to focus on the future, Smith said.

“I think that the stability, and moving forward, is a big step today,” he said.

“We can now focus on the last seven games of the season, plus finals and then know the direction that we’re going for the next two years.”

Smith told reporters he was not surprised at Mulvey’s re-appointment, even though it came so soon after the Roar’s elimination from the AFC Champions League against Buriram United.

“From what I’ve seen over the last two or three months that Mike’s been in charge, there’s certainly been some positive changes, particularly in and around the club, and in and around the playing squad,” he said.

“We’re moving in the right direction, albeit a bit slow, and now we can really start to round things up for the remainder of this season and beyond, and know that we’ll have that direction.

“Because previously we were a bit unsure, is Mike going to be here, or is he not going to be here? Whereas now we know that what we’re working on is towards something beyond this season.”

Mulvey hinted there would be more shuffling of playing staff on the cards, something that Smith said he has no problems with.

“I’ll be the first to admit that we haven’t lived up to our expectations this season. We’ve struggled with consistency,” Smith said.

“Changes might be the thing that we need.

“With Mike at the helm now, those are his choices to make. He has obviously got his own vision and his own philosophy.

“Now that he’s got that security of knowing that he’s going to be the gaffer for the next couple of years he can really start to drive his mentality and his approach even further.”