.png)
Carl Veart admits it is a tremendous honour to be appointed the Adelaide United Head Coach on a permanent basis.
Veart, who had served as interim boss post lockdown for the remainder of the 2019/20 season, will be in charge of the Reds for the next two seasons.
Veart said coaching in a professional setting was always a personal ambition after his retirement from the game.
“It’s always been aspiration for me to coach, having played the game at a high level, you always challenge yourself as a player to always improve and perform at the highest level,” he told AUFC Media.
“Going into coaching that’s something that’s driven me as well that I wanted to reach that high level and I’m very fortunate to be given that opportunity.
“… Adelaide United was a big part of me going from the old NSL to the new A-League, being part of that club being setup it means a lot to me, so to take charge it’s very special.”
The 50-year-old expressed his desire to take on the job permanently following the team’s impressive performances under his guidance, revealing that gave him the confidence that he was capable of leading the Club.
Adelaide went unbeaten in those remaining five matches against the top five sides, registering two wins and three draws and outscored their opponents 10-7.
https://players.brightcove.net/5498268479001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6192089471001
Spending time away particularly in the hub with the playing group for an extended period of time also gave him an excellent comprehension of the team dynamic and the players’ personalities.
Veart also gave youth a chance with the likes of Lachlan Brook and Pacifique Niyongabire some of the talented youngsters to be given more opportunities.
“I really enjoyed it, I think the whole playing group enjoyed the time that they had away,” he said.
“There were no distractions and it got me to understand and really see the ins and outs of each individual player and how they cope with day-to-day stuff.
“The highs and the lows of being selected and not selected and the injuries; it gave me a really good understanding of our playing group.”
Veart, a proud South Australian and fan favourite who scored 24 goals in 79 matches between 2003 and 2007 for the Reds, hoped to see a packed Coopers Stadium as a regular occurrence, synonymous with the early years of the Club.
“We support all of our sporting teams with passion and there’s nothing better,” Veart confessed.
“When I first started playing at Adelaide United, those first two seasons the support we used to get at the games was electrifying.
“We used to get 12, 13, 14 thousand to every game and I’d love to see that again back at the Club, we’ve struggled over the last few years with getting our loyal supporters back.
“So hopefully we can play an entertaining brand of football that’s going to bring back our South Australian supporters.”
The former striker reiterated his philosophy will be around combining a solid defensive structure with an attacking style.
“As an ex-player I was an attacking player,” he said.
“So I want my teams to attack and I want them to have the freedom, and I want them to be brave to make decisions, positive decisions and attack.
“I’m not saying that I’m just going to be all out attack because we know if we don’t defend well enough no matter how many goals you can score you’re always going to be conceding.
“And we found that out this year, we conceded far too many goals, so it’s important that we have a strong base and we’ll build on from that and play some free-flowing football.”
