Life’s grand for Moss at high-flying Jets
Glen Moss is not going to phone up Rob Morrison and tell him how to fix Wellington Phoenix. But the New Zealand goalkeeper does know a thing or two about how to turn a struggling club into an A-League force after spending a season with the high flying Newcastle Jets.
The Jets have been the story of the 2017-18 season, soaring from last place to the grand final under the guidance of coach Ernie Merrick.
Moss said he is not surprised by the revival though. He was sold on a promise by chief executive Lawrie McKinna that the Jets were heading in the right direction, when the former All White was lured back across the ditch following five seasons with the Phoenix.
‘‘I was talking to Joel Griffiths and Lawrie McKinna who run the club here and they were telling me what they wanted for the club and where it was heading after the drama of finishing bottom last season,’’ said Moss, who will start against Melbourne Victory today after incumbent goalkeeper Jack Duncan was ruled out with a quad strain.
‘‘They wanted to bring stability, play an attacking brand of football and reengage with the community again. All of those things kind of ticked the boxes for me.’’
Moss had already committed to the Jets before he discovered that Merrick, who he played under at both the Phoenix and Victory, was to be announced as their new coach. But having him on board only provided further reinsurance that returning to Australia was the right decision.
‘‘He called me and said ‘have you been talking to the Jets?’ I thought ‘oh no, is he fishing for a comment?’ I actually laughed because he said it’s all good because he’s going to jump on board as well and I’d love to have you there too.
‘‘I knew what type of squad Ernie would build, how he would run training day to day, the team culture, the environment, and I just thought this was meant to be.
‘‘And everything has come to fruition up to now and we’ve been a strong team, we’ve got the community falling in love with us again and already the tickets are a sellout.
‘‘We’ve had a whole bunch of people down at training and it’s just an amazing experience.’’
But while Merrick has been widely praised for guiding Jets to their first grand final in 10 years, Moss said the influence of chief executive McKinna, who is often seen celebrating with supporters in the stands, cannot be overlooked either.
‘‘This is the CEO. He’s the top dog at the club and he’s putting on Braveheart wigs and engaging with the community.
‘‘He’s jumping around in the crowd. It’s amazing. People forget that he’s our CEO and I don’t think you’d get any other CEOs in the competition doing that stuff, but that’s the type of culture we wanted to show and he’s leading by example by saying no one is too big for this club.
"I’ve been in a lot of culture meetings in my time and there’s a lot of good things said but not a lot of action so I think the way we’ve led the competition in fan engagement and our crowd numbers, which is one of the only ones to have increased by around 15-20 per cent, all these things are A-League grand final, Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, tonight 9.50pm (NZ time)
Jets $2.45, draw $3.35, Victory $2.65 ‘Intercontinental Cup’, will feature a round-robin format before the two highest-placed teams meet in the final.
It will be coach Fritz Schmid’s second chance to get a look at the players at his disposal for the next four years after starting his tenure with a 1-0 loss to Canada in Spain in March. showing that what we are trying to do is paying off.
‘‘Yes, I guess the argument is that you’re winning and scoring goals and all that but we’re a humble club and we’re more than happy to engage with our community whether we are winning or losing, and I think that’s what people respect more than anything.’’
Although the move could not have worked out any better for the 35-year-old, who is now set to play in the most important game of his 12-year A-League career, Moss said it was still hard to leave the Phoenix behind after five seasons. However, he revealed that he had become too comfortable in Wellington the change of scenery in Newcastle has clearly done him good.
‘‘I had been there a long time and I admit I was probably in my comfort zone a little bit and I wasn’t pushing myself as much as I could’ve, and that’s when I thought I needed to try something else,’’ he said.
‘‘That can happen sometimes when you are in one place for a long time and I guess it’s refreshed my passion for the game and I’ve enjoyed every week this season, whether I’ve played or not. It’s only fitting that we are there on grand final day.
‘‘It’s probably the biggest game in my club career and it’s been a long time coming for me. I’ve obviously realised that this might be the last chance, and I’ve waited a long time for it. But it’s an exciting week and you try and pass that advice on to the younger boys in the team, that you can’t take these games for granted."