Soccer: Coolen out for popular Kosmina

John Kosmina. File photo / Getty Images

The harsh reality of life as a soccer manager hit home for Adelaide United coach Rini Coolen after Friday night's 3-0 home loss to cellar-dwellers Gold Coast United in the opening game of the A-League's 11th round.

By Sunday morning the skids had been greased and Coolen was gone, replaced by Adelaide's favourite son John Kosmina, handed a lifeline.

"I'll be honest, it's pretty humbling the whole thing and probably emotional," said Kosmina. "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."

Kosmina was sacked by Adelaide in 2007 when they lost the grand final 6-0 to Melbourne Victory.

"But having said that, it's a challenge that I couldn't knock back," added Kosmina. "After qualifying for two Champions League campaigns, maybe a little bit of justice there, maybe a bit of karma," he said. "I do love this club. I was here from day one.

"It was 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 and not just from the team's point of view. I don't like to see the punters as upset as they were."

Kosmina will have the reins when Adelaide again play the opening game in round 12 away to Sydney FC which promises to be a tough reintroduction.

The Wellington Phoenix will be looking for a repeat of their earlier success when they play the Newcastle Jets at Westpac Stadium on Friday night.

At the same ground in round two, the Phoenix, with goals from Tim Brown - a header after 18 minutes - and Daniel on the hour, held on to beat the Jets for their first win of the season.

A second win over the Novocastrians would need a more disciplined effort than they turned in against Melbourne Victory on Sunday.

Their usually tight defence was someplace else in the first 25 minutes as they gift-wrapped a 3-0 lead to the home team. That they battled back to dominate the last hour was a credit to their grit but it was a lost cause and the Victory held on for their third win of the season and edged ahead of the Phoenix into fifth place.

Meanwhile, Perth Glory boss Ian Ferguson could soon follow Coolen down the gangplank.

With six losses in eight games since a stunning start to the season and with a home game against new league leaders Central Coast Mariners on Friday night, Ferguson is aware another loss could be his last.

Brisbane Roar have the chance to snap their losing run with the short trip away to play Gold Coast but even that may not be as simple as it seems after the Coasters' reversal on Friday night with that 3-0 triumph in Adelaide.