Wellington Phoenix interim head coach Chris Greenacre says he wants to restore pride in the club ahead of their A-League men’s football match against Sydney FC.
Greenacre will take charge of the Phoenix for the fourth time as an interim coach after Giancarlo Italiano’s sudden resignation following last weekend’s 5-0home loss to Auckland FC.
The 48-year-old said the players need to forget about the heavy derby defeat and give everything they have moving forward.
“I think we as a club want to get some pride back, that’s really, really important,” Greenacre said.
“Pride in the badge, pride of playing for this club, give the fans something to really scream about and get fans in the stadium.
“So forget about the result, it’s about getting some pride back and some belief and some trust again.”
Wellington Phoenix interim coach Chris Greenacre said he wants to restore pride in the club. Photo / Getty Images
Greenacre praised the squad, claiming there was a strong bond among the players, with positive signs in the training sessions he’s taken.
“Training yesterday was a little bit more competitive than I actually liked, so that shows to me straight away that every single player in that squad cares, they do care.
“I’ve been an armchair supporter, I’m at the stadium watching the games and I go to Porirua and I watch the girls play and I’m an armchair fan when we’re overseas, but I can tell you they care.
“Trust me, they care and I think when you’ve got those ingredients, anything can happen.”
Greenacre hinted he might be keen to take on the job permanently, but wasn’t in any rush for a decision to be made just yet.
“I’ve been here a long time and I don’t want to sound cliche, but it feels like this is my club.
“I’ve almost been here as long as I’ve spent time in my family home as a kid, so it’s home from home and I want to be successful here.
The Phoenix sit in 11th place on the A-League ladder, only three points ahead of the bottom-placed Western Sydney Wanderers.
The team’s poor run of form has seen them pick up two points from their last five games, but they face a third-placed Sydney FC this weekend who have put up mixed results recently, with only two wins in their past five matches.
