Wellington Phoenix's announcement of new coach Mark Rudan has received high praises across the ditch.
The 42-year-old inked a two year deal with the A-League club on Wednesday, following successful stints managing in the lower leagues of Australian football.
Outspoken Phoenix critic and former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich has lauded the appointment, and believes Rudan can be the catalyst for change in Wellington.
"A very good move for Mark Rudan, but I think it's an even better move for Wellington Phoenix," he told RadioLIVE.
"I think number one it's determination that you heard in his voice, not only to do well for Wellington Phoenix, but if he does well, the Wellington Phoenix will do well - and he needs to do well and his determination and knowledge of football is right up there.
"He pretty much ticks every box. This is the big leagues now, and sometimes even if you tick every box, that's not going to make sure you're going to be a successful manager - what's going to make sure of that is the team's results.
"[He's] somebody who's done his apprenticeship in the National Premier League here with the local team, Sydney United and was very, very successful; won championships, won grand finals and also won the national competition where all the state's top teams playoff against each other."
With some of the club's best players departing this off-season, Rudan faces an uphill battle trying to recruit new players.
Bosnich has called for a new coach and the club's owners to make a splash in the transfer market.
"Go and get somebody, a world star, who is outside the salary cap, who's basically going to excite not just New Zealand and Wellington Phoenix, but going to excite the whole league," he said.
"I'm talking about a big-hitter - we've seen a lot of those people originally when the competition started; we had Dwight Yorke here, we've had Alessandro Del Piero, we've had Emile Heskey, Shinji Ono at Western Sydney Wanderers - I want someone of that type of ilk.
"Obviously the explosion of China has taken away a lot in terms of the wages that they're offering - it's very difficult for owners to do it, but go on and roll the dice. I don't see how that can be a loss.
"I think it's time for them to go and do that, and it would just be the icing on the cake right now after appointing Mark Rudan."
Newshub.
