Dear Sir,
First of all, let me offer you a belated welcome to the City of Churches. You seem to have settled in quite well and I hope you are enjoying all that our fair city has to offer.
I must admit that when you were appointed as the Reds new manager, I did not know much about you. Which is to say I knew nothing at all. But after doing a little bit of research through the wonders of the internet, I have since found out that you are indeed Dutch.
And you seem to have brought with you the structured system of gay abandon that the Dutch are famous for when they are 1-0 down with five minutes to go. The difference is you are playing the system for the entire 90 minutes.
I must admit that after your first official match in charge against Newcastle Jets, I was already saying "different manager, same boring game plan with no result." However, I am nothing if not amenable to giving people a second chance. Or at least two games in this case.
And how wrong I was to judge you so quickly. After having at least a few training sessions to make your mark on the team and finally having the players get on the same page, the results were nothing short of remarkable. This was a team that last season lacked confidence or idea of how to win a game.
Now they were playing with a purpose, a direction and a goal. Many goals in fact. You inherited a team that had added a few new faces but was essentially the same squad as last season. You have made a couple of other astute acquisitions such as Ramsay, Keenan and Watson that has strengthened our overall depth but also added much needed freshness and quality.
Their enthusiasm and commitment to their new team and the system you have in place has given renewed optimism to the team and the loyal fans of Adelaide United. Last season the Red Army endured game after game of disappointment and ultimate failure. But we never stopped believing, we knew it would turn around eventually.
It would appear you have been the catalyst for the turnaround and for this, the fans of Adelaide United salute you. You have allowed the flair and the passion to return to the squad. Players like Leckie, Flores and Cassio are able to show us all of their tricks because you let them be creative within the confines of the system.
Travelling to Hindmarsh Stadium is now a trip filled with anticipation at witnessing a show and not just hoping we can eek out a draw. Russell Crowe in Gladiator asked the question "Are you not entertained?"
Yes sir, we are entertained and we are very happy.
On behalf of all the Adelaide United fans around the country and the world (they are out there), I thank you for bringing Reds football back to where it belongs - on top of the league.
Keep up the good work Mr Coolen.
Yours Sincerely,
Kym Charles and The Red Army.
