Club chairman Greg Griffin today confirmed the re-appointment after a board meeting this morning, and said he was happy to have Kosmina back at the club.

“We discussed it with John and we’ve got a good relationship, it works as it is, it’s year by year and we’d be delighted if he was here as a long term coach,” Griffin said.

“When the time is right we will have the same discussion again so the length of the term doesn’t matter, it’s the performance, and what we’ve seen is a terrific performance and one that deserves to be rewarded with an extension.”

He also revealed they hadn't even talked to any other candidates for the job before handing the new deal to Kosmina.

“We’re very comfortable with Kossie and we did not speak to a single other coach,” Griffin stated.

“Despite all of the coaches CV’s that have been thrown at us, not one has been spoken to because we had an arrangement with John that we would let him finish off the AFC Champions League and we’ve decided to bring this forward.

"It is the club’s decision because quite frankly everything we’d hoped he achieve he has achieved.

“You can see the spirit, you can see the fact that this team plays for something, so no other coach was contemplated.”

Kosmina was delighted to be staying at the club he originally coached in the A-League opening seasons, and embraced the challenges that lie ahead.

"For me it’s a privilege and an honour because this club is really special and I don’t think even the people in it now realise how special it can be," Kosmina said.

“It’s unique in Australian football and it’s got a pretty good history in the A-League, even I guess in terms of the how long it has been alive, the club has achieved a lot and I think it’s got a lot more it can achieve.”

But what it can achieve, it appears will be totally up to Kosmina and his recruitment strategy. He inherited a squad that was not his after Rini Coolen was shown the door and he intends to build a squad around his own philosophy.

“Whoever comes here next season needs to fit the mould in terms of the direction the club wants to take, rather than the club trying to fit the mould of the players," he said…

"Te great teams around the world have their own philosophy and players that go to those clubs fit that philosophy.”

Since returning to the club to replace Coolen, Kosmina hasn't been able to turn the club's fortunes around in the A-League but has them off to a promising start in the AFC Champions League, having won their opening two games against Bunyodkor and Gamba Osaka.

Kosmina is understood to be heading to Canberra next month to begin work on upgrading his B-Licence to the A-Licence required by the FFA and AFC in time for next season.