In encouraging news, an Australian head coach is the A-League club's preferred choice.  

While the news was somewhat surprising given Fowler was on track for an A-League finals finish (Roar sat fourth on the A-League ladder with 10 wins, five draws)  Roar were not playing a particularly attractive brand of football. 

This coaching change gives Roar a chance to reset and refocus to bring a sustained level of success back to the three-time A-League title holders. 

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Luckily for Queensland's flagship club, a handful of experienced and hungry Australasian coaches may be available to step in. 

Here are five names that should be on the shortlist...

KARL DODD

A proud Queenslander born on the Gold Coast and a former Roar defender, Dodd’s commitment to his state and flagship A-League club is undeniable. 

His CV is both remarkable and impressive. 

After a playing career in Scotland (where he faced the likes of Celtic with his club Falkirk) and in the A-League with multiple clubs, Dodd was always going to be a coach following his retirement aged just 31.

After experience as a coach in the QLD NPL, the 39-year-old transitioned directly to a national team job in 2017 with the Guam Football Association. 

PLUS...

Guam's Aussie coach on Italian maestro’s words after Asian qualifier

Head coach of Guam, Australia's Karl Dodd, says Italian super-coach Marcello Lippi’s compliment was validation of how he’s shaping football in the tiny Pacific nation. 

It was quite a career move.

This allowed him a unique and broad education both in Guam and across Asia, including coaching against Italian master Marcello Lippi when Guam faced China at a packed Guangzhou last year. 

The former A-League defender at Roar, Phoenix, and Fury has been able to supercharge his coaching development in a role that has more challenges than most (he's also had former A-League goal machine Daniel McBreen as one of his assistants in Guam). 

"Our country is finally starting to buy in as a whole. Karl has brought a football culture and mindset and philosophy,” Guam player Marcus Lopez told Optus Sport recently. 

The Roar job could be a perfect fit as the club look to cement its playing identity and regain state pride in the A-League. 

ARTHUR PAPAS

With Victory and Adelaide United also looking for head coaches, little wonder Papas’ name is being mentioned regularly. 

Many believe he is a future Ange Postecoglou. 

Papas is a Postecoglou prodigy, having helped lift the J-League championship trophy in late 2019 as an assistant to the former Socceroos boss. 

PLUS...

Young Aussie coach links with J-League side

Rising star of Australian coaching Arthur Papas has signed with J-League club Yokohama Marinos as an assistant to former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou, the club has announced.

Papas is in many ways similar to Postecoglou: he is very clear on what he wants and is unwavering in his vision. 

And he's not a defensive coach, he wants to boss possession and dominate teams. 

At 40, Papas is coming into his best years as a coach after stints as an assistant in the A-League (Jets, Heart), the national youth system at the AIS, in India and in Saudi. 

With Postecoglou, a Roar legend following his two championships in 2011 and 2012, Papas’s link with the ex-Brisbane boss may be a strong attraction for Roar. 

The question is, would Papas want to leave the highly-prized J-League for the A-League?

BEN CAHN

Cahn has been attracting interest from Asia and the A-League over the last year, which is testament to the job he’s done in the semi-pro QLD NPL (he's actually employed full-time). 

In short, the 30-something is very much on the radar of A-League clubs as either a head coach or an assistant with the potential to move up. 

The former Fulham trainee Cahn has been coaching in Queensland for over eight years,  beginning as a 25-year-old. 

PLUS...

Premier League scrapheap to A-League coach-in-waiting

One day soon, Australian football might want to thank Carlo Ancelotti’s former right-hand man Paul Clement.

He has A-League experience after working in the Mariners youth development program, where he caught the eye as a coach who understands modern players and the modern game. 

Cahn is currently at Olympic FC in Brisbane though for how long he remains in Australia's second-tier is the question.