To see Scott at the football academy...

 

Ahead of Saturday’s must-win home game against Gold Coast United, Lavicka conceded pressure for results will always lead to speculation about the coach’s future.   

And big Swiss central defender Stephan Keller went on the offensive asking journalists if they’d like to see their own boss sacked. Jamieson was equally unequivocal.

“It’s disappointing,” Jamieson told au.fourfourtwo.com about the media speculation over Lavicka.

“For me as a person, I owe a lot to the manager. He brought me to the club and I’ve enjoyed working with him.

“I and also the whole team back him 100%, so it would be disappointing to see him leave. But it’s not our decision.

“We’re all behind the manager and we want to have a successful end to the season by obviously making the finals – fingers crossed – and then onto Asia.”

Lavicka, the former Sparta Prague and Czech Republic U/21 boss, was adamant he could oversee a sky blue renaissance in 2011.

Although A-League finals football appears unlikely - despite an encouraging win on Monday in Newcastle which lifted the side from bottom to ninth – there is an Asian Champions League campaign to contest in two months.

"I am a person who doesn't give up anything," Lavicka said today. "I'm a positive thinking person. I would like to give the team 100 percent effort to improve.

"There is no time for resigning."

And with his contract up at the end of March it’s vital the speculation ends sooner rather than later for a club that stated when Lavicka was appointed in early 2009 they wanted to end the destructive coaching merry-go-round and build a more stable coaching structure. 

Onto on-field matters and Jamieson described the “hollow” feeling in the Sydney FC dressing room after a spell of recent losses that saw them plunge to rock bottom on the ladder – just nine months after completing a stunning grand final and title double.

But Monday's 2-1 win over the Jets – and the re-fashioned Sydney line-up that included a return to left back for Jamieson, a switch to right back for Sung-Hwan Byun and a start in central defence for young Matt Jurman – has the former Bolton Wanderers player ecstatic.

“There’s no hiding the fact that I’ve played some of my best football at left back,” Jamieson said.

“For me it was getting back into groove but more importantly the team won. And the team performance was pretty decent in the first half.

“With Byun, who can play with his left and right foot, it kinda balanced out the team a  bit and with Nicky Carle getting more match fit he’s starting to come into his own and causing havoc.

“So with those kinds of combinations it’s good to work on and build on.”

Add to the Jets re-jig a star turn by a more offensive Seb Ryall in the second half there’s a bit of buoyancy around the Sydney FC squad this week.

“Hopefully we can now build on it,” added Jamieson.

The former Red was on hand this week to cast an eye over an innovative training session put on by local junior football academy Futbol.tec (www.futboltec.com.au).

The session featured junior players from Japan in Sydney for nine days as part of a football exchange program overseen by former A-League player Naoki Imaya (pictured with Jamieson).

Imaya runs a junior academy in Tokyo and brought his young Japanese players over to help forge stronger ties between the two countries as well as help his kids learn a little from the Australian mentality and style.

There was a Blacktown connection with Imaya and Jamieson both former Demons as are Futbol.tec founders and coaches Jason and Glen Trifiro.

“I’m just a fan of the program,” said Jamieson. “I think it’s the teaching – it’s about technique and I think in this day and age, it’s about technique."

To see Scott at the football academy...