8. ALEN STAJCIC

Season Club managed GM W D L W % D % L % GS GC
2018-19 Central Coast Mariners (Interim) 6 2 0 4 33.33% 0% 66.67% 7 14

When Stajcic was rolled out as the new Mariners coach, it beggared belief.

Firstly, if the allegations weren't to be believed, why was a coach who had been so successful at the pinnacle of women's football now taking a job at the Mariners?

Secondly, if the allegations were to be believed, if the Mariners were dealing with a crushing cultural problem, what was appointing Stajcic a few weeks out from the season's end going to do?

Fix it, turns out.

While Staj presided over some mixed performances to round out the Mariners' worst season on record, a thrilling debut win over Newcastle Jets, a series of tight defensive performances and a battering of the Wanderers to end the campaign signalled a miraculous shift in a club many thought were on the brink.

Where they go from here is anyone's guess. But perhaps no one should be surprised if the turnaround continues, after all, we're dealing with one of the highest pedigreed coaches in the competition.

Maybe the Mariners had to turn to the women's game to finally find their man.