To see Rini Coolen face the press in Adelaide today...

   

Coolen replaces the outgoing Aurelio Vidmar who has taken up a post with the Socceroos.

Following an extensive selection process, the relatively unknown Coolen edged out the Reds assistant coach Phil Stubbins who had been in charge since returning from the offseason.

Coolen is Adelaide United's first foreign coach and Reds' CEO Sam Ciccarello believes he is the perfect fit for the club moving forward.

"We found Rini to be the perfect fit for Adelaide United. He's got great football experience in a country that has produced many great coaches and players," Ciccarello said.

"Rini ticked all of the boxes. He's got high level experience both as a player and in the coaching and development area. He's young and ambitious, we feel the personal characteristics of Rini will fit the culture of Adelaide United, so it was a pretty confident decision at the end of the day that we made."

Coolen's coaching journey saw him undertake practical periods with former Qantas Socceroos Coach Guus Hiddink, former Liverpool Manager Gerard Houllier and FC Barcelona's Frank Rijkaard and Henk ten Cate.

Relocation to Australia has always appealed to Coolen and he explored the possibility of coaching in Australia five years ago, but says the timing was not right for him and his family.

However with the challenge of trying to lift United back up the Hyundai A-League table presenting itself, it is an opportunity he is excited about embracing.

"I'm glad to get the opportunity to be the coach of this club," Coolen said. "I want to prove myself in this league. I come to Australia hopefully not just for two years, I prefer to stay longer but I think it's a good start.

"I'm not a coach who before he starts says we're going to do this, we're going to do that. I think it's important that you have to analyse your squad, what is the quality and possibility of your squad."

The former FC Twente coach is also keen to play a part in the continual development of football in Australia.

"I think what is most important for me is to help with the development of football in Australia, and it is getting better and better," he said.

"More coaches want to come over here, better players want to come over, so I want to help for the next steps.

"Of course I'm a Dutch coach so you think in a Dutch way, and you prefer to play with good organisation, you like to decide what happens on the field with a lot of goal scoring chances, a lot of technical moments, not too many high balls, nice football."

Despite having just a month before the start of the Hyundai A-League season, Coolen will take time to analyse his squad and will not jump into making drastic changes.

"I think if you are a good coach you need to analyse your players and see what they can do, and I have to find out what the possibilities are," Coolen said.

While he admits three weeks preparation is not ideal, Coolen claims he will do his utmost with the assistance of Phil Stubbins, to make sure the Reds are ready for their opening match of the season against the Newcastle Jets on August 6.

Coolen complimented the coaching staff in his assessment of the squad, particularly the work of caretaker coach Phil Stubbins, not only during the current pre-season, but during Stubbins's three years at the club.

"They are in good hands now, I'm very happy that they have a good squad at this moment...I had a good meeting with Phil, he's a really good coach and that's what I prefer, a coach like Phil with a lot of ambition," Coolen said.

"I see him as a first team coach, I don't call him an assistant coach, that's the way I want to work. So he's working with the team and I leave tomorrow, but it's no problem, they continue working and when I come back there is still three weeks to prepare the team for the first game.

"I like to delegate. I'm more a kind of manager. I don't say I'm the boss, I don't see it that way. I decide what happens and I'm responsible for everything that happens but I want to give the coaching staff a lot of responsibility."

Coolen will fly back to Holland tomorrow to finalise arrangements before returning prior to the Reds' pre-season friendly against Wellington Phoenix on July 16, and he has stated he will spend a number of days observing the squad before tweaking parts of the Reds' game ‘where necessary' ahead of the season.

To see Rini Coolen face the press in Adelaide today...