Stubbins, who now coaches Bangkok Glass in the Thai Premier League said he was concerned for the future of the club as it lurched from one disaster to the next.

And he urged the management to remember the club’s strong community values, reconnect with fans and bring the “buzz” back to Hindmarsh.

United had only just settled a damaging law suit with former coach Rini Coolen when Kosmina decided to throw in the towel citing a “lack of trust”.

Stubbins said:  “It must have been massively disappointing for Kossie to walk away from the club he loves.

“You’d have to say that in light of recent events it’s a pretty significant blow to the club too. There has been a fair amount of upheaval in recent times.

“Quite frankly unless the management start making some better thought out decisions there could be more heartache ahead.”

The former Victorian Coach of the Year spent a successful, though short stint, at the helm of the Reds following the exit of Aurelio Vidmar.

After taking the entire pre-season, and laying a solid platform for their successful 2010 campaign, he was controversially overlooked for the top job in favour of Coolen.

In all, the English-born coach was with the Reds from 2007-11 and said the club still held a special place in his heart.

“Adelaide was always a family club to me with a real sense of community,” Stubbins said.

“They need to really concentrate on bringing back that family atmosphere and attachment that everybody felt with the club. I feel the club could improve things in that area.

“There is something just not the same about a Friday night game at Hindmarsh anymore.”

Stubbins said the club needed to follow the lead of Western Sydney Wanderers, which had galvanised support behind the fledgling outfit.

“Embrace the community and start getting everybody back on board,” he urged.

“The A League needs Adelaide United and Adelaide needs the A league. The club needs to find a way to get Hindmarsh rocking again.

“The Reds fans will come, don’t worry about that.”

And while he hoped the club rebounded quickly from the latest setback, Stubbins warned against any hasty decision on the coaching front.

Adelaide recently announced assistant Michael Valkanis would be the interim coach for the rest of the season.

“(The club) could certainly benefit from a period of stability now and I think that the fans really deserve some sound footing in regards to the future of the club,” he added.

“Given the immediate nature of John’s resignation, it is understandable that the club would look to its assistant coach to fill the void in the short term.”

However, he said, in light of the Coolen debacle the leadership needed to do its due diligence before committing to a coaching appointment in the longer-term.

Stubbins took over at Bangkok Glass in October last year and recently boosted his squad with the addition of former Perth Glory attacker Billy Mehmet.

He said he was excited and challenged by his new role but still held a fondness for United, wishing the club and fans all the best for the rest of the season.

He added: "The club doesn't need someone to go in there and knock everyone down but more effectively to build everyone up."

Adelaide, he said, had a strong list and should do well in their finals campaign, although he remained perplexed by the loss of lethal marksman, Sergio van Dijk.

The striker, who is on the brink of finalising a deal with Indonesian club Persib Bandung, was frozen out by Kosmina but is back on the club’s radar since the coach’s departure.