The popular former Reds coach is looking forward to taking on a new challenge since cutting ties with Bangkok Glass in the Thai Premier League just one game into the season.

Keen for another crack at the Australian topflight, Stubbins told au.fourfourtwo.com: “I’m not certain what opportunities may become available to me but my appetite is as strong as ever.”

Both A-League clubs are in the hands of their assistants, Chris Greenacre (Phoenix) and Michael Valkanis (Adelaide), following the in-season resignations by their head coaches.

“Adelaide United is obviously a great club and I hold a strong bond with them after serving four very eventful and successful years there,” Stubbins said. “Hopefully, they do well in the finals.

“Wellington Phoenix on the other hand is a fantastic and enticing challenge regarding the opportunity to shape their road ahead.

“I’m sure both clubs will be advanced in their searches for a new head coach and may perhaps even decide to go with the present incumbents. Obviously, both are excellent jobs and of course I’d love the challenge of a head coaching position in the A-League.”

No stranger to the demands of the A-League, the former Hull City attacking mid was one of the chief architects of Adelaide’s inspiring run to the 2008 Champions League final.

The tactician formed a strong partnership with his head coach Aurelio Vidmar, only to become a major casualty of successor Dutch coach Rini Coolen’s turbulent era in charge.

A brief spell with the AIS was followed by a two-year deal with Insee Police United before joining the ambitious Glass Rabbits, who have changed coaches eight times since joining the TPL in 2009.

Stubbins put the parting of the ways down to “philosophical differences” relating to the preparation and culture of the team. Among those differences, his regime of shorter high intensity training sessions which was at odds with the club’s fitness department.

“As a foreign Coach in Thailand the football can certainly pose some very unique challenges,” he said.

“Trying to impart your own benchmarks over to a culture that had done things in a certain way for a long time is not easy.

“Influencing the psyche of some at the club proved difficult. I think everyone had the right intentions but it’s the differences in how to attain and achieve your goals that were hard to match up. As an outsider you do get to feel and notice the differences in approach and mind-set.

“The fact that there are only two foreign coach’s in an 18-team competition currently active in the Thai Premier League illustrates just how hard it can be for a non-Thai.”

With a reputation for identifying and developing young players, Stubbins takes pride in seeing two squad members receive their first call-up to the national team under his watch and says some of the younger players were “really kicking on and showing great signs of improvement”.

Bangkok Glass, which has commercial links to English Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United, appointed Stubbins in October and the coach immediately set about overhauling the team.

More recently he recruited ex-Perth Glory marksman Billy Mehmet to provide experience to his youthful line-up.

The club racked up some credible wins in pre-season and put in a sound performance in a 2-1 loss to J.League outfit Cerezo Osaka.

But for the Glass Rabbits, keen to improve on last season’s eighth place, a 1-0 loss in the first game of the season to the dogged but lowly-rated Songkhla United, brought internal frictions to the fore. At a meeting with management following the match, Stubbins resigned.

He is confident, given time, he could have delivered the success the cashed-up outfit craved.

“We changed the squad substantially in the off-season and brought the average age of the squad down quite significantly,” he said.

“The squad was in transition in many ways and with time would have grown in strength as the season panned out. They have a good squad and our pre-season results showed that. I’m disappointed not to have been able to witness their advances.

“Things don’t just happen overnight in football. The squad needs time and best practice to take effect. Maybe they perceived those practices too dissimilar to what they had been used to, I’m not sure.

“I was certainly aware of the differences between us but I believe you should stay strong in the position as a head coach and not deviate too much from your own standards, values, philosophies and beliefs.”