Under-fire Western Sydney Wanderers coach Carl Robinson has bolstered his backroom staff after bringing former Newcastle boss Gary van Egmond to the club.
Robinson has come under increasing scrutiny after the Wanderers have mustered just one win from their opening to the A-League Men’s season.
The Welshman has been working with just one assistant coach, Labinot Haliti, since Kenny Miller left to take up a head coach’s position in his native Scotland on the eve of the season.
Van Egmond, who has had a Football Australia role in recent years and won the 2007-8 A-League Championship with the Jets, will join Haliti on Robinson’s backroom staff for the remainder of the year.
“Gary has spent over two decades coaching in Australia and brings experience, knowledge and an unrivalled understanding of the domestic football landscape,” Robinson said.
“Gary is set to play an integral role in our coaching team to not only guide but inspire our next generation of players coming through the Wanderers Academy into the first team.
“We are all looking forward to working closely with Gary throughout the season and welcome him to the Wanderers.”
Van Egmond’s addition indicates that Robinson’s future is secure despite the club’s slow start to the season.
Robinson has been forced to defend his club’s culture after last week’s 2-0 loss to the Central Coast Mariners when former coaches Patrick Zwaanswijk and Dean Heffernan had withering criticism of the Wanderers on social media.
Zwaanswijk claimed the Wanderers had “no identity”, while Heffernan said the Wanderers’ football department was “the most toxic environment I’ve seen in 20 years of football”.
