Ahead of Friday night’s game against Melbourne Victory at Hunter Stadium Jets Senior Assistant Coach Jean-Paul de Marigny took time out to speak to the club’s official podcast host Meredith Gibbs about the season so far, plus his former club.
de Marigny returned to Newcastle for his second stint at the Jets in June, some ten years after previously working for the club in 2005/06.
While de Marigny is a highly valued member of the Jets football department, he was also a key man at Melbourne Victory between 2013 and 2015, assisting Kevin Muscat at the reigning Hyundai A-League Champions.
“The whole game has evolved in ten years,” de Marigny told ‘Boarding Pass’ regarding the Hyundai A-League.
“The club itself is brand new and the difference from when I first came in three months ago … we’ve improved so much it’s incredible”.
“I left the club [Jets, in 2006] in a bad circumstances so for me to come back is a real plus.”
“Melbourne Victory is probably the biggest, most professional and best supported club in the country, and how they run their football club is second to none.”
“If I can share half of that with the Newcastle Jets and implement it than we will be better for it”.
“We are continuing to look at ways to improve … the football club to become a bigger club”.
de Marigny may sometimes come across as a tough coach but he says his approach is all about bringing better standards to the club.
Helping Jets players reach their optimum is his primary focus.
“I’m looking at high standards for every player and maximising their full potential,” he explained.
“I probably get a little bit verbal when they don’t bring that to the training ground [however] I make them accountable for the decisions and actions they make.”
“If that’s tough than, than I guess I’m tough!”
Friday night’s game against Victory will be unfamiliar for de Marigny first and foremost because he will be sitting across from his former colleagues on the bench.
de Marigny knows how dangerous Melbourne’s attack is.
“They [Victory] are a very good side,” de Marigny said.
“[Victory are] very dangerous in transition from out of possession and into possession so it’s vital for us that our defence is very good.”
“They’ve got a lot of dangerous players in transition but if our defence is on its game I think we can defuse a lot of their attacks,” he said.
Newcastle Jets vs. Melbourne Victory – Hyundai A-League 2015/16 Round 3
Friday 23 October 2015
Hunter Stadium, Newcastle
Kick-off: 7:40pm
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