2005/06 Sydney FC A-League championship winning assistant coach Ian Crook will return to the club as NYL assistant coach alongside Steve Corica.
He won a Hyundai A-League title as an assistant coach with Sydney FC in the competition-s inaugural season and will now aim to do the same with the Sky Blues- National Youth League side.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City star Ian Crook today signed on to be Steve Corica-s assistant for the club-s 2010/11 NYL campaign.
Crook, who assisted Pierre Littbarksi to Sydney FC-s first piece of silverware in 2005/06, returns to the club after managerial roles with Japanese side Avispa Fukuoaka, Newcastle Jets and Norwich City – the club where he enjoyed a stellar ten year career that included over 400 appearances.
“It-s been great returning but there have been a lot of changes in the time that I have been away,” Crook said. “The club has a new set-up with the training ground and the facilities there are magnificent.”
“Steve has had a glittering career as a player culminating last year for him so I-m looking forward to working with him. He-s been looking at players to bring in and I have too since coming back several weeks ago.
“We-re gradually putting a squad together that will hopefully someday push into the first team and give a future to the club.
“I-m sure we will both learn from each other as well as help the boys improve. I-m looking forward to getting back into work now.”
After an illustrious playing career with Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City – where in 2002 he was voted into the club-s Hall of Fame – Crook began his coaching career as an assistant with Northern Spirit in 1999, where he spent two seasons.
He took his first head coaching role as manager of the Newcastle Jets in the now defunct National Soccer League (NSL) and enjoyed immediate success, taking them from the bottom to the pointy end of the competition and as a result received Coach of the Year honours.
In 2004 Crook took charge of football minnows American Samoa before taking an assistant role with the Australian U20 side. Then in 2005 he joined the Sky Blues and was part of the championship winning coaching staff.
“We were fortunate to have so many memorable moments in that first year,” Crook said.
“Right from the beginning the club had the qualifiers for the Oceania Club Championship which we went on to win. This and other things culminating in the A-League grand-final. A thoroughly enjoyable day that I won-t forget.
“I enjoyed my time overseas-. I-ve definitely improved as a person and a coach.”
Crook recently returned to Australia and is currently undertaking a coaching supervisory position with Sydney Olympic. Corica and Crook have secured a host of players for the upcoming season with the full squad to be announced soon.
Name: Ian Crook
DOB: 18 January 1963
Place of birth: Romford, England
Playing career:
Tottenham Hotspur : 1980 – 1986
Norwich City: 1986 – 1997
Sanfrecce Hiroshima: 1997 – 1998
Northern Spirit: 1998 – 2000
Coaching career:
Northern Spirit: 1999 – 2001 (Assistant)
Newcastle Jets: 2001 – 2004
American Samoa: 2004
Australian U20: 2004 (Assistant)
Sydney FC: 2005 – 2006 (Assistant)
Avispa Fukuoka: 2007 – 2008 (Assistant)
Newcastle Jets: 2008 (Technical director)
Norwich City: 2009 – 2010
Sydney Olympic: 2010 – present (Director of coaching)
Sydney FC: 2010 – present (NYL assistant)
