Latest news with #UfukTalay
The Advertiser
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Sydney reward Talay with new deal after finals failure
Ufuk Talay has been backed to turn Sydney FC's fortunes around with the Sky Blues boss awarded a one-year extension despite the club's failure to make the A-League Men finals. Talay will be given the chance to revamp Sydney's squad after a late-season implosion where they finished seventh and were knocked out of the Asian Champions League Two semi-final. Talay fell agonisingly short of a grand final appearance in his first season but Sydney's taxing second campaign under his guidance, where they juggled domestic and Asian commitments, eventually caught up with them. The 49-year-old had drawn criticism for his reliance on a gung-ho approach that made the Sky Blues vulnerable at the back following Hayden Matthews' mid-season sale to Portsmouth. "Last season was disappointing by our high standards, but this is a long-term strategy and we are making inroads," chief executive Mark Aubrey said in a statement. "In Ufuk we have a coach who has shown his ability to implement an attacking brand of football while bringing through young talent like Adrian Segecic, Hayden Matthews, Jake Girdwood-Reich and Wataru Kamijo. "Youth development and professional pathways have always been important to Sydney FC but with recent changes to the A-League they are becoming more important than ever. "However, winning trophies is a must for Sydney FC. That remains our ultimate goal, and we must get back to that." Talay will be given the opportunity to overhaul the squad and has set about making changes. Popular goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne has already been farewelled while Max Burgess is expected to also move on. Sydney are in talks with defender Alex Grant and Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres over signing extensions, although the latter may feel that at 32, his next contract may be his last to set himself up for life after football. "We are working on next season already and believe with some strengthening and changes we will see the success everyone at this club wants to deliver," Talay said in a statement. "We came close to making history in Asia and achieving something special last season and while it ultimately was disappointing, we were not too far away." Ufuk Talay has been backed to turn Sydney FC's fortunes around with the Sky Blues boss awarded a one-year extension despite the club's failure to make the A-League Men finals. Talay will be given the chance to revamp Sydney's squad after a late-season implosion where they finished seventh and were knocked out of the Asian Champions League Two semi-final. Talay fell agonisingly short of a grand final appearance in his first season but Sydney's taxing second campaign under his guidance, where they juggled domestic and Asian commitments, eventually caught up with them. The 49-year-old had drawn criticism for his reliance on a gung-ho approach that made the Sky Blues vulnerable at the back following Hayden Matthews' mid-season sale to Portsmouth. "Last season was disappointing by our high standards, but this is a long-term strategy and we are making inroads," chief executive Mark Aubrey said in a statement. "In Ufuk we have a coach who has shown his ability to implement an attacking brand of football while bringing through young talent like Adrian Segecic, Hayden Matthews, Jake Girdwood-Reich and Wataru Kamijo. "Youth development and professional pathways have always been important to Sydney FC but with recent changes to the A-League they are becoming more important than ever. "However, winning trophies is a must for Sydney FC. That remains our ultimate goal, and we must get back to that." Talay will be given the opportunity to overhaul the squad and has set about making changes. Popular goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne has already been farewelled while Max Burgess is expected to also move on. Sydney are in talks with defender Alex Grant and Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres over signing extensions, although the latter may feel that at 32, his next contract may be his last to set himself up for life after football. "We are working on next season already and believe with some strengthening and changes we will see the success everyone at this club wants to deliver," Talay said in a statement. "We came close to making history in Asia and achieving something special last season and while it ultimately was disappointing, we were not too far away." Ufuk Talay has been backed to turn Sydney FC's fortunes around with the Sky Blues boss awarded a one-year extension despite the club's failure to make the A-League Men finals. Talay will be given the chance to revamp Sydney's squad after a late-season implosion where they finished seventh and were knocked out of the Asian Champions League Two semi-final. Talay fell agonisingly short of a grand final appearance in his first season but Sydney's taxing second campaign under his guidance, where they juggled domestic and Asian commitments, eventually caught up with them. The 49-year-old had drawn criticism for his reliance on a gung-ho approach that made the Sky Blues vulnerable at the back following Hayden Matthews' mid-season sale to Portsmouth. "Last season was disappointing by our high standards, but this is a long-term strategy and we are making inroads," chief executive Mark Aubrey said in a statement. "In Ufuk we have a coach who has shown his ability to implement an attacking brand of football while bringing through young talent like Adrian Segecic, Hayden Matthews, Jake Girdwood-Reich and Wataru Kamijo. "Youth development and professional pathways have always been important to Sydney FC but with recent changes to the A-League they are becoming more important than ever. "However, winning trophies is a must for Sydney FC. That remains our ultimate goal, and we must get back to that." Talay will be given the opportunity to overhaul the squad and has set about making changes. Popular goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne has already been farewelled while Max Burgess is expected to also move on. Sydney are in talks with defender Alex Grant and Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres over signing extensions, although the latter may feel that at 32, his next contract may be his last to set himself up for life after football. "We are working on next season already and believe with some strengthening and changes we will see the success everyone at this club wants to deliver," Talay said in a statement. "We came close to making history in Asia and achieving something special last season and while it ultimately was disappointing, we were not too far away."
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Sydney FC confirms retention of coach Ufuk Talay despite ‘disappointing' season
Sydney FC has kept faith in Ufuk Talay, who will remain coach of the Sky Blues for at least another season. The star-studded Sky Blues' failure to qualify for this season's A-League finals series clouded Talay's future despite him telling News Corp Australia last month that he had agreed to terms on a new two-year deal. However, the contract was not signed, and having failed to meet expectations in Sydney's 2024-25 campaign, Talay's new contract is now only guaranteed until the end of next season, with an option in the Sky Blues' favour to keep him at the club for the season after. Apart from missing out on the A-League playoffs, the Sky Blues also missed out on millions of dollars by failing to reach the AFC Champions League Two final after falling short in their two-legged semi-final against Singapore club Lion City Sailors. 'Following a disappointing season it is very easy to simply deflect everything on to the head coach, but this is just one piece of our holistic football strategy to which we will make appropriate changes, and post our men's football review, the Sydney FC board believe Ufuk remains the coach who has the ability to fulfil that strategy,' the club's chief executive Mark Aubrey said. 'Last season was disappointing by our high standards, but this is a long-term strategy and we are making inroads. 'We pride ourselves on having a proactive, attacking, dynamic, football philosophy that all our coaches adhere to while integrating our youth pathways. 'In Ufuk we have a coach who has shown his ability to implement an attacking brand of football while bringing through young talent like Adrian Segecic, Hayden Matthews, Jake Girdwood-Reich and Wataru Kamijo. 'Youth development and professional pathways have always been important to Sydney FC, but with recent changes to the A-League, they are becoming more important than ever. 'However, winning trophies is a must for Sydney FC. That remains our ultimate goal, and we must get back to that. 'There are valuable learnings and improvements to make, but we remain determined that we are on the right path.' Talay is confident a 'redefined squad' can deliver the Sky Blues success next season. 'We came close to making history in Asia and achieving something special last season and while it ultimately was disappointing, we were not too far away,' Talay said. 'I think there were still plenty of positives to build on, particularly our ability to score goals and entertain as well as the emergence of our younger players. 'We do need to take learnings from last season and will work better to balance our recruitment with our younger players.' Off-contract Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres' Sydney future remains clouded, while attacking weapons Segecic and Jaiden Kucharski are to set depart the club along with midfielder Max Burgess. The Sky Blues, who have already announced the departure of former Socceroos goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, are hopeful of retaining experienced defender Alex Grant.
Perth Now
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Sydney reward Talay with new deal after finals failure
Ufuk Talay has been backed to turn Sydney FC's fortunes around with the Sky Blues boss awarded a one-year extension despite the club's failure to make the A-League Men finals. Talay will be given the chance to revamp Sydney's squad after a late-season implosion where they finished seventh and were knocked out of the Asian Champions League Two semi-final. Talay fell agonisingly short of a grand final appearance in his first season but Sydney's taxing second campaign under his guidance, where they juggled domestic and Asian commitments, eventually caught up with them. The 49-year-old had drawn criticism for his reliance on a gung-ho approach that made the Sky Blues vulnerable at the back following Hayden Matthews' mid-season sale to Portsmouth. "Last season was disappointing by our high standards, but this is a long-term strategy and we are making inroads," chief executive Mark Aubrey said in a statement. "In Ufuk we have a coach who has shown his ability to implement an attacking brand of football while bringing through young talent like Adrian Segecic, Hayden Matthews, Jake Girdwood-Reich and Wataru Kamijo. "Youth development and professional pathways have always been important to Sydney FC but with recent changes to the A-League they are becoming more important than ever. "However, winning trophies is a must for Sydney FC. That remains our ultimate goal, and we must get back to that." Talay will be given the opportunity to overhaul the squad and has set about making changes. Popular goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne has already been farewelled while Max Burgess is expected to also move on. Sydney are in talks with defender Alex Grant and Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres over signing extensions, although the latter may feel that at 32, his next contract may be his last to set himself up for life after football. "We are working on next season already and believe with some strengthening and changes we will see the success everyone at this club wants to deliver," Talay said in a statement. "We came close to making history in Asia and achieving something special last season and while it ultimately was disappointing, we were not too far away."
West Australian
14-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Sydney reward Talay with new deal after finals failure
Ufuk Talay has been backed to turn Sydney FC's fortunes around with the Sky Blues boss awarded a one-year extension despite the club's failure to make the A-League Men finals. Talay will be given the chance to revamp Sydney's squad after a late-season implosion where they finished seventh and were knocked out of the Asian Champions League Two semi-final. Talay fell agonisingly short of a grand final appearance in his first season but Sydney's taxing second campaign under his guidance, where they juggled domestic and Asian commitments, eventually caught up with them. The 49-year-old had drawn criticism for his reliance on a gung-ho approach that made the Sky Blues vulnerable at the back following Hayden Matthews' mid-season sale to Portsmouth. "Last season was disappointing by our high standards, but this is a long-term strategy and we are making inroads," chief executive Mark Aubrey said in a statement. "In Ufuk we have a coach who has shown his ability to implement an attacking brand of football while bringing through young talent like Adrian Segecic, Hayden Matthews, Jake Girdwood-Reich and Wataru Kamijo. "Youth development and professional pathways have always been important to Sydney FC but with recent changes to the A-League they are becoming more important than ever. "However, winning trophies is a must for Sydney FC. That remains our ultimate goal, and we must get back to that." Talay will be given the opportunity to overhaul the squad and has set about making changes. Popular goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne has already been farewelled while Max Burgess is expected to also move on. Sydney are in talks with defender Alex Grant and Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres over signing extensions, although the latter may feel that at 32, his next contract may be his last to set himself up for life after football. "We are working on next season already and believe with some strengthening and changes we will see the success everyone at this club wants to deliver," Talay said in a statement. "We came close to making history in Asia and achieving something special last season and while it ultimately was disappointing, we were not too far away."
Perth Now
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Sydney's Segecic expected to head overseas: coach
After missing out on the A-League Men finals, Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay is set to remain at his post and hopes young gun Adrian Segecic will be with the Sky Blues after this season too. But he concedes a move overseas could well be the move his breakout star has to make. Sydney's season ended in demoralising fashion with a 5-1 loss to second-placed Melbourne City, meaning Adelaide United claimed sixth place ahead of them. The Sky Blues only needed a point from their last two games to make finals. Their seventh-placed finish follows a semi-final exit from the Asian Champions League Two. "I'm sure they're quite down at the end of the day," said Talay. "But look, life goes on. "People get buried, people mourn for a week and then people have to get on with their lives and that's something that we need to do as well." Sydney are yet to officially confirm off-contract Talay will continue. But he has reportedly committed on a two-year deal and "definitely" intends to stay put. "It's not 100 per cent confirmed," he said. "... We'll review the whole season. We'll review the Champions League as well, where we did well and where we didn't do so well. "It's one of those things where you review the season and we'll make decisions with players that are currently coming off contract and players that are contracted." Segecic, 20, has been a revelation with 18 goals in all competitions. "Look, we definitely want to keep Adrian," Talay said. "But the season that he's had and what he's produced this year, I think for him personally, it's a great opportunity to have an opportunity to go overseas if that comes to fruition for him. "And I believe that he will definitely take that opportunity if it does show itself. "But at the end of the day, I think if he's going to stay in our competition, he'll definitely like to stay with us." Talay noted Sydney conceded too many goals this season and hopes central defender Alex Grant, who missed the City game through injury, will stay on. "We need an experienced central defender next season definitely and those discussions are happening with Alex at the moment," Talay said. Talay believed young centre-back Alexandar Popovic would learn from a disastrous night against City, where he was beaten for three goals. He noted a "challenging" season had been about transition and bringing through younger players. "We all understand in Australia the landscape of Australia and where we fit in the landscape of world football as well," he said. "We're trying to produce our own players from our academy and I think the club has been quite successful in that manner and we continue to want to do that. "And at the same time, we want to provide opportunities where we can sell players overseas and make everything sustainable as well."
