Rob Stanton coaching on the sidelines for the Newcastle Jets at an away game against the Western Sydney Wanderers. Photo Credit: Texi Smith

Rob Stanton coaching on the sidelines for the Newcastle Jets at an away game against the Western Sydney Wanderers. Photo Credit: Texi Smith

The Jets have confirmed on Thursday morning that Rob Stanton will leave his position as head coach of the Newcastle Jets at the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.

In a statement, the club’s ownership group Maverick Sports Partners and the Board thanked Stanton for his contribution over the last two years, acknowledging it was a difficult and turbulent time for the club amidst a change in ownership.

First reported by James Gardiner at the Newcastle Herald, there was discussion prior to the 6-2 loss against Western United about whether he had signed a new contract or not and whether he told players he might be leaving.

Daniel McBreen asked on the post-game broadcast following the match, and Stanton called the discussion “irrelevant”, which carried over to the post-game press conference, where he also emphasised that he was not concerned with his future.

“I’m not concerned with my future. If you’re always concerned with your future, then you’re an insecure person. I’m not an insecure person,” he said.

“The fans are attached to a club, they’re not attached to Rob Stanton. They’re attached to a club.

“Rob Stanton works for a club to make more fans come in, because he’s got to get his team to perform right, and when he doesn’t, Rob Stanton will be out the door, right? So that’s where it is, and if you don’t accept that as a coach, you’re in trouble.”

Who will be the next Jets coach?

In the same statement announcing Stanton’s departure, it read that there will be a formal announcement regarding a new coach who will take over the team in the near future.

One name that has been thrown around is Mark Milligan, who left Adelaide United earlier this year to take an assistant coach role with Peter Cklamovski for the Malaysian national team.

A decorated career saw Milligan represent the Socceroos 80 times, amidst a variety of A-League Men appearances and roles at overseas clubs, with stints at clubs including Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets, Melbourne Victory, Shanghai Shenhua, Hibernian, before a season at Macarthur FC to end his career, where he moved into an assistant coach role.

He left the Macarthur role not long after starting to coach then FNSW League One side St George FC, before joining Adelaide United as an assistant to Carl Veart.

Having only recently signed a deal to join Cklamovski at Malaysia, it would make things interesting around whether he would depart that role, but head coaching jobs do not come up all the time.

With his vast A-League Men experience, he knows the league incredibly well, and with a Jets roster who recently went a club record seven games unbeaten under Stanton, that experience could be just what the club needs to push for finals next season.

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