Ian Crook - Managerial Career

Managerial Career

After leaving Japan, Crook played for and coached Northern Spirit FC in Australia before moving on to take his first managerial post at Newcastle Jets. In his first season in the 'Hunter region', he took the Jets from second bottom to second, earning him the NSL Coach of the year award. Following his successful time in Newcastle, Crook took on the job of coaching the American Samoa national football team, a team that had never scored a goal in a competitive international fixture. In early 2004 he was then appointed assistant coach for the Australian U20s team, before joining Sydney F.C. the following November, under manager Pierre Littbarski, winning the A-League title and attending the World Club Championships in 2005. After the 04-05 season Littbarski left the club following a contract dispute, and Crook remained at the club for another six months.

During his work in Australia, he was often linked with a possible return to Norwich, notably in the close-season of 2006, when Martin Hunter was eventually appointed as coach in place of Steve Foley. Following the departure of Peter Grant from Norwich City in October 2007, Crook was again linked with the vacant manager's position.

In January 2007 Crook accepted the assistant manager's role at Japanese second division side Avispa Fukuoka to be reunited with Littbarski, but the pair were dismissed in July 2008. He was subsequently linked with new A-League club North Queensland Fury FC, but instead was recruited for a second spell as manager at the Newcastle Jets. On 21 January 2009 Crook was unveiled as first team coach for Norwich City alongside new manager and former team mate Bryan Gunn. In June 2010 he returned to Australia, signing a two year contract as Director of Coaching for Sydney Olympic Football Club. Ian left Sydney Olympic in 2010 to take up the position of Head Coach at the New South Wales Institute of Sport.

He returned to Sydney FC in 2011, the club he helped coach to their inaugural Championship, this time working with former player Steve Corica and under former Czech International Vitezslav Lavicka. Following the departure of Vitezslav Lavicka at the end of the 2011/2012 season, Crook was appointed manager of Sydney FC on 14 May 2012.

On only 11 November of the same year, Crook announced his immediate resignation as head coach of Sydney FC, following a 3-2 defeat to arch rivals, Melbourne Victory. This was on the back of a humiliating 7-2 loss to the Central Coast Mariners the previous week. He was temporarily replaced by assistant coach Steve Corica in a caretaker role, and then permanently by Frank Farina on 28 November.