The sudden departure of Sydney Olympic’s head coach Jaime Monroy last week left many people scratching their heads. Appointed late last year as Grant Lee’s replacement, the Portuguese-born coach was given the brief to prepare the first team squad for the upcoming season, as well as set the technical philosophy and direction of the whole club.

Olympic’s senior team under Monroy began the season with promise winning five of their first six matches and drawing the other. That was followed a fortnight ago by the team’s first loss of the season, to Blacktown City, which proved to be Monroy’s swansong. Olympic quickly moved to appoint assistant coach Peter Zorbas as the interim senior coach.

Sydney Olympic CEO John Boulous told Neos Kosmos this week that, “Monroy advised us that he was going to return to Spain effective immediately. This was a shock for the club but the way the club, support staff, and players dealt with this setback in a professional manner was a credit to them and their character.”

Boulous acknowledged the work of Monroy at his brief stay at Olympic during the pre-season and in the early rounds of the season.

“Monroy seemed to be settled and enjoying the experience of working with a dedicated group of senior players. Whilst his resignation was sudden, he had made a very positive impact on the program to date . . . Monroy in conjunction with the club and our support staff provided a professional environment for players to develop, with early season performances reflecting this,” he said.

“The players have rallied and handled the setback in a very professional manner. I think a solid foundation has been set and with assistant coach Peter Zorbas taking the coaching role on an interim basis the club philosophy and technical approach will remain steady, just as we set out at the start of the year.”
As for Olympic appointing a long-term replacement for Monroy, Boulous said,
“The club is currently working through a process to find a suitable replacement who can uphold the club’s philosophy and principles and continue the job that has been started. There is no time frame put on this and we have faith that Zorbas, in conjunction with our support staff and players, can continue to build on the great start to the season.”

In further news this week, Sydney Olympic bid farewell to another coach with the news that the Football Director and Head of the Women’s Program, Grant Lee, has decided to accept the position of Head Coach at Sutherland Sharks.

Olympic hosts a couple of big games this week beginning with this Sunday’s Rd 9 League match against old rivals Sydney United and continuing with a midweek 6th Rd FFA Cup match against Parramatta FC.