A-League: Craig Deans to step down as coach of Newcastle Jets

Deans shocked players, staff and waiting media with the news after training at Ray Watt Oval on Thursday, two days after his team's spirited 2-0 win over Central Coast.

The 47-year-old said he would finish out the season before potentially taking up a different role at the club.

Deans has been fulltime head coach at the Jets for just four months, after serving as the interim following the defection of Carl Robinson to Wanderers in pre-season.

He earned a deal until the end of 2021-22 as Newcastle went on a five-game unbeaten run. However, the Jets have struggled since and sit last on 17 points from 24 games. They have Saturday's home match against Perth and a catch-up with Melbourne City left to overtake Melbourne Victory (18) and avoid the wooden spoon.

There were reports on Thursday before Deans' announcement linking former Jets youth coach Arthur Papas with the top job.

Asked if the club were happy for him to stay in the role, Deans said: "I haven't spoken about that in particular but I think ... you have to be 100 per cent committed to your work and I think I've realised that in the last few weeks, especially with everything that's going on, it probably takes a toll and if you are not performing, look, there might be a different decision coming anyway, but that's not something for me to comment on. My thing is more how can I help improve the club and I think this is probably the best situation."

Deans cited the drain of being head coach and his previous roles - W-League coach, academy director and caretaker A-League boss - at the club in recent years as the main factors in his decision. He said he did not expect people to understand "but that's the truth".

"Mine is just purely the drain and the strain on myself," he said.

"I've brought a coach [Karl Dodd] in four or five weeks ago as an assistant coach to join me and I think the realisation of how much energy he had to his coaching and how much I probably got tired and dropped off a bit, it was easy for me to see that.

"So I think the best thing for the club is for someone with the drive and the energy that's been sucked out of me to come in and take the club forward."

"And I'm comfortable with that."

Deans said he had "conversations with the club probably starting three or so weeks ago around my role and what I think is best for the future of the club".

"From my perspective, it's more just a case of being worn out with the situation of being the head coach here," he said.

"I think the last 18 months, two years in particular have been pretty tough.

"You put on a brave face and you front you guys every week and try and put a positive spin on everything, but that takes a toll on you as a person, so I think I've reached my level of ability to be comfortable with that.

"I'd like to stay. I've had a quick chat with the club about staying on in another capacity but that's still a few weeks away or possibly longer."

He was unsure what that role could be but said "coaching's not an option".

"If I say I don't want to be the A-League head coach, then you don't go and coach somewhere else. You don't go and take that opportunity away from another person," he said.

"Obviously I love the club and I want to see the club do well.

"It's difficult for the players, the last two or three weeks since I've known that it was going to go this way, it's been difficult. Not being honest with the playing group has been a tough one."

He said his extra workload and changing roles at the battling club had taken their toll.

"I think if you do a job like this, you have to have the ability to focus on it," he said.

"It's 24-7 and I think in the last three years I've juggled W-League head coach with academy director, with filling in as an interim head coach with the A-League team, then stepping back from that and going back to the W-League team and the academy, then coming in here as the interim again, then letting the W-League go but still having to run the academy.

"The change that went on with the academy two years ago was a big situation and a lot of work for myself at the time, and for me it's just been a culmination of those last couple of years of just having so many off-field dramas to deal with, and the distraction it places on the football team and managing that and putting a brave face on and a positive spin as much as you can.

"I like to think that I'm a positive person and if I don't have that ability to be myself, be positive and upbeat everyday than I think it's best that someone else has that opportunity."

He added: "At our club because of everything we've been through and the lack of resources that we've had in the last couple of years, you do much more of everything else and much less of coaching.

"I did work hard to get the job and I think it's not been an easy job this year, not just the coaching, just the whole thing.

"Considering everything that's been thrown at the club and for myself to be the face of it, I'm happy with how I've dealt with that.

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion, whether they think I've done a good or a bad job, but I think if anyone walked into my office and spent a week with me, I think they would understand why this is the best thing.

" ... there's a lot that goes on that everybody doesn't see. That's been as big a job if not a bigger job than the actually coaching side of it this year and that's probably a big part of where I am mentally."

He said the Jets' struggles had also affected his family.

"It's difficult for your family as well when you're in a situation like this, when you're not doing well, they go around town and cop it as much as I do - probably more because I don't have social media," he said.

"I'm sure that's not a positive place to be and my family has that, so I think it's best for everyone."

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