At the time, it certainly didn’t strike anyone as the statement of a caretaker. If anything, the response Mark Rudan gave following Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 defeat to Newcastle Jets on February 23 was more a campaign speech. Perhaps, given it was delivered to three journalists on a Zoom call at almost eleven o’clock at night, it was even a statement of intent.
“It’s a big club. It’s a proud club. And I know exactly what needs to be done moving forward,” Rudan said emphatically. “I’ve said it before: I don’t care about names. You either shape up or ship out. It’s as simple as that.”
