Former Socceroos skipper Aurelio Vidmar gets new Home
Protectors have also signed three national team stalwarts and Albirex's Yamazaki
Singapore Premier League (SPL) side Home United have cast their net down under in a bid to bring back their glory days.
Club sources confirmed with The New Paper yesterday that the Protectors, who last won the league in 2003, have appointed former Australia captain Aurelio Vidmar as their new coach.
Vidmar, 52, will take over from Noh Rahman, who was in charge of the side on an interim basis after former Lions coach Raddy Avramovic stepped down in August to return to his native Serbia for medical treatment.
Vidmar's previous appointment was as director of football for A-League side Adelaide United, whom he coached from 2007 to 2010.
During that stint, he made history by leading Adelaide to the 2008 AFC Champions League final, becoming the first Australian team to achieve such a feat.
He has also been in charge of the Australia's Under-23 and U-20 teams, and was interim coach of the Socceroos.
Home did not respond to TNP's enquiries by press time, but said on their social media last night that an announcement will be made in due course.
Australian media reported yesterday that Vidmar was in Singapore getting his new squad organised.
"I'll be back home for Christmas and head back to Singapore early in the New Year," Vidmar told 90 minutes.
His appointment means that an Australian revolution is gathering steam at the Bishan Stadium, with the club already having Brisbane-born Isaka Cernak, 30, and Sydney native Oliver Puflett, 20, in their ranks.
They will be joined by 22- year-old forward, Andy Pengelly, reported Australian media.
Pengelly will leave National Premier League Queensland outfit, Brisbane Strikers, for whom he scored more than 50 goals this year in all competitions.
Home won the Community Shield this year, after beating Albirex Niigata on penalties.
But their last major piece of local silverware came six years ago, when they won the Singapore Cup.
Last year, an Aidil Sharin-led side were crowned AFC Cup Asean zonal champions, but they still came up short in the league, where they finished second behind Albirex. This year, they slipped to sixth.
Their hopes of winning domestic silverware will also be boosted by the capture of some national team stalwarts.
TNP understands that they have snapped up Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman and forward Gabriel Quak.
They have also agreed terms with Japanese defender Kaishu Yamazaki, who impressed with Albirex Niigata this year, and was nominated for the Young Player of the Year award.
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