He would love his old St Johnstone team-mate to hold on to the job of his dreams.
But even if Graeme Jones’s tenure in charge of his beloved Newcastle United is the short one most people expect it to be, Nick Dasovic believes the interim boss will get the opportunity to continue a stellar elite level coaching career.
“What a list of achievements he’s got,” said Dasovic, who played with Jones at McDiarmid Park between 1999 and 2002.
“Third in the world with Belgium, beating Man City to win the FA Cup with Wigan, being part of the England set-up that got to the Euro 2020 final, working at Everton.
“That’s a lot of success.
“It’s going to be tough to stay in this job, let’s be honest.
“There are a lot of people who will want it and are being linked with it after the club was taken over.
“We all knew how big a Newcastle man he was in the St Johnstone dressing room, that’s for sure.
GJ: "I was a supporter in the Gallowgate through the Keegan era and I know the culture of this football club. My focus isn't on anything other than doing the best I can and making sure everyone else does the best they can in the short and long term to get results." pic.twitter.com/oiWlgotvKN
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 22, 2021
“I hope he does well and, if he doesn’t get the Newcastle job, it will set him up for his next position as a manager or as the number two at St James’ Park.
“Hopefully he can start to turn that ship around.
“They’ll never be able to take away the fact that he has been Newcastle manager.”
The same humble guy
Jones and Dasovic have kept in touch over the last couple of decades since their Saints’ spells came to an end at the same time.
“He came to Vancouver two years ago and we were going to meet up,” said the midfielder who became the first-ever Perth player to score in a cup final in 1998.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t happen because I was in Korea with my under-23 team.
“I saw him in San Francisco years back when I was coaching in San Jose.
“He’s stayed the same guy – very humble.
“There are certain guys you keep in touch with after football, first and foremost because they’re good people. It’s not a networking thing.
“During the first lockdown he did something on Zoom with the coaches here in Vancouver, talking about his experiences.
“He didn’t have to do that and it shows you the type of guy he is.”
Never say never for Nick
Dasovic is a coach with MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps but hasn’t ruled out trying to forge his own path as a number one – or returning to do that in Scotland.
“Never say never,” said the 52-year-old.
“If something came up in Scotland that appealed to me I’d definitely give it some thought.
“I still follow the game closely.
“Right now, I’m working with the reserve team at the Whitecaps.
“There have been opportunities but I’ve decided to stay home until the kids graduated, which they have now.
“If something pops up, great.
“Maybe the Jeanfield Swifts job will come up – we’ll see what happens!”
