Alen Stajcic has brushed aside rumours he will be leaving Perth Glory at the end of the A-League Men season, saying he's determined to lead the club through its rebuild.
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Glory are guaranteed to take out the wooden spoon ahead of their final match against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Stajcic has two years remaining on his contract, and was shocked to hear of suggestions he was about to depart the club.
"I don't know anything about that report, who made that up?" he said on Friday.
"It's the first I've heard of it."
Asked if he was determined to stick things out at the beleaguered club, Stajcic said, "Of course. I haven't heard any different.
"I've been saying that all along - I'm planning and preparing for next year."
Glory were dealt a harsh hand this season, spending most of the campaign in receivership following the exit in July of previous owner Tony Sage.
Ross Pelligra stepped in to take over the club in February.
Before that, Glory's hands were tied in regards to player signings and they were forced to loan out winger Salim Khelifi to Melbourne Victory.
Stajcic has received no assurances from Pelligra about next season, but he's already in the thick of planning the club's resurgence alongside new football director Stan Lazaridis.
"It's been extremely difficult this year," Stajcic said.
"Before I arrived the club was already in receivership. There was even a period where the players weren't getting paid.
"They've been through a lot - a lot of coaching changes and turmoil themselves as a playing group.
"That on top of the debacle of losing players mid-season and having our hands tied and all that type of stuff didn't make it easier."
Stajcic said he was proud of the way the team remained united during the turmoil, and felt strong foundations had been laid.
"We're not a million miles away, we're only a couple of miles away from being competitive and being in the finals race, but it's hard to bridge that gap and become consistent," Stajcic said.
"There's stuff to build on, you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
"We don't have an amazing abundance of cash and I don't think many teams will have.
"So you've really got to build your strength internally and ensure you grow in a responsible way.
"Growing the kids that we have is probably (our) most important asset."
Australian Associated Press
