Mark Jackson looks to ‘embrace, integrate and educate’ at Lion City Sailors

SINGAPORE – After being sacked from Milton Keynes Dons in 2023, Englishman Mark Jackson went on a tremendous trophy sweep outside his home country.

First, he led Australia’s Central Coast Mariners to a historic A-League Premiership, Championship and AFC Cup treble in the 2023-24 season, before repeating the feat with Thailand’s Buriram United as they claimed the League 1, FA Cup and ASEAN Club Championship in 2026.

Now at the helm of the Lion City Sailors since Sept 9, the 49-year-old has set his sights on delivering a hat-trick of trebles with a third club.

Ahead of their Singapore Premier League (SPL) match at FC Jurong on Oct 18, the father of three told The Straits Times: “That’s the target. I want to win, and I’m a head coach who knows how to win, and I’ve proven that at the clubs I’ve been at, in the Asian Football Confederation.”

His biggest takeaway from working in three different continents was the mantra to “embrace, integrate, and educate”.

Jackson, who also roped in assistant coaches Cameron Toshack and Lucas Vilela, said: “We embrace what the club is, and what the culture is in the country, it’s really important to do that.

“I’ve also been lucky enough that the club allowed me to bring Cameron and Lucas, and integrate with the people already at the club who have been a part of the success.

“Once we have embraced and integrated, we can really start to educate on how we want to play and move things forward because the club are clear they want to grow and be even more successful.”

While Jackson had worked with top managers such as Howard Wilkinson, George Graham and David O’Leary, he said he was especially influenced by former Leeds United bosses Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, as well as former Leeds academy chief Paul Hart.

The former Leeds defender, who had English Premier League experience in the 1990s, learnt about discipline, dealing with setbacks and the importance of surrounding himself with good people when he transitioned into management.

At the Sailors, Jackson has implemented a structured system, with a plan for every phase of the game, while not stifling the players’ creativity.

Such meticulousness has impressed Sailors skipper Hariss Harun, who said: “Mark breaks the game down into small details for the players to understand the principles and how he wants us to play. His ideas are starting to rub off and I hope we can show that in the games to come.

“In terms of man-management, he’s been very receptive and he’s been speaking to the players a lot, trying to understand us. It’s really good because it’s a long season and he is making sure everyone feels ready and that they have a role to play.”

It has not been the smoothest of starts for Jackson as they drew 1-1 against Thailand’s BG Pathum United in the AFC Champions League 2, lost 1-0 to Vietnam’s Cong An Hanoi FC in the ASEAN Club Championship before a come-from-behind 6-1 league thumping of Young Lions.

In that SPL match, the Sailors also lost key left-back Nur Adam Abdullah to a serious knee injury.

Jackson said: “We were all very, very gutted and devastated with the news. I had a conversation with him prior to the game, and told my assistant what a fantastic young man Nur Adam is. He’s really focused, driven, aware of his attributes and where he needs to develop.

“All we can do as a club is to be around him and support him in his recovery because he will recover stronger. Even after his injury, he said he wants to be part of every meeting because even if he can’t play, he wants to learn how we play, and he has our commitment to do that for him.”

On Oct 18, the Sailors will be looking to make it three wins on the bounce, following their 1-0 ACL2 win over Hong Kong’s Tai Po on Oct 15, to stay within touching distance of SPL leaders Geylang International.

While Jackson is aware that Jurong have legendary Japanese forward Keisuke Honda in their ranks, he wants his team to pick up their first clean sheet of the season, notwithstanding the 2-0 Community Shield win over Tampines Rovers.

He said: “History suggests that it’s not a game that we have been really successful (one draw and one loss in the last two games against Jurong). It is a difficult place to go to, and a difficult pitch to play on.

“In Honda, they have got a player who’s very experienced, a leader... But we will be ready for them and what they’ll bring, and the most important thing is how we apply how we want to play.”

Tanjong Pagar United v Hougang United (Oct 16, 7.30pm, Jurong East Stadium)

Ill discipline has cost Hougang dear with three red cards in the last two games ruling out skipper Zulqarnaen Suzliman, midfielder Huzaifah Aziz and forward Khairin Nadim. There may not be a better time for Tanjong Pagar, who have their fair share of disciplinary woes, to pick up their second win of the season.

Balestier Khalsa v Geylang International (Oct 17, 7.30pm, Bishan Stadium)

This should be a closer match than the gulf in league standings. Geylang are flying high at the top of the table with three straight wins and striker Dejan Racic bang on form, but fifth-placed Balestier are better than their form suggests, having picked up a much-needed win over Hougang on Oct 12.

Tampines Rovers v Young Lions (Oct 18, 7.30pm, Our Tampines Hub)

Despite the infusion of more foreign and overage players, Young Lions are still struggling to score and defend. With goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud injured, it is hard to see them getting anything against Tampines, who have scored six goals and conceded none in their two wins.