Vjeran Simunić
Simunić with DPMM in 2009
Personal information
Full name Vjeran Simunić
Date of birth (1953-04-26) 26 April 1953
Place of birth Split, PR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Vodice (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974 Hajduk Split 7 (0)
1975 Šibenik
1975–1976 Dinamo Vinkovci 11 (0)
1976–1982 NK Zagreb 72 (0)
1982–1983 Sporting CP
1983–1986 Yomiuri Soccer Club 1 (0)
1986–1987 Catanzaro
1987–1988 Vigor Lamezia
1988–1989 Mosor
1989–1991 Posušje
Managerial career
1994 Lipik
Čazmatrans
Čakovec
1998–1999 East Riffa Club
1999–2000 RNK Split
Mosor
Uskok Klis
Slavonac Stari Perkovci
Mladost Zabok
2000 Posušje
2001 Zrinjski Mostar
2002 Hrvatski Dragovoljac
2002 Kamen Ingrad
2002–2003 Zadar
2003–2004 Cibalia
2005 Zadar
2005 Segesta
2006 Čelik Zenica
2006 Trnje
2006 Marsonia
2007 Dugopolje
2007–2008 Imotski
2008–2009 DPMM
2008–2009 Brunei
2009 Imotski
2010 Mosor
2010 Međimurje
2010–2011 Ho Chi Minh City
2011–2013 DPMM
2013–2014 Brunei
2014 Segesta
2014 Perak
2015 Perak
2015–2016 Sabah
2017–2018 Zadar
2018 Solin
2018–2019 Vitez
2019–2020 Zagora Unešić
2020– Vodice
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vjeran Simunić (born 26 April 1953) is Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Treća HNL club NK Vodice. He holds the Croatian record for number of managed teams. Vodice is Simunić's 37th club.

Playing career

Simunić started his playing career in Hajduk Split in the 1970s. He did not get too many chances in Hajduk as the competition was very big at the time. After Hajduk, his next station was HNK Šibenik, then Dinamo Vinkovci and NK Zagreb, where he spent most of the playing career.[1] In 1982 he made transfer to Sporting Lisabon. After one season he moved to Japan. He was first European player to play in Japan. The club was Tokyo Verdy. After two more challenges in Italy, he returned to native country. He finished his playing career in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with NK Posušje.

Managerial career

Simunić started his rich managerial career in Lipik, in 1994. Then he changed a couple of Croatian clubs before moving to Bahrain. However, he could not stay too much abroad, and he returned to Croatia, starting impressive row of 13 Croatian clubs, interrupted by 3 Bosnian clubs (Posušje, Zrinjski Mostar and Čelik Zenica) in 8 years. He said that his mission is to improve table situation of every club he takes, and in most cases he did that. That is why he had so many offers. Searching for new challenge, he moved to Asia, this time Brunei. He managed club DPMM, soon after his good results with that club made him coach of the Brunei national team. He was very popular, had lot of fans in country and even got Happy Birthday song chanted by fans during one match. But, he suddenly returned to Croatia, and took manager chair of NK Imotski, where he stayed for only one month. Then he took NK Mosor once again but left that club also, and after one half-season. He took Croatian second division club NK Međimurje, at the start of 2010–11 season.

He returned to coach Brunei's only professional club DPMM FC in 2012 after FIFA allowed it to rejoin S.League after 20 months of suspension due to government interference in Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Simunić lead Brunei DPMM FC to a successful season in 2012 S.League as he guided them to win 2012 Singapore League Cup and finished second in the 2012 S.League after two seasons without competitive football.[2] Simunić was named as Coach of the Year at S.League Awards Night for his achievement in 2012 S.League.

In January 2013, Simunić was appointed as the Brunei national football team head coach.[3]

On 16 September 2014, Simunić was appointed as the head coach and technical director of Perak FA on a two-year contract,[4] but after only two months he was replaced with M. Karathu before the season even started. Simunić were reassigned to youth development academy of Perak FA. Eventually however, in August 2015, he was reappointed as the head coach of Perak after Karathu were relieved of his position in July 2015 due to poor performances of Perak in the league.[5]

He was released by Perak at the end of unsuccessful Malaysia Cup 2015 campaign, and subsequently joined another Malaysian team, Sabah FA, on December the same year.[6] He only hold the post as the head coach of Sabah until June 2016, when he stepped down following unsatisfactory performances by the team during his tenure.[7]

After Sabah, Simunić returned to manage Zadar. After Zadar, he managed Solin, Bosnian club Vitez and Zagora Unešić.

Since 21 September 2020, Simunić has been managing Croatian third division club NK Vodice.[8]

Honours

Manager

Posušje

DPMM

References

  1. ↑ "Fudbal ex-YU 1945.-1992". Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "DPMM FC's Simunic named coach of the year | the Brunei Times". www.bt.com.bn. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "2012 S-League coach of the Year appointed Brunei National team coach | aXross the Line". axrosstheline.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Perak named Vjeran Simunic as new head coach". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Perak tagih semula khidmat Simunic - Bola Sepak - Utusan Online". www.utusan.com.my. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "Banking on spirit of Borneo | Daily Express Online - Sabah's Leading News Portal". Dailyexpress.com.my. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Sabah part ways with Simunic, Dominicus to take over until end of season". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "Donedavni trener Zagore Vjeran Simunić novi kormilar NK Vodica". Infovodice.com (in Croatian). 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
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