Everyone deserves a second chance, and Gary Cole is going to get his at Sydney FC. Sacked as football director by Melbourne Victory eight months ago, he's been resurrected to fill the same role with the Sky Blues.

It's the first major football decision Sydney FC chief executive Dirk Melton has had to make, and as he sat beside Cole at yesterday's press conference, his body language suggested he believes he's got it right. Cole looked surprisingly nervous, so we'll have to wait and see.

Resurrected … Gary Cole joins Sydney FC. Credit:Vince Caligiuri

On the surface, Cole looks like a sound choice. As a former Socceroos striker, there's no question he has a football background. And as the architect of the culture that delivered two championships to Melbourne Victory in the first six seasons of the A-League, there's a proven record of achievement.

Cole was also instrumental in bringing Kevin Muscat and Archie Thompson back from Europe, and few could question the merits of those signings. Thompson and Muscat are arguably the most successful of all the Socceroos who have come home to ''give something back to the game''.