Former S.League winning manager Robert Alberts has been named coach of the year after the recently completed 2016 Indonesian Soccer Championship.
The 62-year-old Dutchman, who guided Home United to the 1999 S.League title, was rewarded for his efforts with unfashionable ISC outfit, PSM Makassar.
He took over the Sulawesi-based side in June when they were near the bottom of the table. He took them to an impressive sixth in the 18-team league, despite a team lacking in superstars.
"I feel very good about the award because it is recognition for what we have done as a team," Alberts told ESPN FC.
"The team spirit was fantastic, and it grew after I changed some players. I didn't expect this ... I didn't even know they had awards."
PSM's Rasyid Assyahid Bakri was honoured with the Best Midfielder award. Alberts also paid special tribute to former Eredivisie star Wiljan Pluim, whom he brought in as an import player from Vietnam's Becamex Binh Duong,
"But all the local players raised their games, too," Alberts added.
The awards will be announced at Sunday's PSSI Congress at Bandung's Hotel Aryaduta where the appointment of coaches for various Indonesian national teams will be discussed.
It is believed that Alberts is in the running for the position of senior team coach after the contract of incumbent Alfred Riedl expired at the end of December. But Spaniards Luis Fernandez and Luis Milla are considered front runners.
Under Riedl, Indonesia over-achieved to make the final of the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup in their first competitive action since the lifting of a 12-month FIFA ban earlier in the year.
Alberts, who won the 1993 Malaysian league and cup double with Kedah, narrowly missed out of the Malaysian national job one year ago when Datuk Ong Kim Swee was appointed.
He also oversaw an unbeaten season with Sarawak in 2013, which saw them cruise to the Malaysia Premier League title to earn promotion. He inspired the Borneo side to 18 wins and four draws in that campaign.
Alberts, who was a junior and reserve team player at Ajax Amsterdam, also won the 2009-10 Indonesia Super League title with Arema FC,