Where to now for the Victory?

Ernie Merrick’s firing at the hands of the new Melbourne Victory board over the weekend came as a great shock and one which has been treated, understandably, with great emotion.

From those who argue that the verdict was scandalous, spineless and handled pitifully to those who regarded the decision as a long time coming.

Either way Merrick’s sacking must be understood, brutal or not, as a natural outcome of modern sports. Coaches get sacked. And they get extensions too. The same goes for the players, same for the boards. Ditto the sponsors. It’s never pretty and rarely pleasant but a reality all the same.

In the case of Merrick’s dismissal the facts really do need to be put on the table. First and foremost and after six years of the A-League there’s been no coach who can boast a better record than him. None. Two premierships, two championships, doubles in both seasons and twelve months ago a third Grand Final appearance which ended with a penalty shoot-out loss to Sydney FC. Over the years Merrick’s had his critics but for the majority of time he was able to keep them at arm's length, the best possible way; By winning and for the most part playing what was until Postecoglou’s Brisbane came along this season, the most attractive style of domestic football this country had to offer.

In recent times though Merrick’s short comings have been all too obvious. Throughout the season and essentially from the Victory’s opening round draw with Sydney they’ve reeked of mediocrity. They’ve looked a long way from the standard set by the likes of Brisbane, Central Coast and Adelaide and relied on reputation all season to mask the fact they were nothing more than a mid-table side. His supporters blamed periodic injuries to the likes of Thompson and Kruse for halting momentum but the fact was Merrick had no answer for the increasingly modern, quicker and more accountable game being employed by his rivals. He couldn’t or wouldn’t settle on a definitive structure let alone a discernible formation. Save from an early season victory over Brisbane and the jaw dropping form of Robbie Kruse there were few highlights for Melbourne this campaign.

What ultimately however led to Merrick’s firing was his inability to look anything but tactically amateurish when it came to the Asian Champions League. After two previous ACL failures it was widely assumed that Melbourne would be far better equipped this time around for the subtleties of continental football having had two previous cracks. Instead, Melbourne began their ACL season a fortnight ago with a trip to Osaka which ended with a 5-1 demolition which was as close to a sporting humiliation as one’s ever likely to witness. Merrick sent out an attack minded formation which left the midfield blatantly exposed, which returned resident psychopath Kevin Muscat to central defence without having played in weeks and which featured Captain Adrian Leijer in midfield where he’s rarely played. Within ten minutes of the opening whistle the Victory had conceded three goals and their campaign was once again in disarray. If Merrick’s firing was motivated exclusively by his performances in Asia, which should be the pinnacle for all A-League clubs, then the decision was surely justified for he failed miserably. The Osaka nightmare was the icing on the cake.

The question in the wake of Merrick’s dismissal is where does this leave the Melbourne Victory? The answer is at something of a crossroads. Merrick’s axing was handled extremely poorly by the new management both with its attempts to suggest the decision was mutual (total garbage) and its arrogant timing which opted to announce the decision the day before the A-League Grand Final, demanding, if only momentarily, that the spotlight move away from the excellent deeds of Brisbane and the Central Coast and to the petulance and desperation of a new board intent on having its voice heard.

What Melbourne now has is former youth team coach Mehmet Durakovioc at the helm to try to get the Victory’s Asian campaign back on course. To do that he’ll have five ACL matches to win over the new board and the fans. So far the former Scocceroo has made all the right noises by being respectful of Merrick’s legacy and by stating a preferred formation and footballing philosophy which preaches quick ball movement, a greater emphasis on the midfield and an apparent return to the centre of defence for Leijer.

While Durakovic will have until late May to prove he’s a viable candidate for the job on a full time basis the board will need to work extremely hard to make up for their own clumsy introduction to the Australian football world by keeping their heads down and going about the business of finding the right coach to take Melbourne back to the top of Australian football.