Melbourne Victory’s former chairman Geoff Lord believes the A-League club’s decision to sack two-time championship coach Ernie Merrick was a “knee-jerk reaction”.
But Lord says it is too early to make a reasoned assessment of whether installing rookie replacement Mehmet Durakovic was the right move.
A Facebook page called “Sack Mehmet Durakovic” appeared on Sunday night, following the club’s disappointing 2-2 home draw with 10-man Perth Glory.
It had attracted almost 700 fans by Monday afternoon, with Victory supporters having also jeered their team off the pitch after Sunday’s performance.
Durakovic struggled to explain his star-studded team’s poor start to the A-League season, admitting they were failing to meet lofty expectations, currently sitting seventh with one win from seven games.
It left them desperately needing to win this Sunday’s home clash with bottom-placed Gold Coast.
Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro declined a request on Monday to talk about the club’s season or Durakovic’s performance.
Lord guided the Victory through their first six seasons, in which they made three grand finals and won two championships, with Merrick at the helm.
But after the fifth-placed finish last season, Di Pietro sacked Merrick soon after taking over and installed the club’s youth coach Durakovic, initially as caretaker, then on a two-year deal.
“I think it was a knee-jerk reaction, to start with a fresh broom,” Lord told AAP on Monday.
“It was more out with the old and in with the new.
“They looked extensively for a new coach and in the end decided to go with Mehmet.”
Lord said it was unusual that the Victory backed an untried coach with inexperienced assistants, long-time skipper Kevin Muscat and Steve Mautone.
“Normally in a situation like that, if you tried a new coach, you’d have experienced assistants,” he said.
But Lord also noted that when the Victory missed the finals under Merrick in their first season, numerous supporters called for his head before he led the club to championships in two of their next three campaigns.
He said the Victory had excuses for a slow start, with many recruits, including attacking players Harry Kewell, Marco Rojas and Jean Carlos Solorzano, who had yet to completely gel.
That, combined with the change of coach, meant the club should be given more leeway, Lord said.
“There’s a long way to go, it’s a bit early to be making judgments.”
© AAP 2012Recommend this story.
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- A-League, football, Geoff Lord, Melbourne Victory
November 22nd 2011 @ 8:28am
The Cattery said | November 22nd 2011 @ 8:28am | Report comment
I think I read this morning that Awaritefe has been sacked by the Victory – so the blood letting has already begun.
If Melbourne are still sitting outside the top 6 by mid-season, it would be hard to see Mehm surviving beyond that.
November 22nd 2011 @ 8:34am
Qantas supports Australian Football said | November 22nd 2011 @ 8:34am | Report comment
I’m hoping Miron Bleiberg puts the final nail in Mehmet Durakovic’s coffin on Sunday.. Go Miron and go United
November 22nd 2011 @ 9:38am
Roger said | November 22nd 2011 @ 9:38am | Report comment
A win for the Victory might give Mehm a lease of life for a few extra weeks…
November 22nd 2011 @ 8:49am
Brendo said | November 22nd 2011 @ 8:49am | Report comment
Sometimes it is better to just bite the bullet and admit you made a mistake. This is one of those times!!
Mem should go, Victory clearly playing the worst football in the league and the signs are there that he has lost the squad. Victory manangement should act now.
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:05am
Tadpohle said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:05am | Report comment
Absolutely …. the players are not fit and it is obvious that they are only going through the motions. Postecoglou had success because he changed the culture. Victory upgradeed the culture to assistant coach status. The players are not fit. experience is what is needed here and Victory coaching staff have none.
November 22nd 2011 @ 9:08am
Roger said | November 22nd 2011 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Now all we have to wait for is the dreaded and ironic “statement of support” by the Melbourne Victory Board, and we’ll know it’s over for Mehm.
November 22nd 2011 @ 9:15am
Victree said | November 22nd 2011 @ 9:15am | Report comment
I’m astounded that given the calibre of businessmen on the Victory board that they hired Durakovic in the first place! The man can barely string two words together. Getting rid of Gary Cole was utter stupidity and I’m not just saying that with hindsight either.
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:09am
Tadpohle said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Having somebody on staff that knows more than the boss is untenable. Victory’s problem is that the players all know more than the boss, and the boss is not getting any help from the assistants, the squad is not fit by a mile …. but I bet muscat has a lot of fun with them at training ????
November 22nd 2011 @ 9:40am
Bondy said | November 22nd 2011 @ 9:40am | Report comment
I see no point in sacking Durakovic, i see the problem more of there unfit and thats why they walk around and have done for the past 6 months .
Although it should concern because every other team in the comp can win consisitently bar the victory and the gold coast in a very tight league that would concern .
November 22nd 2011 @ 9:45am
Roger said | November 22nd 2011 @ 9:45am | Report comment
The fact that they can’t string passes together in midfield is very concerning. I have never seen them play so bad. Why would there be no point in sacking Durakovic?
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:37am
Bondy said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:37am | Report comment
Roger,
Who is incompitant at the moment the coach the players or both what will sacking him do ?.
Do you have another replacement who’s going to appease your supporters immediately ?.
November 22nd 2011 @ 12:13pm
Roger said | November 22nd 2011 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
I doubt the players are incompetent. Let’s face it, we know they can play good football, as we have seen them do so in the past.
No, I don’t have an immediate replacement. But that’s not my job Bondy. If I were the one calling the shots, I would have started looking for replacements in Week 2 of the season, and by now would have a couple of possible names for the job.
November 22nd 2011 @ 9:52am
The Cattery said | November 22nd 2011 @ 9:52am | Report comment
New management team comes in, young, fresh, vibrant, ambitious, says all the right things about where the Victory should be, it’s place in the comp, etc, etc – and then they hire Mehm?? Who had a very average record with the youth team, with whichever metric you wish to use.
It never made sense then, and it certainly has lost all semblance of good sense now.
I also agree with another poster about Mehm’s efforts in communicating in front of a camera. He is poor by any standard, and just about the worst in the league.
Fine, that shoudln’t be a the main criterion – but if you’re trying to instill confidence in fans and players alike, well, not too much instilling is taking place, that’s for sure.
On that last point, I’m scratching my head trying to work out how he would have gone at the job interview, because I’ve never really heard him say anything enlightening about the game, to offer a different perspective, to make a comment that makes you sit up and think: yeh good point, really good observation.
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:12am
Roger said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:12am | Report comment
Let’s not forget though that there was a notable improvement (albeit a brief one) after Merrick left and Mehm was the caretaker (Asian Champions League) . Perhaps “the results” spoke for themselves, and it was enough to sway the decision makers.
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:31am
Bondy said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:31am | Report comment
Cattery whats that got do with anything on camera presence, give him a break and now he cant speak properly your animals . .
November 22nd 2011 @ 11:00am
The Cattery said | November 22nd 2011 @ 11:00am | Report comment
Bondy
It’s all part of the deal, especially when the new Victory management team is talking up the club, making it attractive to prospective fans and sponsors, and then the key man in the club fronts the camera once or twice a week, and you’re left scratching your head whenever he talks.
November 22nd 2011 @ 9:59am
Luke said | November 22nd 2011 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Apparently the Victory are going to hold a press conference at 5pm on Thursday. I wonder what the announcement will be about…
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:20am
Victree said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:20am | Report comment
Francis gone as Football Director.
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:34am
Luke said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:34am | Report comment
Saw that in the Herald Sun today. This presser just the formal announcement of it by Victory?
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:55am
Victree said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:55am | Report comment
Would think so.
November 22nd 2011 @ 6:04pm
Luke said | November 22nd 2011 @ 6:04pm | Report comment
Given the official statement today by Victory regarding the services of Francis being terminated and Richard Wilson doing the media rounds today about it, I wonder if the Thursday presser is on a different topic or has been pulled?
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:14am
Michael said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:14am | Report comment
Look, it’s pretty obvious that Durakovic should go if you’re a Jets fan. Look at our situation. We lost a coach, and not a terribly bad one in the first week of the season.
And yet Gary van Egmond has got the Jets playing differently, and better IMO, in only a month or so. Each game, the team plays tangibly better football.
Mehmet has had the whole off-season and there’s so little to show. Victory should have been swiping other teams aside but instead they look fragile. Their huge fanbase does deserve better than this.
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:59am
con said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:59am | Report comment
i agree, i want him out. its not that hes inexperienced hes just cr@p. when he was in charge of our youth we were always at the bottom half of the ladder. i didnt want him coaching the youth side, why would i want him in charge of the 1st team. bring back ernie
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:47am
pete4 said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Yeah far out there is a facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/sackmehmet
November 22nd 2011 @ 10:57am
Futbanous said | November 22nd 2011 @ 10:57am | Report comment
For me its unfathomable logic the new management applied to the appointment of Durakovic.
Firstly the Merrick/Cole combo was succesful. I admired their football(& success) in the pre Ange Roar days.
So logic says you replace a succesful/experienced coaching team with a better more experienced coaching team.
Whats more if Asia was the worry re Merrick/Cole you look for a better coach with considerable experience in Asia & give him (or he brings) experienced back up staff.
Mehmet may be able to turn things around ,but as others have said his post match interviews dont exactly inspire confidence.
November 22nd 2011 @ 11:21am
Victree said | November 22nd 2011 @ 11:21am | Report comment
Nail meet head
November 22nd 2011 @ 11:33am
Clayts said | November 22nd 2011 @ 11:33am | Report comment
Futbanos,
I agree with his post match interview being sub par. His analyses of what is happening just seem to be completely wrong. I saw him, to my complete bemusement, say that “with a little bit of luck, results will come our way.” So a penalty that wasn’t a penalty and a questionable at best red card, plus an insanely lucky goal from a corner AND playing against 10 men for a half wasn’t enough luck for you?? What an odd thing to say. I think he had been listening to too many JvS post-match interviews from early in the season but at least those were justified.
Victory have been extremely lucky all season I feel. Yeah they drew against Roar by placing their remaining 9 men in the defensive penalty box and kept out countless shots on goal from the Roar, but were lucky to escape with a draw. They were also lucky the Heart didn’t finish any one of their countless shots on goal. They had a Sydney player sent off and couldn’t go on with it, yet Mehm says they just need some luck to go their way?? What is this guy on? Do Victory supporters see this? I would hate to see what happens when they run into a bad patch of luck. The fact they screwed up the Foschini suspension royally goes to show they are not doing anything to change their own luck either. What a farce
November 22nd 2011 @ 1:20pm
Roger said | November 22nd 2011 @ 1:20pm | Report comment
Nice one Futbanous.