The big changes at Melbourne Victory continue with the news that Football Operations Manager Gary Cole has been sacked. It appears as though the clean-out at the club is happening across all positions and the board aren’t afraid to lay the smack down on any areas that they feel need freshening up.
Cole has been with the Victory since the club’s inception and has been integral to the teams performance on the pitch due to his responsibility for scouting and recruiting players and negotiating contracts.
Perhaps one of his biggest achievements was luring Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez to Melbourne Victory, first on a two year loan and then purchasing him outright on a three year deal from LD Alajuelense.
And let’s not forget his work in the early days when he brought the now legendary Kevin Muscat and Archie Thompson back to Australia.
I thank Gary for his massive contribution to Melbourne Victory.
Without his efforts we wouldn’t have been as successful on the pitch, that’s for sure. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. If other A-League clubs are smart enough they’ll snap him up quickly.
The removal of Cole isn’t without its issues though. I wonder why the board waited until now to let him go.
He was able to keep on signing players after the sacking of Ernie Merrick when the board surely knew all along that they were going to get rid of him. It seems as though they just used him.
They used his skills to secure some signings and then trashed him once its all done. Which brings me to my next point, if you’re happy with the job he’s doing, with the players he’s signing then why sack him at all? It just doesn’t make sense.
In my opinion, if they’re going to do it it should have been done alongside Merrick’s departure.
The Merrick sacking itself was handled badly and now the club have done it again. It’s very poor execution in my opinion and I just hope the club know what they’re doing.
They might have a clear view of what direction they want to take but they’re definitely going about it the wrong way.
It’s unprofessional and my confidence in the new board is wavering.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
Yeah that's right he's been signed by the Western Bulldogs. How on earth did I get that wrong.?
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ Soccer Whilst MVFC's CEO has indicated Roy Keane was not on the list list of likely candidates for the job of Head Coach at the club, it was terrific exposure for our club and, indeed, for the whole A-League - millions more people around the Football world now have heard the name Melbourne Victory FC. To get global brand exposure for FREE - as opposed to the millions of dollars other sports spend to generate local brand exposure - is truly remarkable and is thanks to the new information age, where news can spread without going through traditional media channels that are subservient to non-Football sports in Australia. I'd be more than satisfied with Eddie Krncevic - his reputation as a player and coach is extremely impressive - but, with over 60 applicants - including 1978 WC hero Ossie Ardiles - sending their résumés to MVFC, the choice available will be diverse.
Mahony
Guest
Yep - time to go and thanks for the memories. This Board will do well or poorly - but whatever the outcome there will be no confusion about who is in charge and responsible. The article from Lynchy in The Age today puts some interesting numbers around all of this. Thank you Gary for your contribution!
Soccer
Guest
As thought. http://www.theage.com.au/sport/a-league/cole-axing-allows-victory-to-slash-costs-20110412-1dckc.html
Soccer
Guest
Enough with this Roy Keane talk. It's not gonna happen. This sacking looks like a cost cutting decision. We'll get a cheap local coach, probably Krncevic, who will be responsible for scouting players and contract negotioations (seeing as he was a player agent).
Australian Football
Roar Guru
With Roy Keane in Australia and one of the managerial candidates. (or as I think has been already been appointed but yet to be announced) It could be Roy Keane has a wealth of talent keen to come to Australia and so there was no role for Cole to play.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Merrick, Cole & Healy did a fantastic job for MVFC and, as a fan, I say "THANK YOU". But, at any organisation, if you want to remain fresh and at the top, change is inevitable and rarely does change come without misgivings, disappointment and heartache. I have no issue with the way MVFC have handled the clean-out of the football department. Unlike other examples from Australian sport where pending change is preceded by months and months of endless speculation ... "will he stay or will he go", the leaders at MVFC have made a decision and acted upon the decision. That's what I want from my leaders - clear and decisive action. So far, in my opinion, the new MVFC Chairman and Board are ticking all the right boxes and doing everything I was hoping they would do.