With Jim Magilton making the decision to return to Northern Ireland earlier this week, it’s time for Melbourne Victory to think long, hard and most importantly smart, about who they appoint in his stead.
It has been painful to watch events at Victory play out over the last year or so, with management decisions at the top filtering down to cause visible disintegration on the pitch.
The sacking of Ernie Merrick – twice a championship-winning coach – in 2011 raised some eyebrows, but was also hailed as a move forward in Melbourne’s philosophy of football. Many eyebrows lifted higher still, Ancelotti-like, as Merrick’s successor was revealed to be youth team boss Mehmet Durakovic.
Mediocrity followed, with a celebrated squad digging themselves a hole early in this 2011-12 season, amassing draws with ire and coming under a barrage of media criticism.
United in frustration, the fans, players and board lost faith in the manager. The axe fell on Durakovic just six months into his two-year contract, and again the earth under Victory’s foundations quaked.
It was an inept and impatient decision, despite shockingly poor results with just three wins in 14 games. Having given the top job to an inexperienced manager, Victory had to grant Durakovic time to implement his brand of football if they wanted success.
What was more staggering was the decision to appoint Jim Magilton barely a week later.
The more equitable option of naming stalwart Kevin Muscat as caretaker until season’s end was bypassed, in favour of a man whose managerial experience lay in England’s Championship, with spells at Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers.
It didn’t look like a very ambitious selection for evolving their style of football. Magilton’s credentials were maligned by many, including Craig Foster, who called it “a return to the direction of yesteryear”.
While some were hesitant to condemn the new man too early, Magilton’s results eventually played out to a record worse than Durakovic’s. By the season’s conclusion, Jim Magilton was hailing a mass clear-out of playing staff and the need to rebuild the squad.
As evidenced from their inability to retain and move the ball, Melbourne’s central midfield does indeed need a change. A defender with good passing ability and vision could also bolster the side, but a player overhaul is a ridiculous suggestion.
What the club needs is a manager who is technically and tactically capable of fostering good, possession-based football from a more than capable squad.
Magilton’s mid-season signing was a brash, hopeful attempt to resurrect Victory’s season. It banked on a sudden upturn in fortunes due to the extra motivation for players to impress a new coach. There was no forward thinking, no plan beyond this season, so with the club finishing well off sixth spot and finals, Magilton’s tenure was rightly ended.
Victory must get the right man this time around. With no role but to sit and watch the finals and a lengthy off-season awaiting them, they can afford to assess the candidates carefully and deliberate over who is best suited.
Rumours have already abounded that Gianfranco Zola will take the reigns in a headline move. Other names tossed around include A-League innovators Ange Postecoglou and Graham Arnold.
But whether it’s a big-name signing or a local coach at the helm, it has to be long-term, and it has to transform the way Victory play football.
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