Melbourne City boss John van `t Schip says change is on the agenda as he attempts to turn around his side’s rotten run of results.
City were belted 5-1 by Wellington Phoenix on Sunday to pile pressure on the underperforming coach and club.
The team arrived back in Melbourne after the horror show in New Zealand on Monday night, but face a sobering week on the training track.
Even van `t Schip wasn’t sure how he would do turning around the team’s fortunes.
“It’s hard work, but hard work is not enough,” he said.
“We have to really see what kinds of things we can change.
“Maybe in the way we’re playing, the personnel.
“It’s a mentality kind of thing now, and … you need results, that’s the best medicine.”
The results certainly haven’t come for the Dutchman since the off-season.
Inheriting a team bottom of the A-League at Christmas last year, then Melbourne Heart, they surged with six wins in seven matches under van `t Schip.
But the rubber hasn’t hit the road this season, with just one win in eight games.
For a team now controlled by the same owners as mega-rich Manchester City, it’s well short of expectations.
Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich certainly agrees, saying the teams’s effort was not good enough.
“That was disgraceful as far as I’m concerned … they concede one goal and basically they collapsed like a house of cards,” he said on Fox Sports.
“A lot of the players are the same players we’ve seen in the last couple of seasons struggle, making the same exact same mistakes.
“If they keep performing like this, I think there will be changes in personnel and possibly even changes higher above.”
Fans are beginning to run out of patience with van `t Schip – with fans bombarding the club on social media calling for the end the Dutchman’s tenure.
The Dutch coach said they “served” Wellington their first goal and never recovered.
“Until their first goal we were playing well, we were controlling the game,” said van `t Schip.
“That was 1-0, after that we lost control.
“We had about 20 minutes including the first minutes after half-time when we were not there. We gave the game away.
The heavy loss dumped City out of the top six on goal difference and entrenched Wellington in the A-League’s group of high achievers.
A six point gap has emerged between fifth-placed Wellington and sixth-placed Central Coast.
The good news for City is the fixture list throws up a great opportunity to rebound on Sunday against Brisbane Roar at home.
The Roar are suffering a tremendous premiership hangover and are the only side City have beaten this season.
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