A promising new day dawns for Melbourne Heart FC following a tumultuous weekend where the club ended John Aloisi’s reign and it was confirmed a change of ownership is likely very soon.
Very few could be surprised at JA’s departure, but we were still shocked that it had finally happened. Despite the months of tiring speculation, it seemed the club would keep giving JA more games to turn it around. A point of no return was obviously reached with the loss to Wellington, which cemented our cellar dweller status.
Unfortunately for Aloisi his time in charge will be remembered for a team that created chances to score game after game for no reward. It was an exasperating and morale-sapping situation for everyone connected with the club that couldn’t go on. The players’ role in Aloisi’s demise was acknowledged by Chairman Peter Sidwell’s frank comment that he “told them (the players) we’ve all got some blood on our hands.” This was also a telling admission that the board got it wrong in appointing someone with no senior coaching experience. Let’s hope they have learnt their lesson on this point.
So where to now? The club’s announcement that John van’t Schip is their preferred man to take over makes sense given he has already done the job. He has the experience to at least fill the role to the end of the season, which may be the only commitment he may make to the club and vice versa. The backdrop to this dramatic time in MHFC’s brief existence is the likely change of ownership and the new owners are sure to want a say in who the long-term coach will be. Gerard Nus has been mentioned too; his website shows he has international experience but not at a senior level, so he would make a good assistant to JVS. Right now the Heart player group needs strong leadership that inspires sorely needed confidence, based on experience and tactical knowledge. JVS fits that bill.