“He’s going to various places over the course of the next seven days to look at a few different players. We’re not going to discuss where he is, that just complicates things.”

Cole can retain his silence, but it seems likely that Merrick’s sojourn is to Central America – with a particular emphasis on Costa Rica (update: Costa Rican press confirms this). Both Windell Gabriel and José Luis López have been rumoured to be in negotiations with the Victory, with Carlos Hernández putting in a good word for his countrymen. Seven days should be more than enough for Merrick to check out some of the other talent pools around Central America. I’ve heard particularly good reports about Honduras, and Mexico seems like another place worth scouting out.

One thing Cole is willing to confirm is that the club only has one available visa spot “at the moment.” So if Merrick is indeed in the Americas looking for talent, what of the Ney Fabiano rumour? Or perhaps the club intends to bid farewell to one of its current crop of international players?

In other coaching news, former Socceroo Mehmet Durakovic has been made coach of the Victory’s inaugural Youth League team. As Assistant Coach will be Steve Mautone, the current goalkeeping coach and third ‘keeper for the ACL campaign, who will be Assistant Coach.

One year later, we know we’re not going to the finals. Sydney FC’s win over the Central Coast Mariners put them into 4th place, a solid 7 points ahead of us.

Meanwhile, we’re in a tight struggle with the Wellington Phoenix and the Perth Glory to not finish last. Unlike in previous years, when the New Zealand Knights were the obvious wooden spooners from round 8, that horrible fate could fall to any one of the bottom three this year. From first to last, one season to the next.

Just a little embarrassing, no?

So if you were Ernie Merrick right now, what would you do? How do you lift morale? Does your goal become merely to avoid finishing dead last, or do you have more positive aspirations?

But then they started losing. They pulled in a couple draws and 3 wins (twice against New Zealand, and once against Queensland), but lost the other 8 games of the remaining season .

By the end of the season, the only comfort beleaguered Victory fans could hold onto was the fact that their team didn’t finish bottom of the ladder. The Knights took that honour.

There were cries back then for heads to roll, and many did. Players like Andy Vlahos, Ricky Diaco and Carl Recchia lost their contracts; others, like Michael Ferrante and Vince Lia, kept their spot at the club but didn’t get any game time during season 2. But there were others who stayed, despite the protests of many fans. Daniel Allsopp was one. And Ernie Merrick was another.

Of course, both Allsopp and Merrick rewarded fans and club with an incredible season last year. The Victory’s second season was pretty much as good as it gets. Season 1 seemed a dark, distant memory.

But we’re into season 3 now, and echoes of that dismal first season are being heard. Melbourne started with a stack of draws (like season 1); then won a few (like season 1); but since their last win, they’ve only earned a single point from 4 games.

In the wise words of Yogi Berra: It’s like deja vu all over again.

Not surprisingly, people are again calling for Ernie Merrick to be fired. Experience has shown that sacking a coach can lead to dramatic improvement in a squad’s performance. Consider the Newcastle Jets under Gary van Egmont. Sydney FC under John Kosmina. Or even the Perth Glory, who pulled off their first win in a year after David Mitchell took over from Ron Smith.

Could firing Merrick have the same impact?

Frankly, I doubt it. Firing Merrick seems like a resoundingly bad idea. While not all his choices have made sense – most notably his insistence on starting Adrian Caceres on the bench – Merrick is a good, solid coach who has proven that he can lead Melbourne to win championships. Isn’t that what we want in a coach?

One of the main complaints about Merrick is that he lacks a “game plan”. Considering Merrick has had to field a different team every week, I find this complaint baffling. The way I see it, injuries, suspensions, and international matches have forced Merrick to design a new game plan each week.

Consider what Merrick has achieved off the field. While Melbourne bowed its head in shame after finishing 7th in season 1, Merrick was over in South America in search of players. He found Fred (and Claudinho, of course). Fred has all but been credited with winning the trophy single-handedly, so let’s give some credit to the guy who signed him.

I also respect Merrick for consistently signing local talent, who have more than rewarded him for his trust in their abilities. Players like Rodrigo Vargas, Leigh Broxham and Sebastian Ryall are a testament to Merrick’s worth as a coach.

I have been among the doubters at times. In first season, I remember Merrick’s eternal optimism (even when Melbourne was on its losing streak) being particularly frustrating. But optimism in the face of defeat isn’t such a bad thing.

A hallmark of Merrick’s coaching is that he rarely does what the fans think he should do. When the fans wanted to see Kristian Sarkies start every game, Merrick said no. When the fans wanted to see Alessandro, Merrick said no. When the fans wanted to see Caceres, Merrick said no. It’s hardly surprising that fans are quick to demand a new coach (presumably one who makes the decisions they would make). Bad move, I say.

What do you think? Is it time for a new coach, or is Merrick still the right man for the job?

It’s hard to come to any conclusions about what exactly was said by Merrick and Hill – though the blogger casts the impression of an angry Merrick out to attack Hill. But the Whistleblower provides little evidence to back up what s/he’s saying. He dimly references an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph, which simply attacks “some coaches” for trying to mask their team’s “deficiencies”.

But is that what Merrick was trying to do? To silence the critics? If so, that’s a futile road to travel for our Scottish coach.

Personally, I doubt whether this was Merrick’s intention. He has challenged his own team’s performances often enough. Maybe he doesn’t do it as much as some other coaches, but I don’t think he’s trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.

Instead, it seems more likely that Merrick merely made a point of sticking up for his team – perhaps a tad defensively (we don’t know). Is that so bad?

The Whistleblower sure does. S/he asks: “Should we let Ernie escape punishment?”

Punishment for what? For suggesting that Hill’s comments may have been incorrect? Surely a coach is allowed to defend his team’s performance! If anything, Merrick’s insistence on defending his team shows a strong belief in the squad – hardly an attribute one would want to castigate.

“I went and got my ticket and sat down at the game, and I sat next to this very attractive young girl and her parents,” Merrick told AAP.

“We got chatting and this young girl – it turns out she’s Kaz’s girlfriend and now his agent.

“We started talking about Kaz and how he was looking for a change and a loan for a year.

“His club (Benfica) wanted to loan him to another Portuguese club but she said he’d much prefer to come to Australia and Melbourne Victory was a good team.

“That’s where it went from.”

Daily Telegraph

Merrick, you sly coach! With two players still left to sign before the Victory squad is a complete 21, whose girlfriend/agent will Ernie be talking to next? I hear Aloisi isn’t sold on Sydney yet…

The Fox (as he is known in Costa Rica) will be filling the void left by Fred’s departure. He has big shoes to fill, but it sounds like he has the feet to fill them. Ernie Merrick says he’s “a player of enormous pedigree who is still yet to reach his prime.” And hey, if Merrick says it, I’m going to believe him.

Unfortunately, Hernandez won’t be joining the Victory squad in time for next month’s fixtures against the Chinese national team (July 4) and Tianjin Teda F.C. (July 7). Tianjin Teda consistently finishes in the top half of the Chinese Super League, looking to do one better this year under the coaching of experienced Czech coach Jozef Jarabinsky: suffice it to say that they will be fierce competitors.

Fiercer still will be the Chinese national team, for whom the game against Melbourne Victory will be their final preparation for the Asian Cup. Pitted against a Chinese side trying to instill its millions of fans with steadfast belief on the eve of Asia’s premier football competition… Merrick must be licking his chops.

The China tour is going to be valuable experience for the Victory squad. Last year’s near-perfect A-League campaign was preceded by a series of friendlies against local Victorian teams, as well as the North Queensland Cup and the regular pre-season cup. It stands to reason that two games against such high calibre competitors will provide for an even more thorough testing of Melbourne’s capabilities. Not only that, but the opportunity to play in China prior to 2008’s Asian Champions League campaign offers the team a chance to prepare itself for the dynamics of international competition.

But that’s a long way off. For now, let’s make life hard for China’s finest.