Tone deaf appointment: Here is what Fans are saying about Patrick Kisnorbo appointment as coach

June 25, 2024 GlobeAdmin Melbourne Victory 0

Patrick Kisnorbo has been named the next head coach of Melbourne Victory. He will serve as head coach for three years, ending at the conclusion of the 2026–2027 campaign.

Tony Popovic, who led the Victory to a grand final the previous season and came within minutes of winning the team’s fifth championship, is replaced by the 43-year-old.

Nevertheless, despite Kisnorbo’s prior success and accomplishments in the A-League, his selection has not gone over well with navy blue supporters, who swiftly expressed their discontent on social media.

The Sporting News examines Melbourne’s response to the coaching announcement and the reasons behind its uproar.

Why is Patrick Kisnorbo’s appointment controversial?

Put simply, Kisnorbo is the most successful coach in Melbourne City’s history, their local rivals.
He began his career at the club coaching the women’s and youth teams before rising to the position of head coach in 2020 and enjoying tremendous success with a potent roster.

In 2020–21, he guided the team to its first-ever A-League Men title. They followed that up with a championship success, overcoming Sydney FC 3–1 in the grand final.

He won another trophy the next season, but a shocking loss to Western United in the 2022 grand final kept him from winning back-to-back titles.

Apart from the several trophies he won with City, he led the team to the greatest victories in the Melbourne Derby, defeating the Victory 6-0 and then 7-0—the latter being the most crushing loss in the Victory’s illustrious past.

What has the fan reaction been to Patrick Kisnorbo’s appointment?

With all that in mind, it’s safe to say the reaction from Melbourne Victory fans at the news Kisnorbo is their new coach has been… mixed to say the least.

Upon Popovic’s departure at the start of June, Kisnorbo instantly shot to the top of list of new candidates to take the Victory top job, alongside former captain Mark Milligan, and former Central Coast and Hibernian coach Nick Montgomery.

When news emerged late last week of Kisnorbo being the last remaining candidate, some Victory fans made their feelings well known.

Fans descended on X as soon as the official announcement of the news was made late on Tuesday morning, with many of them criticizing the club for hiring Kisnorbo.

A supporter referred to the appointment as “tone deaf,” claiming it had reversed a significant portion of the club’s recent successes with fan interaction.

Other fan sentiments were similarly negative:

However, some supporters took a more practical approach to the selection, feeling that Kisnorbo was the greatest fit given the other coaches who could actually be hired.

A few impartial onlookers also voiced their opinions, primarily by making lighthearted remarks about how, given his history with Melbourne City, Kisnorbo would attempt to “destroy the Victory from the inside” or by emphasizing how it would intensify the already intense rivalry between the teams.

When it comes down to it, it will be interesting to observe whose side of the dispute wins out.
 

 

 

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