It was inevitable when Mike Mulvey was sacked recently given the way the A-League season has gone. However, the real problem lies more profound than most people think and only getting rid of yet another coach won’t fix it.
Sixth Coach in Five Seasons
The Central Coast Mariners are currently searching for their sixth head coach in five seasons after they decided to fire Mulvey after a horrifying 8-2 defeat against Wellington Phoenix. He was rather unlucky during the season. Especially when you take into account the departure of Ross McCormack, and Tommy Oar’s injury couldn’t be predicted either. However, regardless of these factors, Mulvey still managed to sign 17 players this season, and it’s safe to say that his recruitment failed.
The Central Coast Mariners are currently at the bottom of the log with only one win for the season, and their last two matches were genuinely embarrassing. Brisbane managed to score five goals against them, while Wellington scored a total of 8 goals, making it impossible for things not to change at the club.
However, the problem stems from the top. Mike Mulvey must have known when he decided to take the job that it was mostly a poisoned chalice. There needs to be a drastic change in culture at the club who was once one of the most elite teams in the country not too long ago.
Mike Charlesworth
Central Coast Mariners were considered one of the most stable teams in the tournament, only having two coaches in 9 years, including Graham Arnold and Lawrie McKinna. However, since then things have been a slippery slope, and it all took place once Mike Charlesworth made his entrance. This cannot be denied.
Charlesworth hasn’t been seen a great deal this season, and we don’t think he has a lot of love for the club, to be honest. He can do as he pleases and gets away with it quite quickly as the focus is on other crucial areas. However, its high time that he sits down and reads a book.
Club Lacks Quality
This will be the fifth devastating season for the Central Coast Mariners in a row, and something has got to give. You start feeling sorry for the people that work hard at the club, especially Shaun Mielekamp as the CEO along with his staff. However, you also have to question how and why this happens.
Stephen Mallon and Sam Graham were allowed to join the team recently from Sheffield United. Even though they are considered exceptional players, it’s not honestly the direction the club wants to go. Why sign players from other teams when the club struggles to develop their players? Football mentality certainly needs to return to the club as it lacks quality. It’s as simple as that. This is primarily caused due to a lack of spending.
Things are so bad at the club that even Pep Guardiola won’t be able to fix it!