City Views – Rebuilding City
If only rebuilding City was as easy as turning the PC on, loading the latest version of Sim City and starting from scratch again. It what appears to be yet another wasted year of existence, Melbourne City finds themselves with small crowds, very little identity on predictably off the pace when it comes to competing on the field. The success of cross town rivals Melbourne Victory only further compounds the failings of this rebranded team.
Although overnight success wasn’t expected from a team now owned by the richest owners in football, dramatic improvement both on and off the pitch were not too much to ask. Whilst those running the club will point to favourable membership sales (11,206 up from 7,307 last season) and most likely state the club is on the right track. When you look at the City attendances for this season you get a better understanding of where the club really is at.
| Category | Average Attendance |
| Home Attendance – Melbourne Derby | 26,372 |
| Home Attendance – With Villa | 14,400 |
| Home Attendance – All other games | 8,366 |
This illustrates just how the club are struggling with getting people to AAMI Park when it’s not a big occasion. AAMI Park is a world class facility and when you can convince barely 8,000 people to attend the strongest domestic competition in Australia you start to realise you have a major problem on your hands. Financially the future of Melbourne City is secure but when you are consistently failing on and off the pitch you continue to ask yourself what can be done to rebuild City.
ADMINISTRATION
Scott Munn has performed admirably in his role as Chief Executive Officer but ultimately has failed in his role at Melbourne City. There has been little growth in the five years he has been in charge of Heart/City and the club has failed to realise its potential as the second A-League club in Melbourne. Publically Munn has always seen to do what’s in the best interest for the club but after five years it’s time for a change at the top. The club has failed to tap into the sporting market of Melbourne and has been dwarfed by Victory in the last five seasons. One only has to attend a Melbourne Derby at Etihad to realise the gulf in numbers between the clubs.
Michael Brown should be the number one target for City Football Group as Munn’s potential replacement. His work during the Asian Cup was nothing short of outstanding and he knows the Melbourne sporting market through previous roles at Cricket Australia and the Hawthorn Football Club.
THE COACH
John Van’t Schip is a very strong minded coach and believes football should be played a certain way, sadly when you don’t have the personnel to achieve this idea you ultimately look foolish when attempting this goal. Van’t Schip’s inability to adjust tactically during a game or with squad selection has seen Season 2014/15 slowly slip away and now could be yet another wasted 12 months for the club. Injuries have played their part in the campaign with Koren and Duff, but ultimately Van’t Schip must fall on his sword if Melbourne City as a club is to move forward.
The next head coach must be someone who has A-League experience. John Kosmina is one option to not only stir the pot with Kevin Muscat, but get more out of the youngsters in the team; Van’t Schip shows so little faith in. Mike Mulvey would be the man most likely to bring City its first piece of very much needed silverware and should be aggressively targeted by City management.
THE LIST
Whilst it’s not the greatest list in the league, it’s more than capable on any given day to produce some great football that is the most frustrating aspect of Melbourne City. Eleven of the current squad are coming out of contract at seasons end and is the perfect opportunity to cut some dead wood from the squad.
Iain Ramsay would be first on the list. Three years ago he was a quick and skilful player in Adelaide, now he’s still quick but clogging up vital cap space and a place in the squad. Ramsay would be on decent money for an A-League player, sadly this far outweighs his value to the current City squad.
Visa players Robbie Wielaert and Jonathan Germano should also be given their marching orders from the club. Germano is one of a few players who actually show passion for the City shirt but his constant battle with injuries makes him a very high risk. Wielaert could share a cab with Van’t Schip to Tullamarine enroute to the Netherlands. The signing of Singapore international Safuwan Baharudin was a real head scratcher at the time, and even more so with Kew Jaliens joining the squad. It will be very hard to see him winning a permanent spot on the Melbourne City roster.
Mate Dugandzic has battled injury of late, but has shown once again this season he is nothing more than a squad player. With the plethora of midfielders at the club, Dugandzic shouldn’t be required next season. Paulo Retre has struggled to progress under Van’t Schip and could be given another season at this level given the right manager.
The future of Tando Velaphi is an interesting one, on one hand he has shown genuine improvement and has become the number one keeper at the club. On the other side of the coin you must ask if City were to compete for a title could Velaphi be the keeper you would turn to? Given Andrew Redmayne is contracted until 2015/16 the contract status of Velaphi becomes vitally important and if City has a chance to sign a superior keeper, Velaphi must be shown the door.
Patrick Kisnorbo and Massimo Murdocca still have plenty to offer if the club is to go forward. If you could get both players to sign reduced contracts they could play a vital role in rebuilding the squad.
If City is to move forward as a club the squad must be built around Aaron Mooy, Robert Koren, Josh Kennedy, Jacob Melling, Connor Chapman, and Ben Garrucio.
THE REMAINDER OF 2014/15
Whilst the possibility of playing finals still remains the club now finds themselves dependent on the results of other teams, namely Brisbane Roar. Over the last three weeks the club has let crucial opportunities slip and now could see another season wasted opportunities. It’s no wonder the club is struggling to attract supporters through the gates when Victory is at the pointy end of the table and playing a brand of attractive football. When you only have a choice between City and Victory for top level football in Melbourne it’s a pretty easy decision to make.
THE FANS
At present ‘The Melburnians’ appear to be the youngest active supporter group in the league. This can be a great thing if they can all stick around and support the club but real leadership must be found. At present the current ‘Capo’ divides opinion between supporters and this could be seen as a distraction to building a solid supporter base. Lack of numbers is a concern for the active element of the club and more must be done to create a game day atmosphere many want to be part of in 2015/16.
When the ‘City’ announcement was made the club lost some very good people through personal choices. Some decided to take a back seat and still support the club; others chose not to be part of the new ‘Melbourne City identity’.
Remaining supporters of the club must be prepared to promote the club in a positive light and look at how other clubs in the league are doing similar. A fan publication similar to ‘Schip Happens’ must be something supporters seriously consider starting up again. Even if the magazine only has three or four editions next season it would be a far superior product than the current match day program supplied by the club.
A weekly supports club podcast should also be looked into and run by two or three regulars who are avid supporters of the club. The current ‘Yellow Fever’ podcast could be a great base if looking at a predominant City podcast.
At the end of the day the club desperately needs an identity, something supporters can hold on to and be proud they chose to become Melbourne City members. In its current state City is merely an ugly duckling in comparison to the high flying (and vastly superior ran club) Melbourne Victory.
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