Matthew Foschini has called on Melbourne Victory to extend Jim Magilton’s stint as manager despite just one win under the Northern Irishman.
Matthew Foschini has called on Melbourne Victory to extend Jim Magilton’s stint as manager despite just one win under the Northern Irishman.
Since Magilton took charge as Victory’s boss, Melbourne Victory have only beaten league-leaders Central Coast Mariners on February 10, with five draws from the other eight games.
Foschini admits that managers are ‘only judged on results’ but reckons that Magilton deserves to continue the project he’s begun at Victory.
“Being in the inner sanctum and training and playing week in, week out, I know he’s making huge changes and a big difference to this football club,” Foschini said.
“I hope he stays on and coaches us for more seasons to come because I like where he’s headed and what direction he’s putting the football club in.”
The Melbourne Victory right back copped a battering from Magilton in the final drill of Thursday’s training session but Foschini believes that is exactly what is needed at the two-time Hyundai A-League champions.
“You could do 99 out of 100 right but the one he’ll pick on and he wants you to do it perfect every time,” Foschini said.
“So that’s the standards that are set at the football club and hopefully the latter part of this year and into next year we can build on it.”
With four games left in the season, Victory are five points behind sixth-placed Newcastle, their opponents on Saturday.
The club from the blue half of Melbourne also have games left to play against Sydney, Wellington and Perth and star striker Archie Thompson hasn’t given up hope on making the finals.
“The positive thing we can take out of it is that we play the teams just above us and hopefully all goes well,” Thompson said.
The 33-year-old played 28 minutes in Australia’s 4-2 win over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night, one of three Victory players involved alongside Harry Kewell and Mark Milligan, more than any other A-League club.
That stat underlines the club’s underachievement this season.
“All year we’ve been saying on paper we’re one of the strongest teams in the league and the performances haven’t warranted that but we’ve got our own fate in our own hands and we’ve just got to go out there and win,” Thompson said.
