Melbourne Victory are searching for a new head coach following Patrick Kisnorbo’s shock exit. These are some potential candidates to replace him at the helm.
Only six months into his tenure having replaced Tony Popovic and after just seven A-Leagues matches in charge of the four-time champions, the former Melbourne City and Troyes boss has left Victory searching for a new boss over the busy Christmas period.
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“Wow, first of all,”Sydney Morning Herald reporter Vince Rugari said, reacting to the news live on Total A-Leagues.
“The first thing I think of is that he just got past the period with Melbourne Victory fans where they had accepted him as their coach despite his history with Melbourne City. Now he leaves them.
“I don’t think a coach has left a club this early in a season, I could be wrong here… of their own volition. This is close to unprecedented in the league.”
COACHING SHOCK: Patrick Kisnorbo departs Melbourne Victory for ‘overseas opportunity’
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A-Leagues legend Daniel McBreen added: “It’s come out of left field. It’s huge. He is such an influential figure as a head coach. They’re going to have to go find another big coach to fill his boots because of the way he is, his big personality.
“For the squad, now what do they do? He’s brought players in. We saw the fact Bruno Fornaroli hasn’t really been getting much (of a) run. Maybe now he’s high-fiving his family going, ‘I have a chance to get back in’.”
“It’s either got to be a really good opportunity career-wise or it’s been an offer you would think is too good financially for his family to refuse.”
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Victory assistant Arthur Diles will step up to lead the 2023-24 Grand Finalists, but the question is, who will take the reins long term?
Former Victory assistant Peter Cklamovski was appointed head coach of the Malaysia national team this week, while ex-Newcastle Jets boss Arthur Papas was unveiled by J1 League outfit Cerezo Osaka in Japan on Tuesday. A-Leagues great John Hutchinson is also set to be announced as head coach of J2 League team Jubilo Iwata following their relegation after serving as Yokohama F.Marinos interim coach in 2024.
“It leaves Victory in a really difficult position,” Rugari said. “You would say there are some free agents available, Australian coaches, but there’s not anymore. They’re all falling into place.
“… Victory are the sort of club that is big enough that you might be able to lure one of those coaches overseas who’s doing really well. They don’t want to come back to Australia ideally but they would for the right opportunity.”
Here are some potential candidates who could be in the frame to take over…
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Mark Milligan (Adelaide United)
Milligan is currently Carl Veart’s assistant coach at rivals Adelaide United, but the 80-time Australia international is no stranger to Victory.
The 39-year-old, who retired in 2021, is a former Victory captain and Championship winner at AAMI Park, where he enjoyed success across three different spells.
Milligan was linked with a Victory return last season before Kisnorbo was appointed Popovic’s replacement.
The retired Socceroo’s only senior coaching experience was at NPLM NSW outfit St George FC in 2022 before joining Adelaide, having previously been at assistant at Macarthur Bulls.
Besart Berisha (Unattached)
Could we see Berisha on the sidelines in the Isuzu UTE A-League?
The bona fide A-Leagues legend is embarking on his coaching career and is keen on becoming a head coach after winning four Championships in the competition, two of those at Melbourne Victory where he scored 84 goals in 135 appearances across four trophy-laden seasons.
Berisha, who has opened an academy in Queensland, recently told Newscorp: “I want to be an A-League coach”.
The 39-year-old, who has spent time observing Kevin Muscat and Peter Cklamovski while obtaining his coaching badges, has been working as an assistant at Prishtina in Kosovo.
Harry Kewell (Unattached)
The former A-Leagues star and Socceroos legend is on the lookout for a coaching gig after leaving Yokohama F.Marinos during the 2024 J1 League season. He is also determined to prove a point.
Kewell was lured to Marinos to replace Kevin Muscat at the start of the year and while he guided the Japanese giants to the 2023-24 AFC Champions League final, he was sacked less than seven months into the role in July.
A return to Australia could mark a reunion with Victory, where the 46-year-old spent a year as a player in 2011-12.
Graham Arnold (Unattached)
Could Arnold be tempted by a return to the Isuzu UTE A-League?
Public enemy number one at Victory during his successful tenure with rivals Sydney FC, Arnold is free and available following his shock resignation as Socceroos coach in September.
The seemingly least likely of the possible candidates, the 61-year-old has not worked in the A-Leagues since 2018, after guiding the Sky Blues to a Championship and two Premierships, as well as an Australia Cup.
He also won a Championship and Premiership with Central Coast Mariners. This would be a serious long shot, given Arnold’s legacy in Sydney.
Mark Jackson (Central Coast Mariners)
According to a report in the UK, Central Coast Mariners head coach Mark Jackson is in the running for the Victory job.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke claims the Englishman Jackson is “being considered” for the job.
The 47-year-old is in his second season with the Mariners after guiding the Gosford-based club to an historic treble in 2023-24.
Arthur Diles (Melbourne Victory)
Current Victory assistant Diles is taking over on an interim basis after the shock news of Kisnorbo’s exit at AAMI Park.
The 42-year-old has a wealth of experience as an assistant in the A-Leagues. The next few months loom as his audition for the full-time job.
Previously a youth team coach at Western Sydney Wanderers, Diles spent some time as Tony Popovic’s assistant at Western Sydney wanderers before following him to Greece in 2020.
For two seasons, he was Arthur Papas’ assistant at Newcastle Jets prior to reuniting with Popovic at Victory in 2023-24.
Des Buckingham (Unattached)
Buckingham has just become available after he was sensationally let go by EFL Championship outfit Oxford United, much to the dismay of fans and pundits.
The 39-year-old guided his boyhood club to promotion to England’s second tier for the first time in 25 years last season.
Buckingham knows the A-Leagues all too well. He became the youngest head coach in the Isuzu UTE A-League’s history during his time at Wellington Phoenix in 2017. He also spent a season as assistant coach at Melbourne City in 2020-21.
